Travellers hit as Andhra Pradesh stir blocks highways

Hundreds of commuters en route Andhra Pradesh from Karnataka were stranded on national highways due to the 48-hour protest and bandh called by the YSR Congress to intensify the agitation against the Centre’s decision to create the separate Telengana state. Some people hired autorickshaws to get to their destinations.

YSR Congress party activists blocked roads at many places in AP’s Krishna district — Jaggaihpet, Nandi­gama, Tiuruvur, Mylavaram, Hanuman Junction and Gudivada. The Vijayawada-Hyderabad highway was blocked at Gollapudi by protesters under the leadership of the party's city convenor and former legislator, Jaleel Khan.

Several buses from Karnataka were stopped at Bagepalli, which lies on the southern border of Rayalaseema. Buses carrying students to Sri Sathya Sai School in Puttaparthi were stopped and the students stranded as private transporters, fearing violence, refused to cross the border into Andhra Pradesh.

“We were on our way to drop our son who studies at Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School. When the bus reached Bagepalli, the driver told us he could not proceed because there was a strike in AP and that the bus will be returning to Bengaluru. Since my son's classes start on November 7, we had to reach Puttaparthi. Left with no option, two other parents, their children, my son and I hired an autorickshaw. We were charged `1,000 for the drop,” said Kavita D.

Krishna, a BSc student, said he didn’t there was a strike. “I was returning to college in Puttaparthi after my vacation. The sudden notice from the bus driver scared me. Since I had to arrange my projects at Puttaparthi before getting inside the hostel, I had to reach there on Wednesday. Five other students and I hired an autorickshaw from Bagepalli,” he said.

Several KSRTC buses heading to AP were stranded till late in the evening in Mudbagal and Bagepalli. "Many of our buses were left stranded till late in the afternoon. We then had discussions with the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) which intervened and three KSRTC buses were allowed to continue onto their destinations," said N. Manjunatha Prasad, MD, KSRTC.

source:DC