Strike by private transport operators to press for a rollback of hiked insurance premium and road tax had a crippling effect on life across Kerala on Friday.
Private buses, taxis and autorikshaws stayed off the road all over the State, hitting movement of goods and people.
While people had to depend entirely on the services of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and the Kerala State Water Transport Department, there was no such relief for the trading community which had to wait for the 24-hour strike, which began at midnight on Thursday, to be over before supplies could be restored.
Although the strike organisers had announced that there would be no forcible compliance with their strike call, isolated skirmishes were reported from different parts of the State.
