Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s widespread shutdown culture — closure of shops and businesses as mark of protest, commonly known as hartal — has prompted a clutch of organisations to move a public interest petition in the state high court against the menace.
The aggrieved organisations include the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Malayala Vedi, based in Thrissur.
The petitioners pointed out that there were as many as 97 hartals (shutdowns) in the state last year, and the court has sought the government’s opinion on the frequent shutdowns in the state.
In the context of India’s first-ever cricket series victory in Australia on Monday, some commentators on social media noted that Kerala narrowly missed a century of shutdowns in 2018. Three more days of non-activity would have clinched that disrepute for the state.
The New Year has only reinforced the shutdown habit in the state, with one shutdown held last week by the Sabarimala Karma Samiti (action committee) and the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the state bracing to observe the two-day national strike by trade unions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The high court asked the state government what steps it has taken for the shutdowns scheduled this week.
Ahead of last week’s shutdown that was backed by the BJP, the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti (KVVES) which represents the trading community in the state, had pledged to open shops and not co-operate with the shutdown supporters. However, attacks against shops and shop owners forced many of them to shut their establishments.
This week, too, the KVVES has decided to keep shops open, and asked all its members to display unity in fighting the shutdown menace.
One of the key sectors being affected by the frequent shutdowns is the tourism sector. The tourism industry in Kerala is still struggling to emerge from the havoc caused by the floods in August last year, and the shutdowns that are happening in peak tourism season are dealing a debilitating blow to the multiple players in the industry from hotel and resort owners to restaurateurs, taxi companies and houseboat operators.
One estimate puts the state’s average income loss on a shutdown day at Rs2 billion (Dh105.71 million).
One post on social media captures the pain caused by shutdowns, stating, “It is a festival for students, a joy for the employed, a celebration for media, a matter of pride for political leaders, a sorrow for tourists and a matter of grief for those who feed their families with their daily wages”.
However, the vast majority of Keralites seem to be content to play it safe, staying at home even when a fringe political party calls for another shutdown.
