Anti-Telangana protests hit power supply in Andhra

An indefinite strike launched Sunday by electricity employees of Rayalaseema and the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh hit power supply in six districts of the state and also forced the railways to cancel train services.

Hundreds of villages in six coastal Andhra districts plunged into darkness as the electricity employees went on an indefinite strike to protest the Centre's decision to create a separate Telangana state.

Seemandhra electricity employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) said over 30,000 electricity employees were participating in the strike in Seemandhra, as Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions are collectively known.

The indefinite strike began after an earlier 48-hour-long strike ended Sunday to protest the union Cabinet's decision to bifurcate the state.

The strike has hit power generation in a couple of major plants in coastal Andhra. The South Central Railway (SCR) Sunday cancelled seven passenger trains between Vijayawada and Renigunta. The cancelled train services include Vijayawada-Ongole, Guduru-Ongole, Tenali-Guntur and Tirupati-Guduru.

JAC chairman R. Sai Baba announced that there would be no exemption to emergency services like hospital, water supply and agriculture.

He said the strike would continue till the Centre takes back its decision to bifurcate the state.

The strike may affect electricity generation and supply not just in the 13 districts of Seemandhra, but may also hit transmission in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana region. The strike may also hit the southern grid as all four southern states -- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu -- are inter-linked.