Andhranews

Heavy rains hit Kurnool district

Kurnool, July 27: Heavy rains lashed several parts of the Kurnool district in the last two days. All the mandals in the district received moderate to heavy rain. The district registered a rainfall of 42.2 mm on Thursday. C. Belagal, Mahanandi, Gudur and other mandals registered a record rainfall of over 110 mm each in two days. Several low-lying areas in the city were inundated due to heavy rain on Wednesday night.
Residents spent sleepless night as rainwater entered their houses in Weaker Section Colony, Eswarappa Nagar, Hemalatha Nagar, Nirmal Nagar, Karl Marx Nagar and other low-lying localities. Wall collapses were reported from some places. However, none were injured in the incidents. Huts located along the Vakkera stream were submerged as the stream overflowed with rainwater. Local legislator Gafoor visited several low-lying areas and consoled the affected people. He assured that a protection wall would be constructed along the Vakkera stream.
Meanwhile, Nandyal division received heavy rains in the last two days. All the 17 mandals in the division received heavy rain. Nandyal town received 40 mm rainfall on Wednesday. Several low-lying areas were inundated due to the floodwaters and vehicular traffic was disrupted at several localities in the town. However, rains brought relief to farmers. In the last two days, Mahanandi received 150.8 mm rainfall, Bandi Atmakur 111 mm, Panyam 96.4, Gadivemula 56 mm, Allagadda 68.6 mm, Rudravaram 70 mm, Shirvella 99, Gospadu 102, Chagalamarri 35.4, Kovelakuntla 50 mm and Banaganapalle received 76.8 mm rainfall.

Srisailam receives huge inflows

Kurnool, July 27: Srisailam reservoir receives huge inflows of floodwaters due to heavy rains in the Krishna catchment areas in Karnataka. Nearly 1.5 lakh cusecs water is being released from Almatti and Narayanapur reservoirs into Srisailam dam. The water level at the dam reached 868.20 feet and water storage stood at 180 tmc ft on Thursday evening. Inflows into Srisailam dam increased to 1,67,716 cusecs by Thursday evening as it receives floodwaters from Handri, Kakileru and Bhavanashi rivers due to heavy rains in Kurnool district.
Officials said that dam gates would be opened and water would be released into Nagarjunasagar if the reservoir receives another 70 tmc ft of water. If the present inflows continue for another four days, the dam would reach its full capacity, officials said. The APGenco has taken up power production to full capacity and on an average 55,000 cusecs water is being released into Nagarjunasagar.
Meanwhile, Thungabhadra reservoir saw considerable increase in water level. On Thursday, the reservoir water level stood at 1630.865 against is maximum level of 1,633 and the storage capacity is 96.231 tmc ft against the full storage capacity of 111 tmc ft. The dam is receiving an inflow of 18,480 cusecs and 7,450 cusecs is being released into canals. Irrigation officials said that the dam gates would be opened if inflow increases.

Project gears up to provide water to crop

Komarada (Vizianagaram), July 27: The headwork package works on the rubber dam built on the river Janjhavathi in the mandal picked up momentum as Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy will release water for the kharif tentatively on August 8. The Chief Minister, while dedicating the rubber dam to the nation on the New Year’s Day, assured the ayacutdars that water would be released for kharif season. The engineering officials have speeded up the on-going works including concrete works and fixing of radial gates on the dam to store more water.
The contractors too have stepped up canal works to enable the officials to release water during the Chief Minister’s visit. A two-member Austrian engineering team had already visited the project last week and made a trial run as part of their annual maintenance contract. When contacted, rubber dam DE Koteswara Rao told this correspondent that the canal works were going on in full swing and would be completed well before the CM’s visit.
To a question, he said they have no information about the proposed CM’s visit till date, but they are making arrangements to release water in a week’s time.

