Telangana issue: Sadak Bandh to hit NH-7

Hyderabad: AP Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy curtly rejected the request of ministers from Telangana, members of the TJAC and the TRS for permission to organise a ‘Sadak Bandh’ or blockade of the Hyderabad-Bengaluru Highway on Thursday, citing a Supreme Court ruling. The Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the BJP along with their affiliates have decided to go ahead with the programme anyway to press their demand for a separate state of Telangana. The road they plan to shut down extends from Hyderabad to Alampur Crossroads in Mahbubnagar district, between 7 am and 7 pm on Thursday. As the Chief Minister pointed out, “Can we (government) give such a permission to block a National Highway No. There is a Supreme Court ruling that will not allow the government to take a lenient view of blocking highways. It cannot be allowed. Police will take care of the situation.” The Chief Minister said permission could be given to organise a public meeting or a protest rally, but not to block an entire stretch of road. Police in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Mahbubnagar districts have posted pickets all along the highway. Top cop seeks peace Cyberabad police commissioner D. Tirumala Rao on Wednesday requested the pro-Telangana agitators not to cause inconvenience to travellers using the Bengaluru highway during their ‘Sadak Bandh’ on Thursday. He said there would be many travellers especially in the areas like Shamshabad, where the international airport is located, and none of them should be blocked. “There will be many passengers, who come from the Shamshabad RGI airport, and the bandh should not affect them. There would be patients and people in a hurry with different needs, their journey should not be stopped,” Rao said. The Cyberabad police chief warned that stringent action would be taken against anyone who was violating the law and breaching the peace. The Cyberabad police has deployed sufficient forces wherever the Sadak Bandh is scheduled in the commissionerate limits. “We have enough force to tackle any possible law and order problem. If the situation demands, we will seek additional forces,” he said. Sadak bandh may hit 1,200 bus services Up to 1,200 buses going to various destinations, many of them in Telangana, on the Bengaluru highway will be affected by the Sadak Bandh on Thursday. Both RTC and private bus services will be affected. The bandh is expected to affect day services; most overnight buses will have reached the destination by the morning. Also hit will be buses that are scheduled to reach the city later in the morning. RTC officials will take a final decision on running the services on these routes, or delaying them by a few hours, following the police advise on Thursday.