Andhranews

Kurnool, July 18: The works on closing the Raj-olibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) vents began amid tight security on Tuesday. The police made elaborate security arrangements to prevent farmers from Kur-nool district, who are oppo-sing the closure of vents, from reaching the project site.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajas-ekhar Reddy directed the officials to close the RDS vents despite protests from Kurnool farmers. Farmers of Kurnool and Mahbubnagar districts are at loggerheads over the RDS vents issue. Farmers of Kurnool district said that they would not get irrigation water from the Tungabhadra if the RDS vents were closed.
Jurala project SE Saty-anand is supervising the RDS closure works.

Kosigi (Kurnool), July 18: Five persons were injured in a clash between the activists of the Congress and the Communist Party of India during filing of nominations for panchayat elections here on Tuesday.

According to sources, two groups clashed when Mr Veera Reddy along with CPI leaders came in a procession from Vandagallu to file his nomination for the post of Sarpanch. However, Congress activ-ists obstructed him from filing the nominations, which resulted in a confrontation.

Balanaganna, Ramanjaneyulu, Veera Reddy and two unidentified persons were injured in the pre-poll violence in the village. Windowpanes of three jeeps were also destroyed in the clash.

Etcherla (Srikakulam), July 18: An undertrial dacoit outsmarted the armed police and disappeared in the early hours of Tuesday. The local police launched a hunt to nab him. According to reports, five inter-State dacoits were lodged in Visakhapatnam Central Jail. They were being escorted to Sompeta to appear before the magistrate in one of the dacoity cases.

The undertrial prisoners were brought to the armed reserved quarters at about 9 pm and put in a Kodandarama Temple nearby. During the wee hours, one of the prisoners Samantiswar Kal, 25, could manage to unlock the handcuff and escape from the temple.

There were two armed reserve head-constables and two armed reserve constables escorting them. Kal was involved in eight inter-State dacoity cases and linked to two major dacoity cases in Sompeta.

In one of the incidents, three gold merchants were killed. Police sources said all the five undertrial prisoners escaped from the custody of the armed police but four of them were immediately captured.

Head-constable G. Kurma Rao lodged a formal complaint with the JR Puram police and special teams were deployed to nab the prisoner.

Battalapalli (Anantapur), July 18: In protest against the killing of three Telugu Desam workers at Garisanapalli in the mandal on Monday, the house of a Congress activist was set afire in the village on Tuesday.

According to sources, the TD workers set fire to the house of Congress activist Srinivas Reddy, who is suspected to be behind the killings. Srinivasa Reddy is not living in the village and his parents also left the village after the Monday incident. A police picket was posted in the village on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Telugu Desam State officials spokesperson Lal Jan Basha alleged that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy was encouraging the killing of the TD activists in the district. He attended the funeral of the TD activists at Garisanapalli in the village. Speaking to repoters on the occasion, he said that the Congress leaders, who were jealous of the support got by the TD leaders in the district, were mounting attacks on them.

Mr Basha said that the Congress leaders should compete with the TD leaders by implementing development schemes. TD leader M. Jagannatham, Dharmavaram MLA Jayamma and others were present. The TD leaders paid floral tributes to the three party activists killed in the village.

The TD announced Rs 1 lakh each as compensation to bereaved families. TD president N. Chandrababu also directed the party district unit to pay Rs 10,000 each to the injured party workers. The TD leaders said that the school-going children of the victims would also be admitted in the school being run by the party in Hyderabad.

The Telugu Desam leaders also demanded that the State government pay Rs 5 lakhs each as ex gratia to the bereaved families. The Telugu Desam leaders met superintendent of police Sanjay Kumar Jain in Anantapur and urged him to provide protection to the party workers, who were facing threats.

Kurnool, July 18: The Bharat Alloys and Energies Limited, which was closed 10 months ago, was reopened here on Tuesday after the APTransco agreed to reduce power tariff from Rs 2.87 to Rs 2.55 per unit.

The company, then known as AP Carbides Factory, was closed two decades ago. The Vizag Bottling Company took over the company and renamed it as the Bharat Alloys and Energies Limited and started producing ferro silicon instead of carbide from January, 2004.

