Sunday, July 23, 2006
Andhrapradesh Regional News July 24th,2006
Desam boycotts oath ceremony
Anantapur, July 23: Thopudurthi Kavitha took charge as the first woman Zilla Parishad chairperson here on Sunday. District collector Camdiel Dasari administered the oath to the new Zilla Parishad chairperson. Minister for panchayat raj J.C. Diwakar Reddy and minister for agriculture N. Raghuveera Reddy attended the oath taking ceremony.
The Telugu Desam boycotted the programme in protest against the anti-democratic methods employed by the Congress to wrest the ZP chairperson post. It may be recalled that the Congress managed to bag the ZP chairperson post after two Telugu Desam ZPTCs supported their candidate in last minute.
However, the TD member who was elected as cooption member participated in the programme and took the oath. Meanwhile, the review meeting which is scheduled to be held was postponed due to lack of quorum. Only 22 members turned up for the meeting against the total membership of 63.
Speaking on the occasion, the ministers J.C. Diwakar Reddy and N. Raghuveera Reddy vowed full cooperation for developmental works to be taken up by the Zilla Parishad. The ministers said that they would strive to bring more funds for developmental works in the district. Mr Diwakar Reddy said that the ZP should take steps for effective utilisation of funds.
Panchayats elected unopposed
Kadapa, July 23: A record number of gram panchayats were unanimously elected in the Kadapa district, represented by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. A total of 310 gram panchayats were elected unanimously out of the 808 gram panchayats in the district.
Elections would be held for 447 gram panchayats only of the remaining 498 panchayats as elections to 51 panchayats were postponed due to various reasons. In Pulivendula Assembly constituency, represented by the Chief Minister, 42 gram panchayats were unanimously elected of the total 85 gram panchayats.
In Jammalamadugu Assembly segment, 49 gram panchayats were unanimously elected out of 100 gram panchayats. Even though the withdrawal of nominations has to end by 3 pm, it has been extended till 8 pm in several villages. Heavy lobbying has been done in several villages for the unanimous elections.
Elections will be held in three phases in the three divisions on July 29, August 2 and 6. Heavy police force is deployed to prevent to any untoward incidents.
State has no right to kill Naxals: HRF
Atmakur (Kurnool), July 23: Human Rights Forum general secretary K. Balagopal on Sunday questioned the government’s right to kill Naxalites. Nobody has licence to kill Naxalites, he said and criticised Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Home Minister K. Jana Reddy and Director General of Police Swaranjit Sen for giving an open call to kill Naxalites. Mr Balagopal was on a fact finding tour to know details of the recent encounter at Nallakalva village in Atmakur mandal of Kurnool district.
Speaking to reporters, the HRF general secretary said that the Congress government which has come to power with the promise to hold talks with the Naxalites is brutally murdering Maoist leaders in the name of fake encounters. The Rajasekhar Reddy government which has allowed arms to be the part of peace talks has systematically sabotaged the talks and started killing Naxalites, he said.
The government is arresting Naxalites holed up in forests, extracting information on party activities and killing them, he alleged. He said that nobody has any objections if the government arrest the Maoists and produced them in the court.
Mr Balagopal demanded that the government and Naxalites announce ceasefire and hold talks. Human Rights Forum district secretary U.G. Srinivas and others participated. Mr Balagopal said that the encounter that took place at Nallakalva village in Atmakur mandal was a fake one.
The HRF team enquired with the residents of Nallakalva, Vadlaramapuram and Kothapuram villages on the encounter. Mr Balagopal said that Venu alias Pochaiah was nabbed by the police while he was pillion-riding on a motorcycle on July 15 and was interrogated at the Atmakur police station and later killed in cold blood on the same day night.
Encounter a blow to Maoists
Markapuram (Prakasam), July 23: Maoists are gradually losing their base in the Nallamala forest areas which are spread over Prakasam, Guntur, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Kurnool districts during the last two years.
About 30 Maoists were killed in various encounters that took place in Prakasam district alone during the last two years. Sunday’s encounter was the biggest in which eight Maoists including State committee Secretary Madhav alias Manohar alias Narender was killed.
The Maoists had developed a strong base in the Nallamala after they sustained major losses in the North Telangana region during the Telugu Desam rule. The Nallamala region came into limelight two years ago when Maoists leaders and representatives emerged out of the Nallamala forests on the Srisailam ghat route between Prakasam and Guntur districts.
Since then, police have targeted the region and gradually strengthened themselves by conducting relentless combing operations. Greyhound units from four districts are regularly involved in the combing operations throughout the year so that the Maoists cannot move freely in the region.
At least on two occasions, Greyhound forces encircled Ramakrishna, former State committee secretary, in the forests. Ramakrishna escaped but Madhav alias Mallanna alias Manohar who was killed in the exchange of fire on Sunday also escaped during the exchange of fire on a couple of occasions in the region, said Markapuram OSD Ranganadh on Sunday.
Maoists during the last two years suffered major losses in the forest areas. State committee member Matta Ravi was killed in an encounter in the region last month. Three members of the action team who were involved in the bomb blast case targeting former SP Mahesh Chandra Laddha last year, were also killed in encounters.
Keerthipati Rambabu, expert in making explosives with electrical equipment, also surrendered before the police a couple of weeks ago. Police had developed a strong network in the forest area and were able to get reliable information on the movements of Maoists.
Kovur sugar coop to set up power plant
Nellore, July. 23: The Kovur Cooperative sugar factory general body meet passed a resolution in favour of a cogeneration plant to produce 6.47 MW power on Sunday. The plant is estimated to cost Rs 25.02 crores.
The general body meet, which was held at the factory in Kovur on Sunday, also approved a proposal to sanction Rs 2.50 crores share capital which would be reimbursed in four instalments without interest by the government.
Collector and ex-officio chairman of the factory, M. Ravichandra convinced farmer in the future interest of the cooperative unit. They had initially raised several objections to the resolution. Farmer leaders questioned the rationale behind keeping them in the dark about the project till the eleventh hour even though the proposal was in the offing for the last three months.
They felt that the administration should have given prior information on the issue to enable them to discuss at length on the pros and cons of the proposal, recalling a similar proposal to establish a 1.5 MW plant four years ago.
The collector took pains to explain the need to pass the resolution, referring to the ensuing meeting with the CM on July 25 on the subject. He said that the CM would discuss the subject with representatives of the sugar factories which were willing to set up the power plants.
