The CITU picketing of the Civil Station, that lasted for about seven hours did not seem to affect the functioning of the collectorate here after noon.
When the government offices resumed functioning at 2 pm after the picketing, the Collectorate alone registered an attendance of about 80 per cent. Though the District Collector and the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) could not turn up, almost all the staff performed their duty without fail, said sources.
But one of the major offices that did not function was the RTO. Almost all the counters of the RTO remained closed on Wednesday. “Owing to it, the public could not carry out their routine dealings with the Motor Vehicles Department,” sources said.
Among the list of departments which could not function apart from the RTO office were the PWD office (bridges), Nehru Yuva Kendra, ICDS project office, Literacy Mission, National Savings Department and Finance Inspection Wing.
The sources said that about 40 per cent of staff were present in offices which functioned. Police said that they maintained a strict vigil and there were no untoward incidents. “The traffic was diverted through Pattupuram Temple Road during picketing,” they said.