Hyderabad, July 5 (IANS) The nationwide shutdown called by opposition parties Monday to protest the hike in petroleum prices affected normal life in Andhra Pradesh.
Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while bus services of the state-owned Road Transport Corporation (RTC) came to a grinding halt.
The shutdown called by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Left parties separately is supported by Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).
Leaders and activists of the opposition parties staged sit-ins outside RTC bus depots across the state, forcing authorities to suspend bus services. Hundreds of buses could not come out on the roads.
In the state capital, RTC was operating city bus services partially. However, services to destinations outside Hyderabad were cancelled. Buses going to Tirupati temple were exempted from the shutdown.
All schools, colleges and universities remained closed while Osmania University postponed all examinations.
Police kept BJP state president G. Kishan Reddy under house arrest here. Police also arrested dozens of TDP workers who were staging protests outside the bus depot in Kukatpally.
–Indo-Asian New Service
ms/mj