Lambada thanda reels under viral fever

Nizamabad, July 27: People of Pedda Malkapur, a Lambada thanda located about 8 kms from Nizamabad, have been suffering from viral fevers, body pains and chikungunya for the last four days. Around 300 families are sick and awaiting treatment.
Villagers are expressing anger at the district machinery as no official, either from the Revenue or the Health departments, visited the thanda to enquire about their health. The thanda is not even in a position to participate in the gram panchayat elections to be conducted on July 29 under the first phase of polls. Pedda Malkapur is a tribal thanda and a major gram panchayat in Nizamabad rural mandal and consists of around 3, 000 population.
This correspondent visited the thanda on Thursday and found that almost one person from each family was suffering from viral fevers, body pains, joint pains, etc. “I am suffering from viral fever, but I am not in a position to go to hospital and even to the local RMP, as my parents are also suffering from diarrhoea for the last two days,” Mr Lingam Naik, 24, said.
Mr Shankar, 45, an agricultural labourer, who is suffering from body pains said, “I am not attending to work since three days due to acute body pains. My entire family depends on my earning.” Ms Banothu Syamala, 48, an housewife-cum-beedi roller, said, “ In my family, three persons, including my husband and two sons, are suffering from viral fever. I spent more than Rs 500 for treatment, but with no result.”
Dr Sudhakar Rao, a health official from the District Medical and Health Department, who visited the thanda along with health staff, said that there was no chikungunya in the thanda. “A few families are suffering from airborne diseases. Four cases in the entire thanda have symptoms of chikungunaya. We have collected blood samples of five persons suffering from malaria and sent them for lab tests. A health camp was organised at the village,” he added.

Mandali pays rich tributes to State Maoist chief with songs

Karimnagar, July 27: The artistes of Jana Natya Mandali paid rich tributes to slain Maoist leader Madhav alias Burra Chinnanna by singing revolutionary songs during his funeral procession. The artistes led by balladeer Gaddar performed in front of the funeral procession and sang revolutionary tunes describing Madhav as a son of the soil who returned to the village as a martyr after serving the movement for more than two decades. The artistes have also launched a scathing attack on the government in the form of songs accusing it of unleashing suppression.
Earlier, revolutionary poet Varavara Rao termed Madhav as a selfless revolutionist who contributed immensely to the movement. Addressing the gathering before the funeral procession, he said that Madhav has risen to the highest position in the movement by virtue of sheer commitment. He remains forever in the minds of the people for his relentless efforts to champion the cause of the poor and downtrodden sections, he said and added that Madhav created ripples among the imperialistic forces represented by US President George Bush through his determined struggle.
Virasam leader Kalyana Rao alleged that the Congress government, which came to power on the promises like preventing fake encounters, was resorting to worst ever oppressive acts. Stating that Madhav fought for the cause of the downtrodden sections till his last breath, he said that Madhav’s sacrifice would continue to inspire the revolutionists to spearhead the movement towards its goal to herald new democratic revolution.
Mr Gaddar alleged that the Congress government was drenching the villages in blood in the name of Palle Bata and Jala Yagnam. The government has virtually mortgaged the villages and the forests to the World Bank and playing to its tunes to suppress people’s movements, he charged.

Top Maoist leader cremated

Karimnagar, July 27: Ma-oist State secretary Madhav was cremated on Thursday at his native Mangapeta village in Kalvasrirampur mandal of Karimnagar district. The funeral was conducted under tight security and police surveillance. Attended by relatives, villagers, the representatives of the civil liberties committee, Virasam, and others, Madhav’s son Karthik lit the funeral pyre at their ancestral agricultural land on the outskirts of the village in the afternoon.
Poignant scenes were witnessed in the village as Karthik broke down on seeing the body of his slain father, which reached the village in the early hours. Shocked by the sight of the decomposed body of his father for the first and the last time in his life, Karthik wept inconsolably. Revolutionary poet Varavara Rao, balladeer Gaddar, Virasam leader G. Kalyana Rao, Madiga Res-ervation Porata Samiti president Manda Krishna Madiga and others accompanied Karthik in the funeral procession.
Amidst recital of the revolutionary songs by the acti-vists of Jananatya Mandali, the procession traversed thr-ough the main roads of the village and reached the cremation site after two hours.Meanwhile, a Maoist couple, Rollaaplli Rajeswara Rao alias Raju, 25, and his wife Nayana Adi Lakshmi alias Sujata, 23, surrendered before East Godavari police on Thursday.
Eluru Range deputy inspector-general C.V. Anand said Rajeswara Rao, a native of P. Yerrakonda in Y. Ramavaram mandal in East Godavari, was a key member in the Srikakulam division of the Andhra Orissa border special zone committee. Adi Lakshmi, a nat-ive of Dadalikawada in Y. Ramavaram mandal, was a member of the Chilakam guerrilla squad.

