The day-long general strike called by Left parties in Tamil Nadu on Saturday in protest against price hike in petroleum products evoked mixed response.
Buses and trains operated as usual. No major untoward incident was reported, police said. Seventy persons, who tried to stage a rail-roko at Hosur, were arrested, police said.
A section of auto drivers kept off the roads while shops were closed in many parts of the city. However, shops selling essential items such as medicines and drugs as well as retail outlets owned by big giants remained open not responding to the strike call given by CPI, CPI(M) and other Left parties.
The strike call was given following the recent fuel price hike where a litre of petrol was hiked by Rs 5 and diesel by Rs three while the customers had to pay Rs 50 more for a LPG cylinder.