Trade bandh total in city

Commuters hit as auto-rickshaws go off the roads; Electricity employees take out mega rally

Visakhapatnam: The Samaikyandhra agitation continued unabated as the movement entered the 31st day on Friday. A spate of protests, relay hunger strikes, rallies and performances by artistes continued at the Collectorate, King George Hospital (KGH), Jagadamba Junction, Old Jail Road, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Gandhi statue, GVMC office, Gurudwara and Maddilapalem.

The trade bandh called by the Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry was total with businessmen voluntarily downing the shutters in protest against the proposed bifurcation of the State. Normal life in the city was crippled as auto-rickshaws went off the roads as part of the two-day protest by owners and drivers of the vehicles. The indefinite strike launched by the APSRTC unions from the night of August 12 was continuing.

Rail commuters and workers coming to the city from far-off places suffered a lot. Members of Auto-Rickshaw Workers’ Unions affiliated to INTUC, AITUC and CITU took out a huge rally demanding the Centre to withdraw its ‘T’ proposal failing which they would intensify the stir.

NCC, Visakha Zone-I Employees’ Union

Members of NCC Visakhapatnam Zone-1 Employees’ Union took out a massive rally from their office at Maddilapalem to the GVMC Gandhi statue raising slogans in favour of unified Andhra Pradesh. They burnt the effigy of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao after forming a human chain. Union leaders M Srinivasa Rao, K Lakshmana Reddy, SV Govind and Ramana Reddy led the protest.

Vidyut Employees’ JAC

Thousands of members of Vidyut Employees’ JAC, in association with the activists of other organisations, took out an impressive procession from the Indira Gandhi statue on Old Jail Road to Telugu Talli statue at Maddilapalem which was led by its convenor Polaki Srinivasa Rao.

Amid various ‘Pouranic’ performances, the protesters raised slogans demanding all the Union ministers and State ministers to immediately resign and join the movement.

TDP, Visakha East Assembly Segment

A large number of party activists and leaders of Telugu Desam Party under the limits of Visakhapatnam East Assembly Segment represented by Velagapudi Ramakrishnababu observed relay hunger strike at the Gandhi statue near GVMC. The rendering of songs ‘Telugu Jaathi Manadi’, ‘Maa Telugu Talliki’ and ‘Janmabhoomi Naa Desam’ by a team of party activists was the cynosure of all eyes.

MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishnababu, Malla Appala Raju, Vaka Satyavathi, Baireddy Pothana Reddy, Sanapala Panduranga Rao and others participated in the relay hunger strike.

City Congress Committee

Members of the City Mahila Congress Committee, led by its president Pedada Ramani Kumari, performed ‘Varalakshmi Vratam’ on the last Friday of ‘Sravanamasam’ at the relay fast camp of City Congress Committee at the Gandhi statue near GVMC. City Congress president Behra Bhaskara Rao, Kandula Nagaraju, Banala Sreenu, Koppula Venkata Rao, Chokka Chinna Appa Rao, Hyderali Sinka, Mohammed Ali Sinka, Sk Basha and Senapathi Appa Rao were present at the camp. The Mahila Congress members prayed to Goddess Lakshmi to keep the State united. Members of other organisations, who took out rallies, came to the venue and expressed their solidarity to the Congress members.

GVMC Employees’ JAC

Members of GVMC Employees’ JAC continued their relay fast in front of the Corporation on Friday. Work in the Corporation, including collection of property taxes and approval of building plans, came to a standstill as all sections of employees struck work.

GVMC Upadhyaya JAC

Teachers of GVMC schools continued their relay fast on the ninth day on Friday at the Gandhi statue. The members performed ‘Ksheerabhishekam’ to the portrait of Potti Sreeramulu.

Among others, JAC leaders K Nageswara Rao, V Govinda Rao, L Krishna Rao and woman teachers participated in the fast raising slogans in favour of united Andhra Pradesh.

The leaders demanded the Union ministers, MPs, MLAs and State ministers to resign their posts and join the stir.

SR Shopping Mall

Employees of SR Shopping Mall, Dabagardens area, took out a huge procession led by Gopinadha Reddy from Dabagardens area to GVMC and garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and raised slogans in support of Samaikyandhra. Later, the employees extended solidarity to all the relay hunger fast camps at the GVMC.

Agriculture Department

Employees of the Department of Agriculture and its allied wings continued their relay fast at the GVMC Gandhi statue on the fifth day on Friday with ‘flowers in their ears’ as a novel protest. District Agriculture Officer Y Visweswarappa alleged that the State ministers and Union ministers had cheated the public with false assurances. Stating that Andhra Pradesh was the first State formed on linguistic basis, he demanded the Centre to revoke its bifurcation proposal.