Normal life came to a standstill on the eighth day of ‘Sakula Janula Samme’ or the people’s general strike in the entire Telangana region.
Tuesday began on a stormy note in all the districts of Telangana. Besides the State capital of Hyderabad, all district headquarters witnessed protests and rallies demanding statehood for the region. With less than half attendance in the State Secretariat and other government offices, the administration was completely paralysed. Braving the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) thousands of Telangana employees abstained from their duties.
The Secretariat employees staged a protest in front of D-Block demanding that the staff of Finance Department join the general strike. Later, the employees also took out a rally and staged a sit-in-dharna in front to Secretariat’s main gate.
Over 10,000 buses remained off the Telangana roads for the second day on Tuesday as the employees refused to join the duties despite the invoking of ESMA. The employees JAC reiterated that the strike would be called off until the Centres announced the formation of Telangana state. In Hyderabad, of over 3,000 buses that ply in normal days, only 174 buses could be operated with police bandobust. They include 35 buses on NGO Colony to Secretariat route; 39 on Secretariat – Kondapur and Mehdipatnam; 12 on Dilsukhnagar – Secretariat; 15 on Hitech City – VBIT; 10 on Chandrayangutta – Mehdipatnam and 20 buses were operated on Afzalgunj to Secunderabad route.
However, despite the police bandobust, the Telangana activists damaged the RTC buses of Vanasthalipuram depot near Kothapet on Tuesday. Similarly, the activists also stopped the entry of buses coming from Andhra region at various points. At Raavinutala in Madhira mandal of Khammam district the BJYM workers stopped Andhra buses while the TRS workers refused entry to Andhra buses at Vaira.
The coal production in the Singareni Colleries remained affected with the employees refusing to call of the strike. The SCCL strike has badly affected the thermal power production in four plants, especially in Kothagudem Thermal Power Station. Besides, government lecturers, teachers, doctors and employees in the other sectors abstained from the duties demanding separate Telangana.
Action against the police officials responsible for brutal lathi charge on the Nizam College students added to the demands of the striking employees and leaders. A delegation of Telangana leaders comprising Telangana Political Joint Action Committee chairman Prof M Kodandaram, TRS MLAs Etela Rajender and K Tarakarama Rao and BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreyya met the Home Minister P Sabita Indira Reddy demanding action against the erring police officials.
Meanwhile, the Telangana Advocates JAC approached the Human Right Commission seeking action against the police officials responsible for the lathicharge. The HRC has issued notice to City Police Commissioner AK Khan seeking an explanation by September 30.
The Osmania University JAC demanded action against the Central Zone DCP Akun Sabharwal for resorting to lathi charge against students. The OU JAC also announced that the students of Osmania and Kakatiya universities would take out bus yatras on September 24 and 25th against the ‘police brutalities.’
Meanwhile, the Nizam College students staged a protest in the campus and forced the principal Ashok Naidu to submit his resignation. The students argued that it was not possible for the police to enter the college premises without the principal’s consent and therefore, the principal should resign owing moral responsibility.
The TRS activists also staged protest in front of Congress former MP Renuka Chowdhary’s residence at Banjara Hills in protest against her recent statement on Telangana. They described her as an obstacle in the creation of Telangana state. Similar protests were held across the region demanded that the Centre announces formation of Telangana state without any delay. (INN)
