NILGIRIS: Following the deaths of two men in tiger attacks at Lauriston in O-Valley Town Panchayat, several political parties and traders have called a two-day general strike on August 27 and 28 in the Gudalur Assembly constituency, urging the forest department to take steps to prevent such wild animal attacks in the region.
Representatives of major political parties, including BJP, Congress, VCK, CPI, CPM, NTK, DMDK, and SDPI, took part in a meeting on the same, held at the DMK’s Gudalur MLA office on Saturday evening. The parties sought the cooperation of traders, autorickshaw and taxi drivers across the constituency for the strike.
They also passed a resolution demanding the release of VCK and DYFI functionaries, who were arrested during the protest held on August 21 after the death of one of the tiger attack victims, K Ravikumar in Lauriston.Subsequently, traders have extended their support by deciding to shut grocery shops, while auto and call taxi operators will stay off the roads.
Similarly, resorts and cottages in Masinagudi, a major tourist destination in the Nilgiris district, are also likely to remain closed during the strike. A representative of Gudalur Viyabarikal Sangam said that estate workers would also go on strike and have decided not to send their children to school on both days.
“Our members have decided to extend their support to the strike as people are spending sleepless nights due to wild animal attacks. The strike is being observed to demonstrate our unity and urge the forest department to take steps to prevent such deaths caused by wild animals,” the representative said.