The specter of dark days looms large over entire south India with the indefinite strike by employees of power utilities in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema entering the third day on Tuesday, in protest against the UPA government’s decision to create a separate Telangana state.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had a four-hour marathon round of talks with the striking power sector employees’ leaders at the State Secretariat on Tuesday.
“The government is hopeful of breaking the impasse and persuade the power sector employees to return to work on humanitarian grounds,” a source in the Chief Minister’s Office told Arab News.
The chief minister, during the talks, pointed out to the employees that following the precarious power situation in the state, the general public was suffering. “Essential services like water supply and medical services have been badly affected. You should take into consideration the major problems faced by the people and call off the strike,” Kiran Reddy told them. The talks, which were halted at around 4 PM, will resume again at 7 PM, the source said, adding that there was some hope of making headway in the second round of talks. The chief minister is also scheduled to hold talks with government employees on Wednesday.
Over 30,000 employees from the power sector are on strike since Sunday which has affected power generation and distribution in a major way, and if it continues for another couple of days, it may result in the collapse of the entire southern grid linking Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, sources said. Major cities like Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Vijayawada and Kakinada have had the luxury of having power for a few hours in a day while smaller towns and villages have been virtually without any electricity for the past three days.
Besides, the power sector employees strike has badly hit electricity supply to all major establishments and services including airports, railways, and hospitals, and for supply of drinking water. Power generation at Srisailama Right Canal Hydal Unit and Vijayawada, Rayalaseema and Simhadri Thermal Units has almost been stopped causing massive power losses. Rail and air traffic beside emergencies like medical services have been badly hit due to lack of electricity. Tirupati and Vijayawada airports are running on backup power.
According to sources in the power sector, power supply in the state had been reduced by as much as 4,000 MW following the strike.
Though officials believe that the southern grid could be affected if the strike continues, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde maintained there was no threat to the grid linking the four southern states.
Despite severe hardships, people and state government employees in Seemanadhra continue to hit the streets, holding rallies and protests against the decision to divide the State.
Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed for an hour on Tuesday morning in violence-hit Vizianagaram town in north coastal Andhra. Curfew was clamped in the town on Saturday night in the wake of large-scale violence by anti-bifurcation agitators who defied polkice orders and continued with their violent activities till Monday.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday ruled out imposition of President’s rule in Andhra Pradesh, amid rumors that the wide-spread unrest in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema and the power crisis would force the Center to take the decision.
“There is no plan under the consideration of the Union Government to impose President’s rule in Andhra Pradesh, and this topic did not crop up in today’s Cabinet meeting,” Shinde told media persons.
The speculation gathered ground after Shinde and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who heads the Group of Ministers appointed to look into the bifurcation issue, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.
Stating that the agitation in Seemandra was a matter of grave concern, Shinde said the Federal Government fully respects the sentiments of the people of the region. “I would like to assure the people in these two regions that the Center remains fully committed to address all their concerns, particularly with respect to safeguarding the interest of Seemandhra people living in Telangana,” he said, adding their concerns regarding education, employment opportunities for the youth from the region in Hyderabad, sharing of river waters and the issue of government employees would be addressed by the GoM in a comprehensive manner.
The Home Minister, stating that the government was making all efforts to bring back normalcy in the region, particularly in view of the power crisis created by power sector employees joining the agitation, said the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) may be used to tackle the situation.
Wondering why Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress chief had undertaken indefinite fast, he pointed out that both the leaders had given written consent for creation of Telangana.
The State government served a notice on Naidu, who is on an indefinite fast at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi since Monday against the Center’s move to divide the state.
The Resident Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh in New Delhi served the notice on the opposition leader stating that the strike was ‘unauthorized’ as permission was granted only for a press conference at the venue, and as such, he should withdraw the strike.
Naidu, however, was determined to continue with the hunger strike in AP Bhavan stating that he had not committed any crime. “If Jaganmohan Reddy can go on fast in jail which is against the rules, why should I vacate from AP Bhavan when I am on strike for a good cause. The Congress is resorting to dirty politics, and is bent on hounding me,” he said.