Normal life was paralysed in Hyderabad on Friday in the wake of the day-long strike called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee in support of their demand for a separate statehood for Telangana.
Streets wore a relatively deserted look, with APSRTC buses off the road and petrol pumps, theatres, shopping malls and educational institutions remaining closed. Even auto rickshaws were largely off the road, hampering mobility of people.
Minor incidents
However, no untoward incident was reported, except for a few incidents when pro-Telangana activists forced closure of shops in some areas such as L.B Nagar.
Life in the old city area was, however, not impacted, with a majority of shops seen doing business. JAC described the bandh as a “total success”.
IT sector
While Government employees in the Telangana region continued their strike for the 18{+t}{+h} day today, IT offices reported thin attendance, though some employees were seen trying to make it to HiTec city through their own means of transport or local trains.
The ongoing strike by government employees has paralysed the administration in Telangana, which comprises 10 districts, including Hyderabad. Power restrictions continued today with the strike by employees in Singareni Collieries affecting power generation.
Political scene
Meanwhile, political situation is hotting up, with representatives of different political parties camping in Delhi and holding separate rounds of discussions.
Mr Gulam Nabi Azad, AICC General Secretary, In-Charge for Andhra Pradesh, is expected to fly down to Hyderabad on Sunday to access the situation arising out of the on-going Telangana agitation and hold talks with political leaders.