Referring to the need to pass a resolution to make use of the opportunity, the collector reminded that the general body was free to call off the project if they felt that it was not viable. “We cannot approach the government for the plant again if you say no at this juncture,” the collector told farmers.
He conceded the farmers’ request to enhance the minimum support price by Rs 50 per ton from next harvest season. The general body also gave its nod to establish an ethanol plant at the factory.
Former chairman of the factory Samanthu Subba Reddy, former CPM MLA Jakka Venkaiah, farmers’ leaders Harikishore Reddy, Bezawada Obul Reddy, Jetty Ramachandra Reddy spoke on behalf of farmers.
Maoists lose foothold in Nallamala
Markapuram (Prakasam), July 23: Maoists are losing their base in the Nallamala forest that covers Prakasam, Guntur, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Kurnool districts. About 30 Maoists have been killed in encounters in Prakasam district alone during the last two years.
The Maoists developed the Nallamala base when they were driven out of the North Telangana region during the Telugu Desam years. The biggest acknowledgement that they had shifted to Nallamalla came when Maoists leaders stepped out of the forests on the Srisailam ghat route between Prakasam and Guntur districts for talks with the government two years ago.
Since then the police has focused on the region and conducted relentless combing operations. Over 1,500 special trained personnel have combed the forest inch by inch. Greyhound units from four districts have scoured the forests in round-the-year combing operations, making Maoist movement difficult in the forests.
On two occasions, Greyhound commandos encircled the Ramakrishna, then State committee secretary, in Nallamala. On the first occasion, the State government let him go under pressure. A second time, he managed to escaped. State secretary Madhav, who was killed on, had also escaped on a couple of earlier occasions, said Markapuram officer on special duty Ranganadh.
Maoists have suffered other major losses. State committee member Matta Ravikumar was killed in the encounter in the region last month.Three members of the action team that tried to kill then Prakasam district superintendent of police Mahesh Chandra Laddha last year were killed in various encounters.
K. Rambabu, expert in making explosives with electrical equipment, surrendered a couple of weeks ago. The police has developed a strong network in the area and could able to get reliable information on the movement of Maoists. This was reflected in the seizure of huge quantities of arms and sophisticated wireless sets.
The Maoists in the region are also suffering from lack of leadership. Senior leaders like Ramakrishna were elevated and shifted to the Andhra Orissa Border.
ZP chief vows to develop schools
Kakinada , July 23: East Godavari Zilla Parishad chairman Chelluboyina Venugopal said that top priority would be given to education and rural sports. Speaking to media persons at the ZP meeting hall on Sunday, he said that the new body would give importance to education, right from the elementary level, and to provide infrastructure facilities in schools.
“My first priority is to provide sufficient classrooms in ZP schools and I am planning to visit each and every school in the district,” said Mr Venugopal. “I know that some schools are lacking in basic amenities, even for girls and we will definitely improve the situation in a phased manner,” he asserted.
The new ZP chief also said that sports persons and students with sports talent would be encouraged in all possible ways. He felt that there was no dearth of sports talent in rural India. But there was no sufficient encouragement. “As a first step towards this, we will give priority in appointing physical education teachers. For taking up all these programmes, more financial resources are required,” he added.
He disclosed that he would approach old students of schools for financial aid. There were several hundred old students of these schools who were in good positions, he added. On administrative reforms, he said that he would take advice from all sections at the right time on important matters. He said that the funds at the disposal of ZPTC members would definitely be increased irrespective of members’ party affiliations.
Regarding mobilisation of additional funds, Mr Venugopal said that he was confident of getting additional funds from State government. On ratification of works which was a big issue during the tenure of the previous body, he said that they would do away with the system. “Instead, we will appraise members of the issue and obtain their consent,” Mr Venugopal added.
Earlier, the ZP meet slated for 10.30 am was postponed for want of quorum. Chief executive officer Nagesh Babu waited for 45 minutes for the attendance of the members. Chairman Mr Venugoapl announced that the meeting was postponed to July 30.
As expected, the auspicious day sentiment played a major role in the absence of members. Attendance was nil due to the new moon factor on Sunday.
Karmuri to fulfil party’s promises
Eluru, July 23: The new ZP body would take all steps for the development of district with proper planning, said the new chairman of West Godavari Zilla Parishad Karmuri Nageswara Rao. Addressing the ZP general body meeting on Sunday, he said that with the help of MLAs, MPs and other leaders, developmental activities would be taken up in a non-partisan way.
He said he would strive to fulfil the promises of party leader Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. He promised that he would always be accessible to all. Mr Nageswara Rao assured of developing West Godavari as a model district in the State.
ZP chief executive officer Kondiah Sastry, Eluru MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, MLAs Maganti Babu, Vatti Vasanth and others attended. Earlier Mr Nageswara Rao took oath as chairman along with vice-chairman A. Satyanarayana.
GV feels slighted at ZP meet
Karimnagar, July 23: The first general-body meet of the Zilla Parishad was marred by a controversy over protocol issue here on Sunday.
Irked over not being allotted a seat on the dais at the general body meet cum the swearing-in ceremony of new ZP chairman Arepalli Mohan, Peddapalli MP G. Venkataswamy, who is the Congress deputy leader in the Parliament, openly expressed his displeasure over the alleged disgrace meted out to him on the occasion.
When his turn came, a visibly upset Venkataswamy walked on to the stage from his chair allotted in the front row below the dais and gave vent to his hurt feelings.
In an emotionally charged tone, he said, “I played an instrumental role in the enactment of the 73 and 74 amendments to the Panchayat Raj Act as a Union minister in the past. It is deplorable that I did not get a seat on the dais despite my seniority and contribution,” he lamented and said, “I have come here to bless Mr Mohan. Had he was not here I would have not continued my speech,” he remarked. “I wish that Mohan will sincerely work for the upliftment of the weaker sections and do justice to his designated duties as the new chairman,” he said.
Later, minister for sports M. Satyanarayana Rao said that senior leaders like Mr Venkataswamy could not be accommodated on the dais because of the protocol rules. The officials have left with no option but to comply with the regulations, he said.
“I will raise the issue in the ensuing Cabinet meet on July 27 and ensure amendments to the protocol rules to prevent recurrence of similar unsavoury situations,” he asserted. He recalled the contribution of Mr Venkataswamy to the empowerment of the downtrodden sections. Dalit leaders like Mr Mohan could become ZP chairman due to his initiation, he said. A section of the ZPTC members and MPPs subscribed to the views of Mr Venkata Swamy.
