more-in uel pricesfThe bandh organised by the Opposition parties in response to the nation-wide call to protest against the steep rise in the fuel prices was partial in the city on Monday. Though there were traffic jams at some places on the National Highway passing through the city and the main roads saw smooth flow of vehicles as the police had diverted them through alternate roads. Most of the schools declared a holiday and some offices also remained closed. There were no reports of any arrests or untoward incidents until late in the evening. Human chain The bandh organisers took out rallies and formed human chains at important junctions and raised slogans denouncing the steep hike in the prices of petrol and diesel, saying that it had a cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities. Activists of CPI(M) and CPI played kabbadi on the National Highway near Maddilapalem while those from the Jana Sena staged protests holding the party flags and demanding a rollback of the hike in the fuel prices. They demanded that petrol and diesel prices should be brought under the purview of GST. The bandh organisers prevented the movement of buses outside the RTC bus depots in the city and district. However, private vehicles and some RTC buses coming from distant places were seen plying on the National Highway and on the main roads at Dabagardens, Jagadamba Junction, RTC Complex and other areas right from the early hours. Medicine students from Kuppam in Chittoor district, who were returning after attending a conference in Vizianagaram, were seen pulling their trolley bags at Maddipalem Junction as activists of the Left parties, Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Congress staged protests on the road, opposite the Maddilapalem Bus Station in the morning. Traffic disrupted At Jagadamba Junction, traffic was disrupted by the protesters for sometime in the morning. At Asilametta Junction, the police diverted vehicular traffic as the Left parties staged a protest at the busy junction. Many of the shops downed their shutters voluntarily, while those which remained open at Dabagardens and other areas were forced to close down by the protesters. The bandh was partial and peaceful at Gajuwaka, Anakapalle and in various parts of the district.

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