Auto bandh hits commuters

Visakhapatnam: With auto-rickshaws staying off the roads on the second day on Saturday as part of the Samaikyandhra protest, rail passengers, commuters and daily wage earners, particularly construction workers, were badly hit as there was no other mode of transport.

Members of Auto-rickshaw Drivers’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) took out a rally holding placards of Samaikyandhra and joined the public meeting called by Samaikya Rashtra Parirakshana Vedika. The construction sector suffered a major blow as work came to a standstill due to the absence of workers.

The relay hunger strike camps by Andhra University Ikya Vidhyardhi Front, AU JACs of Teaching and Non-Teaching Employees, NGOs, GVMC employees, GVMC Upadhyaya JAC, City Congress Committee, Telugu Desam Party, YSR Congress Party and Visakhapatnam Bar Association continued. More than 1,000 Muslims took out a procession from the GVMC Gandhi statue to Jagadamba demanding Samaikyandhra, blocking all the main roads. Members of Visakhapatnam Taxi Operators’ Association also observed bandh on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Visalandhra Mahasabha general secretary Parakala Prabhakar, who attended a meeting organised by the Non-Political JAC at the AMCOSA on Saturday, asked all Gram Panchayats to pass a unanimous resolution in favour of Samaikyandhra and send the same to the President urging him to stop the bifurcation of the State. He demanded that all public representatives join the stir after getting their resignations accepted.

The agitation must be further intensified to make the Centre consider the sentiments of Seemandhra people, he said. “Nobody is against the people of Telangana and we respect them, but we are fighting with a single point agenda of unified Andhra,” he said adding nobody could stop the present agitation as it originated from the hearts of general public.