The 48-hour nationwide general strike by trade unions created a hartal-like situation here on Tuesday, with nearly all the shops remaining closed and public transport vehicles keeping off the road.
Normal life here was paralysed on the first day of the two-day general strike. Government offices here did not function as majority of the employees took part in the strike.
The strike also brought to a standstill the functioning of banks and other financial institutions. Private and KSRTC buses, taxis and autorickshaws, and trucks were off the road. Only private vehicles, including two-wheelers, were seen on the road.
Trains delayed
Rail services were hit in the morning as trade union workers blocked trains at railway stations. The Chennai-Mangaluru Mail was blocked for 40 minutes at the Kannur railway station. The Mangaluru-Egmore Express was delayed for one-and-a-half hours as it was blocked by trade union workers at Payyannur and Kannapuram railway stations.
Activists of the trade unions supporting the general strike took out a demonstration here on Tuesday morning. Centre of Indian Trade Unions leader K.P. Sahadevan and Indian National Trade Union Congress leader K. Surendran were among those who led the demonstration.