Singareni miners plan to jump into T-fray

Adilabad: In a clear indication that the T-movement is intensifying in the districts, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) employees Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) has proposed to launch an indefinite stir in the entire coal belt area if the Union government backtracks on its promise to evolve a road map for carving out separate Telangana state. The 69,000 employees have also threatened to agitate if the MLAs and MPs of Telangana region take back their resignations. Trade unions JAC convener and AITUC general secretary M Sitaramaiah told TOI that though the stir date is yet to be finalised, Singareni workers have decided to go on action mode. We are keenly watching the gimmicks of political parties. We are waiting for the right time to freeze all mining activity in the coal mines spread across Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts, he warned.

Sources said power generation by thermal units in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu including that of National Thermal Power Corporation at Ramagundam, Rayalaseema, Vijayawada and Simhadri uses a significant amount of coal from Singareni coal mines. SCCL would lose a revenue of Rs 15 crore per day if workers abstain from their duties forcing the coal production (1.2 lakh tonnes a day) to drop to zero. A retired employee and trade union leader M Mallaiah said the workers are bracing up for the indefinite stir. Its the only weapon in our hands to effectively showcase the aspirations of lakhs of Telangana employees, he observed. Already , workers and employees of SCCL had boycotted work three times in recent times for the T-cause . But is the T-issue really emotive for the miners Children of the workers and unemployed youth would get employment opportunities if the separate state is formed, shot back a worker S Rajaiah.

The workers also rue the fact that a majority of posts from clerical to top cadre ranks are being handled by non-locals in the Singareni collieries. Except for underground miners who belong to T-region , plum posts have always gone to Andhra people, he claimed. Analysts said that a strike in SCCL - if it happens - will certainly have a domino effect across the region.
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T-Congmen to stay put in city
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Hyderabad: Virtually certain that there is going to be no announcement in favour of Telangana by Thursday, the deadline given by the JAC of political parties, several of the 51 Congress MLAs as well as the 11 Lok Sabha MPs from Telangana are camping in Hyderabad apprehending a backlash against them by the people of the region. The Telangana Congress leaders, in particular the ministers , have been avoiding their constituencies over the last few weeks as TRS workers as well as the regions residents have been staging demonstrations outside their residences and pelting stones on their convoys for not having resigned from the Lok Sabha and assembly over the T-issue .

It is unlikely that there is going to be any announcement by Thursday. Hence, we have decided to stay put in Hyderabad and not venture out to our districts. We will stay put here for a few days and watch how things unfold before deciding on our next course of action, one legislator told TOI and added that at least 20 other Congress legislators are facing a similar situation. We are not able to move freely in our constituencies fearing hostile reaction from T activists . The Centre should not delay its announcement on Telangana as it will make our lives miserable, said Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy, Congress MLA from Bhupalpalli in Warangal district. Reddy is one of the MLAs who reached Hyderabad on Wednesday fearing adverse reaction from T zealots in his home town.

Party sources fear that the situation after Thursday will turn particularly grave in the districts of Medak, Warangal, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and parts of Khammam and Mahbubnagar districts. Those who are most vulnerable are the ministers, a leader said. Even though many Congress leaders are actively participating in the Telangana movement, a hostile atmosphere is building up in the region against their attitude towards pressing for the acceptance of the resignations. In several districts, most of the ministers have either avoided their programmes or are taking lesser known routes to reach the destinations till now. After Thursday, even MLAs and MLCS will face the heat, said the leader. On Tuesday, higher education minister D Sridhar Babu and convener of state Congress MPs in Lok Sabha Ponnam Prabhakar were stopped from touring Karimnagar on Tuesday. Both the leaders wanted to express solidarity with advocates who were on a fast in the town. But the angry lawyers told them that they should first resign from their posts before coming to them.

Likewise, on Monday, irrigation minister P Lakshmaiah had to take a detour to visit Medaram for the Sammakka Sarakka jatara in his home district Warangal. Lakshmaiah had to sneak in via Khammam in order to avoid the peoples wrath, said sources close to him. On Sunday, Congress chief whip M B Vikramarka was gheraoed by local activists in Vaira in Khammam district for not having resigned from the assembly. Similarly, AICC secretary and MLC P Sudhakar Reddy also faced the wrath of the people in Kottagudem town, also in Khammam . Last week, R Kanta Rao, MLA from Pinapaka, was gheraoed by T zealots in Manuguru town in Khammam .
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Tribal student commits suicide
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Anguished over the delay in the formation of separate Telangana, a tribal student committed suicide in Warangal district on Wednesday. Banoth Balu Naik, 24, pursuing his MCA course, committed suicide by jumping in front of a train between Anantaram and Mahabubabad railway stations. The railway police registered a case and recovered a suicide note from the deceased. Naik stated that he was ending his life for the cause of separate Telangana and pleaded with the Centre to carve out the separate state immediately.
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ZP chief faces wrath of T activists - Demanding His Resignation, They Attack Village Panchayat Office
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Nizamabad: Telangana sympathizers attacked Demikalan village panchayat office and damaged furniture on Wednesday in protest against zilla parishad chairman K Venkatramana Reddys continuation in the office . They said Reddy had no right to hold on to his post when all other public representatives from the region have quit their posts in support of the separate Telangana cause. Demikalan in Thadwai mandal is the native place of the Nizamabad ZP chairman. The agitators also gheraoed the village sarpanch, vicesarpanch and other leaders when followers of Venkatramana Reddy resisted them. The JAC activists warned that they would not allow Reddy into the village if he failed to tender his resignation immediately.

Meanwhile, Andhra settlers under the aegis of Kamma Sangham sat in a relay hunger stir in front of the collectorate demanding statehood for Telangana. People from surrounding villages staged a rasta roko bringing the vehicular traffic on NH-7 to a grinding halt at Indalwai . The agitators prepared food on the main road at Perkit in Armoor mandal. Earlier, activists of various student organizations disturbed the meeting of regional director, Intermediate Board, Mohiuddin, when he was discussing measures to conduct the exams. Students wanted the educational officials to postpone the exams since syllabus is yet to completed in several colleges.
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Case against Kodandaram for hoisting T flag
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Acomplaint was filed against Telangana JAC convenor Prof Kodandaram in the III Town police station here on Wednesday for hoisting Telangana flag during the Republic Day celebrations at an agitation camp in Hyderabad. Student JAC leaders Mahesh and Sarath Kumar filed the complaint, contending that the Telangana JAC convenor had dishonored the national flag during the R-Day fete. Prof Kodandaram and others have intentionally hurt the feelings of the people and they owe an apology to the state, the leaders said. Mahesh said as a citizen of the country, he filed the complaint at the police station. Meanwhile, the police registered it in the general diary (GD) and not under any particular section.
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(source : toi)