13th June, 2008 - Compensate hartal 'ordeal'

This is a PTI story. Now there is a front against hartals fighting against 'frequent' hartals in Kerala, the 'Hartal Viruddha Munnani' has decided to seek legal intervention to help the aggrieved parties get compensation against financial losses and other ordeals during such 'sponsored protests calls.' The establishments and people who suffer heavy losses and damages during the frequent hartals on various pretexts should join hands to gather maximum evidence and help the anti-hartal front to produce it before court in availing maximum compensation from the political outfits responsible for such protest calls, Munnani State Secretary K Chandrababu said. The evidences on the losses and hardships faced by people and other establishments during the frequent hartals would be produced before an appropriate court to help the aggrieved parties get adequate compensation, he said in a release.

The concerned parties could sent the gathered evidence to the Kochi-based office of the Front, he said.The ruling CPI (M) led Left Democratic Front and BJP have called for statewide hartals today seeking immediate rollback of +steep+ hike in prices of petroleum products and the protest has affected normal life in Kerala.Kerala had been witnessing regional and district hartals called by political outfits for long and such protests appeared to have been getting 'overwhelming' responses with people in general seeming to have learnt to take things in their stride during such protests.

Now we have to see whether this front calls for a hartal protesting against frequent hartals.