Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N
Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday made a desperate appeal to government
employees from Telangana region to call off their indefinite
strike, that entered the 12th day, saying it was for the
Centre to take a decision on the contentious statehood issue.
"It is for the Centre to take a decision on the Telangana
statehood issue. We have to wait till it takes a decision and
the state government will implement whatever decision it
takes," he said.
He was addressing some people from Medak district who
were brought to his camp office by local Congress leaders
today.
The Chief Minister asked the employees what they were
achieving by striking work.
"Who is benefiting from the ongoing strike? It's the
people of Telangana who are suffering as about 10,000 buses
are off the roads, power generation has been affected and
implementation of welfare and development programmes have been
hit," Reddy said.
"As many as 80 lakh people, who commute daily in State
Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses, are left stranded
because of the strike," the Chief Minister pointed out.
The RTC has been reeling under heavy monetary losses as
buses are off the roads since September 19.
While the state government was requesting the Centre to
allot additional gas to generate power and tide over the
crisis, the Telangana protagonists were prevailing upon Union
Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy not to supply natural gas,
he alleged.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, September 24, 2011, 23:46