The Opposition-sponsored bandh against steep hike in petrol price passed off peacefully in the city on Thursday.
Reports reaching from various parts of the district stated that the bandh evoked partial response in the rural and agency areas of the district. APSRTC ran skeletal services anticipating trouble.
About 70 activists belonging to various parties and organisations, including CPI district secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy ,were arrested at various places while enforcing bandh.
Normal life was affected as shops and establishments downed their shutters. Banks and insurance companies did not make any transactions as their offices remained closed in response to the request by various unions to support the bandh. Private banks like ICICI, ATMs of various banks, petrol bunks and medical shops were closed in areas like MVP Colony.
Functioning at various industrial units was affected to some extent as employees owing allegiance to CITU, AITUC, BMS and TNTUC abstained from work. At Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, officers were asked to report for duty ahead of their shift timing. Educational institutions suspended classes.
Police bandobust
Heavy police bandobust was made at the railway station to prevent any attempt to organise rail roko. Police pickets were posted at petrol bunks but they opened to the public only in the evening.
“The response to the bandh call clearly showed that the people were vexed with hefty increase in petrol price by the Congress-led UPA government,” TDP MLA V.R.K. Babu said. TDP activists took out a two-wheeler rally in MVP, Isukathota and Venkojipalem raising slogans against the UPA.
