Higher Secondary Improvement Examination called off in Idukki as a 12-hour hartal closes the district

16 October 2026

The Directorate of Higher Secondary Education cancelled the Higher Secondary Improvement Examinations in Idukki district on Friday, 16 October 2026, although they were being held elsewhere in the State that day.
Officials said the examinations will be held on another day in Idukki.
The CPM district committee had called a 12-hour hartal from 6 am over Ecologically Sensitive Area issues and policies affecting farmers.
Its demands included greater clarity in the cadastral map published in connection with ESA, dropping the move to declare the Cardamom Hill Reserve area as forest land, withdrawing orders converting plantations and farmland into wildlife sanctuaries, and scrapping plans to create elephant corridors.
Educational institutions, commercial establishments and private buses stayed shut, while essential services, milk supply, newspaper distribution, vehicles for weddings and cremations, tourists visiting Idukki from other districts and sports meets were exempted.
Police said limited KSRTC services ran, with personnel deployed at major centres across the district.