Naik warns colleges over admissions
Warangal, July 23: Social welfare minister D.S. Redya Naik on Sunday strictly warned those colleges which denied admissions to SC, ST students for their failure to pay the fee at the time of admissions. “Colleges should admit students first who are eligible from the SC, ST categories and later they can seek reimbursement from the government,” he explained.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday evening, the minister said that legal action would be initiated against those colleges which refused to admit students in case they failed to pay the fee at the time of admission. He explained that the government would reimburse the fees of all students belonging to the SC, ST categories.
Reeling out statistics, Mr Redya Naik said that the Congress government had increased the budget for post-matric scholarships to Rs 309 crores as against the earlier budgetary allocation of Rs 175 crores during the Telugu Desam regime.
“The amount of scholarships for post-matric students was also increased from the earlier Rs 525 to Rs 740 to all the students in the State,” he said. Scholarships and hostel and residential school facilities were also being extended to 4.14 lakhs students all over the State.
Referring to the payment of arrears, the minister explained that government had released Rs 98 crores during the last fortnight and the amount would be disbursed by the end of the month. Responding sharply to the criticism that the State government had failed to get budgetary grants from the Centre, Mr Redya Naik explained that he himself had gone to Delhi in March and had got a release of Rs 150 crores from the Centre under various heads.
The minister said that the Congress government had increased mess charges for SC, ST, and BC category students. The hike to the tune of 25 per cent would be implemented from July 1.
Protocol denies dais seat to GV
Karimnagar, July 23: A row over the seat arrangement marred the swearing-in ceremony of new Karimnagar zilla parishad (ZP) chairman Arepalli Mohan on Sunday when Lok Sabha deputy leader G. Venka-taswamy was denied a seat on the dais. He was alloted a seat in the front row below the dais.
Expressing his displeasure, the Pedapalli MP said: “I had played an important role in the legislation of the Panchayat Raj Act as a Union minister. But despite my seniority and contribution, I did not get a seat on the dais.”
Mr Venkataswamy said he had come to the meeting to bless the new ZP chairman Arepalli Mohan. If the cha-irman was not Mr Mohan, I would have come here.The Lok Sabha deputy leader asked the new ZP chairman to work for the upliftment of the weaker sections.
Later, minister for sports M. Satyanarayana Rao said that senior leaders like Mr Venkataswamy could not be accommodated on the dais because of the restrictions imposed by the protocol. He said the officials had no option but to comply with the protocol regulations.
The minister, however, promised to raise the matter at the Cabinet meeting and ensure that appropriate amendments were made to the protocol to prevent recurrence of similar situations.
Recalling the contribution of Mr Venkataswamy to the empowerment of the down-trodden sections, Mr Satyanarayana Rao said Dalit leaders like Mr Mohan could not have become zilla parishad chairman without his initiation.
ZPTCs against Polavaram
Khammam, July 23: The Telugu Desam-CPM combine, which won all the ZPTCs in the Polavaram area, insisted on a unanimous resolution against the construction of the project in the first general body meeting of the Zilla Par-ishad on Sunday.
As soon as the chairperson Gonela Vijayalaxmi and vice-chairman B. Ayodhyachari were sworn-in, Telugu Desam ZPTC from Errupalem Chava Rama-krisna raised the issue of Polavaram and spoke aga-inst it. Tallada ZPTC Tata Bhaskara Rao, who resp-onded, lent his support to Mr Ramakrishna.
CPM MLA Tammineni Veerabhadram stood up to say that the Zilla Parishad should discuss the Polav-aram issue threadbare. Chief executive officer Samuel Anand, who intervened, said that issues sho-uld not be raised in the first meeting as per the norms of the Election Commission. He said that the first meeting should be confined to swearing-in of the new body.
Responding to it, Mr Veerabhadram said that he knew the norms and it was the duty of the elected representatives to raise the issue of the affected people of Polavaram and the meeting should allow the members to discuss it. The ZPTCs of Bhadrachalam and Kusumanchi said that there was no wrong in raising the issue.
The CEO said he was not against taking up any issue and asked the members to allow the out-going zilla parishad chairman Chanda Lingaiah Dora to speak. Mr Dora said that posts are not permanent and the ZPTCs should concentrate on the people’s problems.
Zilla parishad chairperson Vijayalaxmi said that she hails from the Agency and would try to solve the problems of the backward areas. “I tired to do justice to all the ZPTCs in the district and solve the problems raised by them,” she said and claimed that she was the daughter of the Left parties and daughter-in-law of the Congress.
Vice-chairman Ayodhyachari asked the ZPTCs to extend cooperation to the chairperson and vice-chairman in solving the problems being faced by the people. He said that all the members should work hard for the development of the district.
Kothagudem MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao said that the members should fulfil the aspirations of the people who elected them. MLAs G. Narasaiah, J. Venkat Rao, K.V. Narasaiah and Sambhani Chandrasekhar were also present.
Conditions laid for chilli merchants
Guntur, July 23: After taking over as the president of the Association of Chilli Commission Merchants of the district for eleventh time, Mr Kilaru Rosaiah, the former member of Spices Board, is ready with a new set of conditions to the trading community.
Accordingly, the members of the association were instructed to collect payments from the traders within three days against the earlier time limit of 15 days. The issue of payments for the chilli purchases has become a bone of conte-ntion between the trading community and the commission agents.
According to an agreement made bet-ween the two parties 20 years ago, the payments for the purchased chillis had been done only after 14 days. But, with the recurrence of insolvency petitions, the old agreement lost its relevance. With a series of IPs being filed in courts, the Chilli Commission Merchants’ Association is firm on framing guidelines for the transactions.
Curbing the business of unethical practices, the association was also for promoting ‘decent trading’. To control the evasion of payments, it was decided to introduce post–dated system. If the cheques bou-nced, cases wre to be booked against the buyers as per the guidelines. But, the buyers opposed the proposal.
According to the commission agents, who always make payments to the farmers within hours, they have been at the receiving end for the last 40 years while being affected by the evasion of crores of rupees by buyers and exporters. “To make the system more imp-eccable, we have been asking for the system of post–dated cheques. This system is to get rid of the erroneous buyers,” Mr Ros-aiah said, while speaking to this correspondent.
