Hartal woes: Visitors blame states politicians

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: A journey to the State capital on the day of hartal became a journey of enlightenment for Tamil Nadu native George. He had entered the city on Friday morning with least regard for the politicians and political parties in his State. But when he returned in the afternoon, his heart was filled with respect for the politicians back home who never called  unnecessary strikes that were sure not to yield any result.   George had come to the city to visit a leading a travel agency here for submitting some important documents for obtaining a visa for his son, Michael, who is seeking a job abroad - in Muscat. But the journey, that started with him unaware of the hartal here, became an eventful hitchhike from the border town of Parassala.  ‘’A day’s strike means no wage for the day for a common worker. How can the people here give consent to such decisions of the political parties?’’ asks George, who himself happens to be a worker in the transport sector, being a cleaner in a private bus. ‘’The fuel price was increased in our State too. But the opposition was generous enough to give the new government some time before they called a strike there. It is not that they do not have any protest. But they are waiting for the State Government to take a decision. If the decision is not acceptable, they might call a strike,’’ he said.  Like George, most people who arrived in the capital city had to suffer the adversities of the hartal owing to the lack of transportation. Even though the government-run KSRTC employees were not part of the strike called by the members of the motor vehicle unions, they too abstained from work, keeping hundreds of travellers waiting until evening.  A mild spat occurred between two groups of employees at Thampanoor Depot, when a section came willing to join duty. Scuffle broke out when they were opposed by the group of employees who supported the strike. Police personnel who were deployed at the depot prevented the scuffle from turning into a big fight. Other than this tension, the hartal was peaceful in other parts of the city with no untoward incident being reported.