The company, which was using 8,400 units of electricity everyday, faced problems after the Transco had hiked the tariff from Rs 2.12 to Rs 2.87 per unit. The management said that it was not in a position to run the company with the increased power tariff and gave a notice for its closure.

The trade union leaders met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and urged him to provide power tariff subsidies to the company. The Transco agreed to provide power to the company at Rs 2.55 per unit paving the way for reopening of the company.

Workers expressed happiness over the reopening of the factory. Company Staff, Workers and Contract Workers Union (Intuc) president Y.V. Ramana said the company was reopened due to the initiative taken by the union.

Speaking to reporters here, he said that Panyam MLA K. Rambhupal Reddy, Kurnool MP K. Suryaprakasha Reddy, former minister V. Rambhupal Choudhary and Kodumuru MLA Sikhamani had also met the Chief Minister and urged him to reduce the power tariff. Mr Ramana thanked the Chief Minister for providing concessional power to the company.

Ongole, July 18: The dispute between DCC president G.V. Seshu and SN Padu MLA Dara Sambaiah on the election of the MPP candidate in Maddipadu mandal ended peacefully on Tuesday.

Congress party election observers Messrs Lingamsetti Eswara Rao and Kalpalatha Reddy deputed by the PCC president K. Kesava Rao visited Ongole and resolved the problem on Tuesday. They met Maddipadu MPTCs at the Ongole MP Mr Magunta Srinivasula Reddy’s office and discussed the matter to resolve the deadlock.

DCC president Mr Seshu had earlier objected to the intervention of Mr Sambaiah in the election of the Maddipadu MPP. This irked the MLA.
As a result, the two leaders were at loggerheads for the past week. After holding discussions, the Congress leaders chose Ms Devarapalli Hanumayamma, MPTC from Inamanamelluru village as the Maddipadu mandal president.

Ms Mandava Lakshmijyothi, MPTC from Basavanna palem was chosen as the vice-president of the mandal. However, some male MPTCs objected to choosing women candidates for the two key posts. MPTCs Messrs Kumara Swamy and Nageswara Rao reportedly raised objections. But the Congress party observers and district Congress leaders ignored the objections and upheld the decision in favour of the two women candidates.

Earlier, Maddipadu mandal leaders Mr Venkata Rao and others, speaking to reporters in Ongole a week ago, blamed SN Padu MLA Mr Dara Sambaiah for intervening in mandal politics and creating a rift between leaders on the election of the mandal president.

Mr Sambaiah flayed these allegations. The differences between Messrs G V Seshu and Sambaiah even reached Gandhi Bhavan, Hyderabad. PCC president Mr Keshava Rao deputed two observers to resolve the crisis.

Both Ms Hanumayamma and Mandava Lakshmi Jyothi will be officially elected tomorrow. Officials will conduct the mandal meet on the issue tomorrow. Mr Sambaiah said that some minor incidents led to a misunderstanding betw-een himself and DCC President Seshu.

Nellore, July 18: With one day left for nominations for panchayat elections, political activity picked up in every nook and corner of the district on Tuesday.

As many as 2,380 nominations have been received for sarpanch posts, besides 10310 nominations for ward members till Monday. A total of 946 panchayats with 8900 wards are going to the polls.

Elders in several villages are encouraging people to opt for unanimous elections, unlike never before during these present elections. The increase in the cash incentives for unanimous panchayats appears to be motivating villagers to make every effort for unanimous elections to the sarpanch and upa sarpanch posts.

Government used to pay Rs 5 lakh for major gram panchayats and Rs 1 lakh for minor gram panchayats in the past. This has been increased to Rs 15 lakh for a major gram panchayat and Rs 5 lakh for minor gram panchayat now.

Unfortunately this move has also given the impetus for auction of posts and the bidding price has shot up by several folds in several villages. Not satisfied with the incentive, local leaders have been encouraging auctions on the plea that the money could be utilized for taking up developmental activities.

For instance, the sarpanch post in Khadarpur panchayat of Marripadu mandal has been settled for Rs 2 lakh to a resident of Sannavaripalli village located in the panchayat on Sunday night.

