Gen strike evokes partial response in AP

Hyderabad, Dec 14 (UNI) Banking, Insurance and postal services came to a standstill in Andhra Pradesh as the one-day general strike by trade unions against the UPA government's economic and industrial policies evoked partial response.

State CITU President R Sudha Bhaskar told UNI that more than 30 lakh organised workers and lakhs of unorganised workers partcipated in the strike.

The strike was cent per cent successful in the Central and State Government organisations, public sector undertakings like ECIL, BEL, HEL, HAL, DLB. Workers in the industrial sectors at Nacharam, Uppal and other areas in the state also took part in the strike, he said.

Claiming that nearly 1,000 workers, including leaders were arrested by the police in Hyderabad, the trade union leader said the workers in the state were resorting to 'rasta roko' to protest the arrests.

However, employees of the State Bank of India and the Indian Overseas Bank did not partcipate in the strike.

A report from Rajahamundry said more than 4,000 employees of various organisations, barring INTUC and independent federations took out a rally shouting slogans from Kotipalli busstand.

The rally, after traversing through the main thoroughfares culminated at Kotagummam where a public meeting was held. The meeting was addressed by leaders from the AITUC, CITU, LIC Employees Union, Revenue Association, Postal Department Banking, Revenue, ESI.

The leaders condemned the UPA government for pursuing 'anti-people' policies.

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