THIRUVANANATHAPURAM: Barring the absence of private buses, the statewide dawn- to-dusk strike of motor vehicle workers evoked mixed response on Saturday. Though the day witnessed a resigned approach by the public towards the stir, the KSRTC and private vehicles plied without any hindrance across the state.No major untoward incident was reported from anywhere, barring a couple of preventive arrests.The notable fete of the day was the KSRTC buses plying in large numbers, a rare phenomenon during the UDF rule.Since the stir was announced in a whiff by Leftist trade unions in tandem with the announced petrol price hike, there was no scope to give the mandatory 15-day notice for a strike in the KSRTC.Moreover, there was no logic for a strike in the transport corporation as only diesel vehicles are in its fold.Sufficient number of both long and short distance buses, including city services, were pressed into service by the corporation.Attendance in government offices was thin, keeping in tune with the general holiday mood. In Kochi, although the KSRTC buses operated trouble-free in the morning, it got disrupted after the police insisted that it should ply only as convoys and with their escort.“Since there were not enough police escorts, there was a lot of delay in operating the services in the morning. The issue was solved by afternoon and the buses resolved operating as usual,” said Antony P X, Controlling Officer, KSRTC.However, the AC Volvo buses did not operate. Shops and establishments remained closed, following a tradition in the state during any stir.In the capital, striking motor vehicle workers took out a protest march to the Accountant General’s office.Trade unions owing allegiance to the UDF kept away from the strike. Cops were posted in vantage points across the state.
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