The issue took a new twist when another person of the same village came forward, offering Rs 3 lakh on Monday morning. Such incidents have become common everywhere since rural people feel that it is prestigious to hold the post of village chief.

Justifying the auction system, a former sarpanch Mr J Chandrasekhar Reddy of Duvvur said there was no meaning in fixing the bid amount at the lower end since there were many contenders and the amount could be effectively used to develop panchayats.

It may be mentioned here that the sarpanch and upa sarpanch posts used to be auctioned for Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh in case of minor panchayats and the bids ranged from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh in case of major panchayats in the past. The rate has increased on par with the government incentive now, sources said.

Ongole, July 18: In a major setback to the democratic system, leaders of major political parties are preparing to capture sarpanch posts by taking part in the open auction system instead of defeating opponent in the polls. Local political leaders will conduct the auction. Candidates who offer the highest bids will become sarpanches of the villages.

The amount spent by the winning candidate will be used for development of temples and progress of the respective village. As per the agreement reached by political leaders, only one candidate will contest the polls and get elected unanimously. Leaders are prepared to spend between Rs.2 lakh to Rs.35 lakh to capture the sarpanch post, depending on the size of the village and monetary benefits they will get in the future.

Reports say over 100 sarpanches are likely to be elected by the open auction system in the district. So far, in over 50 villages, influential candidates have captured sarpanch posts in the district in the open auction system. In Dosakayalapadu village of Tallur Mandal, an influential leader secured the sarpanch post for Rs.4.60 lakh.

The opposition candidate was prepared to spend Rs.4.50 lakh only. In Vellalacheruvu village of Santhamagulur Mandal, a real estate trader was prepared to spend Rs.30 lakh for the sarpanch post. Similar reports are coming from Tamballapalli and Kongalaveedu villages of Giddalur Mandal. Discussions are going on in the villages of Vennur, Battubadipalem, Muppavaram, Nennurapadu, Mugachintala in Kondepi mandal.

Bhimavaram, July 18: Identification of the total number of cable connections in the town kicked up a row between the Congress and the Telugu Desam councillors in the general session of the municipality held here on Tuesday.

The council session was chaired by municipal chairperson Thota Seetarama Lakshmi. Congress councillor R. Srinivasa Murthy wanted to know how many cable connections were existing in the town.
Denying the official figure of 16,000 connections in the town, councillors Murthy and M. Suryanarayana Raju said that the number of connections would be around 30,000.

Referring to media reports where the number of connections were cited as much higher, he felt the need to streamline cable operations in the town to get good revenue for the municipality. Both the Congress and the Telugu Desam councillors entered into heated arguments over the issue. At one point, Mr Murthy said that the Congress councillors were ready to tender resignations to their posts if they failed to prove that the number of connections was more than the official figure during the survey.

At this point, municipal chairperson T. Seetarama Lakshmi intervened to pacify the agitating members. Telugu Desam councillor M. Suryanarayana Raju wanted to know how much money was being paid to civic authorities by the Siticable management for laying cables and posts.

Congress councillor Mr Murthy wanted clarification on what kind of tax should be imposed on cable operators and underlined the need to deal sternly with them to get more revenue for the municipality.

Eluru, July 18: Villagers refuse to send their children to a government primary school saying that education authorities should not allow HIV infected children to attend classes in the same school at Vegavaram village of Dendulur mandal in West Godavari district.

Villagers contributed among themselves for setting up a government primary school in the village. In the same village, a rehabilitation centre for HIV infected children exists. About 10 children from this centre are also attending the same school.

Trouble broke out when a HIV infected boy suffered a bleeding injury. His uninfected classmate reportedly handled the injury with his bare hands to stop bleeding. His parents, thinking that their boy was also infected with HIV stopped sending him to school. The incident took place some time in the past.

When it came to light, many villagers stopped sending their children to school and demanded that the HIV infected children not be allowed to attend school. They threatened to lock the school if the auth-orities failed to pay heed to them. District authorities are trying to bring about awareness among villagers on the spread of AIDS.

