Hospitals shaky by today's strike ... but 80 per cent trains on duty ... CTB buses too on the move ... only 2 schools closed
It was announced yesterday that a strike would be launched by Health, Teaching and Transport sectors from this morning at 8 o'clock demanding that SAITM Institute be closed down. However, such a forceful strike as so envisaged was not to be seen among certain sectors as such by afternoon, it was reported.
Though it was said that school-teachers would go on sick leave today, most schools operated in the
usual manner and what the Minister of Education said was that because of the strike, only Kekirawa Maha Vidyalaya and Hambantota Madya Maha Vidyalaya displayed a down and out situation. But what Lanka Guru Sangamaya said was that rural schools suffered because of this strike. Private buses as well as CTB buses were in operation as usual today and not even a semblance of a strike was to be noted in this connection. Though Railway Services suffered to some extent, General Manager of Railways mentioned that almost all trains travelling towards Colombo this morning stuck to their schedule and only a few trains stood back; therefore this percentage was in the minimum range of about 20.The strike enforced islandwide in hospitals was successful and as a result activities of several hospitals came to a standstill. Whatever it is, since Specialist Doctors of the government maintained a different opinion they kept away from the strike. Children's hospitals and essential services only were in operation.