Shedding its soft approach towards the half-a-million agitating employees in Kerala, the Antony government today initiated harsh measures, including the arrest of employees, to ensure functioning of essential services that were adversely hit following the six-day-old strike. Police said four employees, three belonging to the water transport department and one from the sales tax department, were arrested at Kochi under the provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act for obstructing the boat service from Kochi main land to nearby Vaipen island.
However, funtioning of the government offices and schools were paralyed for the sixth day. The government announced certain harsh measures for ensuring removal of garbage from urban areas. Temporary employees, who refuse to discharge their duties, would be sacked and fresh hands would be appointed in their place for the removal of garbage, chief minister A K Antony told newspersons after a meeting of the state cabinet.

District collectors had been authorised to appoint unemployed youths and ex-servicemen for the job and take vehicles on a contract basis, he said, adding that tonnes of garbage had piled up throughout the cities following the strike. ''The government could not remain a mute spectator when the lives of common men are becoming miserable,'' he added.
Bureau Report