THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Raising concerns over repeated hartals in state that are ruining whatever little hopes the industry had for the season after floods, tourism stakeholders are planning to sue the government and political parties 'for violating high court's orders on hartals'.After taking out a first-of-its-kind protest march - a silent one attended by 300 associates in Kochi on Friday - industry leaders said there will also be a massive campaign against forced hartals and strikes on social media in the coming days. With three cruise liners at Kochi port on Friday, a few chartered flights landing with tourists, and several conferences getting cancelled, it was another 'black day' for the sector said stakeholders. Kerala chapter of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) will file a contempt of court plea (in the high court) against political parties and others, including government," said chairman of the state chapter Abraham George. ADTOI will be gathering information on hartals held in the recent past and the damage caused to the industry and public, he said.After equating forced hartals and general strikes to bandh or bandh-like situation, high court had already declared them illegal and unconstitutional and Supreme Court had approved the verdict, said stakeholders."Political parties must be sued for contempt of court as they are violating earlier court orders through forced hartals," said president of Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry EM Najeeb. Industry has been asking the chief minister to call an all-party meeting to reach a consensus on measures to be taken to exempt tourism from hartals.Immediately after the hartal call by BJP, industry leaders had requested Union minister of state (tourism) Alphons Kannanthanam to ask BJP leaders to exempt the sector from hartal."He had promised us he will intervene, but, there had been no official communication from the party on any such decision taken," Najeeb said. There had been frantic queries on social media groups immediately after the hartal call.

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