Seemandhra remains without power, trains cancelled

Most parts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh remained without power while several trains were cancelled for the second day Monday as electricity employees continued their indefinite strike to protest the decision to divide the state.

Dozens of towns and hundreds of villages were without electricity as generation and transmission came to a standstill due to the strike in all 13 districts of Seemandhra, as Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra are together known.

With no exemption to emergency services, patients in hospitals are facing severe hardships while drinking water supply was also affected in many areas.

The talks between Seemandhra electricity employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and officials of of Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation(AP Transco) and Andhra Pradesh Generation Corporation (AP Genco) failed as the employees refused to end the strike unless the central government gives an assurance that the state will not be divided.

The situation turned worse on Monday with employees of Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (EPDCL) joining the strike, hitting the power supply to Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts.

Hundreds of train passengers were stranded at various stations in Srikakulam district bordering Odisha as the movement of trains between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam and other destinations in Andhra came to a halt as electricity supply was snapped.

Officials said trains were running four hours late as only one track is being used.

For the second day, railways cancelled several trains in Vijayawada, Guduru and other sections. Vijayawada, one of the biggest transit hubs in south India, was the worst hit. Some trains are being run with diesel engines.

More than 4,500 MW of electricity generation has affected due to the strike by 30,000 employees.