THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In view of the closure of private petrol pumps across the state on December 31 and the announcement of a signal strike, 14 Yathra fuel outlets owned by the KSRTC at East Fort, Vikas Bhavan, Kilimanoor, Chadayamangalam, Ponkunnam, Cherthala, Mavelikara, Munnar, Muvattupuzha, Paravur, Chalakudy, Thrissur, Guruvayur, and Kozhikode will operate 24 hours as usual, KSRTC said. This service can be utilized by the public as much as possible.

Petrol pumps will remain shut between 8 pm on December 31st to 6 am the next New Year morning. Officials of the All Kerala Federation of Petroleum Traders reasoned the sudden move to shut down businesses for the government's inaction on the spike in cases of Petrol employees getting attacked by goons.

The federation also warned that the petrol pumps would have to adopt strict measures such as working only till night 10 pm from March of next year if the government fails to find a solution to this misery. The organization demands that laws be made to protect the pump employees akin to the newly made laws to protect health workers during hospital attacks.