TSJAC bandh evokes little response

HYDERABAD: The bandh call given by Telangana Students Joint Action Committee (TSJAC) evoked little response in the city with majority of business establishments, MMTS services and most of the RTC buses running normally and IT sector functioning as usual. The bandh, which was supported by TJAC and the TRS, however, was near total barring stray incidents of damaging RTC buses at some places.The shutdown has been called by the students groups in support of their demand for deletion of Clause 14 (F) from the Presidential Order that makes Hyderabad a free zone for employment.The mood of the citizens was evident. Braving the bandh call, twelfth in this year, business establishments functioned normally while the citizens went about their routine work as usual. The RTC ran 90 per cent of its services in the city.“The protestors damaged window panes of nearly 25 buses. Though 90 per cent of the bus services were operated there was a dip in occupancy ratio causing a loss of Rs one crore. Incidents of damage to buses were reported from BHEL, Ramachandrapuram, Tarnaka, Bachupally, Lingampally, Uppal, Malkajgiri, Saidabad, Mansoorabad, Kothapet, Yousufguda,  AS Rao Nagar, Ramanthapur  and other places,’’ RTC officials said.Police said shops, business establishments, cinemas, petrol bunks and banks functioned normally from afternoon. In the city, 117 agitators were taken into preventive custody. However, impact of bandh on educational institutions was quiet evident with majority of schools and colleges announcing holiday for the day.The Osmania University remained peaceful throughout the day. The impact of the bandh was visible only in the nearby areas of the university with shop-keepers downing their shutters fearing attacks even as police and paramilitary forces were deployed around the campus.  Cyberabad police took 335 persons into preventive custody and a shop was attacked by protestors at New Dilsukhnagar.Director General (law and order) M Ratan said the bandh went off peacefully barring a few minor incidents.Rasta rokos, effigy-burnings, dharnas and rallies were held across the region even as five cases of attacks on private and government properties were reported from districts. A private bus was damaged in Nalgonda district while furniture in a government office was damaged in Mahabubnagar district.