Telangana bandh paralyses life

The day-long shutdown called by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday protesting the Centre's ordinance to hand over 200 villages of Telangana to Andhra Pradesh for Polavaram irrigation project, affected normal life.

The Telangana shutdown called by chief minister designate K Chandrasekhara Rao over the Polavaram Project has paralysed life in 10 districts, affecting transport, businesses and examinations in the region.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief, KCR, who won the assembly elections, bagging 11 Lok Sabha seats, had called for the bandh to protest the transfer of seven mandals in the Khammam district adjoining Seemandhra for the Polavaram Project. Around 200 villages in the mandals will be submerged or affected by the project.

The union cabinet under Narendra Modi on Tuesday cleared an ordinance to the extent and the document has, reportedly, received Presidential approval. The move was condemned by KCR, who has demanded a change in the design in the project in consultation with the Telangana government.

“We would not allow even an inch of our land to be given to Seemandhra. We would also wage a legal battle against the transfer,” said Eetela Rajender, a party leader.