Rajahmundry, July 18: In order to improve employment prospects, especially for science students, new courses like microbiology and biotechnology are going to be introduced at under graduation level shortly.

Disclosing this to newsmen, State Higher Education Director Dr K. Lakshminarayana stated that they had communicated to the scientists at Isro and Atomic Research Centre asking them to deliver lectures on the latest trends in science and technology for the benefit of students.

He said that in order to improve computer skills of students, they were starting 15 new Jawahar Knowledge Centres, in addition to the existing 11 in the State. He said that they were planning to set up Jawahar Knowledge Centres in each district.

For providing quality education in degree colleges, they were filling up 125 college teachers posts in the State shortly, he said and added that 20 libraries were also going to come up in government degree colleges for the benefit of students.

Mr Lakshminarayana said that out of the existing 178 degree colleges in the State, 74 secured national assessment accreditation council’s recognition in which four colleges got NAAC ‘A’ grade.

He said that efforts were on to get NAAC recognition for 50 more colleges in the current academic year. Out of the 179 aided degree colleges in the State, 36 secured NAAC recognition, he said. He added that Rs 240 crores was being spent on college staff of these aided colleges per annum.

He said that a library at a cost of Rs 25 lakhs would be coming up in the Government Arts College. He ruled out any allotment of Arts College grounds for construction of a stadium. In order to avoid any encroachment of college properties they were constructing a compound wall, he added.

Nizamabad, July 18: Putting aside protocol as the first citizen of the Corporation, Nizamabad Mayor D. Sanjay, who was elected from the Congress party went personally to Nizamabad town-3 police station to release a former rowdy sheeter Mahankali.

Mr Sanjay is also the son of a senior Congress leader and Minister for Rural Development Mr D. Srinivas. The minister Mr D Srinivas met Chief Minister Dr Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy in Hyderabad and explained the issue to him.

Sources told this newspaper that the Chief Minister accepted the explanation. He said that the Mayor had gone to the police station to save a party activist in trouble. “In my opinion, the Mayor action was correct”, he commented.

Mahankali, a 35-year-old former rowdy-sheeter, who was involved in many cases, was residing at Hamalwadi in Nizamabad town. On July 13. at around midnight, police arrested him and kept him in Nizamabad town-3 police station as he had created a nuisance in the Nizamabad district government hospital. He entered into heated arguments with doctors over a patient, who received burn injuries.

The arrested rowdy sheeter called Mayor Mr D. Sanjay over telephone and explained that police had arrested him without any reason. His kith and kin thronged the Mayor’s residence and demanded that he be released. The Mayor spoke to Nizamabad DSP Mr Williams over tele phone and asked him to release the arrested rowdy-sheeter but the P did not do so.

After an hour, the Mayor, along with 20 followers, went to Nizamabad town-3. He waited for about half an hour at the police station outside till the DSP arrived at there. Unable to take the pressure, the DSP promised to release him on July 14 .

In this backdrop, police registered a case against the Mayor under sections 143, 358, 506, read with 225 B of IPC in Nizamabad town-3 police station, as he had heated argument with police personnel.

Warangal, July 18: The electric loco shed at Kazipet under the South Central Railway is making significant strides with its capacity getting increased to the handling of 82 electric locomotives from the earlier number of only 30.

The Kazipet electric loco shed, the youngest in the three electric loco sheds operating in the South Central Railway zone, was taken up at a cost of Rs 25 crore.

SCR Chief Public Relations Officer P Krishnaiah, Chief Electric Loco Engineer C L Madhava Rao and Chief Engineer Construction S K Mittal, who visited the loco shed on Tuesday, stated that the shed also received an additional grant of Rs 8.79 crore for maintenance and other expansion works.

Explaining that the loco shed was making major strides in preventive maintenance at Kazipet, officials said that it had created a record of sorts by handling 307 locomotives last year. Referring to the other pending works, Mr Krishnaiah explained that though most works were completed, the remaining balance works were at an advanced stage.

