Pilgrims arriving here for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara may have to face trouble, if the talks on ‘Tirumala bandh’ are of any indication.
The Government Officers Joint Action Committee (GO-JAC) has called for a 48-hour bandh where in the vehicles to Tirumala will go off the road to Tirumala on September 14 and 15.
This may have serious impact on the pilgrims in more ways than one. It may be noted that the APSRTC employees are already part of the agitation and the corporation is running only minimal fleet with skeletal staff strength.
The ‘Tirupati Digbandhanam’ witnessed a fortnight ago, made even the private taxis, cabs and autorickshaws go off the roads, causing untold trouble to the passengers alighting at the railways station and airport, forcing the TTD to press into service its own fleet of free buses.
The GO-JAC has announced to hold a round of parleys with the private transport operators so as to ensure maximum impact on the pilgrims.
“As officers, we can not squat on the roads and stop the vehicles. If the private operators are not roped in, the very purpose of our call will be defeated. It is hence we are holding a meeting with the private operators and the transport officials on Thursday before taking a final call”, the GO-JAC Chairman and the Revenue Divisional Officer (Tirupati) Y. Ramachandra Reddy told this correspondent.
Taken aback at the announcement, the TTD is thoroughly flabbergasted at the likely impact of such a strike, especially during the weekend.
Though the management is expected to gear up its machinery in the same way it did last fortnight, the officials are yet to sit for a meeting to adopt a strategy, it is learnt.
Meanwhile, the call to keep the private educational institutions, right from Class I to degree level, closed till next Monday came as a blow to the academic calendar and it has not struck a chord with the institutions as well as the parents.
