The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) as part of the nation-wide strike against fuel price hike was near-total in the district.
The hartal brought normal life to a standstill here as public transport vehicles including KSRTC buses were off the roads. Roads here wore a deserted look in the morning. Private vehicles, including two-wheelers and cars, were occasionally seen plying on the roads. All shops and commercial establishments were closed. Attendance was thin in most of the government offices.
The police said no hartal-related incident was reported so far. The UDF and the LDF staged separate processions here in support of the hartal. Lorry Owners’ Association here showed their symbolic protest against the fuel price hike by pulling a lorry with ropes. The Hartal Viruddha Munnani (HVM) here displayed posters trolling the hartal. In a press release here, the HVM said the hartal caused a loss to the tune of ₹5,000 crore to the State that was already reeling under the devastation caused by the floods