Idukki: A 12-hour hartal called by the CPI(M) in this high-range district over issues related to ESA began at 6 am on Friday, affecting normal life, police said.
The hartal was called to raise various issues related to Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) and concerns affecting farmers.
According to the CPI(M) district committee’s Facebook post, the hartal is being observed to demand more clarity in the cadastral map published based on recommendations submitted by the UDF government regarding ESA.
The CPI(M) is also demanding that the move to declare the Cardamom Hill Reserve area as forest land be abandoned.
The party has also sought the withdrawal of orders converting plantations and farmland into wildlife sanctuaries, the scrapping of plans to create elephant corridors and an end to what it described as a covert move to revive the High Range Mountain Landscape (HRML) project.
In a video message posted on Facebook, CPI(M) district secretary C V Varghese appealed to all sections of the public to cooperate with the hartal.
He said milk supply and newspaper distribution would not be disrupted. Vehicles carrying people for weddings and cremation services would also be exempted.
Tourists arriving from other districts to visit tourist destinations in Idukki would not be obstructed, he said.
Sports meets being held in the district would likewise be exempted, Varghese said.
He said the party would conduct the hartal peacefully with the cooperation of people from all sections of society.
Police have made arrangements to prevent violence, with personnel deployed at major centres across the district.
Most schools, colleges, and other educational institutions have already announced they will remain closed on Friday, police said.
In view of the hartal, the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) has cancelled the Higher Secondary Improvement Examinations in the district, which are being held across the state on Friday.
The examination will be held on another day in Idukki district, officials said.
Commercial establishments have also remained closed, while private buses are off the roads.
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is operating a limited number of services, police said.
Idukki, which has large tracts of forest, faces persistent issues related to ESA restrictions, human-wildlife conflict and agriculture.
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