‘Forced holidays’ pit parents against Telangana-stir(YES! ONE SHOULDN'T FORCE/DISRUPT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND HOSPITALS INCLUDING IMPORTANT ROUTES...FOR LONG!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY "MAKING OF TELANGANA IS TAKING SO LONG???....MAY BE IT'LL BEAT GORKHALANDS RECORD OF 23YRS..VT)
Published: Friday, Oct 14, 2011, 8:00 IST
By KV Ramana | Place: Hyderabad | Agency: DNA
The month-long general strike demanding statehood to Telangana is seeing the first signs of opposition. Various parents’ committees in the region are now demanding that the Telangana protestors allow schools and colleges to function normally.
A group of parents has also met chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to ensure that the colleges and schools, which have been shut for a month, are reopened. Though Reddy gave no specific assurance to the parents, the state police chief Dinesh Reddy warned the protestors against attempts to force closure of educational institutions that are willing to conduct classes.
“We, as parents, are willing to participate in the Telangana movement and many of us have not been going to office as part of the strike. But, our children are also sitting at home for the last one month since schools are closed,” Kalpana, a member of a parents’ association, said.
The state education minister Parthasarathy called the striking teachers for talks on Thursday. However, the teachers refused to go back to the schools and colleges to take classes “till the statehood is achieved”.
“If the situation continues like this, we will consider making the current academic year a zero year making thousands of students ineligible for competitive examinations held at the national level for IITs or IIMs,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, with parents’ mounting pressure, some schools have started re-opening though the managements are wary of the threats from protestors.
“Nowhere did we threaten any school or college management. Most of the closures are voluntary and if someone wants to open the school, it is up to them,” KT Rama Rao, son of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and MLA from Sircilla, said.
Meanwhile, the state government has invited the striking government employees for talks on Friday. The initial rounds of talks on Wednesday did not yield much result with the employees putting out a charter of demands, which have been taken up by the chief minister for an elaborate discussion with the group of ministers.
The three-day rail roko planned for 15,16 and 17 October is also emerging as a major flash point between the Telangana protestors and the state police. While the police chief has already warned the protestors that the provisions of the Railway Act would be applied this time in handling those squatting on the railway tracks or blockings trains, the protestors have already declared that the trains would be stopped for 72 hours in the region even if it results in police firing.
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