THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What the netas had said have become false statements. The general strike called by joint trade unions wore the look of a hartal. People’s mobility was curtailed and they found it difficult to move around.

KSRTC didn’t operate services, except Pamba services. Train services also went haywire. At many stations, trains were blocked. Only private vehicles were seen on the roads here and there. Shops remained close in many places.

Though the strikers had said that they won’t use force to close the shops, force was used at many places. A strike leader assaulted a furniture merchant in Kayamkulam when he kept his shop open. In Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kozhikode districts, strike supporters forced merchants to close their shops.

Only 125 employees reached Secretariat while the employee strength is 5000.


Ironically, ministers including the chief minister didn’t reach the office for work. The attendance was very low in important institutions like the university and Vikas Bhavan.

In Malappuram Manjerri, strikers used force to close many shops. The situation became tense when the shop owners tried to open their shop again.
The strikers blocked employees who went to work at Kochi harbour and IOC plants.