National strike turns into bandh in Kerala

The nationwide strike called by trade unions in protest against the Central government’s alleged anti-worker policies brought normal life across Kerala to a standstill on Wednesday. The strike assumed the proportions of a bandh in Kerala on Wednesday.

Private and government-owned KSRTC buses were not on the roads. The efforts of the KSRTC to operate services were blocked by protestors at many places. The blockade didn’t spare the constituency of Transport Minister Ganesh Kumar who made an announcement that the KSRTC services would remain operational on Wednesday.

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Protestors blocked KSRTC services in Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram as well. In Karunagappally, an altercation between KSRTC workers and the supporters of the strike led to tensions. In Neyyattinkara, private vehicles were stopped.

The train passengers, who got off at the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station, were stranded with nowhere to go due to the strike. The police arranged vehicles for taking patients to the RCC and Medical College. They increased security at the Secretariat to ensure safety of officers.

Shops and other commercial establishments remained shut. However, train services in the state ran as usual with the police making special arrangements at major railway stations to assist passengers to avoid inconvenience to them.

Post office employees in Kollam were stopped from working by CITU workers. The employees arrived at the head post office but were not allowed to open the gate. Strike supporters blocked vehicles near the new bus stand in Kasaragod.

In Thiruvananthapuram’s Attingal, there was a minor clash between the protesters and the police as the former blocked a bus. The clash escalated when an attempt was made to assault a policeman who blocked the protesters. In Malappuram’s Manjeri, there was a scuffle between the police and the supporters of the strike.

Attendance at government offices, particularly the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, was extremely low. Of 4,686 employees, only 423 turned up for work. The Public Administration Department recorded 320 employees present, while the Finance Department had only 99.

The nationwide strike had been jointly called by ten Central Opposition trade unions, including the INTUC, AITUC and CITU, against alleged anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the Central government.