THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by Dalit organisations against the police atrocities on the community members across the country on April 2 evoked a mixed response even as sporadic incidents of stone pelting and traffic obstruction were reported from several parts of the state.
The hartal that was jointly announced by around 30 Dalit organisations disrupted vehicular movement as hartal supporters resorted to blocking roads and cordoning off bus depots. While private vehicles were largely unaffected, KSRTC services were badly hit. As per sources, the public transport department could only operate 21 per cent of its services. The financial implications that the hartal had on the cash-strapped corporation are yet to be known, but KSRTC executive director K M Sreekumar said they had netted only one fourth of the normal collection.