Malabar grinds to a halt

KANNUR/KASARGOD: The hartal called by the LDF and the BJP in protest against the hike in prices of petrol brought normal life to a halt in the district on Monday.      Except for a couple of incidents of attacks on vehicles, the hartal was peaceful. A lorry carrying fish from Mangalore to Kozhikode was stoned by hartal supporters at Kannothumchal here. A worker in the lorry sustained injuries in the stone-throwing.The hartal brought road traffic to a complete halt, as private buses, taxis and autorickshaws kept off the roads. Barring a few private vehicles and two-wheelers, the roads at the district headquarters wore a deserted look. Shops and other commercial establishments remained closed. The hartal also hit the functioning of government offices, educational institutions and many of the banks at the district headquarters. Some of the passengers who reached the railway station could not reach their destination as even KSRTC buses failed to operate services. The hartal was total at the taluk centres of Thalassery, Taliparamba and Payyanur.Meanwhile, the LDF, BJP and the joint action council of transport workers held separate demonstrations in the town in support of the hartal. ENSHartal Total in Kasargod The hartal was total in Kasargod. The hartal affected normal life as even private vehicles kept off the road. Private buses as well as the fleet of the KSRTC did not ply. The Karnataka RTC buses plied up the border. However, the roadblocks put up by hartal supporters were removed by the police. The hartal supporters took out marches in Kasargod, Kanhangad and Neeleswaram.