Protests become order of the day in Seemandhra

• Minister Viswaroop leads bike rally
• TDP legislator opts for half-tonsured head
• Senior citizens & retired staff come out on roads

Hyderabad : The agitation continued on the 17th on Friday, even as the Samaikyandhra Rashtra Parirakshana Vedika decided to intensify it from next Monday. Thota Vani, wife of Minister for Stamps and Registration Thota Narasimham, on indefinite fast opposing the State’s bifurcation since six days, was forcibly shifted by the police to the Kakinada Government Hospital after her health deteriorated.

Government offices in 13 Seemandhra districts were deserted, as the employees continued their indefinite strike. Road transport was disrupted following the RTC employees’ strike. Samaikyandhra supporters staged protests braving rain in Anantapur, Kadapa and Nellore districts.

Leaders of the Vedika, which met in Guntur, rejected the appeals of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh to call of the agitation and vowed to continue until the Centre reversed its decision to bifurcate the State. APNGOs’ Association president Ashok Babu said the employees’ families would take to the streets from Monday to join the stir. He announced that even temporary and outsourced employees would also join on the same day.

Relay/ indefinite fasts continued in several districts in support of Samaikyandhra. Students and NGOs organized ‘rasta roko’ at several places, including the National Highway disrupting movement of traffic from Chennai. Rallies and dharnas were organized at several places. In Amalapuram (East Godavari district) Animal Husbandry Minister P Vishwaroop participated in a motor bike rally of the Panchayat Raj employees. Agitators took out a huge rally in Kovvur ( West Godavari) staged a ‘rasta roko’on the bridge connecting Rajahmundry disrupting traffic. Telugu Desam MLA T V Rama Rao protested by opting for half-tonsured head.

As many as 116 cold storages in Guntur district were closed. The Samaikyandhra JAC declared in Rajahmundry not to allow the movement of even private vehicles from Saturday. The agitators took bath on the road at Gandhi statue in Palakollu (West Godavari). The indefinite fast of YSRCP legislator and former Mayor and YSRCP leader Ravindranath Reddy in Kadapa entered the fifth day, even as doctors urged them to call it off, as their sugar and sodium levels fell dangerously.

Senior citizens and retired employees took out a huge rally in Srikakulam chanting slogans “We want United State”, “No Telangana”. Rickshaw pullers held a massive rally in Vizianagaram. Students organized ‘rasta roko’ disrupting traffic on the Vizianagaram-Parvathipuram road. Agitating NGOs conducted ‘vanta-vaarpu’ at the Collectorate.

24-hour cab bandh to Tirumala today

Tirupati: The jeep, taxi, cab and travels operators unanimously decided to stop all services to Tirumala on Saturday, in support of the Samaikyandhra cause. About 24 unions of private travel operators formed a joint action committee and decided to show their strength.

Nagaraju, Balaji Jeep Operators’ Association president, told ‘The Hans India’ that all private transport services to Tirumala Hills would be stopped for 24 hours from the midnight of Friday. About 5,800 vehicles would be non-functional.

Cops forcibly shift fasting Thota Vani to hospital

Kakinada: The police, present in large numbers around the fast camp, on Thursday midnight forcibly ended the six-day-old hunger strike of Thota Vani, wife of minister Thota Narasimham, and shifted her to the government hospital here, amid dramatic scenes. She is being given treatment. The police move followed a decision taken by high officials.

Narasimham’s main follower, Kampara Ramesh and Pantham Nanaji, and many prominent persons of the town, offered stiff resistance, raising ‘police down, down’ slogans. During the last two days, a group of doctors, headed by the hospital superintendent Dr Buddha, has been monitoring her health condition. They have been advising her to call off the fast, after noting a fall in her sugar and BP level, or agree to treatment.