The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Thiruvananthapuram district on Saturday to protest against Friday’s police action against the DYFI and SFI activists who were protesting against the petrol price hike is partial.
Shops and business establishments are remaining closed in the district. Petrol pumps, except that of the Civil Supplies Corporation, are not functioning. Attendance is thin in the Government offices following the hartal that began at 6 a.m. Majority of educational institutions were closed as Saturday was a holiday.
In many areas, the banks which commenced functioning in the morning had to close down as the LDF supporters asked the officials to put down the shutters and stop transactions.
The state-owned KSRTC buses, including the city services, are operating much to the relief of the commuters. Private vehicles and autorickshaws are also running. But, the private buses, including the 110-odd in the city, are not plying.
As many as 11 buses were damaged in the stone-pelting by the agitators in Plavoor, Thumba, Uloor, Sreekariyam, Pappanamcode, Mottamoodu, Murinjaplam, Venjaramood and Kulasekharam. Two drivers had been injured in the stone-pelting. One of them had been admitted to a private medical hospital at Venjaramood. “Despite this, we are running all services, including long distance buses to and from the capital”, a KSRTC official told The Hindu .
Except for the stone-pelting incidents, police said no untoward incident had been reported in the district till 10 a.m. The police have been deployed in large numbers and security has been beefed up in view of the violent incidents in the capital.
