Telangana protests: power crisis hits Andhra Pradesh hospitals, newborns suffer

 Hyderabad:  The Centre's decision to create a new Telangana state has paralysed Andhra Pradesh with blackouts severely affecting the health services across the state. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy yesterday told NDTV that he did not rule out resigning if the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was pushed through.

Here are the latest developments: 

 

 

 

 

1. Essential health services across the state have been badly hit. In Visakhapatnam, power cuts have hit King George Hospital, the only super-specialty government hospital in the region, resulting in most of the incubators not working. Lack of air conditioners have affected patients with burn injuries and other such ailments.
   
   
2. The ongoing strike by 30,000 power sector employees has left the state crippled. The chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have written to the central electricity authority warning of possible tripping in their states due to feared collapse of the southern grid. The Union Cabinet is expected to meet today to discuss the power situation in Andhra Pradesh.
   
3. Tirupati and Vijayawada airports are running on backup power. The Vijayawada-based 1760 MW Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station, for the first time in its history, has completely shut down, with all seven generating units stopped. State capital Hyderabad is also witnessing blackouts.
   
   
4. Most industrial establishments and shops are running on backup power. Drinking water supply, train services, petrol availability and hospital services are all badly hit. 150 diesel locomotives are being used to run passenger and express trains while goods trains are stranded at various stations.
   
5. The precautionary curfew in Vizianagram in coastal Andhra Pradesh - epicentre of united Andhra protests - continues for the fourth day today, following violence last week.
   
6. Congress leaders and ministers from Seemandhra met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday evening after many of them resigned to protest against Telangana. Chiranjeevi, who resigned as Tourism Minister, said, "The PM is yet to accept our resignation. He has asked for more time."
   
7. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy yesterday said the Congress has created a bigger problem in trying to solve one problem. Mr Reddy said that the people are frightened of the consequences of the state's bifurcation and that is why there is anger and agitation on the streets.
   
   
8. Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana have welcomed the plans to convert them into India's 29th state. Hyderabad will be the shared capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for the next 10 years, after which it will belong to Telangana.
   
9. A politics of hunger strikes over Telangana is also on with Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu deciding to go on an indefinite hunger strike in Delhi yesterday. YSR Congress's Jagan Mohan Reddy is on indefinite fast in Hyderabad since Saturday.
   
   
10. The Congress has indicated it will not change its mind over Telangana. Party leader Digvijaya Singh expressed surprise at what he called a u-turn by Jagan and Chandrababu Naidu. "Congress is a national party, how can it change its decision?" he said.