By IANS,
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Saturday began limping back to normalcy after remaining shut for two days following the unexpected death of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash.
Schools, colleges, offices, shops and businesses reopened after 48 hours while public transport returned to the roads.
But the state was still reeling under the shock of Wednesday’s death of YSR, as the charismatic chief minister was popularly known, as well as two officials and the two pilots of the Bell 430 helicopter.
The chopper was on its way from Hyderabad to Chittoor when it crashed and exploded on a hillock in a forest in Kurnool district in poor weather Wednesday.
The wreckage and the bodies were found only Thursday morning. YSR was laid to rest Friday in his native Kadapa district.
In Kadapa and other parts of Rayalaseema region, millions of supporters were still mourning the loss of their leader who had led the Congress to a spectacular win in assembly elections in May.
Over 100 people died of shock or committed suicide since Thursday after coming to know about the death, according to Telugu media reports. Police have not confirmed these reported deaths.
Although life was returning to normalcy, the mood across Andhra Pradesh remained sombre amid a seven-day state mourning.
The ruling Congress party leaders are holding condolence meetings in almost every town and village to pay tributes to the man who was the chief minister for over five years — and had just begun his second term.
In Hyderabad and other major towns, educational institutions re-opened after two days. Buses of state-owned Road Transport Corp, taxis and auto-rickshaws returned to the roads.
Government offices, banks, petrol pumps, shops and other businesses re-opened.