(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Normal life was paralysed in Tamil Nadu yesterday due to a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-called shutdown over the Centre's failure to set up a Cauvery Management Board (CMB).
DMK leader M K Stalin claimed the shutdown was a grand success and said over 1mn were taken into custody across the state by police yesterday and where housed in nearby halls.
Stalin thanked leaders of all political parties, traders, transport employees and others who extended support and co-operation for the shutdown. Stalin, the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly, added that a meeting of all parties will be held at the DMK headquarters today.
He said the all-party meeting would decide on the modalities of holding the Cauvery Rights Retrieval March from Mukkombu in Tiruchirappalli district to Cuddalore.
Dismissing the charge that the public was inconvenienced due to the protests, Stalin claimed the public actively participated in the protests as it concerned them too.
Stalin added that Governor Banwarilal Purohit had told him about the misdeeds of the ruling AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) government and this was why he was having review meetings with district officials.
As part of the shutdown, Stalin led a massive procession comprising members from his party and his allies, on the Anna Salai to Marina Beach road.
He was accompanied by Tamil Nadu Congress leader S Thirunavukkarasar.
Hundreds of protesters belonging to the DMK, Congress, CPI, CPI-M, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and farmers were also taken into custody across the state.
In Chennai, very few government buses operated while autorickshaws stayed off. Radio taxis were, however, available.
Suburban and long distance train services also operated as usual, a Southern Railway official said.
However, six suburban trains were held up at the Avadi point here, the official said. There were brief protests on the rail tracks at Salem and Tirunelvelli.
In Tirunelvelli, a large number of DMK men protested on the railway line. Around 150 protesters were detained.
As a result of the Tirunelvelli protest, the Chennai-bound Guruvayur Express and Thiruvananthapuram-bound Ananthapuri Express were delayed, according to the Southern Railway official.
In Tiruppur, units were shut down in support of the strike. However petrol stations stayed open and milk supply was not affected. Shops in Erode, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram downed their shutters.
In Puducherry, transport services were affected while three buses belonging to Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation were damaged.
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