Hyderabad: Major roads surrounding the Hussain Sagar Lake including the Tank Bund closed off on Saturday as police and security was beefed up across the Hyderabad ahead of the pronouncement of verdict in the Ayodhya case and the the march planned by the striking employees of the TSRTC.
People going to offices and workplaces, students and other commuters had trouble reaching their destination as the major road linking twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and all connecting arteries were barricaded.
The Tank Bund, Lower Tank Bund, Telugu Talli Flyover, Indira Park Road, Secretariat Road, Necklace Road, Khairatabad Flyover and other roads leading to the lake were sealed by the police, which has denied permission for the protest. Hundreds of policemen were deployed around the lake to prevent protestors from reaching the area, a popular picnic spot.
NTR Park, Lumbini Park, Indira Park and Sanjivaiah Park around Hussain Sagar were closed for visitors as a precautionary measure. A Joint Action Committee (JAC) of TSRTC employees had called for a 'Chalo Tank Bund' as part of their ongoing strike. The police, however, refused to permit the march on the grounds that it would disturb the law and order in the city.
JAC leaders, however, vowed to go ahead with the protest planned on the lines of million march held in the same area during the Telangana movement. All opposition parties and Osmania University students' groups have extended their support to the protest. Police have put several leaders of the TSRTC unions and opposition parties under preventive custody or house arrest across the state since Friday evening.
Police also set up check posts at the entry points into Hyderabad to prevent TSRTC employees from entering the city. The strike by over 48,000 TSRTC employees entered 36th day on Saturday. Their demands include the merger of TSRTC with the government.
Taking a tough stand, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government rejected the demand for a merger and even announced privatisation of half of the TSRTC routes. Although Telangana High Court on Thursday had directed the state government to take initiative and resolve the employees' demands, there is yet to be an end to the stalemate.
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