The Telangana bandh, called by the TPJAC and Left parties and supported by the ruling TRS, evoked mixed response across the State on Saturday.
The impact of bandh was partial in major parts of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. CPI (M) members staged a dharna at the MGBS, and did not allow buses to come out of the stand. The RTC was forced to cancel 250 bus services and 500 long-route buses from MGBS alone.
Protests were in fact held at major bus depots all across Telangana, and public transportation was badly hit in the early hours. However, the services were restored after a few hours.
Several activists of TPJAC, CPI (M) and other groups were arrested by the police for staging protests at different places. They were later released on bail.
Normal life came to a standstill in the Khammam district. All buses went off the roads, and cinema theatres, shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed.
The bandh call was given by the Telangana groups in protest against the Lok Sabha transferring 211 villages under seven mandals in the Khammam district to Andhra Pradesh to facilitate the construction of the Polavaram Project. (INN)