Hyderabad has come to a screeching halt with a near absolute power shut-down coupled with piling garbage, thanks to the heat turned on by Telangana activists in the last one week. Power cuts, shortage of coal, non-functional medical services and an inactive municipal corporation, together with closure of petrol bunks and shopping establishments have turned the city into a nightmarish place to live in.
The state government is still in a wait-and-watch mode and has ordered a customary ?no work no pay? stricture, in a bid to put pressure on the striking employees across sectors.
The 40-year-old demand for a separate Telangana state, which got renewed life in December 2009, is making investors in AP rethink their decisions. ?This uncertainty over Telangana is not good for the investing community. Many are yet to realise the gravity of the situation,?? said a top executive from the IT industry.
?If the state is reporting a loss of over R3,000 crore in about 10 days, it is bound to send wrong signals. Hence, a clarity on the T-issue is necessary for any industry?s survival,?? he said. In fact, Hyderabad has already lost the chance of hosting the Global Investors Meet which was scheduled for September 19-20.
?We need to be proactive in creating a conducive atmosphere for investment and business, else this will deprive employment opportunities for future generations,?? said an official from an industry body.
The TRS and the Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is organising the ?sakala janula samme? (strike by all sections of people) since September 13, has now given a deadline of September 30 for getting a clear response from the central government on the matter.
As part of the general strike, the Telangana supporters on Saturday held rallies, fasts and other forms of protest across the region. The pro-Telangana government employees continued their protests at the state secretariat.
The Telangana Auto Drivers Joint Action Committee (JAC) announced ?auto bandh? for two days in Hyderabad and the nearby districts. With 65,000 workers of Singareni Collieries joining the agitation, huge power crisis looms over the Telangana region.
The continuing strike by Singareni miners had choked coal supply to the thermal plants, which produced more than 70% of the state?s electricity, an AP Genco spokesman said.