Stringent security for bandh

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 10. The Congress party in Andhra Pradesh has given a call for a State- wide bandh on Thursday, to coincide with the all-India strike called by industrial workers and trade unions. The bandh is to protest against price rise while the trade unions are protesting against the policies of globalisation and marketisation pursued by the Central and State Governments.

The president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who is coming to Hyderabad by the Godavari Express at 5 a.m. tomorrow, is to proceed to the Nampally station to stop the Andhra Pradesh Express to Delhi, leaving from there at 6-30 a.m. Mr. D. Nagender, the lone Congress MLA in the City, is to stage a dharna at the Nampally station.

Congress leaders have made elaborate arrangements to stop the movement of trains and buses, and these services will, therefore, be subject to delay on Thursday. The party has announced the names of its leaders who will stage dharnas at major bus depots to prevent buses from moving out, such as Mr. K. Rosaiah at the Imliban bus depot and Mr. Nadendla Bhaskara Rao at Kukatpalli. Mr. D. Srinivas, MLA and vice- president of APCC, led a scooter rally from Gandhi Bhavan to appeal to the people to cooperate in making the bandh a success.

Police said all Superintendents of Police had been instructed to have extensive video coverage of the bandh. A total of 21 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, one Company of CRPF women police, two companies of the Rapid Action Force and 267 platoons of the AP Special Police would be on bandobust duty.

Police said pickets would be posted at all vital installations, and heavy deployment of forces would be made at railway stations and bus depots. Anti-social elements were being taken into custody as a precautionary measure. Patrolling had been intensified in areas under the influence of naxalite groups to see that the extremists did not take advantage of the situation.

The Home Minister, Mr. T. Devender Goud, criticised the ``politically motivated bandh'', asking whether ``prices have not risen'' in Congress-ruled States like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, and in Left- ruled States like West Bengal and Kerala.

The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, reviewed the law and order situation in view of the bandh call, and said steps would be taken to avoid inconvenience to people.

Mr. Naidu instructed officials to deal firmly with lawbreakers, trouble makers and anti-social elements, according to an official statement.

The Secretary of the AP State Council of the CPI, Mr. S. Sudhakara Reddy, said ``there is lot of mess'' in drought relief, in view of the conflicting statements issued by the BJP's Central Ministers that Andhra Pradesh was diverting Central funds and the countercharge by Telugu Desam leaders that the Centre was yet to release funds for drought relief.

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Section  : Regional
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