In the Union Territory of Puducherry, including Mahe, a 12-hour hartal called by the India bloc parties began at 6 AM today. The hartal is in protest against the privatization of the electricity department and the increase in electricity tariffs. Shops, bars, and petrol pumps along the national highway from Mahe to Panthakal Makkuni are closed. However, the PRTC buses running on the Mahe-Panthakal route are still in service, while two cooperative buses on the same route are not operating.
Police, including IRB units, are deployed in various parts of Mahe. Although the hartal was announced earlier, the police allowed vehicles to proceed to petrol pumps that were closed, advising them to wait for fuel. Workers from other states who arrived at bars unaware of the hartal were sent away by the police. Bars and other establishments are expected to reopen after 6 PM. Many people who arrived from distant areas have relied on establishments in neighboring Kerala.
This morning, India Reserve Police and Puducherry Police searched for and assisted workers from other states who were stranded outside bars in Mahe’s Panthakal area.
