Seemandhra Strike Hits Power Supply

Several towns and villages across Andhra Pradesh plunged into darkness on Sunday, following the indefinite strike launched by employees of the electricity department in the Seemandhra region in protest against the bifurcation of the state.

Nearly 30,000 employees affiliated with the Seemandhra Electricity Employees JAC went on strike, hitting both power generation and supply. The JAC's chairman R Sai Baba announced that there would be no exemption to emergency services, including hospitals, water supply and agriculture.

The power supply in Anantapur, Kadapa and Kurnool was totally cut off, while several areas in Chittoor district went without electricity on Sunday afternoon.

Besides 13 districts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, the strike has hit transmission in Hyderabad and other parts of the Telangana region. There was a power cut in several areas of the state capital for several hours on Sunday.

The strike is also set to hit the Southern Grid, as all four southern states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu - are inter-linked.

The strike also affected train services. The South Central Railway cancelled seven passenger trains on the Vijayawada-Gudur-Renigunta sections, while eight passenger trains running on the Kazipet-Vijayawada and Vijayawada-Gudur-Tirupati sections were cancelled due to a break in power supply to the railways.

Further, the SCR has cancelled nine other trains scheduled to depart on Sunday or Monday, partially cancelled four trains, and diverted two trains. (INN)