Business was at its low on Wednesday with almost all shops and business establishments downing their shutters as part of the state-wide protest called by the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) in protest against the Central Government’s approval for Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector.
The activists took part in a mass protest rally from Marine Drive to Rajendra Maidan that disrupted traffic in the stretch for about an hour.
Apart from some small shops, all shops and hotels were closed till evening. In the afternoon some of them opened but major shopping complexes remained closed for the entire day. MG Road, the hub of the shopping activities in the city, wore a deserted look. Wholesale and retail shops in Broadway were also closed till evening. However, the worst affected were those depending on restaurants. Most of them flocked to private canteens of different organisations for lunch. Some of the petrol pumps also did not function till evening.
Traders' March
Activists of Kerala Vyapara Vyvasayi Ekopana Samithi and the CITU-backed Vyapari Vyvasayi Samithi conducted separated marches. According to police, around 5,000 traders from over 200 units of KVVES took part in the protest. The rally by Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi from MG Road to Ernakulam post office had as many as 200 participants. However, there weren’t any incidents of violence.
The police, anticipating the traffic snarls, had diverted vehicles passing through the Marine Drive stretch at the time of the rally. About 200 policemen from Armed Reserve camp were deployed on Marine Drive Road and MG Road. A case would be lodged against the leaders of the KVVES for disrupting the traffic, police said.
After the rally a protest meeting was organised at Rajendra Maidan in which CPI state secretary Panniyan Raveendran, S Sarma MLA and BJP national committee member M T Ramesh took part.
Extending support to the protest, Panniyan Ravendran said that such policies of the government would result in poverty and unemployment. The CPI will protest against the FDI policy till it is withdrawn, he said.
Sarma said that all people in the country should come united to protest against the UPA government’s FDI policy. He said that even though the Centre has left it to the states to implement, in future it would become mandatory.
M T Ramesh said that traders across the nation are against the FDI in retail sector and the coming days will witness more protest activities until the government withdraws the policy.
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