KOCHI: Atime when 470 lives are lost, a time when lakhs of households are scrambling to get their life together, a time when the state economy is in shambles, isn’t it the time to focus on rebuilding the state rather than to paralyse it further by shutting it down for a day? This was Better Kochi Response Group’s (BKRG) response to the 12-hour long hartal called by leading political parties on Monday.
“Kerala has lost much in the great deluge, even though we understand rising fuel prices is a valid issue, this is not the way or the time to shut down the state,” says Gopakumar, president, BKRG. He added the inherent freedom of political parties, organisations to paralyse the state at their will has to be curtailed either through an absolute judicial order or a legislative act.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has estimated that Kerala incurs a GDP loss of Rs 900 crore per day when a hartal is 100 percent successful. For reference, a little over ` 1,000 crore is what the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund has received post the great deluge. “A hartal now is like undoing the efforts of millions in India and around the world in their ways of contributing to the rebuilding of the state,” said Raju P Nair, general convenor, Say No To Hartal campaign.
We are still in the process of setting up our home, children catching up on lost school days and organising our finances by working overtime. A hartal now will further retard the whole process,” says Esther, a flood-victim from Aluva.
Raju adds holding a hartal now is like a slap in the faces of the countless stories of resistance across the state. “No hartal has ever achieved its intended goal to start with, it is just going to add a day more to the number of school days lost, reduce productive hours concerning lakhs of employees and loss of valuable business hours for traders,” said Raju. At a frequency of more than 100 state-wide and regional hartals combined a year, the public for long are bearing the brunt of it on a regular basis where their movements are restricted, violence being inflicted upon them, and access to basic services denied.
During the previous UDF Government’s reign, minister Ramesh Chennithala had introduced the Hartal Regulation Bill in December 2015, which was sent to a select committee for consideration but it has not moved forward since. And, numerous court directives declaring bandhs illegal are barely enforced in the state.
IUML decision hailed
Commenting on Indian Union Muslim Leagues’ (IUML) decision to stay away from the strike, Jose Dominic, CEO of Kerala-based CGH Earth Group said “A salute to IUML for staying away from the Hartal. We will be failing if we do not pass a resolution expressing our strong dissent to the party in Government and the opposition for declaring a Hartal at a time when we are in the midst of such a big calamity”. He added hartal is a fundamental right of protest, but saying no to hartal is also an equally fundamental right that must be respected.
Hibi Eden, Congress MLA, Ernakulam says he has always maintained the opinion that hartals are a primitive way of protest, but the urgency and relevance of the issue, the unprecedented fuel price hike begs it to be protested across the nation. All efforts will be made not to interrupt the daily lives of common people, relief and rehabilitation efforts.
TiE Kerala against hartal
TiE (The IndUS Entrepreneurs) Kerala has passed a resolution at their executive committee meeting, urging all political parties and leaders irrespective of affiliations to desist from holding hartals considering the magnitude of the disaster caused by flood and its social and economic impact on the State. “We are among the ruins. First time in the history of Kerala, we saw a catastrophe of this proportion causing huge loss of life, houses, property, infrastructure, displacement of a large number of people, loss of work and business severely affecting our economy,” said MSA Kumar, President, TiE Kerala. “We are set to rehabilitate people, rebuild the state and its economy. The State can ill afford hartals in this hour of crisis, whatever be the compulsions,” he added.
Shops along MG Road to remain open
The establishments along MG Road Kochi have decided to open tomorrow inspite of the call for hartal. According to sources, the District Collector has assured all sort of protection for these shops. Various organisations like Better Kochi Response Group has been rallying for the cause.