Vegetarianism catches up in Guntur town

Guntur, July 27: Guntur is the only city in Andhra Pradesh and one of the 14 cities in the country that has been taking part in the ‘Great Indian Meat-Out 2006’ campaign promoting vegetarianism.The first phase of the programme ended in March 2006 and members of ‘Do It Yourself Activists’ are gearing up for the second phase. Diya is a Bangalore-based NGO along with Plant and Animal Welfare Society of Mumbai which initiated an internationally-renowned campaign to promote vegetarianism and veganism, said Sujatha Karanth, coordinator of Diya, while speaking to this correspondent over phone.
According to Manjunath, coordinator of Diya at Guntur, leaflets were distributed and lectures organised during the first phase. In the second phase, in view of the largescale damage that fastfood chains cause to humans, animals and the environment in their meat-based diets, Diya and Paws approached big chains including McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Café Coffee Day.
“The idea is to ask them to promote particular products which do not have milk or meat, including lemon-flavoured ice tea, French fries, burgers without mayonnaise, etc.” he added. With the high cholesterol content, chicken joints are considered to be hazardous to health. Hence, chicken joints are deemed to be dog-meat. Big MNCs in the food world usually purchase those joints at a through-away price and export them for Indian consumption.
Moreover, Diya, by the concept, was deeply influenced by renowned philosopher, Peter Singer, who argues for animal rights, utilitarian ethics and a Darwinian Left. As a result, the big chains agreed for full meat-free day. “When the idea was mooted, Café Coffee Day came up with the idea of vegan shake, first of its kind,” Ms Sujatha said. Speaking to this correspondent, Rayapati Jagadish of Café Coffee Day of Guntur said he is yet to be informed of the programme.

35 hurt as RTC bus falls in canal

Tenali (Guntur) July 27: Nearly 35 people were injured when an APSRTC bus coming from Chirala to Tenali fell into East canal at Jaggadiguntapalem near Pedaravuru on Thursday. When the bus was heading towards Tenali in the morning, the driver lost control over it, sources said.
Since it was peak hour, 50 passengers, including schoolchildren were travelling in the bus. The bus driver tried to overtake an autorickshaw, but lost control of the steering as it ascended a mound of stone chips. After overturning, the bus fell into the canal. Out of the 35 people injured, the condition of 10 was said to be serious. They were rushed to Tenali government hospital. Tenali MRO and RTC officials are monitoring the relief operations.

Dowry accused tries to fly to Cyprus, held

Visakhapatnam, July 27: An accused in a dowry har-assment case was arrested in Mumbai by the Sahar police. He was brought here on Thursday and produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate. According to Gajuwaka station house officer P. Ravi Varma: “A case was filed by Murupuredi Satya Srivani against her husband Satish Kumar, father-in-law Someswara Rao, mother-in-law Venkata Lakshmi and brother-in-law Nitish Kumar accusing them of harassing her for more dowry.”
All the persons named in the complaint were arrested. However, the main acc-used during the course of investigation escaped with his passport planning to leave the country and settle in Cyprus.Police immediately filed a memo with the court of first additional chief metropolitan magistrate for impounding the passport issued to Satish Kumar. Accordingly, the regional passport officer impounded the passport.
Police commissioner V.S.K. Kaumudi issued a crash automex message to emigration authorities at international airports across the country describing the facts of the case and also the orders of the chief metropolitan magistrate. Police requested the emigration authorities to detain Satish Kumar and seize his passport. On July 22, the Sahar police in Mumbai intercepted Satish Kumar and informed the Visakhapatnam police.
On receipt of information, local sub-inspector Ch. Tirupathi Rao and other officials went to Mumbai and arrested Satish Kumar on July 24. A petition was filed in 22nd metropolitan magistrate and a transit remand was granted for a period of three days.The accused was brought to Gajuwaka police station at about 1 pm on Thursday and later produced in the magistrate court.The magistrate remanded him to 14 days judicial custody.