HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy Tuesday had the taste of ongoing protest for a Telangana state with striking government employees of the region trying to prevent him from entering the state secretariat, the seat of governance.The employees from various departments at the secretariat formed a human chain at the main entrance to stop the chief minister's convoy from getting into the premises, which also houses the chief minister's office.The security personnel had to escort the chief minister through the exit gate amid tight security.Kiran Kumar hails from Chittoor district of Rayalaseema region and is believed to be against granting separate statehood to Telangana.He later appealed to employees to call off the strike, saying it was causing hardship to all sections of people including farmers and students. "The strike is not a solution to the problem of Telangana," he told reporters.He said the issue was not in the hands of the state government and the central government was holding consultations to find a solution.The government employees in Telangana, which comprises 10 districts including Hyderabad, are on strike for eight days demanding formation of a separate Telangana state.Police arrested K. Kavita, president of Telangana Jagruthi, the cultural wing of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), and members of Telangana Lecturers' Forum when they tried to lay siege to the state assembly.Kavita is the daughter of TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao.Women activists of TRS also tried to lay siege to the house of Congress leader Renuka Chowdary in Hyderabad, protesting against her remarks on the Telangana agitation.The former union minister Monday stated that the general strike in Telangana was not having any impact.In other developments, employees of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corp (GHMC) joined the general strike by all sections of people.Employees in all 18 circles of GHMC boycotted their work but those in GHMC head office worked under police security. The strike may hit the civicservices in the state capital.For the eighth consecutive day, the administration remained paralysed across the region due to the strike by over 400,000 employees. The schools are also closed as teachers are taking part in the movement.Coal production in state-owned Singareni Collieries has been crippled.The authorities have imposed two to eight hour power cut as the strike in Singareni has affected the coal supplies to thermal power projects.Lawyers continue to boycott the courts. The public transport services were also crippled for second consecutive day as employees of Road Transport Corp stayed away from work.
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