HYDERABAD: Life came to a standstill in all the 10 districts of Telangana region with autos, bus and train services staying off the roads while educational institutions and business establishments remaining shut due to the 48-hour bandh called by the TJAC in support of their demand for a Telangana state. The bandh was by and large peaceful except for stray incidents at Osmania University.On the first day of the bandh, schools, colleges, shops and other commercial establishments were closed and public transport services were hit. The coal production at Singareni Collieries was hit as workers abstained from duties in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts. This resulted in a loss of about Rs 25 crore for the company.Meanwhile, Telangana advocates also boycotted their duties and tried to interrupt the meeting of TDP legislators from coastal Andhra at the Old MLA quarters but were arrested by the police. The state government employees also did not attend duties and several government offices including the state Secretariat wore a deserted look.The APSRTC was the worst affected due to the bandh as bus services were suspended across the region. The RTC officials claimed that the corporation had lost about Rs 9 crore.Examinations scheduled to be conducted by Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Osmania University and Jawaharlal Nehru Fine Arts and Architecture University, were cancelled and fresh dates will be announced later. NTR Health University also postponed the BDS examination scheduled to be held on Tuesday to July 20.The bandh was near total in Hyderabad with the streets wearing a deserted look and shops downing shutters. The railways also suspended MMTS services till noon. Similarly, the city buses in Hyderabad largely remained off the roads and the auto drivers had a field day. Due to closure of petrol pumps, petrol which is priced at Rs 70 per litre was sold for around Rs 130-Rs 150 per litre in blackmarket.The TRS and other Telangana activists targeted the ministers and MLAs who did not resign, in particular Union minister S Jaipal Reddy, ministers D Nagender, M Mukesh Goud, P Shankar Rao and MLA Marri Sashidhar Reddy, whose residences in Hyderabad were turned into fortresses with the police deploying forces in large numbers. But unable to bear the heat, textiles minister Shankar Rao faxed his resignation to the deputy speaker by noon. The house of Warangal MP Gundu Sudharani was also targeted by pro-Telangana activists in Warangal. The violence in OU was triggered by the arrest of rebel TDP Telangana MLAs N Janardhan Reddy and K Harishwar Reddy when they tried to enter the campus around noon. TRS MLA T Harish Rao was also arrested at the Necklace Road on his way to OU campus. Protesting against these arrests, about 100 students gathered near Arts College. Anticipating trouble, the police shut the entrance to the campus on the Vidyanagar side.
Comments
0 comment