Thrissur: The nation-wide strike called by central trade unions on Friday went of peacefully in Thrissur and Palakkad districts except for minor incidents. Vehicles except two-wheelers kept off the roads in Thrissur while KSRTC buses did not conduct service from Thrissur depot. Ambulances and vehicles carrying people for weddings and funerals, however, plied. All major spots in Thirssur town such as Sakthan Thampuran, North and Municipal bus stands wore a deserted look on the day of the strike.
The leftist trade union workers took out a rally through Swaraj Round in Thrissur in the morning. Collectorates and government offices in both Thrissur and Palakkad witness very low attendance of employees. Catering unit Namboothiri Pachaka Koottam served food packets at Thekkinkkad Maidan to more than thousand people who could not get food as the hotels remained closed. A scuffle was reported at Apollo Tyres unit in Perambra in Thrissur between workers of BMS union who reported for work and those supporting the strike.
Namboothiri Pachaka Koottam distributes food packets to stranded people at Thekkinkkad Maidan.
Guruvayur temple witnessed unprecedented rush of devotees despite the agitation. None of the vehicles which took to the road in the temple town was blocked by the protestors supporting the strike. As the strike was announced well in advance, devotees from across the state reached the temple town on Thursday. Most of the rooms in the lodges surrounding the temple were booked in advance.
Starting from early morning, long queues of devotees were seen outside both the western and eastern entrance towers of the Temple. No vehicles were seen in the KSRTC Bus Stand and Stadium Bus Stand in Palakkad. All the local trains that reached Thrissur and Palakkad junction stations were almost empty. In Palakkad, police van took passengers who got stranded in Olavakkod railway station to Palakkad town.