The due date for the post-dated cheque has been advanced to 12 days. Bes-ides the instructions on the time limit, the commission merchants were also told to update the transactions on the purchases. Mr Rosaiah is firm on the implementation of the new conditions.
Papers burnt at village office
Vijayawada, July 23: Tension gripped Veerulapadu mandal in Krishna district when some persons barged into the panchayat office at around 3 pm on Sunday and set fire to the withdrawal forms meant for the forthcoming panchayat elections.
The officials were busy as it was the last day to withdraw the nomination forms and the contestants of V. Annavaram too have filed their forms in the same office. The incident took place when Ch. Venkataratnam and V. Aruna Kumari of Ward 1 filed two sets of nomination papers and wanted to withdraw one of them.
When they were in the process of signing on the withdrawal forms, some unidentified persons for-cibly took away the forms from the panchayat officer and set them ablaze behind the office.
“We are going to book cases against those involved in the incident. Five people were involved and they were accompanied by 20 others,” superintendent of police Murugesh Kumar Singh told this correspondent. It was suspected that the Telugu Desam activists were involved in the incident.
5 held for idol theft
Vijayawada, July 23: Five persons were arrested on Sunday for the theft of 13th century Panchaloha idols of Lord Jagannatha and goddess Sridevi. ACP West Zone Shaik Mastan Vali said the idols were stolen from Jagannatha Swamy temple at Pedak-onduru under Duggirala mandal in Guntur district.The price of the idols in international market is est-imated to be Rs 50 crores.
Urban health centres fall sick
Visakhapatnam, July 23: The Urban Health Centres, much-need in the monsoon season due to the increase in cases of fever and other seasonal ailments, are in a very bad condition. While some have no doctors, others have insufficient staff and less or no stock of medicines to treat the poor.
With no alternative, the patients are being forced to go to private hospitals. Some are even making beeline to petty quacks to get over the illnesses. The minimum staff required in these health centres are pharmacists, ANMs, female medical officers, attenders and health visitors.
Nine urban health centres in the city are being run by the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation and four by the King George Hospital. There is no permanent doctor at the Gnanapuram health centre for the past two years. The doctor who looks after the government family planning operations is looking after the centre in addition to another health centre at Rammurthy Panthulupeta.
She has to perform family planning operations on every Monday and Thursday in a week. As the doctor at Rammurthy Panthulupeta was transferred as assistant medical officer-4, the in-charge of the Gnanapuram centre is looking after the centre here. There has been no fresh recruitment for these centres for a long time. Another doctor, who was working at the One Town UHC, was recently transferred as assistant medical officer-6 forcing the patients in and around the One Town UHC to go to the private hospitals.
The same is the situation with the only ayurveda dispensary run by the corporation where the doctor was also given some additional duties. A large number of patients throng this only ayurveda dispensary. Patients stand in long queues since 4 am at the Kapparada UHC. The doctor there has to at least see 120 patients a day in a dilapidated building.
The doctor at the Bheemnagar UHC, who will retire this month-end, went on leave. “The urban health centres are only meant for creating awareness among the public. We are trying to recruit some doctors on contract basis, “ said chief medical officer of GVMC Dr M.S. Raju.
Jhansi assumes office of ZP chief
Vizianagaram, July 23: Botsa Jhansi Lakshmi, who was elected as Zilla Parishat chairperson for the second time in a row, and G. Sudarsana Rao were administered oath of office as chairperson and vice-chairman respectively by district collector B. Kishore at a brief ceremony held here on Sunday.
Of 34 ZPTCs in the district, Congress won 24, TD nine and the CPM won one seat, for the first time. Similarly, the Congress improved its position in mandal parishads also by securing 20 against the TD’s 13 and one by independents.
Ms Jhansi Lakshmi contested from Gurla mandal as ZPTC while Sudarsana Rao from Komarada mandal. Soon after taking oath of office, Ms Jhansi said that she would further develop the district on all fronts with the co-operation of all members irrespective of party affiliations by chalking out an action plan.
Science meet to begin today
Visakhapatnam, July 23: A two-day international conference on Computational Fluid Dynamics, Acoustics, Heat Transfer and Electromagnetics (CFEMATCON-’06) will begin here on Monday. The key aspects of the meet include advanced computational methodologies applied to the fields of acoustics, fluids and heat transfer, said Prof. K.Y. Fung of Hong Kong.
Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, Prof. Fung said that these topics cover a broad spectrum of highly important areas. “Though diverse by classification, the methodologies for solution of problems in these fields share commonality, which will be outlined and deliberated upon during this conference” said Prof Fung.
Amavasya, yamagandam delay ZP meets
Visakhapatnam/Adilabad, July 23: Superstitions ruled on the first day of the zilla parishad (ZP) meetings in two districts on Sunday. While members of the Visakhapatnam ZP, including its chairman G. Rama Murthy Naidu, refused to attend the first meeting by stating that ashada amav-asya was ahead on Tuesday, the oath-taking ceremony of the Adilabad ZP chairman was delayed for one hour to avoid yamagandam to the chairman post.
The State Election Commission (SEC) had earlier ordered that the ZP meetings should be convened on Sunday as the term of the outgoing ZP members ca-me to an end on Saturday.
However, Visakhapatnam ZP members and the chairman ignored the SEC directive for the reason that ashadam amavasya (eduru amavasya) falls on Tuesday. “Eduru amavasya is most inauspicious and nobody would take up a new assignment or step out of the house on a journey,’’ said a ZP member.
ZP chief executive officer P. Rama Rao said there was no quorum and hence the meeting could not be held. The ZP has 58 members and to convene a meeting at least 19 members should be present. “There were only 13 members present in the hall,’’ Mr Rao said.
In Adilabad, the oath-taking ceremony of ZP chairman was scheduled at 11 am. However, the programme was delayed by the Telugu Desam leaders and ZP chairman-elect Ramesh Rathod after the purohit forecasted that there is yamagandam till 1 pm and there will be a threat to the ZP chief’s post if he takes the oath before noon.
The purohit suggested that the oath-taking should be postponed to overcome any obstacles. D senior leaders and Mr Rathod gathered at the party office but they did not come to the ZP hall by the scheduled time. District collector Ravala Subbarao came to the ZP hall at noon and announced that oath-taking ceremony was postponed to 12.45 pm as there was no quorum. Finally the ceremony was conducted only after the durmuhurtam was over.
