The one day 'bandh' called by the Telugu Desam Party has evoked a lukewarm response by the people of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, despite party leaders and activists trying their best to make it a success.
The police, at many places, foiled attempts by TDP leaders and activists to impose the bandh, called to protest the
arrest of party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and his team by Maharashtra police.
Shops and business establishments remained open, while bus services were unaffected, in the twin cities.
According to reports reaching here, former Mayor Teegala Krishna Reddy, along with his supporters, was arrested while staging a dharna at the busy RTC X Roads. Similarly, senior TDP leader T Srinivas Yadav was taken into custody and shifted to Bolarum police station.
The TDP activists forced shops to down their shutters in Secunderabad, and stopped buses from plying, before they were arrested. The shops reopened within a short time, and buses resumed their normal run.
Reports of protests by TDP workers also came in from Sanathnagar, Allwyn Junction in Miyapur, Dilsukhnagar, Rajendranagar, Ramanthapur, Uppal, Ghatkesar and other places.
The bandh call was more effective in 22 other districts of the state, with little traffic visible on National Highways 7 and 9.
Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kakinada, Tirupati, Warangal, Vijayanagaram, Nellore and Guntur districts were most affected by the bandh.
Senior party leader Kadiyam Srihari, along with TDP activists were reported to have been taken into custody by Warangal police after they staged a dharna at Station Ghanpur.
Reports coming in from Vijayawada suggest that tension prevailed for some time when TDP activists tried to force a liquor outlet to down its shutters. The management of the liquor outlet, belonging to the Congress party, refused to comply, leading to the tension.
A former TDP MP and his supporters staged a dharna in front of the liquor outlet till police stepped in and arrested the protestors.
The scene soon shifted to the police station, with TDP workers demanding the release of the former MP.
Reports of TDP activists disrupting trains in Vijayanagaram, Yallamanchili, Tandur and Nellore also are trickling in.
Courtesy: INN News