Petrol bunks and cinema theatres in Prakasam district remained closed on Tuesday on a call given by the Samaikyandhra Parirakshana Samiti in protest against the ongoing process of carving out Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.
At the break of dawn, the agitators led by APNGOs Association district Secretary Bandi Srinivasa Rao went round the city and persuaded all fuel filling stations to down shutters.
Abstaining from work, the integrationists including the Education Department Ministerial Association State president A. Swamulu closed down all cinema theatres enforcing their State unit's call to exert pressure on the Centre to drop its move to divide the State.
Leading a dharna in front of the Prakasam Bhavan, Employees Medical Association leader K.Sarath Babu put the onus on the Union Ministers and MPs from Seemandhra to prevent tabling of the AP State Reorganisation bill in Parliament.
APNGOs State vice-chairperson P.Madhavi said integrationists, including a large number of women, would leave here for New Delhi on February 15 and lay a siege to Parliament to impress upon parliamentarians not to divide the first linguistic State .
Meanwhile, lawyers continued with their relay hunger strike in front of the courts complex.
In Chirala, students led by Samaikyandhra JAC local unit convenor G.Madhava Rao branded the Union Ministers from Seemandhra region as ''betrayers of Samaikyandhra cause'' and set ablaze their effigies at the busy Clock Tower Centre. The protesters who came in a big procession also torched the effigies of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh for being adamant on dividing the State.
Protests were also organised in, among other towns, in Yerragondapalem, Giddalur, Markapur and Kangiri in the district.
