About Harthal
Harthal is the hindustani term (meaning:‘har’-‘all’;‘thal’-‘lock’) for general strike or demonstration and denotes mass protest in public involving closure of offices, commercial establishments, educational institutions and transport services, usually lasting 12 hrs. It is a mode of voicing dissent against an allegedly faulty policy adopted by the ruling power or administration, and is considered a powerful political tool. However, it is strictly supposed to be voluntary in nature.
It’s to be noted that the term ‘hartal’ is different from ‘bandh’ in that although the latter also implies a total shutdown of essential services at any given place throughout a specified period, this mode of protest entails mandatory or coercive participation by the public who are required to cooperate by abstaining from travel and work.
Affects of harthal
Experts say on a hartal day the industry loses economic activities worth Rs. 600 to Rs. 800 cr and the additional police deployment involves a whopping amount. At the end of the day it’s the common man who has to pay the price. According to estimates, Kerala has eight state-wide hartals, 30 district level and 200 taluk and panchayat level hartals annually. Add up the losses and the figures will scare the wits out of you.
It goes without saying that public sector undertakings especially those running in losses, are the worst affected. For instance, a hartal means operational loss of Rs. 3 cr for the KSRTC which is incurring losses worth Rs. 50 cr every month. And in case of violence, a shattered windshield could cost Rs. 14,000.
Apart from PSUs, the tourism industry which is one of the biggest contributors to the state exchequer is also badly hit.
It goes without saying that public sector undertakings especially those running in losses, are the worst affected. For instance, a hartal means operational loss of Rs. 3 cr for the KSRTC which is incurring losses worth Rs. 50 cr every month. And in case of violence, a shattered windshield could cost Rs. 14,000.
Apart from PSUs, the tourism industry which is one of the biggest contributors to the state exchequer is also badly hit.
As tourism is one of the major Industry in Kerala political parties should exempt tourists & Tourism related activities from hartal. The guests coming to kerala is coming for enjoying the natural beauty and not for sitting in the room.
Most of the guest had checked out from hotel early morning and was forced to sleep in the vehicles.
Its high time the tourism fraternity should protest against this.
Hartals do nothing but harm to the society. Normal lives, productivity, freedom of movement etc are affected . Hartals are made sucessful by the people of the state. A repeated visitor of Kerala had came across 05 hartals of his total 06 visits to Kerala.
My Views of Solution
Any kind of media should not give wide pubilicity and importance to Hartals. They should ignore all the news before and after the Hartals, then people also will not give much importance on Hartals.
We have to pay huge amount as compensation to the tourists for the Hartal days. At least Kerala Government or the Judiciary should initiate to get this amount from the Hartal conducting party, if once this action is strictly implemented definitly the Hartals will automatically be stopped.
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