Chennai, May 25: The DMK-sponsored Opposition bandh in Tamil Nadu
to condemn the police firing on the anti-Sterlite protestors in Tuticorin and to
demand the resignation of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, evoked
mixed response on Friday.
No major untoward incident was reported as the dawn-to-dusk bandh began
at 0600 hrs this morning, reports received at the police headquarters here said.
While hotels, shops, including retail, and some commercial establishments
downed their shutters, government offices and banks functioned as usual.
Public transport was maintained as usual, though auto drivers, owing
allegiance to the Labour Progressive Front, the trade union wing of the
DMK, besides the CITU and INTUC, kept off the roads.
Official sources said more than 90 per cent of the government buses,
including the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses in the
Chennai city, and the long distance and inter-state State Express
Transport Corporation (SETC) services, were operated as usual.
The ruling AIADMK has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that
normal life remained unaffected.
More than 15,000 police personnel were deployed on security duty
across the city to maintain law and order.
Heavy police pickets were also posted at the Marina beach front, near
the DGP office and at the State Secretariat on the arterial Kamarajar
Salai where the DMK led by its Working President M K Stalin and the
members of its alliance parties staged a road roko after staging a
dharna in front of the Chief Minister’s chamber leading to their
physical eviction yesterday.
Reports received from districts said, shops and business establishments
were closed in some areas, while normal life remained uncrippled as the
state government ensured functioning of essential services including
public transport.
In Tuticorin, where 13 people were killed in police firing after the
anti-sterlite protests turned violent on Tuesday, the district
administration has extended the prohibitory orders for another two
days till May 27.
Even as life started slowly limping back to normal in the district,
which witnessed an orgy of violence and arson, no major untoward
incident was reported since yesterday, though shops and business
establishments were closed in areas were the prohibitory orders were
in force.
Initially, the district administration had said that the prohibitory orders
would be in force till today morning, but has extended it for another
two days, as a precautionary measure and to prevent any untoward
incident.
However, in rural areas of Tuticorin, normal life remained unaffected
as shops and other establishments were openUNI.
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