The trouble started when the rallyists, comprising unit owners and thousands of workers, reached the railway gate. The rallyists had assembled near the Kim-Pipodra railway station, from where the rally started.

Owners of units from Kim-Pipodra, Palod, Palsana, Mota Borsara, Karanj, Moti Naroli, Borsara, Tadsadi and other areas had responded to the call of agitation given by South Gujarat Texturisers' Association, Manmade Yarn Sizers' Association, Palsana Taluka Industries' Association and Mangrol Taluka Industries' Association by keeping their units closed on Monday. About 1,000 texturisers and more than 10,000 weaving units are located in these areas.

Nearly a dozen workers sustained injuries in lathi-charge. The rallyists also pelted stones at Kudsad Gram Panchayat office. The associations claimed the bandh was a total success. The rallyists claimed that the police had resorted to lathi-charge without any provocation. The rally later culminated into a public meeting at Kim Crossroads.

A delegation of agitating associations will leave for Gandhinagar on Tuesday to seek an audience with the chief minister. The future course of the agitation will be decided after the meeting's outcome with the CM is known, an office-bearer of South Gujarat Texturisers' Association said, adding most members were in favour of an agitation.

The unit owners decided to agitate in protest against the levy of octroi by Kudsad and Palod gram panchayats from April 1. The associations said the gram panchayats had introduced the levy, ironically, when the Gujarat government had in principle agreed to abolish octroi.

They said they had entered into an agreement with various gram panchayats for funding developmental works carried out in their areas. The industries had entered into an agreement with the Kudsad panchayat for funding works to the tune of Rs 10 lakh last year. By March 1999, Rs 7.5 lakh were paid to the civic body and the rest was to be paid in April. However, before the amount could be paid, the civic body levied octroi.

Though only a couple of gram panchayats had introduced the levy, others will definitely take a cue from them, the associations said.