Anantapur, July 23: Thopudurthi Kavitha took charge as the first woman Zilla Parishad chairperson here on Sunday. District collector Camdiel Dasari administered the oath to the new Zilla Parishad chairperson. Minister for panchayat raj J.C. Diwakar Reddy and minister for agriculture N. Raghuveera Reddy attended the oath taking ceremony.
The Telugu Desam boycotted the programme in protest against the anti-democratic methods employed by the Congress to wrest the ZP chairperson post. It may be recalled that the Congress managed to bag the ZP chairperson post after two Telugu Desam ZPTCs supported their candidate in last minute.
However, the TD member who was elected as cooption member participated in the programme and took the oath. Meanwhile, the review meeting which is scheduled to be held was postponed due to lack of quorum. Only 22 members turned up for the meeting against the total membership of 63.
Speaking on the occasion, the ministers J.C. Diwakar Reddy and N. Raghuveera Reddy vowed full cooperation for developmental works to be taken up by the Zilla Parishad. The ministers said that they would strive to bring more funds for developmental works in the district. Mr Diwakar Reddy said that the ZP should take steps for effective utilisation of funds.
Panchayats elected unopposed
Kadapa, July 23: A record number of gram panchayats were unanimously elected in the Kadapa district, represented by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. A total of 310 gram panchayats were elected unanimously out of the 808 gram panchayats in the district.
Elections would be held for 447 gram panchayats only of the remaining 498 panchayats as elections to 51 panchayats were postponed due to various reasons. In Pulivendula Assembly constituency, represented by the Chief Minister, 42 gram panchayats were unanimously elected of the total 85 gram panchayats.
In Jammalamadugu Assembly segment, 49 gram panchayats were unanimously elected out of 100 gram panchayats. Even though the withdrawal of nominations has to end by 3 pm, it has been extended till 8 pm in several villages. Heavy lobbying has been done in several villages for the unanimous elections.
Elections will be held in three phases in the three divisions on July 29, August 2 and 6. Heavy police force is deployed to prevent to any untoward incidents.
State has no right to kill Naxals: HRF
Atmakur (Kurnool), July 23: Human Rights Forum general secretary K. Balagopal on Sunday questioned the government’s right to kill Naxalites. Nobody has licence to kill Naxalites, he said and criticised Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Home Minister K. Jana Reddy and Director General of Police Swaranjit Sen for giving an open call to kill Naxalites. Mr Balagopal was on a fact finding tour to know details of the recent encounter at Nallakalva village in Atmakur mandal of Kurnool district.
Speaking to reporters, the HRF general secretary said that the Congress government which has come to power with the promise to hold talks with the Naxalites is brutally murdering Maoist leaders in the name of fake encounters. The Rajasekhar Reddy government which has allowed arms to be the part of peace talks has systematically sabotaged the talks and started killing Naxalites, he said.
The government is arresting Naxalites holed up in forests, extracting information on party activities and killing them, he alleged. He said that nobody has any objections if the government arrest the Maoists and produced them in the court.
Mr Balagopal demanded that the government and Naxalites announce ceasefire and hold talks. Human Rights Forum district secretary U.G. Srinivas and others participated. Mr Balagopal said that the encounter that took place at Nallakalva village in Atmakur mandal was a fake one.
The HRF team enquired with the residents of Nallakalva, Vadlaramapuram and Kothapuram villages on the encounter. Mr Balagopal said that Venu alias Pochaiah was nabbed by the police while he was pillion-riding on a motorcycle on July 15 and was interrogated at the Atmakur police station and later killed in cold blood on the same day night.
Encounter a blow to Maoists
Markapuram (Prakasam), July 23: Maoists are gradually losing their base in the Nallamala forest areas which are spread over Prakasam, Guntur, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Kurnool districts during the last two years.
About 30 Maoists were killed in various encounters that took place in Prakasam district alone during the last two years. Sunday’s encounter was the biggest in which eight Maoists including State committee Secretary Madhav alias Manohar alias Narender was killed.
The Maoists had developed a strong base in the Nallamala after they sustained major losses in the North Telangana region during the Telugu Desam rule. The Nallamala region came into limelight two years ago when Maoists leaders and representatives emerged out of the Nallamala forests on the Srisailam ghat route between Prakasam and Guntur districts.
Since then, police have targeted the region and gradually strengthened themselves by conducting relentless combing operations. Greyhound units from four districts are regularly involved in the combing operations throughout the year so that the Maoists cannot move freely in the region.
At least on two occasions, Greyhound forces encircled Ramakrishna, former State committee secretary, in the forests. Ramakrishna escaped but Madhav alias Mallanna alias Manohar who was killed in the exchange of fire on Sunday also escaped during the exchange of fire on a couple of occasions in the region, said Markapuram OSD Ranganadh on Sunday.
Maoists during the last two years suffered major losses in the forest areas. State committee member Matta Ravi was killed in an encounter in the region last month. Three members of the action team who were involved in the bomb blast case targeting former SP Mahesh Chandra Laddha last year, were also killed in encounters.
Keerthipati Rambabu, expert in making explosives with electrical equipment, also surrendered before the police a couple of weeks ago. Police had developed a strong network in the forest area and were able to get reliable information on the movements of Maoists.
Kovur sugar coop to set up power plant
Nellore, July. 23: The Kovur Cooperative sugar factory general body meet passed a resolution in favour of a cogeneration plant to produce 6.47 MW power on Sunday. The plant is estimated to cost Rs 25.02 crores.
The general body meet, which was held at the factory in Kovur on Sunday, also approved a proposal to sanction Rs 2.50 crores share capital which would be reimbursed in four instalments without interest by the government.
Collector and ex-officio chairman of the factory, M. Ravichandra convinced farmer in the future interest of the cooperative unit. They had initially raised several objections to the resolution. Farmer leaders questioned the rationale behind keeping them in the dark about the project till the eleventh hour even though the proposal was in the offing for the last three months.
They felt that the administration should have given prior information on the issue to enable them to discuss at length on the pros and cons of the proposal, recalling a similar proposal to establish a 1.5 MW plant four years ago.
The collector took pains to explain the need to pass the resolution, referring to the ensuing meeting with the CM on July 25 on the subject. He said that the CM would discuss the subject with representatives of the sugar factories which were willing to set up the power plants.
