Bandh passes off peacefully in South Telangana

Hyderabad: The Telangana bandh called by the TRS to protest against the Rayala Telangana proposal passed off peacefully on Thursday. All business establishments, educational institutions and banks remained closed. The APSRTC buses remained off the road.

At Tandur in Ranga Reddy district, JAC members, led by TRS district secretary P Rohith Reddy, has laid siege to the RTC depot and stopped buses. Later they have taken out a rally. Reddy said that the people of the region made sacrifices for Telangana with ten districts, and not for Rayala Telangana. The bandh was also observed in Peddamul, Yalal, Bashirabad, Parigi, Vikarabad and other mandals in the district.

In Nalgonda the TRS, BJP, CPI and TJAC organised rallies, ‘rasta roko’ demonstrations and burning of effigies while enforcing the bandh. Over 700 RTC buses were confined to seven depots in the district. Telangana protagonists burnt tyres on the Nagarjunasagar-Macharla road and stopped at Suryapet four tourist buses with students from Vijayawada. Officials arranged temporary accommodation for the students.

The bandh in Mahabubnagar district, which has borders with Kurnool, was successful, with active participation by the TRS, BJP, TCPI (M) and TJAC. The agitators squatted before the RTC depots in Mahabubnagar, Shadnagar, Kalwakurti, Achampet, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy, Gadwal and Narayanpet to prevent movement of buses.

The TRS leaders warned that they would block forcible merger of Kurnool and Anantapur districts in Telangana. Kollapur MLA Jupalli Krishna Rao led a bike rally by the TRS, raising slogans against the Union Government. The TRS activists squatted on the National Highway 44 at Pebbair blocking traffic for a long time.

The district BJP leaders asserted that they would support only Telangana with ten districts. Mahabubnagar MLA Yennam Srinivas Reddy said the party would welcome statehood as desired by people of the region. He staged a demonstration at local bus stand opposing Rayala-Telangana. The BJP activists organised protests and ‘rasta roko’ demonstrations across the district. They held a mock Parliament session at Narayanpet against Rayala Telangana. In Medak district, activists of the TJAC, BJP, ABVP, TRSV, TGVP, Telangana Journalists’ Forum and Telangana Jagruti took part in the bandh. While MLA T Harish Rao led a protest at Siddipet bus depot, former legislators Ramalinga Reddy and Padma Devender Reddy have staged demonstrations at Dubbaka and Medak depots respectively. Activists of the TRS, TJAC and BJP held ‘rasta rokos’ and rallies in Patancheru, Gajwel, Narayankhed and Zaheerabad.

About 30 members of the Telangana Vidyarthi Parishad undertook a ‘jaladeeksha’ at the Manjeera barrage. The TNGOs boycotted duties in support of the bandh.

Addressing the TNGOs at Siddipet, Harish Rao alleged that Rayala Telangana was proposed to continue the Seemandhra ‘loot’ and, including the Krishna waters.