Taking care of employees’ welfare, 245 staff quarters were also built at a cost of Rs 5 crore. A staff canteen was also built. Pending works like construction of the main shed, which is 70 per cent completed, compound wall, and reverse osmosis water supply arrangements would be completed soon. Senior officers Messrs Prasad and Anil Kumar were present.

Vijayawada, July 18: Lok Ayuktha, Justice R. Ramanujam on Tuesday directed the officials to have human face in all their activities. Reacting to a complaint on the increasing pollution levels in the three canals in the city, Justice Ramanujam wondered why the civic administration was indifferent to the problem.

He examined the pollution in Eluru Canal, Ryves Canal and Bandar Canal and said that the water in these canals were getting polluted due to the indifferent attitude of the officials concerned. He wanted to know why the officials were not responding to the problem and have not initiated measures to prevent pollution of canal waters. He wanted the officials to take the people’s opinion into confidence before initiating any work that concerns them.

The administration cannot plan works that are either opposed or have no relation to the people, he said. Responding to the Lok Ayuktha’s reactions, municipal commissioner Natarajan Gulzar said that the canals were polluting not because of drainage water from the city.

He said that the municipal corporation has five sewerage treatment plans where drainage water is being treated. These treatment plants were treating over 100 litre of sewerage water everyday, he said.

In addition to this, he said that the VMC had taken up the provision of underground drainage system for the entire city in the next few years. The Centre had provided funds for extension of the drainage system in the city, he said and added that the VMC too was sensitising people on having underground drainage connections for their houses.

Referring to another complaint from the residents of the Mahatma Gandhi Road on the road widening, the Lok Ayuktha wanted a detailed report from the VMC on the work.

Guntur, July 18: A Guntur-based firm is all set to introduce a new variety of tobacco with low content of cadmium. The BBM group is trying up with international tobacco giant Philip Morris of the United States for this.

Because of the international campaign against smoking, tobacco industry is considered to be a sunset industry. Only improved products can help it survive. The attempt to introduce ‘safer’ tobacco is part of the effort to survive in a hostile environment. BBM general manger K.V. Subba Rao said that the experiment was proceeding in the research fields of BBM at Hunusur in Mysore.

Various studies had already proved that content of nitosamines and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium was low in Indian tobacco. Attempts were now on to reduce the cadmium content further. “We are using organic farming methods to cultivate tobacco,” said Mr Subba Rao. “The main objective is to reduce the cadmium content”. Scientists have found that long-term exposure to cadmium can cause kidney damage and bone disease.

“Usage of phosphate fertilisers increases the cadmium content,” he said. “So we are using organic fertilisers”. It may be recalled that the same firm pioneered the Solenesol-based Tobacco hybrid. Solenesol is used as a raw material for making Coenzyme-Q 10, which can help treat cancer, heart ailments and Parkinson’s disease.

Anakapalle, July 18: A 22- year-old woman Congress ZPTC member from Anakapalle was missing from her house on Monday night. A note was struck on the door stating she would be safe and list of demands would be sent later giving a preliminary indication that she might have been kidnapped.

Speaking to this correspondent, sub-inspector K.V. Balakrishna said that the incident occurred even while the ZPTC member, Bheesetti Lokeswari, was sleeping in a room with her parents in their house located at Kotturu junction. B. Appa Rao is mandal Congress president.

Around midnight her mother woke up to howling of dogs and saw her daughter missing. She woke up her husband and they searched the entire house but did not find her. Later, they saw a note struck on the door saying that Ms Lokeswari would be safe and the demand note would follow in the morning. They lodged a formal complaint with the town police on Tuesday.

Mr Balakrishna said as per his preliminary investigation, there was no sign of struggle in the house to indicate a kidnap. Police also ruled out the possibility of a kidnap as the house was located in a narrow lane, where most of the people sleep outside.

“It is impossible to take away somebody by force through such a narrow lane,’’ the sub-inspector said. Ms Lokeswari passed her B.Sc. Computers last year and joined accounts software course Tally on Monday. Police spoke to the college principal and head of the computer institute and ruled out her having a love affair. The police were baffled by her mysterious disappearance as she neither had an affair nor did she receive any threat from the Maoists.