Referring to the need to pass a resolution to make use of the opportunity, the collector reminded that the general body was free to call off the project if they felt that it was not viable. “We cannot approach the government for the plant again if you say no at this juncture,” the collector told farmers.
He conceded the farmers’ request to enhance the minimum support price by Rs 50 per ton from next harvest season. The general body also gave its nod to establish an ethanol plant at the factory.
Former chairman of the factory Samanthu Subba Reddy, former CPM MLA Jakka Venkaiah, farmers’ leaders Harikishore Reddy, Bezawada Obul Reddy, Jetty Ramachandra Reddy spoke on behalf of farmers.
Maoists lose foothold in Nallamala
Markapuram (Prakasam), July 23: Maoists are losing their base in the Nallamala forest that covers Prakasam, Guntur, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Kurnool districts. About 30 Maoists have been killed in encounters in Prakasam district alone during the last two years.
The Maoists developed the Nallamala base when they were driven out of the North Telangana region during the Telugu Desam years. The biggest acknowledgement that they had shifted to Nallamalla came when Maoists leaders stepped out of the forests on the Srisailam ghat route between Prakasam and Guntur districts for talks with the government two years ago.
Since then the police has focused on the region and conducted relentless combing operations. Over 1,500 special trained personnel have combed the forest inch by inch. Greyhound units from four districts have scoured the forests in round-the-year combing operations, making Maoist movement difficult in the forests.
On two occasions, Greyhound commandos encircled the Ramakrishna, then State committee secretary, in Nallamala. On the first occasion, the State government let him go under pressure. A second time, he managed to escaped. State secretary Madhav, who was killed on, had also escaped on a couple of earlier occasions, said Markapuram officer on special duty Ranganadh.
Maoists have suffered other major losses. State committee member Matta Ravikumar was killed in the encounter in the region last month.Three members of the action team that tried to kill then Prakasam district superintendent of police Mahesh Chandra Laddha last year were killed in various encounters.
K. Rambabu, expert in making explosives with electrical equipment, surrendered a couple of weeks ago. The police has developed a strong network in the area and could able to get reliable information on the movement of Maoists. This was reflected in the seizure of huge quantities of arms and sophisticated wireless sets.
The Maoists in the region are also suffering from lack of leadership. Senior leaders like Ramakrishna were elevated and shifted to the Andhra Orissa Border.
ZP chief vows to develop schools
Kakinada , July 23: East Godavari Zilla Parishad chairman Chelluboyina Venugopal said that top priority would be given to education and rural sports. Speaking to media persons at the ZP meeting hall on Sunday, he said that the new body would give importance to education, right from the elementary level, and to provide infrastructure facilities in schools.
“My first priority is to provide sufficient classrooms in ZP schools and I am planning to visit each and every school in the district,” said Mr Venugopal. “I know that some schools are lacking in basic amenities, even for girls and we will definitely improve the situation in a phased manner,” he asserted.
The new ZP chief also said that sports persons and students with sports talent would be encouraged in all possible ways. He felt that there was no dearth of sports talent in rural India. But there was no sufficient encouragement. “As a first step towards this, we will give priority in appointing physical education teachers. For taking up all these programmes, more financial resources are required,” he added.
He disclosed that he would approach old students of schools for financial aid. There were several hundred old students of these schools who were in good positions, he added. On administrative reforms, he said that he would take advice from all sections at the right time on important matters. He said that the funds at the disposal of ZPTC members would definitely be increased irrespective of members’ party affiliations.
Regarding mobilisation of additional funds, Mr Venugopal said that he was confident of getting additional funds from State government. On ratification of works which was a big issue during the tenure of the previous body, he said that they would do away with the system. “Instead, we will appraise members of the issue and obtain their consent,” Mr Venugopal added.
Earlier, the ZP meet slated for 10.30 am was postponed for want of quorum. Chief executive officer Nagesh Babu waited for 45 minutes for the attendance of the members. Chairman Mr Venugoapl announced that the meeting was postponed to July 30.
As expected, the auspicious day sentiment played a major role in the absence of members. Attendance was nil due to the new moon factor on Sunday.
Karmuri to fulfil party’s promises
Eluru, July 23: The new ZP body would take all steps for the development of district with proper planning, said the new chairman of West Godavari Zilla Parishad Karmuri Nageswara Rao. Addressing the ZP general body meeting on Sunday, he said that with the help of MLAs, MPs and other leaders, developmental activities would be taken up in a non-partisan way.
He said he would strive to fulfil the promises of party leader Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. He promised that he would always be accessible to all. Mr Nageswara Rao assured of developing West Godavari as a model district in the State.
ZP chief executive officer Kondiah Sastry, Eluru MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, MLAs Maganti Babu, Vatti Vasanth and others attended. Earlier Mr Nageswara Rao took oath as chairman along with vice-chairman A. Satyanarayana.
GV feels slighted at ZP meet
Karimnagar, July 23: The first general-body meet of the Zilla Parishad was marred by a controversy over protocol issue here on Sunday.
Irked over not being allotted a seat on the dais at the general body meet cum the swearing-in ceremony of new ZP chairman Arepalli Mohan, Peddapalli MP G. Venkataswamy, who is the Congress deputy leader in the Parliament, openly expressed his displeasure over the alleged disgrace meted out to him on the occasion.
When his turn came, a visibly upset Venkataswamy walked on to the stage from his chair allotted in the front row below the dais and gave vent to his hurt feelings.
In an emotionally charged tone, he said, “I played an instrumental role in the enactment of the 73 and 74 amendments to the Panchayat Raj Act as a Union minister in the past. It is deplorable that I did not get a seat on the dais despite my seniority and contribution,” he lamented and said, “I have come here to bless Mr Mohan. Had he was not here I would have not continued my speech,” he remarked. “I wish that Mohan will sincerely work for the upliftment of the weaker sections and do justice to his designated duties as the new chairman,” he said.
Later, minister for sports M. Satyanarayana Rao said that senior leaders like Mr Venkataswamy could not be accommodated on the dais because of the protocol rules. The officials have left with no option but to comply with the regulations, he said.
“I will raise the issue in the ensuing Cabinet meet on July 27 and ensure amendments to the protocol rules to prevent recurrence of similar unsavoury situations,” he asserted. He recalled the contribution of Mr Venkataswamy to the empowerment of the downtrodden sections. Dalit leaders like Mr Mohan could become ZP chairman due to his initiation, he said. A section of the ZPTC members and MPPs subscribed to the views of Mr Venkata Swamy.
