Thiruvananthapuram: As a big relief to the residents who were hit by the sudden hartal call, three petrol pumps in the capital city functioned on Saturday. Long queues were seen in front of petrol pumps at Vellayambalam, Palayam and Statue Jn from the morning. Police officers were deployed to manage the rush of people in these petrol bunks. Supplyco manages the petrol pumps at Vellayambalam and Statue Jn and staff had reported promptly for duty there.Ansar Abdul Khadar, who had to wait in the queue with his wife for about 30 minutes in front of Statue Supplyco petrol pump said that common people were the ones affected by such hartals. “People who were on their way to hospitals like RCC and Medical College have been affected the most. We are not new to hartals, but the people should be informed earlier so that we at least get some time to prepare. If they called for hartal from the afternoon, it would’ve made more sense,” he said.Santhosh Kumar, an auto driver in the city who was waiting in the queue at Supplyco petrol bunk, Vellayambalam said that he had decided to take the day off fearing attacks. “The hartal supporters blocked vehicles at Peroorkada and Enikkara, so I decided not to take my autorickshaw out today,” said Santhosh. “We usually fill diesel based on day to day requirement only. Such hartals affect our livelihood as you lose earnings of an entire day. I am only here now because I have a previously scheduled trip during the evening”, he said.

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