The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Bandh evokes good response

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Bandh evokes good response

By our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI. Jan. 25. Normal life was thrown out of gear in Chittoor district following a total bandh. The bandh was total and marked by stray incidents in all the five municipalities and mandal headquarters towns in the district. With the BJP also throwing its lot behind the TDP, the cadres belonging to both the parties were seen actively enforcing the bandh. Burning of YSR's effigies amid vociferous slogan-shouting was a common sight at the demonstrations.

Offices ransacked

The bandh turned violent at Penumuru with the party activists allegedly ransacking the MRO and the MDO offices besides laying siege to them. An official was also reportedly injured in the incident. In another incident, miscreants damaged a sub-station in S.R. Puram near Puttur disrupting power supply in the surrounding villages. With the APSRTC locking up its entire fleet in their depots public transport remained badly hit.

In Tirupati and Chittoor, district party functionaries and cadres led by the district convener and Punganur MLA, Amarnada Reddy, forced Government offices, banks and business establishments to pull down their shutters.

A pregnant woman who developed labour pains while shuttling between closed Government and private hospitals, delivered a baby right on the road. In the absence of any transport and with no other woman being available around to give her, she had to face a traumatic condition.

At Puttur, party supporters detained the Chennai-Tirupati Sapthagiri express for a while and lifted the blockade later. Road traffic on the vital Tirupati-Chennai highway remained disrupted for the second consecutive day today with miscreants cutting trees and laying them across the road at different points. At another place in the section, protesters laid an electric pole across the road and removed it later.

Roja leads protest

At Nagari, film actress Roja, who led the TDP demonstrators, wanted arrest of those named in the complaint filed in connection with Paritala's murder and invoking of the provisions of Anti-Goonda's Act.

Our Tirumala Staff Reporter writes: There was no disruption of the vehicular traffic on the Tirumala ghat roads and the APSRTC buses and taxis plied normally. However, the bandh had its impact on the turnout of the pilgrims with the RTC suspending its inter district services at several parts of the State.

Our Cuddapah Staff Reporter writes: The bandh was near total and peaceful save some stray incidents in the district. The Rajya Sabha member, S. Ramamuni Reddy, the TDP Polit Bureau member, K. Sivananda Reddy, the State secretary, S. Goverdhan Reddy, the district president, R. Ramesh Kumar Reddy, and others staged a rail-roko by stopping the Mumbai-Chennai bound Dadar Express for a short while at Cuddapah railway station.

The TDP leaders -- M. Linga Reddy, Lakshmiprasanna, K. Ramesh Reddy, Kamisetty Babu -- and others burnt an effigy of the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, at Puttaparthi centre in Proddatur town.

15 TDP men arrested

Fifteen TDP activists, led by P. Varaprasada Reddy and Vema Reddy, were arrested in Pulivendula town while enforcing the bandh. Protesters staged a rasta-roko near Potladurthy village in Yerraguntla mandal. The party member, led by the former Minister, P. Brahmaiah, forced a theatre near Rajampet old bus stand to abruptly stop screening a film. A former Minister, S. Saraswathi, led bandh enforcers in Kodur town and the former MLA, K. Vijayamma, in Badvel.

Our Nellore Staff Reporter writes: There was good response to the bandh in Nellore district. Stray incidents were, however, reported.

All shops, establishments, banks, hotels, restaurants, cinema halls and commercial complexes remained closed. The cinema halls suspended even the matinee show. As the RTC buses did not ply, thin attendance was reported in offices.

More than 100 persons were taken into custody at Nellore and Padugupadu railway stations, when they stopped trains for more than 30 minutes. Those who detained the trains included the district TDP chief, S. Chandramohan Reddy, the State secretary, N. Prasannakumar Reddy, the district BJP chief, S. Suresh Reddy, and others.

While Vijayawada to Gudur passenger train and the Santikranti super fast express from Madurai to Nizamuddin were stopped at Nellore, the Pinkani Express bound for Chennai was stopped at Padugupadu, 6 km from here. All the arrested were been released later.

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