Leaders of various Samaikyandhra JACs conducted an emergency meeting here on Wednesday and decided to meet the Antony Committee anytime after September 10 to present their point of view against bifurcation of the State. The JAC leaders who participated in the meet included Dr. P. Shyam Sundar, RTC JAC Srinivasa Rao, S. Shiva Sankar, Samaikyandhra Political JAC convener JT Rama Rao, Student JAC leader Rajesh, Mahila JAC leader Eswari, Adibabu and Non-Political JAC leader S. Surappadu.
They had already sought an appointment with the Antony Committee. The doctors who participated in the meet said that bifurcation would lead to problems for medical students and doctors. The number of medical seats and jobs in government hospitals was more in Telangana. This apart the vacancies in super speciality branches were more in Hyderabad.
The RTC leader said that almost all the assets of RTC like Bus Bhavan, Printing Press and Super Speciality Hospital of the corporation were all developed in Hyderabad as it is the capital of the integrated state. The corporation’s assets like the lands at the Dwaraka Bus Station, Maddilapalem and Gajuwaka were leased to private entrepreneurs and the funds generated were ploughed back into the corporation’s assets in Hyderabad.
He said that the RTC workers were determined to continue the strike till the government reversed its decision on bifurcation. They were prepared to forego their salaries and it was the first time in the corporation that they had gone on such a long strike to keep the State integrated.
The JAC leaders expressed apprehensions about the future of people from the three north Andhra districts who had settled in Hyderabad. The sharing of river waters was another major problem. While reiterating their demand to keep the State united, they said that, if bifurcation was inevitable, Visakhapatnam should be made capital of Andhra Pradesh. Dr. Shyam Sundar said that the idea of the JAC leaders was to show politicians the way and make their voice heard through them. He felt that there was no need for bifurcation after remaining together for 56 years.
K. Ramachandra Murty, GVMC former ward committee member, felt that the Congress Working Committee and Sonia Gandhi should own responsibility for the present imbroglio in the State. Sonia had taken the decision overnight with the sole objective of making her son next Prime Minister. He said that already Visakhapatnam was losing heavily as Waltair Division was tagged to East Coast Railway (ECoR) and the funds generated were being spent to develop Odisha.
The bifurcation would mean greater injustice to Visakhapatnam.
Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika leader Shiva Sankar while describing the present agitation as ‘people’s movement’, felt that collective efforts were needed to stop the activities in Central Government offices and at the Port and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant to make the government feel the pinch of the agitation.
