Agitators hold blockades, transport crippled in Andhra

Transport system across Andhra Pradesh was crippled today giving a tough time to commuters as pro and anti-Telangana agitators held road and train blockades in the state.

The all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC) campaigning for united Andhra Pradesh called for road and rail blockades in the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, while students and other agitators held blockades in Telangana region in support of the demand for separate state.

The agitators blocked roads at various places in coastal Andhra like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram and in Kurnool and Kadapa among other towns of Rayalaseema.

The pro-Telangana agitators resorted to blockades at Warangal, Karimnagar and other places.

In view of the "rail roko", South Central Railway (SCR) cancelled 88 train services today.

The cancelled services include 39 passenger trains and local 49 Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) to prevent damage to railway property, an SCR release said.

"The cancellations have been kept at bare minimum so as not to cause inconvenience to passengers. However, if the situation turns volatile, SCR may cancel/reschedule more trains at short notice," SCR chief public relations officer Chandrima Roy said yesterday. An argument took place between the protesters and policemen at Guntur when the agitators tried to hold the "rail roko.'

In Vijayawada, Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express and Howrah-Hyderabad East Coast Express were stopped by the protesters who squatted on railway tracks.