By IANS,
Hyderabad: Normal life came to a standstill for the second consecutive day Saturday in several parts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh as protests continued against the government’s decision to grant separate statehood to Telangana.
State-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses remained off the roads in most of the 13 districts in the two regions while road blockades hit the movement of vehicles.
In Anantapur town, the protest took a violent turn when a group of protesters set afire a storehouse of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) near SK University. The flames threatened nearby houses, forcing the residents to move out, police said.
Shops, business establishments, banks, ATMs and educational institutions remained closed in all cities and major towns including the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur and Nellore.
Cutting across party lines, the protesters took out rallies, staged road and rail blockades, affecting train services. They also attacked buses and trucks at several places.
The nine coastal districts and four districts of Rayalaseema have been witnessing massive protests ever since the centre announced late Wednesday night the process to form a separate Telangana state would be initiated.
The centre’s move followed an 11-day agitation in Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana and the hunger strike by Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao.
To protest the move to bifurcate the state, 130 legislators including 76 of the ruling Congress party from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions have submitted their resignations to the assembly speaker.
Mayors, corporators and other public representatives belonging to the Congress, opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Praja Rajyam Party (RPP) have tendered enmass resignations.
Some groups are also demanding separate statehood to Rayalaseema region in the event Telangana is formed. Similarly, a section of political leaders in Andhra region want separate statehood, saying they can’t exist with Rayalaseema.