Shutdown paralyses life in Andhra, R'seema

Hyderabad, Dec 11: Protesting against the United Progressive Alliance Government’s decision to carve out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh, the coastal Andhra And Rayalaseema Regions have called for a bandh on Friday demanding united Andhra pradesh.Life in many parts of Andhra And Rayalaseema Regions were affected in response to a day-long call for shutdown in protest against the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.Buses of the Andhra Pradesh Transport Corporation (APSRTC) went off the roads as political activists, students and other groups opposed to the division of the state took to the streets.

The APSRTC Vijayawada division withdrew 1,200 long-distance bus services connecting Kadapa, Kurnool, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Guntur, Anantapur and Chittoor as a precautionary measure.The agitators detained trains under the East Coast and South Central Railway at various places of the coastal and Rayalaseema regions. The agitators detained Bangalore-bound Prashanthi Express at Ichchapuram, Visakha Express at Palasa and Somapeta  in Srikakulam district. The activists also held rail-roko for Howrah-Tirupati Express and Krishna Express at Chinaganjam in Prakasam district.

The United Andhra activists detained Simhadri Express at Veeravasam, Janmabhoomi and Sabari Express at Dachepalli.Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed in most parts of the 13 districts -- nine districts in Andhra region and four in Rayalaseema region.Roads wore deserted look in the port city of Visakhapatnam, and commercial hubs like Guntur, Vijayawada, Machilipatnam, Nellore, Kurnool and Kadapa, as the protesters conducted rallies raising slogans against the proposed formation of a separate Telangana state and demanded that the Centre drop the move.

Local people voluntarily closed their shops and business houses. In Rayalaseema, the bandh was spontaneous. The activists, however, demanded separate statehood for their region in the event of a formation of a Telangana State.Students from Andhra University, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Sri Venkateswara University and Nagarjuna University staged demonstrations with the protests turning violent in several areas. The students damaged several buses during their protests.The teaching and non-teaching staff in various universities extended their support to the bandh.