Thiruvananthapuram: The roadblock organized by the joint strike committee against the construction of Vizhinjam port has turned into a stalemate at several places. Since the morning, the city has been in a traffic jam as the protesters blocked the National Highway and the Secretariat. Many who had to reach the city had to lie on the road for hours. Students could not get to school as the protesters blocked school buses. There are complaints that ambulances have been stopped and college students could not appear for the exam.
People including women with boats blocked the national highway, the coastal road and the secretariat. Early in the morning, the Poowar-Vizhinjam-Thiruvananthapuram coastal road and Kazhakootam-Kovalam bypass started from Chaka Mudal. The main city road and the national highway leading to the city were blocked and people were trapped. As the vehicles filled the small roads, there was also a traffic jam.
The protesters also blocked the vehicles going to VSSC. Because of this, the workers could not go to work. In many places, there was a disturbance between the passengers and the protesters. The coast road was completely deserted. The strike was blocked in Poowar, including the roads.
Along the way including the pilot; Five flights were delayed
Five flights were delayed when the road was blocked at Chaka and the personnel including the pilot of the plane were stranded. Flights from Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kannur and New Delhi were delayed due to lack of crew. Many flights started an hour later than expected. It is alleged that the protesters did not let the passengers pass even though they were told they were going to the airport. Airport authorities said 71 passengers were cancelled. It is claimed that although there was an earlier notification that there would be a barrier on both sides of the main road leading to the airport, the police did not follow the preparations.
With the cancellation of the trip, they are in a situation where they have to spend a huge amount of money to buy tickets again. Due to Diwali season, flight ticket prices are high. Airlines will not refund tickets if you cannot travel. Passengers suffered a huge financial loss.
He got little help from the police. There is also a complaint that the passengers were stopped and sent back while the police watched. Those who came from other areas faced difficulty in finding their way to the city. By the time many arrived at the airport, the flights had already departed. Those scheduled to go to Chennai, Bengaluru, Kannur, Mumbai, Delhi, Muscat and Sri Lanka were cancelled.
The police failed to open the roads to the airport properly. The police were also idle in diverting passengers to the airport. It is claimed that there was no significant intervention by the police in many places in the traffic jam.
