Normal life in Andhra Pradesh was hit on Tuesday as opposition
parties in the state called for a shutdown to protest the hike in
electricity tariff. Buses of the state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road
Transport Corporation (APSRTC) were suspended in most parts of the state
as opposition leaders and activists stopped vehicles. Shops and
business establishments also remained closed in many towns. In
Hyderabad, the response was mixed.
Ten Left parties have called for the shutdown, which is being
supported by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), YSR Congress Party, Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) and other opposition parties.
Leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the other Left parties were arrested when they
tried to stop buses at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station in Hyderabad.
CPI state secretary K. Narayana said the protest would continue till
the government rolls back the hike in electricity tariff and also
withdraws the power surcharge imposed by power distribution companies
for purchase of electricity from outside the state.
Opposition parties staged sit-ins outside APSRTC depots in Hyderabad,
Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati and other towns in the
state.
Educational institutions have been exempted from the shutdown in view of the examinations.
The Congress government has criticised the opposition for calling the
shutdown. The ruling party leaders said the government had already
provided relief to the poor by exempting consumers using 200 units a
month from the hike.