Hyderabad: The city did not respond in any great measure to the Bharat Bandh called by the Congress, Telugu Desam and the Left parties to protest against the spiralling fuel prices. The lack of impact demonstrated the apparent lack of interest as much as it did the muscle of the TRS. While this was so, the petrol price went up by 23 paisa a litre on Monday and diesel 22 paisa according to a price notification issued by state fuel retailers. Petrol cost Rs 85.55 a litre on Monday and diesel Rs 79.18.
Public transport, educational institutions and commercial establishments operated without disruption though protests were held for a brief period in different corners of the city. Some schools and colleges and a few fuel stations were forced to close by the activists but they opened after the protesters were arrested. Congress workers including state party chief Uttam Kumar Reddy protested in areas like Abids, Necklace Road, Lumbini Park, Koti, Dilsukhnagar, Indira Park. The police moved in quickly, arrested them and took them away. Most of them were released later in the day. There were no incidents disturbing the law and order in the city, a senior police officer said.
Police took scores of leaders and workers of the Congress, the Left and the Telugu Desam into custody when at Road Transport Corporation depots where they tried to prevent buses from plying on roads. AICC secretary Srinivasan Krishnan and 40 others were taken into preventive custody in Karimnagar after they staged a dharna in front of RTC bus station in Dharmapuri, a police official said.
There was some good news for Telugus living in Andhra Pradesh when the state government announced a Rs 2 reduction in fuel prices after cutting back on Value Added Tax. From September 11, petrol in AP will cost Rs 84.28 and diesel Rs 79.56. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and, till Monday, Andhra Pradesh had 35 per cent and more of VAT on petrol, followed by Telangana state, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Rajasthan with 30 per cent. Gujarat, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and J&K have VAT of 25 per cent.
