Strike Cripples Train Services & Leads to Blackout in Seemandhra Sunday Oct 6,2013

Strike Cripples Train Services in Andhra Pradesh

 

Train services on South Central Railway were crippled as power supply was switched off from early on Sunday Oct 6,2013 with the electricity employees joining the indefinite strike protesting against the Union Cabinet's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh

Between 6 a.m. and 7.30 a.m. virtually every station was running on emergency power amid eports that express and passenger trains were coming to a grinding halt, especially on the Vijayawada-Gudur-Renigunta section.

Railway officials said they were stopping movement of goods trains and cancelling passenger trains, in order to ensure movement of express trains


The normally busy Vijayawada Junction wears a deserted look as the number of trains passing through it on Monday Oct 7,2013 fell drastically owing to power shortage on account of an agitation by electricity employees demanding a united Andhra Pradesh

Strike leads to blackout, cripples life in Seemandhra

 

A power shutdown on Sunday Oct 6,2013 crippled normal life in 13 districts of the Seemandhra region as the Power Employees’ Joint Action Committee called an indefinite strike since morning to protest against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh

The shutdown led to the closure of ATMs, petrol pump stations and cable operator services besides cancellation of several trains

The strike by 7,500 employees also led to tripping of two major thermal power plants of the Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation resulting in a loss of about 2,500 MW

Dr. Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Plant near Vijayawada suffered the tripping of six units of 210 MW (installed capacity 1,760 MW) and the sole 500 MW unit was producing less than 300 MW

At the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant in Kadapa, all the five units have stopped functioning, stalling supply of 1,050 MW. State capital Hyderabad too was impacted with unscheduled power cuts due to load shedding

In the temple town of Tirupati, pilgrims suffered as there was no power supply till 7 p.m.A view of Tirupati city from the Tirumala ghat road when it plunged into darkness due to the Samaikyandhra agitation on Sunday.

 Power supply in Seemandhra is only going to worsen as the 880 employees of Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Power Distribution Company of AP Limited (EPDCL) decided to join the indefinite strike from Monday

Lorries lined up on the road in Nellore on Sunday, owing to the Samaikyandhra bandh called in protest against the Union Cabinet’s nod for the State bifurcation

The indefinite strike launched by the electricity employees against the Cabinet’s decision on the State bifurcation had a strong impact in the district, with the power supply to Nellore and its surrounding areas being cut off for more than 12 hours owing to tripping of various sub-stations on Sunday.

All the 12 sub-stations in the city got tripped and there was no worker to carry out the repairs. All the 3,000 electricity staff, including the 1,950 regular employees, went on strike in protest against the approval of the Telangana note by the Union Cabinet. 

The Samaikyandhra JAC activists organised a rasta roko on the highway at Perimitpadu which led to stranding of traffic between Sullurupeta and Srikalahasti during the day. JAC leaders Vanka Srinu and Pamula Bhasker led the protest as they burnt effigies of national leaders

Police presence is seen at a power sub-station as electricity employees began an indefinite strike for Samaikyandhra in Ongole on Sunday.

Darkness descends on five Andhra districts Monday Oct 7,2013

On the second consecutive day on Monday Oct 7,2013, the impact of the indefinite strike by the Joint Action Committees of Seemandhra and power employees continued to cause misery to the common man in all the 13 districts in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema 

According to EPDCL JAC chairman V.S.R.K. Ganapathi, the absence of staff, from engineers to workers, resulted in technical problems not being taken care of resulting in tripping. All the 133 Kv and 220 Kv substations in the five districts were affected

Around 8,000 employees were on strike resulting in the five districts going without power right from 9 a.m.

Lakhs of households in the five districts--Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, East and West Godavari--coming under EPDCL plunged into darkness with the Joint Action Committee(JAC) going on strike in support of their demand for keeping the State united and opposing the Union Cabinet clearing the note for formation of Telangana. EPDCL Director (Operations) E. Krishna said over 50 lakh consumers in the five districts went without power owing to the strike

About 5,000 megawatt of power production has been completely halted, including supply from three private thermal plants — Reliance, Lanco and Spectrum

The impact was mainly due to the complete shutdown of -

• Vijayawada Thermal Power Station (VTPS)

• Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station (RTPS)

• Sileru-Donkarayi hydel power station and

• the right canal of Srisailam hydel project

No money in ATMs; inoperative intensive care units and water supply issues came in from Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Prakasam and several other places.

Also the express, super fast and passenger trains have been cancelled in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Tirupati and Hyderabad routes. 

Patients in a ward of the KGH in Visakhapatnam on Monday make do with candlelight following a city-wide power cut in the wake of electricity employees JAC strike across the state which hit power production