ISRO truck blocked demanding 'nokku-kooli'

The practice of nokku-kooli is damaging the image of Kerala. It should be eradicated. It gives out wrong perceptions about the state, said a Court in Kollam.

Thiruvananthapuram:Barely a couple of days after the Kerala High Court directed the State to get rid of the practice of 'nokku-kooli' which literally means 'gawking wages', a truck of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) was blocked on Sunday by workers allegedly demanding the wages.

Police said they received a complaint from ISRO based on which they reached the spot and found the workers preventing from entering the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) facility at Thumba here.

The issue was settled and the workers left the area after the intervention of police officers, including the Commissioner, an official of the Thumba Police Station said.

Nokku-kooli is an euphemism for extortion by organized labour unions.

The court, hearing a plea filed by a businessman from Kollam over the issue, said the rights of the headload workers should be protected legally and petitions seeking action on those demanding nokku-kooli were on the rise.

"The practice of nokku-kooli is damaging the image of Kerala. It should be eradicated. It gives out wrong perceptions about the state. Meanwhile, the rights of the headload workers should also be protected," the court had said.

On May 1, 2018, the State government banned the practice.

PTI