Telangana stir goes on; panel to submit report
Indefinite strike against Telangana statehood affects government offices
Hyderabad: Even as Antony Panel was all set to submit its report on Telangana issue to the Congress Core Committee, opponents of Telangana state continued their agitation demanding that the unity of Andhra Pradesh should be preserved.
As part of their indefinite strike the state government employees in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions Friday laid a siege to the central government offices in 13 districts. They targeted the employees of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) working in Sriharikota in Nellore district and also Oil and Natural Gas Commission in the oil fields in East Godavari districts. The functioning of the public sector banks was also hit in the two regions.
The employees under the banner of APNGOs forced the closure of the banks in Nellore and other districts and asked the employees to go out as part of their agitation.
In Allavaram and Gadimoga areas of East Godavari districts, the protesters laid a siege to the oil fields and stopped the workers. In Nellore they blocked the road between Slurupeta and Sriharikota and stopped the employees going to the island for work.
In Hyderabad also the state employees from the Seema-Andhra regions tried to hold demonstrations outside the central government officers including the Auditor General’s office but the poloice arrested them.
Meanwhile, a senior minister from Andhra region Shaialajanath, who was in the forefront of agitation against Telangana state, has expressed apprehension that the Antony committee will recommend any change in the present state of Congress party on the issue of bifurcation.
Sources believe that the committee will neither recommend Rayala-Telangana state, which will include some districts of Rayalaseema and entire Telangana nor Union Territory status for Hyderabad city.
The Committee, which also included senior leaders like Digvijay Singh, Ahmad Patel and Gulam Nabi Azad was likely to support the formation of separate Telangana state.
As the union home minister has already started the work on the legal aspects of the process and a note was ready to be placed before the cabinet, Antony Committee report was being seen as a mere formality.
