VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Bandh called by the Pratyeka Hoda Vibhajana Hamila Sadhana Samithi (PHVHSS) on Monday was complete and total barring minor incidents across the state.The bandh was held to protest the Centre’s refusal to grant Special Category Status (SCS) to the state and was supported by the YSR Congress, Jana Sena, Left parties and Congress. It hit normal life in all the 13 districts as public transport was disrupted leaving thousands of train and bus commuters stranded. With APSRTC buses confined to the depots for the most part of the day, the authorities said the state transport corporation lost nearly Rs 12 crore in revenue because of the bandh while 60 lakh passengers suffered. The streets wore a deserted look as commercial establishments and educational institutions remained shut for the day.At many places, the empty streets prompted cricket lovers to engage in the sport despite the scorching sun. Only buses plying pilgrims between Tirumala and Tirupati were spared by the protesters who came on to the roads in large numbers and made sure that the bandh was a success.Tensions prevailed for a while at the Srinivasa Bus terminal in Tirupati after a few people torched a motorcycle. Police later reached the spot and dispersed the agitators. Four persons were arrested in the bike burning incident. Agitations were held at major junctions in cities and towns across the state. The protesters blocked the national and state highways at many places. With buses off the roads, taxi operators made a killing by charging huge sums for plying short distances.While the state government remained non-committal about supporting the bandh, it deployed security personnel in large numbers across the state and drones were pressed into service at many places to monitor the protests. Police personnel too were equipped with body cameras to deter trouble makers.However, according to sources, since the TDP government too has been demanding SCS for the state, the security eprsonnel were directed to be leinent with the protesters because of which detentions and preventive arrests were minimal.Thanking AP residents for making the bandh a success, PHVHSS convenor Chalasani Srinivas called upon them to observe a Bijli Bandh on April 24 by switching off electricity from 7 pm to 7.30 pm that day.“We have been agitating for the Special Category Status (SCS) for the last three years and this is the fifth bandh that we have organized and each time people have supported us,” he said. Srinivas threatened to block the national highways across the state if the BJP continued to ‘betray’ the Telugu people. Some sort of normalcy was resotred towards late Monday evening across the state.

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