The three major modes of transport in the State will come to a near-standstill on Sunday during the ‘janata curfew’ from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m..
The week-long ban on the entry of commercial international airlines into the country will come into effect at 5.30 a.m.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has given a 24-hour buffer time for foreign carriers to operate even after the ban comes into effect, considering issues pertaining to connecting flights.
Domestic flight operations to the four international airports, except Cochin where the runway will remain closed till 6 p.m. for recarpeting, will continue during the curfew, airport sources said.
Train service will be suspended with Railways cancelling 66 mail, express, passenger and MEMU trains for Sunday citing poor patronage, apart from precaution. The cancelled trains include those originating and departing from Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Kochuveli, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Kannur, Nilambur Road, and Mangaluru.
Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. (KMRL) has scaled down operations by reducing the frequency of services from one train every six minutes to one every seven minutes during peak hours and every 10 minutes during off-peak hours.
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses will be pulled off the road during the curfew period. Buses operating early in the morning will reach depots before 7 a.m. Instructions have been given to all unit officers in this regard, KSRTC sources said.
Inter-State services have already been hit following the restrictions imposed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The KSRTC operated services from the State capital to Nagercoil and Kanyakumari till 2 p.m. The TNSRTC also withdrew services to Thiruvananthapuram from 2 p.m. The services of KSRTC and TNSRTC are confined to the border at Kalliyikkavila.
