The prolonged agitation and strike by RTC workers has hit the common man badly.
Not only petty businessmen but also trade and industry are incurring losses due to the indefinite agitation.
Meanwhile, a motorcycle rally was taken out by carpenters, under the auspices of Visakha Wood Decors Welfare Association, from Pedagadili to the Gandhi statue at Asilametta on Saturday.
The carpenters closed their shops to take part in the rally. A mini van with a banner depicting Sonia Gandhi and KCR using a saw to divide Andhra Pradesh and in the process separating brothers (twins) was the highlight of the rally. They raised slogans demanding that the state be kept united.
A rally was taken out by members of CREDAI, Visakhapatnam chapter, from the Telugu Thalli statue at Maddilapalem junction to the Gandhi statue at Asilametta. CREDAI past chairmen K. Subbaraju, K.S. Chandran and MVV Satyanarayana, chairman B. Raja Srinivas, president K. Ramakrishna Rao and honorary secretary P. Koteswara Rao and association members formed a human chain at Telugu Thalli junction and raised ‘Jai Samaikyandhra’ slogans.
Later, the association leaders garlanded the Gandhi statue and staged an hour-long demonstration was held against the bifurcation of the state.
A rally is being organised by the Visakha Chemists’ Welfare Society from the Gandhi statue at Asilametta to the Telugu Thalli statue at Maddilapalem at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Society secretary Baggam Srinivasa Rao called upon all chemists and druggists of the city to participate in the rally and make it a success for keeping the state united.
Journalists under the auspices of Uttarandhra Journalistla Samithi formed a human chain at Jagadamba junction and raised slogans against bifurcation of the state.
A ‘vanta varpu’ (cooking on the roads) was conducted by the employees of the Irrigation Department at Zilla Parishad junction and RTC employees under the auspices of NMU had their lunch on the road at Maddilapalem junction.
Port bandh
Special Correspondent writes:
Stevedores, customs house agents, lorry owners, steaming agents and other port users will observe Visakhapatnam Port bandh on Monday in support of Samaikyandhra. The decision was taken by the associations of port users on Saturday to register their protest against the Congress’ decision to bifurcate the State. The port users will hold a meeting at Convent Junction on Monday at 9:30 a.m. and stage a demonstration. “We request all to stop all operations including stevedoring, shore clearance and other wagon handling work from the first shift,” a spokesman for Visakhapatnam Stevedores’ Association said.
