The motor strike called by the combined forum of trade unions across the State on Tuesday in protest against the skyrocketing fuel prices was partial in Kozhikode district.
Though the strike seemed like a hartal during the earlier hours of the day, a lot of private vehicles took to the roads later on. Most commercial establishments remained open, even though the customer turnout was low. Though offices were open, the attendance was slightly low.
Private buses, autorickshaws and taxi cabs stayed off the road. Though the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) did not participate in the strike, public transportation was scarce. Very few KSRTC services also operated. As a result, a lot of people were stranded at bus stands and railway stations. Though most people had cancelled their trips after the strike was announced, many who were forced to travel due to unavoidable circumstances were hit by the non-availability of transportation.
Organisations such as the Helping Hands Charitable Trust had deployed their volunteers on motorbikes at railway stations and bus stands to help those in need despite the COVID-19 scare.
The strike did not affect school and college students as examinations for the day were postponed.
Wholesale business at Palayam vegetable market was affected as fresh stocks did not arrive due to the strike.
Activists under the banner of the combined trade unions took out a march to the Income Tax Office in the city in protest against the fuel price hike.
In Wayanad
The dawn-to-dusk strike was partial in Wayanad too.
As the Sulthan Bathery taluk was exempted from the strike owing to a festival at the Mariyamman temple at Manikuni, the strike did not affect normal life there.
However, the strike led to a hartal-like situation in other parts of the district with shops, educational institutions and business establishments remaining closed. Attendance was low in government offices and financial institutions. Only 32 out of 160 employees turned up for the duty at the Collectorate, District Collector Adeela Abdulla told The Hindu .
While private and KSRTC buses, autorickshaws and taxi cabs stayed off the road, two-wheelers and other private vehicles plied. Long queues of vehicles were seen on the Kerala-Karnataka and Kerala-Tamil Nadu borders, including Tholpetty, Muthanga and Thaloor.
No untoward incidents were reported from anywhere in the district, the police said.
