The opening of shops and businesses in Kozhikode city was among the notable features as the first day of the two-day national strike called by Central trade unions drew to a close in the district on Tuesday. There has not been any incident of violence.
A majority of shops on S.M. Street, which witnessed large-scale violence during the Sabarimala Karma Samiti-sponsored hartal on January 3, were opened by afternoon though customers were very few.
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Police personnel were present on the street to prevent untoward incidents. The Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti had earlier declared that its members would not down shutters during the strike. A few hotels and restaurants too tried to buck the trend.
The strike crippled life in rural parts and taluks such as Vadakara, Koyilandy, and Perambra, where most of the shops and other units remained closed.
Some of the shops in Valiyangadi, the main market in the town, were opened though the vegetable market at Palayam wore a deserted look. A building on Gujarati Street was found vandalised early in the morning. Black oil was poured on its walls and the window panes were found smashed. Local residents cleaned the premises by evening.
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The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation did not operate its services and private buses and autorickshaws too were off the roads. However, private vehicles were aplenty. Attendance was thin in government offices and educational institutions did not function. Trade union activists staged a symbolic picketing of the railway station and some of the trains were delayed for about half-an-hour.