Police foil 'T' activists' Polavaram bus yatra

Nearly 200 students, lawyers and political activists of Telangana region were arrested by the police near Jirugumilli forest check post at Khammam-West Godavari border on Saturday when they tried to proceed towards the Polavaram project site.

The members of Osmania University JAC, Telangana Advocates JAC and Telangana Praja Front were stopped at Jirugumilli by the police when they tried to continue their bus yatra to reach the Polavaram project site in the West Godavari district. The activists who started the bus yatra from the Osmania University two days ago to protest against the construction of Polavaram irrigation project reached Bhadrachalam on Saturday.

The Advocates JAC of Bhadralachalam gave a warm welcome to the students and later they submitted a symbolic memorandum to Lord Sri Ram Chanadraji at Bhadrachalam temple appealing him to stop the construction of the project as it would submerge 300 villages apart from displacing nine lakh people in the region.

Meanwhile, police have strengthened security in the Khammam district in the wake of threats issued by the Seemandhra Students JAC that they would stop the OU students' bus yatra. Section 144 was clamped in the both Khammam and West Godavari districts since the bus yatra took off from Hyderabad. Additional forces were deployed in both the districts and check-posts were set up at all entry points.

Tension prevailed when the bus yatra reached Jirugumilli forest post. The activists staged a dharna in protest after they were stopped by the police from proceeding further. The activists raised slogans against the construction of Polavaram project.

The police took the activists into the custody and later they were released at the Khammam border.