Visakhapatnam, July 18: The sensational murder of a 28-year-old housewife and her eight-year-old daughter was solved with the arrest of her husband. The fugitive who disappeared since the double murder, was arrested by the police at Kasimkota on Tuesday.

Dasari Suryanaryana Murthy alias Bose confessed to the killing of his wife Dasari Seshavani alias Ammaji and his eight- year-old daughter Gayatri on the night of July 12 at their residence in Kanthi Road under Gajuwaka police limits.

A cellphone sold by him at Guntur led to his arrest, said Gajuwaka CI P. Ravi Varma. Confessing to the crime, Bose told the police that while they were living in a house prior to the present house in the same locality, his wife Seshavani developed an affair with a young man. In November last year, while watching a movie in a theatre he rushed to home suspecting his wife’s fidelity.

To his shock, he saw his wife in a compromising position with the youth. His daughter later told him that the youth kissed her mother when he was away. Since then he could not concentrate on the business and there were frequent quarrels between them, Bose told the police. Meanwhile, he made up his mind to kill her.

On the night of July 12, the couple had dinner and late in the night he had intercourse with her. While having sex with her he throttled her neck with one hand and gagged her with the other. After assuming she was dead, he decided to end his own life. He scribbled on the photo album that he would be ending his life.

But suddenly he realised that the daughter would become an orphan. It was then he decided to kill his daughter who was in a deep sleep. After throttling her to death, he brought the body next to his wife. Before leaving the house, he slit their throats to ensure they were dead for good.

Visakhapatnam, July 18: The Andhra University has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) for research collaboration here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Andhra University vice-chancellor Prof. L. Venugopala Reddy dwelt on the academic contributions of the university in the field of earth and ocean sciences. He suggested that institutions like NGRI should venture into establishment of “Outsourcing centres” in universities, which will primarily focus on the processing, analysis and presentation of data while the interpretation and fine-tuning can be done at the headquarters.

He opined that a close coordination between national institutions and university would be of mutual benefit leading to the development of quality professionals. “This will not only inculcate self-confidence in the students but also leads to the concept of ‘Earn-while-you-learn’,” said Prof. Reddy.

The director of NGRI, Dr V.P. Dimri, said that with this MoU both the institutions could have a better understanding and more regular collaboration in many research areas.

Vizianagaram, July 18: While the local East Coast and Aruna jute mills underwent maintenance works, the Hoogly Jute mill, Bobbili and Nellimerla Jute Mill went into production following the two GOs on Tuesday.

The government issued an order on July 11 declaring the agitation of workers illegal and directing the managements to reopen the mills immediately. The dispute between the workers and the management has been referred to Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour Court,

Visakhapatnam which would announce its decision within six months. About 12,000 workers of the three jute mills, under the management of Hoogly Mill Projects Limited, have been on strike since February 22 over a wage dispute.

When the efforts of labour officials to settle the dispute proved futile, the government issued above orders. East Coast Jute Mill labour officer Sudhakar told this correspondent on Tuesday that 40 workers attended the maintenance work on Tuesday.

“We are planning to go for production from Wednesday,” he said. Personnel manager of Hoogly Jute Mill, Bobbili, Murthy said that 826 workers attended to work on Tuesday in the common shift.

He said, “We were able to run 200 looms out of the total 246 today and planning to run two shifts from Wednesday.” Mr Ramakanth Mishra of Nellimerla Jute Mill said 800 workers attended in the common shift. “We were able to run 250 looms out of the 320 on the very first day,” he claimed.

Visakhapatnam, July 18: Hundreds of teachers staged dharna in front of the district collectorate here on Tuesday demanding solution to their long-pending problems.

Addressing the dharna, the president of the local unit of Andhra Pradesh Teachers Federation, K.V. Ramana, demanded the district administration to cancel all the unlawful deputations. He also demanded that the corporation authorities roll back the implementation of English medium in Municipal schools.

The agitators also called for the immediate payment of special compensatory allowances to the teachers working in Agency areas since 2005. APTF secretary V. Venkatapathi Raju asked the authorities to fill the vacant teacher posts in the municipal and aided schools. They sent a 27-page memorandum to the State government.