Salem Division: Three TN towns observe bandh
Coimbatore: All shops and business establishments downed their shutters
in Tirupur, Mettupalayam and Palladam towns in the
district on Friday, seeking retention of Tamil Nadu areas in the newly created Salem Railway Division.
Buses, including government-owned ones, autorickshaws, taxies and public vehicles kept off the roads in support of the bandh, which was also called to condemn Kerala's opposition to the merger of Coimbatore, Podanur and Tirupur with Salem Division, after bifurcating Palakkad Division.
Almost all the knitwear-related units, employing more than three lakh people, in Tirupur declared
holiday to express solidarity with the bandh, called by political parties in the district. BJP is not taking part in the bandh, spearheaded by K Subbarayan, CPI MP, representing Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency.
CPM is also not directly involved in the bandh, though some leaders had participated in an all party meeting to decide on the bandh, party sources said. Shops and business establishments in Mettupalayam and Palladam remained closed. Private schools in all the three towns voluntarily declared holiday, police said. Coimbatore had observed a total bandh on the same issue on February 20.