Judicial custody of Naidu, others extended

Nanded/Hyderabad, July 19 : A court in Maharashtra's Nanded district Monday extended the judicial custody of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu and 74 other party leaders.However, the duration of extension is still not known. The leaders again rejected the Dharmabad magistrate's suggestion to take bail and return to Andhra Pradesh. The magistrate called the leaders at Dharmabad ITI as their two-day judicial custody came to an end. All the leaders are likely to be shifted to Aurangabad Jail later. Naidu told the magistrate that they were illegally arrested by Maharashtra Police in Andhra Pradesh territory. According to TDP leaders, their party chief said they were not terrorists and had not committed any crime. He made it clear that they would not return without visiting the Babli project being built by Maharashtra across the Godavari River. Meanwhile, the condition of at least five TDP leaders deteriorated during the day-long hunger strike, demanding that the Maharashtra government allow them to visit the Babli dam. The condition of Abdul Gani, legislator from Hindupur, is stated to be serious and he had to administered saline. Naidu and his supporters, including MPs and legislators, were arrested Friday when they tried to proceed towards the dam. They alleged that Maharashtra is building the dam illegally and this would deprive Andhra Pradesh of its due share of Godavari waters. The magistrate Saturday sent the TDP leaders to judicial custody after they refused to seek bail. The leaders, who spent the third night in Dharmabad ITI, have vowed not to return without visiting the Babli project. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has rejected their demand, saying this would create law and order problems.
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TDP AP bandh sees mixed response

Hyderabad, July 19 : The Monday shutdown called by the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh over the arrest of their chief N Chandrababu Naidu and 74 legislators saw mixed response with daily life in parts of the state coming to a standstill.Even though some areas, particularly the IT district of Cyberabad, saw usual traffic and a regular pace of life, many schools, colleges and businesses alike remained primarily closed across Hyderabad and other 22 districtsTransport services were reportedly hit as the State-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) suspended bus services partially due to sit-outs by TDP activists outside the depots in Hyderabad and other places.There have also been reports of TDP activists being arrested over forceful closure of shops and staging of road blockades in a number of districts.The strike was called as Naidu, among other politicians, was taken into preventive custody as they tried to visit the Babhali dam in Maharashtra that triggered a water row between the two states.The Andhra government has challenged the construction of the dam in the Supreme Court and says that the barrage in Maharashtra over Godavari river would affect water flow to their state and deprive irrigation to several districts in the Telangana area.Naidu, who's two-day judicial custody ends on Monday, said he went only to inspect the Babhali Barrage project and to fight for Andhra's fair share of water.
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TDP strike in Andhra Pradesh evokes partial response

Hyderabad, July 19 : Normal life was affected in parts of Andhra Pradesh Monday due to a shutdown called by the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to protest the arrest of its chief N.Chandrababu Naidu in Maharashtra.The strike evoked mixed response in the state capital and 22 other districts. State-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) had to partially suspend bus services here and other towns following protests by TDP activists. Educational institutions, shops and business establishments were closed in parts of Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kakinada, Tirupati and Guntur. Dozens of TDP activists were arrested for staging road blockades and for forcing closure of shops in different districts. TDP workers staged a sit-in outside the APSRTC depots in Hyderabad and elsewhere to stop buses from plying. The shutdown, however, had little impact in some areas as normal traffic was on the roads while markets also opened. The firms in IT district Cyberabad too were working as usual. Naidu and 74 other TDP leaders, who are in judicial custody in Dharmabad of Maharashtra's Nanded district, launched a day-long hunger strike, demanding that the Maharashtra government allow them to visit the Babli dam across Godavari River. Naidu and his supporters, including MPs and legislators, were arrested Friday when they tried to proceed towards the dam. They alleged that Maharashtra is building the dam illegally and this would deprive Andhra Pradesh of its due share of Godavari waters. A magistrate in Dharmabad Saturday sent the TDP leaders to judicial custody after they refused to seek bail. The leaders, who spent the third night in Dharmabad ITI, have vowed not to return without visiting the Babli project. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has rejected their demand, saying this would create law and order problems. Tensions, meanwhile, continued to prevail along the Andhra-Maharashtra border. The TDP plans to take out a march from Adilabad district towards Dharmabad to protest the arrests and continued detention of its leaders.
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