Stir brings governance to halt

Government employees taking part in Telangana Joint Action Committee's non-cooperation call brought the district administration to a grinding halt on Thursday.

The collectorate office and Enumamula market yard remained bereft of any activity. Barring emergency services like medical, sanitation, electricity, water works and bus, government employees of all other departments took part in the non-cooperation, which has been violence-free in the district.

"The entire administration has been paralysed," claimed Paritala Subba Rao, chairman of Warangal Government Employees Joint Action Committee, who led a large rally with employees and Warangal Chamber of Commerce officials from Enumamula market yard to collectorate office on Thursday.

Expressing solidarity with the government employees, the all-union JAC of Singareni unit at Bhupalpally also observed a two-hour tool down affecting coal production.

As part of the non-cooperation movement, the Singareni workers have already given a strike call on February 23-24. With the participation of the government teachers in the non-cooperation call, the ongoing census exercise was badly affected as barring a few teachers affiliated to UTF of the CPI(M), all the school assistants and SGT teachers boycotted the enumeration.

The worst-affected government department, however, was the RTC as bus drivers found it difficult to resume service at many places after passengers refused to buy tickets. Speaking to this newspaper, R. Gangadhar, regional manager, RTC, Warangal, said they faced problems in mandals like Jangaon, Narsempet, Parvathagiri, Atmakur and Duggondi.

"Wherever there were problems, police intervened," he said, adding that RTC employees, especially drivers and conductors, turned up for duty despite the non-cooperation call.

According to sources, instances of ticketless travel mostly occurred on the Warangal-Jangaon, Warangal-Parkal, Warangal-Narsempet, Jangaon-Hyderabad routes forcing drivers to stop buses midway.

Police also arrested scores of ticketless travelers from many places, including Narsempet and Mahbubabad, where more than 100 people were arrested for not buying tickets.

Elsewhere, in Parkal and District Court Complex in Subedari, advocates' association also boycotted court proceedings to express solidarity with the government employees. "The present tempo would continue for two more days till the TJAC and the executive body of the Government Employees, Workers, Teachers and Pensioners JAC decide the future course

of action at a review meeting to be held in Hyderabad on Sunday," added Mr Paritala Subba Rao.

 

(Curtesy: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/karimnagar/stir-brings-governance-halt-722)