Hyderabad: The preliminary notification on new districts released by the TS government on Monday led to violent incidents in some districts as protesters took to streets saying their demands were ignored.
An RTC bus was torched in Gadwal after the area did not figure in the list of new districts to be carved out of Mahbubnagar district. Fearing more attacks, RTC officials suspended bus services from evening, causing severe hardships to passengers.
Pilgrims who had come to the district for the ongoing Krishna Pushkaralu were the worst-hit due to services being stopped all of a sudden. This led to heated arguments between passengers and RTC officials who clarified that they had stopped services following an advice from the police.
Opposition parties meanwhile have called for a Korutla bandh in Karimnagar on Tuesday. Tension prevailed in minister K.T. Rama Rao's constituency Siricilla and Korutla in Karimnagar district as pro-district activists took out a rally and burnt effigies of the Chief Minister and Mr Rama Rao.
Gadwal town too witnessed protests through the day, with activists burning effigies of the CM and Mr Rama Rao, alleging that Gadwal was denied district status only on political grounds.
Congress MLA D.K. Aruna, who had been gunning for Gadwal to be made a district, said she would file a petition in the High Court soon after the final notification on new districts was released if the government failed to include Gadwal in the list.
“Gadwal qualifies for district status over any other town in Mahbubnagar district be it geographical, historical or infrastructure facilities wise. The TRS government has deliberately ignored Gadwal just because it is the stronghold of the Opposition Congress,” Ms Aruna said.
Protests erupted in Warangal district too after demands for creation of Jangoan and Mulug districts were ignored. Protestors have vowed to intensify agitations in Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar and Warangal districts from Tuesday, demanding the state government to correct the preliminary notification and include their districts in the final notification.
