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Scores of buses stopped at Telangana border
fearing violence
Monday October 03, 2011 11:53:08 AM,
IANS
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Hyderabad: Hundreds of
passengers were stranded Monday as buses coming from coastal
Andhra towards Hyderabad were stopped at the border of the Telangana region in view of threats from groups fighting for a
separate Telangana state.
Over 50 private buses coming to Hyderabad from Vijayawada, about
300 km from here, and other towns in coastal Andhra were stopped
by authorities at Garikapadu checkpost on the border between
Krishna and Nalgonda districts.
Hundreds of passengers had been stranded from 4.30 a.m. as private
bus operators alleged that the Nalgonda police had refused to
provide them an escort.
Police officers, however, said it would be difficult for them to
provide escorts to every vehicle, especially during the day when
pro-Telangana protestors are likely to stop the buses.
Some passengers lodged protests with authorities saying they were
being subjected to hardship as they had to reach Hyderabad to
attend offices and visit hospitals. The police then allowed the
vehicles up to Kodad so the stranded passengers could have
breakfast.
Police told the passengers that they couldn't take chances by
allowing buses to pass through Nalgonda district during the day in
view of the threats from protestors.
One passenger said he saw some buses returning to Vijayawada from
the checkpost.
Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) chairman M. Kodandaram has
already threatened to stop buses operating between coastal Andhra
and Hyderabad.
With state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses off the
roads for two weeks due to the strike by employees in Telangana
region, private operators are running more buses on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad
route.
Thousands of people from Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajhamundry,
Eluru, Guntur and other towns in coastal Andhra travel to
Hyderabad each day.
Telangana activists last week set on fire private buses and
damaged the window panes of some other vehicles during protests on
the highway on the outskirts of Hyderabad and also in Nalgonda
district.
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