Petty traders, hawkers throw hat in the ring

• Spontaneous protests erupt in city
• Samaikyandhra stir cripples services at KGH, govt offices
• Traffic held up over a 3-km stretch on highway
• Small traders take out rally on camels, horses

Visakhapatnam: Protests against bifurcation of the State intensified with a number of organisations, including street hawkers, throwing in their hat in the ring. They came onto the streets to show their anger and dissent towards the ‘controversial’ decision to split the State into two. Protests in different parts of the city were spontaneous as one could see different unions and associations coming forward to support the cause of Samaikyandhra.

People were put to lot of hardships as employees struck work. The Collectorate, King George Hospital (KGH), Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and other key government institutions were affected in the morning as employees took out massive rallies. Offices wore a deserted look and patients were put to inconvenience. Vehicular traffic on the thoroughfares of the city was blocked and traffic snarls were witnessed at several places, catching people off guard. Ambulance services of private hospitals took to the by-lanes to get the patients shifted to hospitals.

The intensity of the road blockades was so high that traffic was held up for over three km on the Maddilapalem-Zoo Highway on Monday morning. Journalists and employees of GVMC and Road Transport Corporation (RTC) organised a huge rally from the GVMC Gandhi statue to the Jagadamba Junction supporting Samaikyandhra. As a protest, the journalists played ‘Kabaddi’ and danced on the roads attracting the attention of the passers-by. Building workers, along with Mini Owners’ Association, organised a rally and later formed a human chain to show their dissent.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Velagpudi Ramakrishnababu organised a rally from MVP Colony to GVMC Gandhi statue and burnt the effigies of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and raised slogans ‘KCR Down Down’. AU Employees and students took out a rally and formed a human chain at Siripuram Junction. From there, they took out a rally till Jagadamba Junction and organised rasta roko. YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Prabha Goud organised a bike rally on the Beach Road.

Vidyuth Vudyogula Samaikya Andhra Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising employees of APEPDCL and Transco, took out a silent rally protesting the decision to split the State. Employees in large numbers participated in the rally. KGH doctors, nurses and employees organised a huge rally from KGH to the Jagadamba Junction and formed a human chain and blocked traffic for 45 minutes.

Arya Vysya Yuvajana Sangham, comprising all Arya Vysya Associations and Vasavi Clubs, performed ‘Palabhishekam’ to the statue of Potti Sriramulu on the Beach Road and took out a motorcycle rally. Later, the members gathered in huge numbers to form a human chain at Jagadamba Junction to show their protest against bifurcation.

Members of the Ramakrishna Beach Petty Traders’ Welfare Association and the Shiridi Sai Petty Traders’ Welfare Association took out a rally in support of united Andhra Pradesh. The rally began at the Potti Sriramulu statue and proceeded via Gokul Park to the Collector’s office. The small traders organised this rally on camels and horses.

Tension prevailed on the Andhra University campus in the evening when the students, under the banner ‘Samaikyandhra Students JAC’, burnt the effigy of Gujarat Chief Minister and Prime Ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi. Students protested Modi’s stand on the separation of the State. His slogan ‘Jai Telangana Jai Seemandhra’ drew the ire of the students. They raised slogans against him and the BJP and called for defeat of separatist forces in the ensuing elections. In Anakapalli town, members of the Jaggery Merchants’ Association took out a rally in support of Samaikyandhra. They raised slogans against bifurcation of the State, burnt effigies and organised a rasta roko.

Pvt schools to be closed

Private Tutorial Schools Association on Monday announced that students of 145 private schools in the city would participate in the State Bandh on Tuesday. A press release said all tutorial schools would be closed in support of the Samaikyandhra agitation.