With less than half of the attendance in the state Secretariat and other government offices, the administration was completely paralysed.
Normal life came to a standstill on the 8th day of "Sakula Janula Samme" or the "people's general strike" in the entire Telangana region.
Tuesday began on a stormy note in all the districts of Telangana. Besides the state capital of Hyderabad, all district headquarters in Telangana witnessed protests and rallies demanding statehood for the region.
With less than half of the attendance in the state Secretariat and other government offices, the administration was completely paralysed. Despite the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) having been invoked, thousands of Telangana employees abstained from their duties.
Employees of the Secretariat staged a protest in front of the D-Block, demanding that the staff of the Finance Department join the general strike. Later, the employees also took out a rally and staged a sit-in-dharna in front of the Secretariat's main gate.
Over 10,000 buses remained off the Telangana roads for the second day, on Tuesday, as APSRTC employees refused to join their duties despite ESMA. The employees' JAC reiterated that the strike would be called off only after the Centre announces the formation of a Telangana state.
In Hyderabad, of over 3,000 buses that ply on normal days, only 174 buses could be operated with police bandobust. They include 35 buses on the NGO Colony - Secretariat route; 39 on the Secretariat - Kondapur and Mehdipatnam route; 12 on the Dilsukhnagar - Secretariat route ; 15 on the Hitech City - VBIT route; 10 on the Chandrayangutta - Mehdipatnam route; and 20 on the Afzalgunj - Secunderabad route.
However, despite the police bandobust, Telangana activists damaged RTC buses at the Vanasthalipuram depot near Kothapet on Tuesday.
Similarly, protestors also stopped the entry of buses coming from Andhra region, at various points. At Raavinutala in Madhira mandal of Khammam district, BJYM workers stopped buses from Andhra, while TRS workers refused entry to Andhra buses at Vaira.
Coal production in Singareni Colleries continued to be affected, with the employees refusing to call off the strike.
The SCCL strike has badly affected the thermal power production in 4 plants, especially in Kothagudem Thermal Power Station.
Besides, government lecturers, teachers, doctors and employees in the other sectors abstained from their duties, demanding a separate Telangana.
Action against the police officials responsible for the lathi charge on students of Nizam College was added to the demands of the striking employees and leaders. A delegation of Telangana leaders, comprising Telangana Political JAC chairman Kodandaram, TRS MLAs Etela Rajender and K Tarakarama Rao, and BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreyya met the Home Minister P Sabita Indira Reddy, demanding action against the said police officials.
Meanwhile, the Telangana Advocates' JAC approached the Human Rights Commission, seeking action against police officials responsible for the lathi charge. The HRC has issued a notice to City Police Commissioner A K Khan, seeking an explanation by 30 September.
The Osmania University JAC demanded action against Central Zone DCP Akun Sabharwal for resorting to lathi charge against students. The OU JAC also announced that the students of Osmania and Kakatiya universities would take out bus yatras on 24 and 25 September against "police brutalities".
Meanwhile, students of Nizam College staged a protest in the campus and forced the principal, Ashok Naidu, to submit his resignation. The students argued that it would not have been possible for the police to enter the college campus without the principal's consent, and that, therefore, the principal should resign taking moral responsibility.
TRS activists also staged a protest in front of Congress former MP Renuka Chowdhary's residence at Banjara Hills, in protest against her recent statements on Telangana. They called her an obstacle in the creation of a Telangana state. (INN)