Kerala vehicle strike nearly total

The 24-hour vehicle strike, which began at midnight last night in protest against the steep increase in the vehicle insurance premium, has been near total with private buses, taxis, trucks and autorickshaws keeping off roads. However, two-wheelers and buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) plied.

The strike was called by various trade unions demanding the scraping of the premium hike imposed on Kerala on the ground that Kerala was more accident-prone than the rest of the country.

Insurance firms justify the hike pointing out that out of the total third party claims filed in India, 15 per cent is from Kerala. Currently, more than 100,000 cases are pending in various motor accident claim tribunals in the state with a provision of about Rs4 billion, they say.

The union workers here marched to the state secretariat and later to the office of United India Insurance Company. The attendance level in government offices was not much affected as the KSRTC buses operated as usual.

Various examinations of the Kerala University and the Public Service Commission scheduled for yesterday were put off.

Except for some stray incidents of stone-throwing at private vehicles in northern districts, the strike was more or less peaceful throughout the state.

The Kerala High Court had directed the state government and the police to ensure that the strike did not cripple normal life.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has, meanwhile, warned all insurance companies engaged in motor insurance against the "irrational manner" in which they have proceeded to collect third party insurance premium from vehicle owners.

The insurance firms were told to fully comply with the norms on tariff set by the Tariff Advisory Committee. "Any infringement of the guidelines would result in action being taken against the insurers," said IRDA chairman N. Rangachary.