Buses are set to go off the roads from Monday as the Telangana wing of the National Mazdoor Union, the recognised union of the APSRTC, will join the “Sakala Janula Samme” (general strike involving all sections).
Some long-distance buses, departing from the city to Bangalore, Shirdi and other destinations, did not leave the bus stations on Sunday evening. NMU Telangana Forum co-convenor T. Hanmanthu said the staff would block the movement of the private services operating to and from the city to other destinations.
Auto stir put off
The proposed two-day strike by the auto unions in the region from Monday was, however, deferred to September 24. The Telangana Joint Action Committee which is spearheading the ‘Samme' called upon the people to participate in the blockade of highways at Adilabad, Alampur, Kodad and Zaheerabad preventing vehicles from entering Telangana. TRS leaders visited Bhoraj in Jainath mandal of Adilabad district even as the agitators blocked the convoy of Panchayat Raj Minister K. Jana Reddy in Nalgonda demanding that the Minister quit his post. The T-JAC leaders announced that the contract and outsourcing employees would join the stir from Monday and warned the government of serious consequences if action was initiated against the staff, who participated in the strike.
Coal stir on
Meanwhile, coal production in the mines owned by the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in four districts continued to be paralysed for the sixth consecutive day on account of the “same.” The agitators resisted attempts by the police to convince operators of the open cast mines in Ramagundam area to commence mining which led to tension in the area for some time.
As the local police tried to escort some operators into the mining area in the early hours of Saturday, the staff on strike prevented the “coercive act.” The agitators were taken into preventive custody amid a mild scuffle and were released on Sunday morning. More associations expressed their solidarity with the ongoing stir as the JACs of professional colleges announced their decision to join the protest for two days from Monday. As a result, the NTR University of Health Sciences and the JNTU Hyderabad postponed the scheduled examinations.
