Normal life came to a standstill with the the electricity department employees going on an indefinite strike in support of Samaikyandhra. Operations scheduled to be performed in superspecialty hospitals were stopped, streetlights did not function and, probably for the first time, hoteliers in Tirupati, literally, drove away pilgrims and preferred to shut their businesses rather than run on generators for hours together.
The electricity department workers’ strike from Sunday morning came as a rude shock to the people as they were just about to complete their daily morning chores when the power went off.
In Anantapur, the operations scheduled to be performed at the renowned Sri Satya Sai Superspecialty Health Institute at Puttaparthi have to be put off.
The common man, who has already suffered during the two-day bandh, is greeted by ‘No Cash’ or ‘Not Working’ boards at banks’ ATM centres.
In Tirupati, pilgrims had to face severe problems as almost all the three ATMs at the bus station, the six at the railway reservation counter displayed ‘Not Working’ boards. Several hotels did not let out the rooms for fresh pilgrims. “We can’t run the business, if the situation goes like this. We are already facing losses due to the two-month agitation. Now, we have to bear the generator charges also at a time when the occupancy ratio had fell by more than 60 per cent,’’ a hotelier at Tirupati bus stand said.
In Chittoor district, almost all ATMs were closed. The power situation came in handy for generator operators. “The operators have increased the charges for renting out a generator by 200 per cent,’’ an organiser of a temple at which Durga Navaratri celebrations are going on.
In Kadapa, the workers of Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant (RTPP) did not attend to work affecting the generation of 1,050 mw power in its five units. They organised a human chain and staged a dharna in front of the unit and did not allow officials to enter. “We won’t hesitate to continue the strike, come what may,’’ announced a JAC leader Pratap.
In Nellore, the situation remained the same.
It was only in the evening that the power supply was given in major towns and mandal headquarters for a brief period of one hour for the people to use motors for getting water.