Zee Media Bureau/Kamna Arora/Manisha Singh
7:17 pm: Southern Railway cancels some trains to Andhra Pradesh
Southern Railway has cancelled a number of trains between Chennai and Andhra Pradesh on Monday due to agitation by some workers of Andhra Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation over the Telangana issue. Some of the trains which have been cancelled are the Jan Shatabdi Express running between Chennai Central and Vijayawada, scheduled to leave the city tomorrow and tomorrow`s Chennai Central-Gudur Passenger, Vijayawada-Chennai Central Pinakini Express and Bitragunta-Chennai Central Passenger.
6:45 pm: New states were formed during NDA regime without any tension: BJP
The BJP said today that three new states were formed during the NDA regime without any tension and slammed the Centre for the ongoing row over the proposed creation of a separate Telangana state. BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the present government wanted both Telengana and Seemandhra to fight among each other.
5:05 pm: Seemandhra settlers in Telangana will be protected: Congress
Senior Congress leader M Shashidhar Reddy, MLA from Hyderabad, said that the people of Seemandhra will be given due security. He also accused the TRS of trying to create a feeling of insecurity among Seemandhra people. He also urged the Group of Ministers (GoM) to address certain crucial issues, against the backdrop of carving out Telangana state.
4:00 pm: AP CM appeals to employees to resume duties
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy appealed to the employees of the power generation, transmission corporations and distribution companies to resume their duties immediately. He said that the strike was impacting important services like hospitals, drinking water and railways.
3:45 pm: Centre`s decision to create Telangana a `conspiracy`, says BJP
Commenting on the ongoing protest against the creation of Telangana, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the Centre`s decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh appears to be a conspiracy, and added that the three states created under BJP`s regime saw no such tension.
"The conditions which have born out of this bifurcation seem like a conspiracy of the ruling Congress party. It all depends on political consensus, whether you are conspiring or you actually want to do some good," he said.
"We (BJP) also created three new states during our tenure. At that time when we divided Chhattisgarh, there were no such tensions in Madhya Pradesh. When we created Jharkhand, again there were no such tensions in Bihar. Even during Uttarakhand`s creation, there were no problems in Uttar Pradesh," he added.
Another BJP leader Kirti Azad, echoing similar sentiments, said that the Congress has failed miserably to manage the issue of Telangana, which has led to widespread protests in the state.
1:50 pm: Anti-Telangana protests turn violent in Vijaywada
Reports say the supporters of YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy, whose indefinite hunger strike enters second day, blocked roads and are burning tyres to protest the formation of Telangana.
11:50 am: Power supply hit in Andhra Pradesh
An indefinite strike launched on Sunday by electricity employees of Rayalaseema and the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh hit power supply in six districts of the state and also forced the railways to cancel train services.
Hundreds of villages in six coastal Andhra districts plunged into darkness as the electricity employees went on an indefinite strike to protest the Centre`s decision to create a separate Telangana state.
Seemandhra electricity employees` Joint Action Committee (JAC) said over 30,000 electricity employees were participating in the strike in Seemandhra, as Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions are collectively known.
The indefinite strike began after an earlier 48-hour-long strike ended on Sunday to protest the union Cabinet`s decision to bifurcate the state.
The strike has hit power generation in a couple of major plants in coastal Andhra. The South Central Railway (SCR) on Sunday cancelled seven passenger trains between Vijayawada and Renigunta. The cancelled train services include Vijayawada-Ongole, Guduru-Ongole, Tenali-Guntur and Tirupati-Guduru.
JAC chairman R Sai Baba announced that there would be no exemption to emergency services like hospital, water supply and agriculture.
Also Read: Anti-Telangana protests hit power supply in Andhra Pradesh
10:20 am: Jaganmohan Reddy`s indefinite hunger strike enters Day 2
YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy`s indefinite fast against the creation of a separate state for Telangana enters second day.
9:50 am: Curfew, shoot-at-sight orders in Vizianagaram
Curfew has been imposed in Vizianagaram town with police given the orders to shoot at sight in the wake of large-scale violence by anti-bifurcation agitators, police said.
Vizianagaram, a town in coastal Andhra, has been roiling since the Union Cabinet`s decision to create the state of Telangana out of the existing state of Andhra Pradesh.
"Lot of violence was reported, with the protesters indulging in arson, setting a bank on fire, and damaging public and private properties. In view of the violence, authorities ordered a curfew late last night," Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, IGP (North Coastal Zone), told a news agency.
People have been directed not to come out on the roads without permission. The curfew would be in force till further orders, the IGP said, adding that decision on relaxation will depend on the situation. "We are ensuring that there is no movement of public on the roads," he said.
Additional forces have been deployed in the town which has witnessed widespread violence since Thursday. Andhra Pradesh Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayna`s house in the town was attacked on Friday.
The 48-hour bandh called by Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers Association got over last night. The situation in Seemandhra, overall, was under control, the IGP said.
Also Read: Curfew in Andhra town to check anti-Telangana violence
9:45 am: Bandh in Vizag district continues
Educational institutions and commercial establishments will remain shut today in response to the bandh call given by the groups protesting against the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.
9.00 am: Seemandhra electricity employees on strike
The electricity employees of Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions of Andhra Pradesh go on indefinite strike from today to protest the central government`s decision to carve out separate Telangana state.
Over 30,000 electricity employees in Seemandhra, as Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions are collectively known, are likely to join the strike called by Seemandhra electricity employees Joint Action Committee (JAC).
JAC chairman Sai Baba announced that there would be no exemption to emergency services like hospital, water supply and agriculture.
He said the strike would continue till the central government takes back the decision to divide the state.
The strike may affect the electricity generation and supply not just in 13 districts of Seemandhra but may also hit transmission in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana.
The strike may also hit the southern grid as all four southern states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu - are interlinked.
Over six lakh government employees and teachers in Seemandhra are already on indefinite strike from August 13.
