A hartal called by the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the high ranges of Idukki and Wayanad districts on Saturday disrupted normal life but passed off peacefully.
The LDF has called a State-wide hartal on Monday in protest against the “unilateral imposition” of the recommendations of the K. Kasturirangan-headed High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats.
A day after the widespread unrest and incidents of arson, life in the rural areas of Kozhikode district, especially from Thamarassery to Adivaram, still remained paralysed on Saturday.
In Wayanad, normal life was affected by the dawn-to-dusk hartal. It passed off peacefully except a few incidents of attacks on forest stations in Mananthavady taluk.
Private buses, taxis, and autorickshaws kept off the road. Hundreds of travellers, including Sabarimala pilgrims and tourists from Karnataka, were stranded on the border. A group of miscreants set fire to a forest section office at Kattikulam under the North Wayanad forest division on Saturday evening.
In Idukki, the dawn-to-dusk hartal was total and peaceful. Hartal supporters in the high ranges blocked roads. At Kattappana, the hartal supporters, while on a demonstration, pelted stones at a KSEB office.
In Munnar, however, most of the shops and hotels remained open because of a temple festival. In Kumily, inter-State vehicles carrying Sabarimala pilgrims passed through and a few private vehicles also plied on the road.
The hartal in Attappady was partial. Shops and business establishments remained closed.
The protests had turned violent in Kozhikode and Kannur districts on Friday with irate mobs torching government vehicles and attacking Forest Department offices.
