IMAGES: 'Rail roko' cripples services in Telangana

Train services across Telangana region were paralysed on Tuesday as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Telugu Desam Party, Bharatiya Janata Party workers along with other Telangana supporters began a dawn-to-dusk 'rail roko' agitation in support of the separate statehood demand.

Scores of activists of various political parties blocked the trains at several places in various Telangana districts of Nalgonda, Warangal, Mahabubnagar and also Hyderabad as per the 'Palle Palle Pattala Paiki' (villages on railway tracks) agitation called by the Telangana political Joint Action Committee.

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Telugu Desam leaders from Telangana region resorted to 'rail roko' at the Secunderabad railway station in Hyderabad, the headquarters of South Central Railway, since 6 am and were taken into custody by the security personnel.

"Our intention is not to inconvenience the people. This is to send a message across to the Centre that it should form separate Telangana," senior TDP MLA P Venugopalachary told mediapersons at the Secunderabad railway station.

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha blocked the train traffic at Bibinagar in Nalgonda district. The TDP, she alleged, has not made sincere efforts to achieve separate Telangana.

TRS chief's son and party MLA K T Rama Rao took part in the agitation at Moula-Ali railway station in the city.

JAC Convener M Kodandaram participated in the rail blockade at Ghatkesar. In a bid to mount pressure on the Centre for formation of separate Telangana, the JAC has called for the rail blockade agitation across the region on Tuesday.

Communist Party of India workers are also taking part in the protest. The JAC convener has appealed to the workers of all parties and all the residents of villages living along the railway tracks to squat on the tracks from 6 am to 6 pm.

"They will cook and eat on the tracks itself. Instead of living in their respective homes, the villagers would live on the tracks for a day," Kodandaram told mediapersons on Monday.

To avoid any kind of trouble, the South Central Railways has cancelled over 23 express trains, partially cancelled several trains and regulated others in the region on Tuesday.

The state police and the Railway Protection Force have made elaborate security arrangements to face the situation arising out of the rail blockades.

State DGP K Aravinda Rao warned that action would be taken as per the Railway Act for holding up rail traffic and other relevant laws for any violation of the law.