In Andhra Pradesh, non-gazetted officers-NGOs- of the state government in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions have reported for duty today following suspension of their strike.Employees of various departments including revenue, panchayat raj, rural development and those in district collectorates and treasuries had struck work for the past about 70 days in 13 districts of Seemandhra region protesting against the Union Cabinet’s decision to bifurcate the state.

Educational institutions including schools and colleges and polytechnic colleges have started functioning as teaching and non-teaching staff resumed their work. After holding talks with Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, the state NGOs Association suspended its strike yesterday saying they will continue their agitation against bifurcation while some other gazetted officers associations called off their stir. Our correspondent reports that after a gap of over two months, normalcy is being restored in government offices in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions where people had to face hardships due to the employees strike. Activities in various departments including Revenue, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in the 13 districts of Seemandhra region gained momentum with over three lakh employees reporting for duty this morning.

Treasuries at district level and educational institutions began working as usual. The district’s senior officers are taking stock of the situation in an effort to speed up completion works which were pending for past two months while completion of curriculum is being accorded top priority in educational institutions.

Employees could not draw their salaries to a tune of 2700 crore rupees while the state owned Road Transport Corporation incurred losses of about 745 crore rupees due to the strike. Meanwhile, several demonstrations are being held at several parts of the Seemandhra region today with several sections of people continuing their agitation in favour of united Andhra.