T-bandh throws life out of gear

Hyderabad, Dec 7:Life in Hyderabad and nine other districts stood paralysed on the second day of the 48-hour Telangana bandh called by Telangana Rashtra Samithi activists seeking a separate state.TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao,who launched an indefinite fast on Nov 29 when he was arrested and sent to a 14-day judicial remand, declined to drop the stir and remained firm on his demand for a separate state and insisted that only the Prime Minister might change his decision Chief Minister K Rosaiah, accompanied by Indian National Lok Dal president Ajit Singh and Health Minister D.Nagender visited Rao at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences on Sunday night and asked him to end his fast.

The State Government also withdrew the charges against Rao that led to his arrest at Karimnagar.According to latest indications,a delegation of Congress ministers from the Telangana region will visit New Delhi on Monday.For the second day,buses of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) remained off the roads while road blockades by the protestors affected vehicular movement on the highways.All schools, colleges, shops, business houses, cinema halls and petrol bunks remained closed in Hyderabad and other Telangana districts, inconveniencing the people.Unruly scenes were witnessed on the Osmania University campus on Monday morning when armed police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were mobilised to prevent students from taking out processions to the State Assembly.

Police were also deployed on the Arts College campus and the university hostel to evict students,who planned to lay siege to the assembly to demand a resolution on a separate Telangana state.The Joint Action Committee of students and teachers of Osmania University has taken exception to the police action and demanded that the Government withdraw the troops from the campus immediately. Doctors at NIMS said KCR was running high temperature and had turned very weak.