Hyderabad: Barring a few minor incidents, the Bharat bandh call given by farmers’ unions and political parties passed off peacefully in the city on Tuesday. Transport services, the functioning of commercial establishments and several other services were affected by the bandh, while traffic flow was interrupted in areas where protest marches and rallies were taken out.
Anticipating trouble, the police had made elaborate bandobust arrangements and deployed personnel at different junctions. However, the protests went on peacefully and the services were restored post afternoon with things slowly returning to normalcy. Majority of the establishments in prime market areas like Narayanguda, Himayathnagar, Saifabad, Ameerpet and others, remained closed for the most of the day.
All buses of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), including city services, had gone off the road across the State in view of the nationwide protest. Since morning, all the 3,000 city buses remained in their respective bus depots in the city. Similarly, all the State-wide operations of nearly 3,000 buses from the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station were suspended due to the bandh.
TSRTC officials said all the buses in districts too suspended operations, though some bus services resumed post noon depending on the situation. For the convenience of passengers, Hyderabad Metro services were operated as per the schedule and train operations were not affected. The South Central Railway officials said there were no cancellations or diversion of train services.
Earlier in the day, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition parties, including the Congress and various unions, held protests across the city as part of the protest against the BJP-led NDA government’s new agriculture laws. Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav led a bike rally from Hotel Alpha in Secunderabad in support to the bandh.
Similarly, Labour Welfare Minister Ch Malla Reddy participated in different protest programmes in Medchal town. Holding placards and raising slogans, the Minister led a bullock cart rally on the national highway, Medchal and staged a demonstration at the junction.
“All the shopkeepers are extending their voluntary support to the Bharat Bandh by shutting down their establishments. The agriculture laws are against the welfare of the farmers and should be repealed immediately,” Reddy said.
Case booked for trespass
The Musheerabad police booked a case against few persons who allegedly trespassed into a shop and damaged property during the Bharat bandh on Tuesday.
According to the police, a group of persons barged into a shop selling cosmetic items resulting in an argument with the shop owner when he refused to close the shop. They then reportedly damaged furniture in the shop.
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