General strike throws normal life out of gear in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 14 (UNI) Normal life was thrown out of gear in Kerala today as the country-wide general strike called by the Left trade unions to press for the reversal of the 'anti-people' economic policies of the UPA government evoked a 'bandh'-like- situation in several parts of the state.

People were forced to stay indoors as the public transport remained off the roads. Only a few two-wheelers and private vehicles plied on the roads.

The state-run Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private buses did not operate services and the trucks and taxis also stayed off the roads.

Educational institutions, business establishments and banks remained closed and attendance in both Central and State Government offices was minimal.

Though train and flight services were not hit, people were stranded at the railway stations and airports as there was no mode of transport for them to reach their destinations.

The strike had no impact on the IT sector as most of the companies in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi functioned normally. A report from Kochi said 65 per cent of the companies functioned in the Infopark. IT majors Wipro, ACS and OPI Global had already declared a holiday today.

The report said attendance at Cochin Port Trust was minimal and loading and unloading work at the port was affected.

The Kochi Refineries functioned as normal.

The ongoing 11th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram was not affected by the strike as the authorities had made necessary arrangements for the film lovers. The Trade Union Sponsoring Committee had also exempted the IFFK from the strike.

Even though the Sabarimala pilgrims were exempted from the strike, in some places the strike had affected them as well.

A report from Kozhikode said normal life was hit in the Malabar region as the agitation forced the people to stay indoors in the absence of public transport. Offices, government as well as private business establishments and educational institutions remained closed in the region.

A Kottayam report said though the KSRTC operated special services to Pampa from there, the Sabarimala pilgrims were affected.

According to reports, foreign tourists also had to bear the brunt of the strike as they were not able to move out of their hotel rooms for tourist destinations. Some were seen walking down the deserted streets in some places.

The agitating trade unions also held protest marches in all the districts.

Even Ministers joined the strike as none of them attended office, even as they met at the Chief Minister's residence for a special cabinet meeting, which decided to convene a three-day special Assembly session to discuss the Kerala Farmers Debt Relief Bill.

All the Ministers walked down to the Chief minister's residence, expressing solidarity with the general strike.

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