Naik warns colleges over admissions
Warangal, July 23: Social welfare minister D.S. Redya Naik on Sunday strictly warned those colleges which denied admissions to SC, ST students for their failure to pay the fee at the time of admissions. “Colleges should admit students first who are eligible from the SC, ST categories and later they can seek reimbursement from the government,” he explained.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday evening, the minister said that legal action would be initiated against those colleges which refused to admit students in case they failed to pay the fee at the time of admission. He explained that the government would reimburse the fees of all students belonging to the SC, ST categories.
Reeling out statistics, Mr Redya Naik said that the Congress government had increased the budget for post-matric scholarships to Rs 309 crores as against the earlier budgetary allocation of Rs 175 crores during the Telugu Desam regime.
“The amount of scholarships for post-matric students was also increased from the earlier Rs 525 to Rs 740 to all the students in the State,” he said. Scholarships and hostel and residential school facilities were also being extended to 4.14 lakhs students all over the State.
Referring to the payment of arrears, the minister explained that government had released Rs 98 crores during the last fortnight and the amount would be disbursed by the end of the month. Responding sharply to the criticism that the State government had failed to get budgetary grants from the Centre, Mr Redya Naik explained that he himself had gone to Delhi in March and had got a release of Rs 150 crores from the Centre under various heads.
The minister said that the Congress government had increased mess charges for SC, ST, and BC category students. The hike to the tune of 25 per cent would be implemented from July 1.
Protocol denies dais seat to GV
Karimnagar, July 23: A row over the seat arrangement marred the swearing-in ceremony of new Karimnagar zilla parishad (ZP) chairman Arepalli Mohan on Sunday when Lok Sabha deputy leader G. Venka-taswamy was denied a seat on the dais. He was alloted a seat in the front row below the dais.
Expressing his displeasure, the Pedapalli MP said: “I had played an important role in the legislation of the Panchayat Raj Act as a Union minister. But despite my seniority and contribution, I did not get a seat on the dais.”
Mr Venkataswamy said he had come to the meeting to bless the new ZP chairman Arepalli Mohan. If the cha-irman was not Mr Mohan, I would have come here.The Lok Sabha deputy leader asked the new ZP chairman to work for the upliftment of the weaker sections.
Later, minister for sports M. Satyanarayana Rao said that senior leaders like Mr Venkataswamy could not be accommodated on the dais because of the restrictions imposed by the protocol. He said the officials had no option but to comply with the protocol regulations.
The minister, however, promised to raise the matter at the Cabinet meeting and ensure that appropriate amendments were made to the protocol to prevent recurrence of similar situations.
Recalling the contribution of Mr Venkataswamy to the empowerment of the down-trodden sections, Mr Satyanarayana Rao said Dalit leaders like Mr Mohan could not have become zilla parishad chairman without his initiation.
ZPTCs against Polavaram
Khammam, July 23: The Telugu Desam-CPM combine, which won all the ZPTCs in the Polavaram area, insisted on a unanimous resolution against the construction of the project in the first general body meeting of the Zilla Par-ishad on Sunday.
As soon as the chairperson Gonela Vijayalaxmi and vice-chairman B. Ayodhyachari were sworn-in, Telugu Desam ZPTC from Errupalem Chava Rama-krisna raised the issue of Polavaram and spoke aga-inst it. Tallada ZPTC Tata Bhaskara Rao, who resp-onded, lent his support to Mr Ramakrishna.
CPM MLA Tammineni Veerabhadram stood up to say that the Zilla Parishad should discuss the Polav-aram issue threadbare. Chief executive officer Samuel Anand, who intervened, said that issues sho-uld not be raised in the first meeting as per the norms of the Election Commission. He said that the first meeting should be confined to swearing-in of the new body.
Responding to it, Mr Veerabhadram said that he knew the norms and it was the duty of the elected representatives to raise the issue of the affected people of Polavaram and the meeting should allow the members to discuss it. The ZPTCs of Bhadrachalam and Kusumanchi said that there was no wrong in raising the issue.
The CEO said he was not against taking up any issue and asked the members to allow the out-going zilla parishad chairman Chanda Lingaiah Dora to speak. Mr Dora said that posts are not permanent and the ZPTCs should concentrate on the people’s problems.
Zilla parishad chairperson Vijayalaxmi said that she hails from the Agency and would try to solve the problems of the backward areas. “I tired to do justice to all the ZPTCs in the district and solve the problems raised by them,” she said and claimed that she was the daughter of the Left parties and daughter-in-law of the Congress.
Vice-chairman Ayodhyachari asked the ZPTCs to extend cooperation to the chairperson and vice-chairman in solving the problems being faced by the people. He said that all the members should work hard for the development of the district.
Kothagudem MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao said that the members should fulfil the aspirations of the people who elected them. MLAs G. Narasaiah, J. Venkat Rao, K.V. Narasaiah and Sambhani Chandrasekhar were also present.
Conditions laid for chilli merchants
Guntur, July 23: After taking over as the president of the Association of Chilli Commission Merchants of the district for eleventh time, Mr Kilaru Rosaiah, the former member of Spices Board, is ready with a new set of conditions to the trading community.
Accordingly, the members of the association were instructed to collect payments from the traders within three days against the earlier time limit of 15 days. The issue of payments for the chilli purchases has become a bone of conte-ntion between the trading community and the commission agents.
According to an agreement made bet-ween the two parties 20 years ago, the payments for the purchased chillis had been done only after 14 days. But, with the recurrence of insolvency petitions, the old agreement lost its relevance. With a series of IPs being filed in courts, the Chilli Commission Merchants’ Association is firm on framing guidelines for the transactions.
Curbing the business of unethical practices, the association was also for promoting ‘decent trading’. To control the evasion of payments, it was decided to introduce post–dated system. If the cheques bou-nced, cases wre to be booked against the buyers as per the guidelines. But, the buyers opposed the proposal.
According to the commission agents, who always make payments to the farmers within hours, they have been at the receiving end for the last 40 years while being affected by the evasion of crores of rupees by buyers and exporters. “To make the system more imp-eccable, we have been asking for the system of post–dated cheques. This system is to get rid of the erroneous buyers,” Mr Ros-aiah said, while speaking to this correspondent.
