Chennai, Apr 25 (IANS): Normal life was affected in Tamil Nadu due to the shutdown strike called by opposition parties in the state on Tuesday.

While shops, hotels downed their shutters across the state, government buses were seen plying on the roads.

Offices -- central/state government, public and private sector undertakings remained open.

Police were deployed in large numbers to prevent any untoward incidents in major places across the state.

Demanding immediate action on the part of state and central governments in resolving the issues of Tamil Nadu's farmers, opposition parties last week decided to observe the shutdown strike on April 25.

A meeting of opposition parties chaired by DMK Working President M.K. Stalin at the party's headquarters here decided to call for a state-wide shutdown on Tuesday among the several resolutions adopted there.

The opposition parties also urged the Tamil Nadu government to waive off all farm loans and convene a special session of the assembly to discuss the farmers' issues.

The meeting also passed resolutions urging the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board, the Cauvery Regulatory Authority, declare the Cauvery delta region as Special Agriculture Zone, scrapping of the hydro-carbon project and others.

The shutdown strike was called by DMK, Congress, CPI(M), CPI, VCK, IUML. Trade unions affiliated to these parties also lent their support.

Trade bodies representing the movie industry, farmers, transport operators, traders association and others also extended their support to the shutdown strike.

Petrol bunks were open with operators wearing black badges showing their support to the strike.

According to reports reaching here, majority of the hosiery units in Tirupur were shutdown.

In Tiruvarur farmers were protesting on the railway tracks.

According to reports reaching here, shops in Puducherry were shutdown.