Shutdown against Separate Telanaga Affects Life in Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra
A daylong shutout called to protest the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh has affected life in parts of Andhra and Rayalseema regions.
As political activists, students and other groups opposed to the bifurcation of the state come out on the streets to register their protest, buses of the Andhra Pradesh Transport Corporation (APSRTC) went off the roads.
Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed in most parts of the 13 districts – nine districts of Andhra and four districts of Rayalaseema region.
Following suspension of bus services by APSRTC, roads wore a deserted look in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, and commercial hubs like Guntur, Vijaywada, Machilipatnam, Nellor, Kurnool and Kadapa.
Raising slogans against proposed Telangana state, protesters took out rallies and demanded that the central government drop the proposal.
In Rayalaseema, though various groups called for a bandh to protest the bifurcation of the state, they want separate statehood for their own region in the event of the formation of a Telangana state.
Police said they have made elaborate security arrangements to prevent violence. Students of various universities in both the regions had damaged several buses during the protest on Thursday.
Telangana, which witnessed violent agitation for a separate state, is now calm. Hyderabad and nine other districts of the region have returned to normal after 11 days of protests and shutdowns.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) plans to conduct a victory rally in Telangana districts to celebrate the announcement by the central government that the process of forming a separate state would be initiated by tabling a resolution in the state assembly.
