Left, TJAC spearhead Telangana shutdown over passage of AP Reorganisation Amendment Bill in LS

Left Front parties and the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) are spearheading a day-long shutdown today in protest against passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha on Friday.

The shutdown is underway across the state of Telangana, and has reportedly affected normal life.

Public transport services were disrupted by agitators at several places in the region. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party stayed away from the agitation.

Opposing the Bill that paves the way for merger of seven mandals of Khammam District in Telangana with Andhra Pradesh for construction of the Polavaram project, leaders of the Left parties and activists of TJAC held protests before bus depots in all districts of the state, including Hyderabad.

Schools and business establishments also remained closed at several places. The Osmania University postponed post-graduation counselling on account of the shutdown.

TRS and Congress leaders also took part in agitation in support of the shutdown.

The passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2014 in the Lok Sabha this week, will eventually see the transfer of 136 villages, 211 hamlets and seven mandals of Khammam District in Telangana to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh.

According to news reports, the villages in Khammam District in Telangana have been merged with the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh for the construction of the Polavaram irrigation project.

The project involves the linking of the Krishna and Godavari Rivers.

The dam to be built in the district of West Godavari would enable the storing of 832,000 million cubic feet of water.

This is expected to result in irrigating an additional 232,000 acre in Andhra Pradesh.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 had declared this project as a 'national project', and that the central government would be responsible for its execution.