Talks between Andhra, strikers fall through

Officers insist on central assurance; to discuss with general body and revert

A three-hour meeting on Wednesday afternoon between Chief Minister (CM) N Kiran Kumar Reddy and the striking Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers Association (APNGOA) failed to end the strike against the partition of the state.

However, the union leaders said they'd discuss the CM's proposals, including an assurance on no Telangana as long as he was in office, with their general body in a day or two. They said they'd revert to the government after this.

The strike has been on since August 12 in the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema ('Seemandhra') regions.

"The CM requested us to call off the strike to avoid inconvenience to the people. He assured us he would not let the state be divided as long as he remained the chief minister. But we told him that the strike would continue till a specific assurance (from the Centre) was given on the issue," association leader U Murali Krishna said. "We will get back to the Cabinet sub-committee in a day or two, after discussing the issue with our general body."

The CM requested the employees to bear in mind the cyclone threat to the coastal region and withdraw the strike to meet any emergency. The association assured the CM that employees of the revenue, panchayat raj and other departments would take part in relief and rescue operations in case of a cyclone despite the strike, its president P Ashok Babu said.

The association requested Reddy to lead a delegation of employees to New Delhi to present their concerns to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and others over the proposed bifurcation.

Meanwhile, several parts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema continued to reel under a power crisis, as the electricity distribution companies' employees continued their strike. Power generation remained crippled at major power stations, including the ones at Vijayawada and Rayalaseema.

Prolonged power cuts continued in the Seemandhra regions; cities like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada were no exception, as the indefinite strike of the electricity employees entered the fourth day. "We are doing something. NTPC and PowerGrid will provide electricity to Andhra Pradesh," Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi when asked about the plan to restore electricity in Seemandhra regions.