Adilabad: In all probability, TRS leaders will have a tough time mobilising the public and farmers in large numbers to the much-hyped agitation being taken up against the BJP-led Central government over paddy procurement issue as people prefer to remain indoors to avoid their health getting affected following soaring temperatures.
Already, people in the erstwhile Adilabad district are experiencing high temperatures that touched 43 degrees Celsius and the high temperatures may continue for some more days.
The TRS is planning to take out a series of agitation programmes demanding the Centre to procure total paddy from Telangana from Monday.
TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao called upon the people and TRS cadres to stage protests in mandal headquarters on Monday, block national highways on April 6, sit on deeksha in the district headquarters on April 7, hoisting black flags atop houses in the villages on April 8 and Challo Delhi on April 11.
TRS leaders say it is a tough job to mobilise people to the national highway to block it for long distances. Instead, they are focusing on shifting people from villages nearest to national highways.
A TRS leader from Adilabad, on condition of anonymity, said even they were trying to avoid elderly persons for the highway blockade in view of the soaring temperatures and to avoid any untoward incidents.
He said even people were not able to sit for a long time on blacktop roads at various places on NH-44 in Adilabad and Nirmal districts since it would become hot and cause even burns if anybody dared to sit on the road under the scorching sun.
Leaders are not trying to erect tents on national highways and also ensure sufficient drinking water and fruits for protesters and keep medical kits that would be useful in an emergency. Serious efforts are being made to shift people in vehicles in the morning itself from the nearest villages to identified places on national highways where they would block the road.
