130 trains cancelled due to Telangana rail roko

North-south railway services were disrupted on Saturday as Indian Railways cancelled more than 130 passenger trains passing through the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, following the launch of a three-day 'rail roko' agitation.

Scores of agitators, including MPs and state legislators, were picked up by the police, as they squatted on railway tracks, trying to disrupt services. But South Central Railway cancelled more than 130 passenger trains, including superfast trains, passing through the region.

The Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (TPJAC), which has organised an indefinite strike across the region – now in its 33rd day – stepped up the pressure tactics by organising a three-day rail roko. M. Kodandaram, chairman, TPJAC, said the objective of the railway blockade was to ensure that people across the country, including New Delhi, became aware of the agitation in Telangana.

Already, the over month-long agitation has resulted in a massive power crisis across India, affecting coal supplies from mines in Telangana. Several state-owned power utilities are on the verge of a crisis, with their coal stocks running low. States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and even Delhi are experiencing massive load-shedding.

Thousands of protestors squatted on railway tracks in the region on the first day of the agitation. The police picked up many of the leaders including K. Taraka Rama Rao, a legislator of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), and son of party president K. Chandra Sekhara Rao, and his sister, K. Kavitha, who heads Telangana Jagruti.

Congress MPs Ponnam Prabhakar, K. Keshava Rao, Madhu Yashki Goud and S. Rajaiah, besides TRS MP Vijayashanti were among those arrested by the police. The month-long agitation has crippled life in 10 districts of the region, including Hyderabad. Industrial units have been shut down, bus services disrupted and even schools and colleges and government departments have remained shut for the past month.