AP Government''s mass contract programme held amidst protests

Hyderabad, Jan 29 (PTI) TRS workers and otherTelangana supporters continued their protests against theAndhra Pradesh Government''s ambitious mass-contact programme''Rachabanda'' (village junction) in the region today, whichwas held peacefully in the non-Telangana regions.

The agitators tried to disrupt the programme inTelangana districts like Warangal, Karimanagar and Nizamabad.

Information Minister D K Aruna, in a statement, said''Rachabanda'' was conducted at 690 places in coastal Andhra,636 places in Telangana and 319 in Rayalaseema. However, itfaced problems at 101 places in Telangana.

Despite the protests, several AP Ministers took partin the mass contract programme in Telangana districts likeNalgonda, Medak, Warangal, Khammam and Karimnagar, she said.

There has been enthusiastic response from people tothe programme, where they can get their problems redressed. Alarge number of representations had been received, Aruna said.

Alleging that the ''Rachabanda'' is an attempt to dilutethe separate Telangana agitation, TRS President KChandrasekhar Rao has called for its boycott and asked peopleto drive away Congress MLAs and MPs who attend the programme.

''Rachabanda'' aims at checking how the Government''swelfare schemes like social security pensions, housing for thepoor and distribution of ration cards are implemented and toquickly redress the problems faced by people.

''Rachabanda'', a brain child of late Y S RajasekharaReddy, was supposed to be launched by him on September 2,2009. But he died in a helicopter crash on that day while onthe way to Chittoor district to inaugurate the scheme.