Congress leaders return without assurance on Telangana

Congress leaders from Telangana on Wednesday returned here from New Delhi without an assurance from the central leadership that the process for formation of a separate Telangana state would be initiated immediately.

Reportedly unhappy over the mass resignations of members of parliament and the state legislature, the party leadership gave no assurance but only asked the Congress leaders from Telangana to be available for further consultations over the issue.

Telangana leaders, who held four rounds of talks with the central leadership since Tuesday, demanded that the process for formation of a separate state be initiated with a fixed time frame.

Claiming that their talks have not failed, state minister K. Jana Reddy told reporters in New Delhi that they were optimistic the central government would initiate the process immediately by taking note of their views.

Senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Keshava Rao ruled out withdrawing resignations unless the process for formation of Telangana state is initiated.

"Nothing except separate Telangana state will satisfy us," he said when asked if they were satisfied with the talks.

'No President's rule'

With lawmakers raising the pitch for a separate Telangana, Centre today said consultations were on and hoped the process would help it reach a final decision even as it ruled out suggestions of President's Rule in Andhra Pradesh.

"The status as of today is consultation process is still continuing. No decision has been taken yet," Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters here when asked about the demand for a separate Telangana state.

"We are not thinking of President's Rule....We hope that the process of consultations will show us the path to reach a conclusion," Chidambaram added.

Meanwhile, clashes between Osmania University students and police entered the second day with sides exchanging teargas and stones.

Hyderabad police commissioner A.K. Khan has also denied reports that police opened fire on students. He told reporters that the police only used teargas to disperse students who were pelting stones.

Trouble began when students tried to march out of the campus but were prevented by the police at the main gate.

Police officers asked students to return to the campus as prohibitory orders under section 144 of the criminal procedure code banning the assembly of five or more people were in force in the city.

However, students tried to force their way through security barricades and pelted stones. The police retaliated with teargas.

According to eyewitnesses, a few media persons were injured in the stone pelting by students.

Reacting to reports of continuing violence in the state, the Home Minister said there was an apprehension that law and order problems would arise as a result of the bandh call.

"That is why we have provided central armed police forces to the state. But I sincerely hope that there will not be a breakdown of law and order," he said.

"I sincerely hope and appeal to everyone, while we understand the provocation for an agitation, we sincerely hope that even those who agitate will not lead to a breakdown of law and order," the minister said.

Meanwhile, in Hyderabad

Life remains paralysed across Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, the second day of the 48-hour shutdown called by Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) to demand a separate state of Telangana.

Public transport remained crippled in Hyderabad and nine other districts of the region as over 10,000 buses of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) continued to remain off the roads.

Shops, business establishments, hotels, petrol bunks and educational institutions were shut on the second consecutive day.

Commuters in Hyderabad, especially those arriving at railway stations had a harrowing time as APSRTC city services remained suspended while a few autorickshaws and cabs charged exorbitant fares.

The local train or Multi-Modal Transport System Services were also cancelled for the second day.

With APSRTC employees too joining the strike, not a single bus can come out of bus depots.

The shutdown forced APSRTC to suspend all services between Hyderabad and other cities like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Tirupati. The corporation, which suffered a loss of Rs.9 crore on the first day, plans to resume services in the evening.

The coal production in Singareni Collieries Company Limited was affected for the second day as a majority of nearly 100,000 employees in the mines, spread over four Telangana districts, refused to work. The company is likely to suffer loss of another Rs.20 crore on the second day.

The usually busy roads in Nampallay, Basheerbagh, Khairatabad, Himayatnagar, Koti, Mehdipatnam, Secunderabad and other areas in the state capital here wore a deserted look.

The shutdown badly affected the work in government offices as a majority of about 300,000 employees in the region stayed away from work.

However, the functioning of IT companies in Hyderabad is normal as the companies made alternate arrangements for the employees to reach their work place. The cabs carrying the techies left early in the day, avoiding routes where trouble is feared.