Bharat Bandh paralyses normal life in the State

Normal life was paralysed in most parts of the State due to the nation-wide bandh call given by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Left and other opposition parties in protest against the hike in petrol prices. Although the impact in the State capital was minimal, the bandh was almost complete in other parts of the State.

Except for Hyderabad, the State Road Transport Corporation operations came to a halt across the districts and the protestors staged dharnas in front of all bus depots. Buses and auto-rickshaws went off the roads while shops, petrol bunks, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed.

According to police, barring a few incidents of stone pelting on buses and burning of tyres, the bandh was by and large peaceful.

In a rare show of unity, political rivals joined hands to protest the price hike. At many places, workers of the BJP, TDP, CPI and CPI-M were seen together stopping buses or staging road blockades. Majority of the APSRTC buses remained confined to depots in the districts as the protestors did not allow the authorities to take them out. They sat in front of the depots since wee hours.

In Hyderabad, the RTC was running most of the city buses with police protection. Shops and petrol bunks were also open at many places. The police also arrested Communist Party of India state secretary K Narayana and CPI(M) secretary B V Raghavulu at RTC Cross roads when they took out rally from Narayanaguda cross roads protesting the hike in petrol prices.

At the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station in Hyderabad, police arrested CPI-M leader P Madhu and dozens of other party activists when they tried to stop the buses. Though police claimed that the buses were plying normally, services were affected because of the total impact of the strike in districts.

In coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema , the shutdown evoked good response with the TDP and Left activists not allowing buses to leave the depots. In Khammam, protestors damaged the glass panes of a few buses and at other places the protestors deflated the tyres of buses and auto-rickshaws. The shutdown paralysed transport operations in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Anantapur, Nellore, Kadapa and other towns.

With the TRS also joining the protest in Telangana, the shutdown was total in the region, except in Hyderabad.

Bharatiya Janata Party president G Kishan Reddy demanded immediate revoke of hike on petrol prices imposed by the oil marketing companies on the people of country. Participating in ‘Bharat Bandh’ protest at Abids Circle, he said that the petrol price hike would heavily burden the common man and make their lives miserable. He said that poor and middle class people have to spend more than 40 percent of income on petrol and unable to meet other expenses.

The police arrested Kishen Reddy, BJP executive committee member Bandaru Dattatreya , GHMC city president B Venkatareddy and other activists for blocking the traffic. (INN)