Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 (IANS): The strike called by various trade unions hit Kerala hard on Wednesday as public buses went off roads and shops and banks remained shut.

"I arrived after completing a training programme in Hyderabad and now I have to sit here at the station till evening. When will I be able to drive home?" said a middle-aged private company official in Kozhikode.

All the operations at the Cochin Port were also hit.

In Kerala, 17 trade unions are taking part in the nation-wide strike to protest the anti-labour, anti-people policies of the central government.

Most of the IT firms in Technopark and Infopark reported very thin attendance.

The Kerala government, however, said those government employees who will not report to work would lose the day's salary.

All examinations that were to be held on Wednesday have been postponed by the various state universities.

However, the strike exempted people going for the Haj pilgrimage from the Kochi airport.