Rail roko, siege for Telangana

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), spearheading the new state demand, on Monday announced another round of agitation including a shutdown in Hyderabad, a fresh rail blockade and laying siege to the houses of Congress leaders. HT reports.

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), spearheading the new state demand, on Monday announced another round of agitation including a shutdown in Hyderabad, a fresh rail blockade and laying siege to the houses of Congress leaders.

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Prof M Kodandaram, convener of the JAC, said the pro-Telangana employees of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation would organise a series of rallies on Tuesday. "We will stop pubic and private buses carrying people from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions to Hyderabad," he said.

This would be followed by a Hyderabad bandh on September 30.

A second rail blockade would be launched from October 9 to 11. The JAC has also decided to celebrate Dussehra by burning effigies of the Congress party and its leaders.

Kodandaram also alleged that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had ordered power cuts in Telangana to weaken the agitation, and urged supporters to "lay siege" to houses of Congress leaders on Sept 29 seeking their resignations.

Meanwhile, the IT industry in Hyderabad bore the brunt of the stir for the first time when activists blocked all roads leading to Madhapur, Hitec City and Gachibowli, the IT/ITES cluster.

Previously, the IT industry remained unaffected after the pro-Telangana parties, particularly the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, gave a commitment that they would not disturb the IT sector, which employed over 3 lakh people.