The bandh observed in response to the call given by the Left parties and their affiliated trade unions in support of the striking municipal sanitation workers evoked mixed response in the district on Friday.
It was total and peaceful in the first couple of hours. The RTC bus depots, shops and establishments were closed, cinema theatres suspended morning shows and schools and educational institutions declared holiday. Howeverafter the arrest of the Left leaders in the afternoon bus services were started .
The police arrested the Left leaders when they sat in for protest in front the bus stand on the Bodhan road. The CPI(M) district secretary Dandi Venkati, CITU secretary A. Ramesh Babu, CPI secretary K. Bhoomaiah, CPI (ML)-New Democracy leader V. Prabhakar, IFTU State president V. Krishna, CPI(M) leaders Noorjahan, S. Latha and Govardhan were among those who were taken into custody.
Congress MLC Akula Lalitha, DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan, former MLA Yendala Lakshminarayana (BJP) and TDP leaders expressed their solidarity.
Adilabad Special Correspondent adds: The bandh was partial in Adilabad district. Protests, including rasta rokos were staged at a few towns in Adilabad district, which resulted in the agitators being detained at some places.
About 60 protesting workers and leaders of Left trade unions and TDP were arrested at Kagaznagar for obstructing traffic . At Adilabad, CPI(ML-NDactivists tried to down shutters in the main market.
At Bellampalli and Nirmal, some 90 and 300 sanitation workers respectively participated in rasta rokos. The protesters also took out rallies.
Karimnagar Special Correspondent adds: Bandh call evoked mixed response in Karimnagar district . All private educational institutions voluntarily declared holiday The RTC partially curtailed its services following the protests by the agitationists in front of the depots.
The petrol filling stations also functioned for sometime and later closed following the pressures from the protestors.
All shops, business establishments, banks, post offices, offices and other institutions functioned normally. The Left parties and Congress activists took out rallies. The police arrested leaders of Left parties.
TPCC Mahila Congress State president Nerella Sharada also extended support to the bandh call.
She flayed Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao for announcing salary hike to the employees of GHMC and neglecting the workers of other municipalities of the State.
Sangareddy Staff Reporter adds: Dharnas held in front of the bus depots at Siddipet, Medak and Sangareddy.
At Gajwel, TDP spokesperson V. Pratap Reddy also participated in the agitation. For some time the buses were not allowed outside from depots.
They have also raised slogans against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The agitating leaders were arrested by the police.
Nalgonda Staff Reporter adds: As the traffic of RTC buses was disrupted following the sit-in , the police lifted the protesting leaders forcibly. CPI (M) district secretary Nandyala Narasimha Reddy condemned the State government’s approach towards the protesting civic workers.
