Normal life was paralysed in Kozhikode district following the 24-hour nationwide strike on Wednesday called by various trade unions against the “anti-people” policies of the BJP-led Government at the Centre.
Striking organisations such as the INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC and other federations said that the strike was total. No untoward incident was also reported in the district.
Shops and commercial establishments remained shut despite the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti declared that traders would dissociate with the general strike. The busy commercial streets at Palayam and Big Bazaar in the city wore a deserted look throughout the day. Similarly, no shops opened on S.M. Street and Moideen Palli Road.
Except for private vehicles, mostly motorbikes, public transportation services was affected in the city as well as mofussil towns. State-owned KSRTC and private stage carriers kept off the road.
However, train services have not been disrupted. Many who arrived at the railway stations and without any means to travel had to hitch-hiked to reach their destinations.
Educational institutions were given a holiday and Calicut University has postponed all examinations scheduled for the day. Without public transport, candidates appearing for the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) being conducted by the National Testing Agency under the Ministry of Human Resource Development had a difficult time reaching the venues such as Kuttikkattoor on the outskirts of the city. Many had expected that the JEE (Main) scheduled on January 8 would be postponed.
Attendances at government offices and private establishments remained thin. Banking services have been severely hit though some private banks opened for their customers.
Towards evening, provisions stores and supermarkets opened to the relief of shoppers. Roadside fish vendors and petty shops also began functioning from 6 p.m.
In Wayand
Staff Reporter in Wayanad writes: The strike led to a hartal-like situation in small towns of Wayanad district with shops, educational institutions and business establishments remaining closed. Attendance was low in government offices and inancial institutions.
Protesters at Sulthan Bathery and Mananthavady tried to block trucks heading to major towns of the State from neighbouring States. While private and KSRTC buses, autorickshaws and taxi cars stayed off the road, two-wheelers and other private vehicles plied.No services were operated from the Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta, and Mananthavady KSRTC depots.
Long queues of vehicles were seen on the Kerala-Karnataka and Kerala-Tamil Nadu State borders, including Tholpetty, Muthanga and Thaloor. No untoward incidents were reported from anywhere in the district, police said.
Strike near-total
Staff Reporter in Kannur writes: The strike was near-total in Kannur and Kasaragod districts. Most of the shops and businesses remained closed in support of the strike called by the trade unions except the BJP-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. This affected the normal life of people, especially migrants, who are dependent on hotels and other eateries for food.
The passengers who came by train were stranded at the railway station. May people were held up at the bus stand too as all the private bus operators, KSRTC buses, taxi and autorickshaws remained off road.
The strike also affected work in government offices. There was almost no attendance at any of the government offices. Except for the district collectors and a few other officials, most of the employees failed to turn up at the offices.
Both the districts of Kannur and Kasaragod remained peaceful and no incidents of violence were reported until evening.
In Malappuram
Staff Reporter in Malappuram adds: The strike was total in the neighbouring districts of Palakkad and Malappuram. All public transport carriers stayed off the road. Shops and business establishments remained closed. Traders in Palakkad and Malappuram did not heed the call by Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi State leader T. Nasiruddeen to open shops. Schools and colleges did not function.
Striking workers and sympathisers took out demonstrations in all major towns, including Palakkad, Malappuram, Ottappalam, Manjeri, Kondotty, Tirur, Perinthalmanna, Shoranur, Kottakkal, Edappal, and Pattambi.
