KOCHI: The general strike on Thursday brought sections of the city to a standstill for almost the entire day. Nearly all public transport, including private buses, remained off road.
Kochi Metro rail, which conducted usual services from 6.30 am to 10 pm, saw a nearly 50% reduction in footfall. The Water Metro also functioned normally, but with a 20% drop in passenger numbers.
The metro feeder bus service, which operated on just two routes — Aluva metro station to CIAL and Kalamassery to Medical College — was also impacted. Infopark remained largely unaffected as usual. While only 40% of the nearly 75,000 employees attended offices, the rest either worked from home or hybrid.
The strike was called by several trade unions opposed to the Union government’s policies, including labour codes termed “anti-worker” and “anti-farmer”. A few KSRTC long-distance buses were reportedly blocked by protesters.