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Total shutdown in Bhadrachalam division on day one of bandh

The 72-hour bandh call given by the local journalists association, with the support of the Telangana Joint Action Committee and political parties demanding that the Union government keep the Bhadrachalam Division with the proposed Telangana state after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, has evoked a huge response in Bhadrachalam town as well as other mandals of the division on the first day on Friday.

All commercial establishments, educational institutions, government and private offices remained closed in the division and the Rachabanda programme, which is scheduled to be held at Venkatapuram on Friday, was cancelled due to the bandh.

People took to streets in large numbers to express their anguish and protested against the proposed merger of the division with the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. The people and the political parties warned the Congress Party that they would teach a befitting lesson if the division was merged with Andhra.

While the APSRTC has cancelled its 84 bus services in the division, the agitators prevented the vehicles coming from Chhattisgarh and Odisha states from entering the state on the border areas.

The tour to Papi Hills was also cancelled for three days and the devotees, who came to Bhadrachalam from across the state, had to suffer due to non-availability of food and transportation facilities. All roads in the Bhadrachalam town, mandal head quarters and villages wore a deserted look.

The agitators staged a rasta roko in a phased manner at the bridge point in the town and prevented the vehicles from entering into town. Thousands of passengers faced a lot of inconvenience. The political leaders, who participated in the agitation, alleged that the Seemandhra people were asking for the merger only for the sake of water and mineral resources. Another main reason for the demand for merger was to avoid any obstruction for construction of the Polavarm Project.

The leaders expressed their concern over construction of the Polavaram Project saying once the project was completed thousands of tribal families in Bhadrachalam Division would lose their homes and livelihood.

Bhadrachalam MLA Kunja Satyavathi demanded that the Union government take steps to continue the division in Telangana and assured the people that she would convince the high command to see that the division remained with the state of Telangana. CPM division secretary and former MLA Sunnam Rajaiah said that his party would obstruct construction of the Polavaram Project.

Girijana Sankshema Parishad state leader Sonde Veeraiah said the very survival of the tribals would be doubtful if the division was merged with Andhra region. The Seemandhra leaders were trying to bury the tribals under the Polavaram Project, he said and alleged that they were also trying to grab the coal deposits in Charla mandal.

CPI leader R Ram Prasad said his party had always stood for statehood to Telangana and the same was made clear in the report submitted to the Group of Ministers (GoM). He also said his party would fight tooth and nail for continuing the division with Telangana state.

TDP Bhadrachalam Assembly constituency in-charge K Paniswaramma also said that her party was against the merger of Bhadrachalam Division with Andhra.

District Gandhi Patham convener Busireddy Sankar Reddy urged the Union government to respect the wishes of the people of the division to go with Telangana state. TRS party secretariat member T Siddulu alleged that the Seemandhra leaders were laying claim on the division with an eye on water and mineral deposits.

BJP leader A Subba Rao said his party would strive to protect the division and the right of its people.

Meanwhile, CPM party took out massive rally with 10,000 people in the town in protest against construction of the Polavaram Project. Later, a meeting was organised at Ambedkar Centre. The Joint Action Committee of Muslim community launched a relay hunger-strike at the Ambedkar Centre against the decision of the proposal to merge Bhadrachalam Division with Andhra.

Source: The New Indian Express

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