Invoke Esma to bring normalcy in Seemandhra, Congress tells Kiran Reddy

The Congress leadership has asked its Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy, to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma) to bring normalcy in the Seemandhra region, reeling under severe power crisis following strikes by government employees.

Congress said strict action should be taken against agitators. “13 districts are without light, services in hospital have also been affected.The government is willing to talk to agitators. The state government should take strong action and Esma should be invoked,” said Congress spokesperson PC Chacko. Employees of the power sector in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions said they would continue with their indefinite strike as talks with the government failed on Wednesday.

Nearly 30,000 employees of AP Power Generation Corporation, AP Power Transmission Corporation, AP Southern Power Distribution Company and AP Eastern Power Distribution Company have not reported for work to protest against Centre’s decision to bifurcate the state. Another 20,000 contract workers have joined the strike.

Reddy has come under attack from the Opposition for his handling of the strike and agitation by pro-united Andhra employees. The Centre is planning to rope in NTPC and Power Grid Corporation to provide electricity to Andhra Pradesh. “We are doing something. NTPC and PowerGrid will provide electricity to Andhra,” Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters here.

The Centre has finalised the terms of reference for the Group of Ministers on Telangana. The first meeting would be held on Friday. Shinde will head the reconstituted Group of Ministers consisting of seven Union Ministers.