The final day of the 48-hour general strike by trade unions evoked mixed response in the district on Wednesday. While strike largely affected government offices and public transport system, private vehicles plied and a majority of shops and private establishments functioned. Trade union leaders took out protest marches in various centres in solidarity with the strike.
Trains blocked
In the morning, protesters blocked trains at Changanassery and Kottayam. While the Venad Express was blocked at Changanassery around 9 a.m., Sabari Express was blocked in Kottayam some three hours later.
The railway police registered cases against the protesters in both the incidents.
Meanwhile, the strike did not affect KSRTC’s Sabarimala special services. It operated 87 services from Kottayam railway station till 5.45 p.m. to Erumely and Pampa. Apart from 33 Pampa special buses, 13 buses of the Kottayam depot also operated services to Erumely and Pampa.
But the KSRTC did not operate any other service due to staff shortage. Similarly, the private buses and taxi cabs also stayed off the road for the second consecutive day.
The absence of public transport facilities also affected the onward journey of the Sabarimala pilgrims, who poured in large numbers by trains to some extent.
The strike paralysed the functioning of government offices and in MG University, only 80 out of the 1,550 employees turned up for work.
Meanwhile, the tourist hub of Kumarakom remained unaffected by the strike with all shops, house boats and hotels operating normally.