The week-long strike crippled Andhra Pradesh.
More than 30,000 power sector employees in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema regions, collectively known as Seemandhra, returned to work early morning today after a crippling week-long strike to protest the formation of Telangana.
The employees have, however, warned that their decision is based on a commitment to assist the state as it braces to face the fury of cyclonic storm Phailin, likely to hit coastal Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Saturday evening. (
Read)
School teachers in 13 districts of Seemandhra have also called off their strike. Talks with the agitating state transport employees are on. (
Live updates)
With the situation improving on the ground, curfew in violence-hit Vizianagaram town of Visakhapatnam district has been relaxed for nine hours today to facilitate people to purchase essential commodities.
Meanwhile, a meeting today of the Group of Ministers or GoM, headed by Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, on carving out Telangana remained inconclusive because of the absence of Union ministers P Chidambaram and AK Antony.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, M Veerappa Moily and Jairam Ramesh are the other members of the GoM while Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, V Narayanasamy, is a special invitee.
The government has denied any review of its Telanaga decision. "I do not think there is any possibility of going back," Mr Shinde said yesterday. He did not commit on whether the Telangana Bill will be tabled during the winter session of Parliament.
Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu, heads of two regional parties in Andhra Pradesh, went on hunger strikes in protest against the Centre's decision. While Mr Naidu's fast is in its fifth day in Delhi, Mr Reddy was moved to a hospital by the police in Hyderabad on Wednesday night.