Telangana stir: Reddy issues directives to up security cover

With Telangana protagonists stepping up their agitation for a separate state and even resorting to physical attacks on employees from Andhra Rayalaseema regions working here, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today directed police authorities to increase security cover to those attending work without taking part in the ongoing indefinite strike.

At a high-level review meeting on the law and order situation in the wake of the general strike and other agitations here today, the Chief Minister directed the police to ensure proper security to government and private properties in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana.

Chief Secretary SV Prasad, Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy, Additional DGP (Intelligence) M Mahender Reddy, Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan and other senior officials attended the meeting.

Additional security forces should be deployed at all important government offices and vulnerable places including Singareni Collieries coal mines, the Chief Minister said.

Heads of government departments in the state capital and other Telangana districts have been asked to engage private drivers, data-entry operators and private security personnel to ensure smooth functioning of offices, a press release from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

Meanwhile, state Chief Secretary SV Prasad issued orders reviving the Industry Security Task Force, headed by Additional Director General of Police T Krishna Prasad as the nodal officer, "for the protection and security of industry in general and IT industry in particular and for according the requisite comfort to the industrial sector in the state."

The Task Force was first constituted in March 2010 when the Telangana statehood agitation reached a peak. It subsequently remained rather dormant with the agitation slowing down.

With a fresh upsurge in the statehood struggle in Telangana over the last 20 days, the government decided to re-activate the task force and perform its assigned task.

The Chief Secretary, in his orders today, said, "the nodal officer of Industry Security Task Force shall continue to coordinate with all the agencies, government departments, organizations and industry members by making every effort to accord the requisite protection and comfort to the industrial sector in the state for conducting their smooth and hassle-free day-to-day operations."