The due date for the post-dated cheque has been advanced to 12 days. Bes-ides the instructions on the time limit, the commission merchants were also told to update the transactions on the purchases. Mr Rosaiah is firm on the implementation of the new conditions.
Papers burnt at village office
Vijayawada, July 23: Tension gripped Veerulapadu mandal in Krishna district when some persons barged into the panchayat office at around 3 pm on Sunday and set fire to the withdrawal forms meant for the forthcoming panchayat elections.
The officials were busy as it was the last day to withdraw the nomination forms and the contestants of V. Annavaram too have filed their forms in the same office. The incident took place when Ch. Venkataratnam and V. Aruna Kumari of Ward 1 filed two sets of nomination papers and wanted to withdraw one of them.
When they were in the process of signing on the withdrawal forms, some unidentified persons for-cibly took away the forms from the panchayat officer and set them ablaze behind the office.
“We are going to book cases against those involved in the incident. Five people were involved and they were accompanied by 20 others,” superintendent of police Murugesh Kumar Singh told this correspondent. It was suspected that the Telugu Desam activists were involved in the incident.
5 held for idol theft
Vijayawada, July 23: Five persons were arrested on Sunday for the theft of 13th century Panchaloha idols of Lord Jagannatha and goddess Sridevi. ACP West Zone Shaik Mastan Vali said the idols were stolen from Jagannatha Swamy temple at Pedak-onduru under Duggirala mandal in Guntur district.The price of the idols in international market is est-imated to be Rs 50 crores.
Urban health centres fall sick
Visakhapatnam, July 23: The Urban Health Centres, much-need in the monsoon season due to the increase in cases of fever and other seasonal ailments, are in a very bad condition. While some have no doctors, others have insufficient staff and less or no stock of medicines to treat the poor.
With no alternative, the patients are being forced to go to private hospitals. Some are even making beeline to petty quacks to get over the illnesses. The minimum staff required in these health centres are pharmacists, ANMs, female medical officers, attenders and health visitors.
Nine urban health centres in the city are being run by the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation and four by the King George Hospital. There is no permanent doctor at the Gnanapuram health centre for the past two years. The doctor who looks after the government family planning operations is looking after the centre in addition to another health centre at Rammurthy Panthulupeta.
She has to perform family planning operations on every Monday and Thursday in a week. As the doctor at Rammurthy Panthulupeta was transferred as assistant medical officer-4, the in-charge of the Gnanapuram centre is looking after the centre here. There has been no fresh recruitment for these centres for a long time. Another doctor, who was working at the One Town UHC, was recently transferred as assistant medical officer-6 forcing the patients in and around the One Town UHC to go to the private hospitals.
The same is the situation with the only ayurveda dispensary run by the corporation where the doctor was also given some additional duties. A large number of patients throng this only ayurveda dispensary. Patients stand in long queues since 4 am at the Kapparada UHC. The doctor there has to at least see 120 patients a day in a dilapidated building.
The doctor at the Bheemnagar UHC, who will retire this month-end, went on leave. “The urban health centres are only meant for creating awareness among the public. We are trying to recruit some doctors on contract basis, “ said chief medical officer of GVMC Dr M.S. Raju.
Jhansi assumes office of ZP chief
Vizianagaram, July 23: Botsa Jhansi Lakshmi, who was elected as Zilla Parishat chairperson for the second time in a row, and G. Sudarsana Rao were administered oath of office as chairperson and vice-chairman respectively by district collector B. Kishore at a brief ceremony held here on Sunday.
Of 34 ZPTCs in the district, Congress won 24, TD nine and the CPM won one seat, for the first time. Similarly, the Congress improved its position in mandal parishads also by securing 20 against the TD’s 13 and one by independents.
Ms Jhansi Lakshmi contested from Gurla mandal as ZPTC while Sudarsana Rao from Komarada mandal. Soon after taking oath of office, Ms Jhansi said that she would further develop the district on all fronts with the co-operation of all members irrespective of party affiliations by chalking out an action plan.
Science meet to begin today
Visakhapatnam, July 23: A two-day international conference on Computational Fluid Dynamics, Acoustics, Heat Transfer and Electromagnetics (CFEMATCON-’06) will begin here on Monday. The key aspects of the meet include advanced computational methodologies applied to the fields of acoustics, fluids and heat transfer, said Prof. K.Y. Fung of Hong Kong.
Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, Prof. Fung said that these topics cover a broad spectrum of highly important areas. “Though diverse by classification, the methodologies for solution of problems in these fields share commonality, which will be outlined and deliberated upon during this conference” said Prof Fung.
Amavasya, yamagandam delay ZP meets
Visakhapatnam/Adilabad, July 23: Superstitions ruled on the first day of the zilla parishad (ZP) meetings in two districts on Sunday. While members of the Visakhapatnam ZP, including its chairman G. Rama Murthy Naidu, refused to attend the first meeting by stating that ashada amav-asya was ahead on Tuesday, the oath-taking ceremony of the Adilabad ZP chairman was delayed for one hour to avoid yamagandam to the chairman post.
The State Election Commission (SEC) had earlier ordered that the ZP meetings should be convened on Sunday as the term of the outgoing ZP members ca-me to an end on Saturday.
However, Visakhapatnam ZP members and the chairman ignored the SEC directive for the reason that ashadam amavasya (eduru amavasya) falls on Tuesday. “Eduru amavasya is most inauspicious and nobody would take up a new assignment or step out of the house on a journey,’’ said a ZP member.
ZP chief executive officer P. Rama Rao said there was no quorum and hence the meeting could not be held. The ZP has 58 members and to convene a meeting at least 19 members should be present. “There were only 13 members present in the hall,’’ Mr Rao said.
In Adilabad, the oath-taking ceremony of ZP chairman was scheduled at 11 am. However, the programme was delayed by the Telugu Desam leaders and ZP chairman-elect Ramesh Rathod after the purohit forecasted that there is yamagandam till 1 pm and there will be a threat to the ZP chief’s post if he takes the oath before noon.
The purohit suggested that the oath-taking should be postponed to overcome any obstacles. D senior leaders and Mr Rathod gathered at the party office but they did not come to the ZP hall by the scheduled time. District collector Ravala Subbarao came to the ZP hall at noon and announced that oath-taking ceremony was postponed to 12.45 pm as there was no quorum. Finally the ceremony was conducted only after the durmuhurtam was over.
