Hyderabad: On Tuesday, Buses of state-owned Road Transport Corporation in Telangana went off-road in the midst of developing support for farmers groups-called Bharat Bandh that got support from every party in the state aside from the BJP.
With employee unions of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) supporting the shutdown call, transports were confined to depots.
Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station and Jubilee Bus Station, two largest and busiest bus stations in Hyderabad, wore an abandoned look. A few commuters who arrived at the bus stations early morning to board buses to their destination were noticed returning disappointed.
The greater part of the taxis and auto-rickshaws likewise went off the streets as the unions of taxi and auto drivers supported the Bharat Bandh in support of the demands by farmers’ groups requesting withdrawal of the new agricultural legislations by the central government.
With the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) announcing complete support to the bandh, it is likely going to bring out good response over the state. Opposition Congress, Left and different parties, people’s and farmers’ associations and trade unions are likewise supporting the protest.
Ministers, MPs, state officials and other public representatives will be partaking in protests over the state. Chief Minister and TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao has reached out to party cadres to make the bandh a complete success.
TRS has called upon its chiefs to arrange roadblocks on highways to display solidarity with agitating ranchers.
Supporting the struggle by farmers against the three agricultural laws, Rao said the laws unfavourably affected their interests. It was precisely a result of that the TRS opposed the Bills in Parliament, he said and stressed on the requirement for the agitation to proceed until they were repealed.
Rao’s son, cabinet minister and TRS working president K. T. Rama Rao will be directing the protest at Borgula on Hyderabad-Bengaluru national highway. The chief minister’s daughter and member of legislative party K. Kavitha will direct rasta rook close to Kamareddy.
Home minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali, finance minister Harish Rao, farming priest Niranjan Reddy and different clergymen will likewise lead the fights on interstates.
K. T. Rama Rao Mr Rao encouraged owners of shops and business foundations to reopen their premises after 12 noon. He furthermore wanted transport organizations to continue their operations only in the afternoon.
Naming the new farm law as ‘black laws’, Rama Rao called for raising a unified voice against a scheme to hand over the agricultural sector to the corporate entities and make farmers workers at the hands of the large corporate players
Workers and leaders of Congress, CPI, CPI (M), other Left parties will likewise organize protests.
Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers Union likewise stretched out support to the nationwide bandh call.
Welfare Party of India, Jamaat-e-Islami, Student’s Islamic Organization (SIO), Jamiatul Ulema and many other groups have likewise declared support to the shutdown.
Director-General of Police M. Mahender Reddy guided police authorities to take all preventive measures to keep up law and order taking into account the bandh call. A statement from DGP’s office: “It has also been instructed that none should be allowed to take law in their hand.”
Cyberabad police have given a traffic advisory considering the bandh.
Many protests may be held at different locations, including on streets and junctions in and around the city, affecting the regular flow of traffic, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) S.M. Vijay Kumar stated.
Individuals going to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport are encouraged to take the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and plan their travel appropriately, he said.
Free entry for crisis administrations and ambulances will be guaranteed on all streets.
Osmania University and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Hyderabad have delayed the examinations scheduled for Tuesday. The examinations would be conducted later.
BJP has opposed the bandh call. Party’s state union leader reached out to farmers and citizens everywhere not to support what they call ‘sarkari bandh’. They likewise reach out to individuals not to fall into the political trap of the opposition parties.
Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy said it was tragic that a state government has formally announced that it is supporting the bandh. He encouraged the farmers not to mortgage their interests by trusting the TRS and other opposition parties on the propaganda released against the three agricultural laws.
