The business bandh, for which a call was given, opposing the hike in power tariff, was a near-total one in the market areas of Hubballi city on Thursday.
Though most of the business establishments remained closed in the central business district of the City, business was near-normal in several extension areas.
Most of the businesses including cloth shops, automobile shops and some hotels at Durgadabail, Koppikar Road, Dajibanpet, New Cotton Market, Gokul Road and other commercial areas were closed. Many small-scale industries in industrial areas also remained closed. Traders' shops at the Amargol APMC were not open either.
However, the movement of vehicles including buses and autorickshaws was not affected, while essential services were not hampered.
Karnatak Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) and other trade bodies had given a call for a state-wide voluntary business bandh, seeking the withdrawal of the hike in power tariff.
Along with KCCI office-bearers, members of Javali & Cloth Merchants' Association, Hubballi Hotels' Association, North Karnataka Small Scale Industries' Association, Foodgrains Merchants' Association, Hubballi Saraf Association and other trade bodies took out a massive protest rally from J C Nagar to Mini Vidhan Soudha.
Submitting a memorandum to the government through the tahsildar's office, KCCI office-bearers sought the government's intervention to withdraw the power tariff hike. "With such an unprecedented hike in power tariff, a huge burden is imposed on all citizens and businesses. The future of businesses including small industries is uncertain with such a hike," they added.