Andhranews

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: Flying in helicopters and pillion-riding on motorcycles, members of a Central team on Friday visited districts ravaged last fortnight by floods and rain. The team would return here on August 20 and hold discussions with officials before making its report on the quantum of aid to be given to the State.

The team, headed by Vipin Kumar Saxena, joint secretary in the Union home department, split into three groups to visit Srik-akulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East God-avari, West Godavari districts in the coastal region and Khammam and Adilabad in Telangana region.

Our Rajahmundry bureau reported that panel members comprising Mr Saxema himself, Mr Gurmukh Singh and Mr Raina made an aerial survey of the Ko-naseema area. They visited the breached portion of the river bund at Sanipallilanka of Ainavilli mandal. As the road is not motor-able, the members rode pillion on motorcycles to reach worst affected areas. They also visited a relief camp at ZP High School at Muktheswaram assured the people from Guntruvanipeta sheltering there that they would suggest a special package to shift them to safe places with houses.

They also inspected damaged fields at Mummidivaram and reached the breached area at Mondepulanka of D. Gannavaram mandal. A report from Vizanagaram said committee members Mr Jernal Ram and Mr Muralitharan visited disaster-stricken places including Velagavalasa in Terlam mandal, Kuneru in Komarada mandal, Thotapalle and Parvathipuram. Officials also saw a photo exhibition highlighting the devastation caused by the floods. The team left for Srikakulam in the evening.

Our Adilabad correspondent reported that villagers of flood-affected areas in Bela and Jainad mandals urged members of the Central team to order the construction of a dam as a permanent solution to floods. The Central team comprising Mr S.R. Sinha, Mr Mehta and Mr Rajashekar visited villages in Degoam, Maniyarpur, Guda, Kangarpur, Bedoda, Sangdi in Bela mandal, and Umri and Kapri in Jainad Mandal.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi paraphrased the Roman phrase “Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)” to describe the visits of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AICC president Sonia Gandhi to flood affected areas. “They came, they saw, they went back,” he said.

He said that the visits did not help in any way to mitigate the suffering of the flood-hit people. “The State would require at least Rs 6,500 crores to take up relief and rehabilitation work including strengthening of bunds of the Godavari up to 480 km. But what the State got was Rs 400 crore,” he said. The MIM leader said 6,509 villages were affected but only 310 health camps were set up.

The Godavari and the Krishna deltas need to be modernised, he said adding that the State needed intelligent water management and disaster preparedness. “The State government is found wanting in both these areas,” he said.

He wanted protection of catchment areas of all rivers to ensure that rain water flows into the the river. “When almost all the rivers are in spate in the State, there is no inflow into Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. This is because the catchment of Musi river has been encroached upon,” Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi said.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: Telangana Rashtra Samiti members disrupted the Assembly proceedings demanding that the House should debate the implementation of jobs-for-locals GO 610.

First thing in the morning, the TRS asked Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy to allow their adjournment motion on the issue. Mr Reddy rejected the motion and the TRS members rushed to well and then to the podium to press their demands. They displayed placards demanding implementation of 610 GO and action against officials for delaying submitting data of employees.

At one point, Mr Nayani Narasimha Reddy shouted at finance minister K. Rosaiah accusing him of insulting the sentiments of Telangana and demanded an apology. After 20 minutes, the Speaker adjourned the House till 9.35 am and said the issue would be taken up later. The Speaker also rej-ected adjournment motions given by BJP on the spread of chickungunya.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: The debate on flood relief remained inconclusive on Friday with the State government informing the Assembly that it would reply to the discussion on Monday, leading to protests by the Opposition which wanted the debate concluded on Friday.

Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy adjourned the House for the day amidst protests by the Opposition parties. The Congress said that it needed more time to make a comprehensive reply. “Central teams are visiting the flood affected areas. Ministers and MLAs need to be present in their constituencies during the visit,” Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy said.
The Opposition alleged that the government was running away.

“The government wants to drag on the discussion. In the last session it dragged the discussion on Yellampally for more than 20 days. We want it completed today itself,” CPI(M) floor leader N. Narasimhaiah said. Opposition leader and Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu said the Congress government was trying to cover up its faults.

Earlier, Mr Naidu demanded that the State government should pay a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each for the kin of the victims of recent floods. Participating in the debate on floods in the Assembly, the former chief minister said there should be a substantial enhancement in compensation for crop loss and seed subsidy.

He also wanted the Assembly to pass a resolution asking Centre to declare floods as national calamity and grant more funds for relief.Mr Naidu took potshots at agriculture minister N. Raghuveera Reddy for going abroad at a time when the farmers were in trouble.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: A special police party seized explosives from Bada Pahad dargah, popularly known as Peddagutta, at Varni mandal on Friday. They also seized three gelatine sticks in a raid on a nearby hotel and arrested two persons, who were rele-ased later after the police found that they had nothing to do with seized explosives. The dargah is stituated 30 kms away from Nizamabad.

The Mahbubnagar police, meanwhile, unearthed 200 kg of gelatine sticks and a huge quantity of rations from an alleged dump of the CPI(Maoist) in the Nallamala forest area in Kollapur police station limits. Police said the dump was being used by district committee secretary Sambasivudu, one of the most wanted Maoists.

State staff told to keep off private marketing

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: The Crime Investigation Department has warned State government employees and police officers not to join dubious multi-level marketing schemes. Warning notices were issued by the CID to all superintendents of police and station house officers regarding this.

The warning was given in the context of the CID probe into the activities of many MLM companies in Hyderabad.It is learnt that notices will be slapped on these companies soon stating that their schemes are illegal.CID Economic Offences Wing SP V.C. Sajjanar said that companies such as Teams E Shop Pvt Ltd, Gateway at Ameerpet and Gold Quest at Vijayawada are under the scanner.

“We will register cases against them if we get complaints,” he added. Cases against several MLM companies have been registered recently at the Hyderabad Central Crime Station and in Mahbubnagar and Guntur districts. “They are nothing but money circulation schemes,” said Mr Sajjanar.

“Prices of the products are high, commission for distributors is high and the burden is passed on to the members,” he added. Some MLMS companies were selling medical products violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. “It is illegal for government employees to take part in such schemes,” said Mr Sajjanar. “Instead they should educate the general public.”

Cases relating to swindling of amounts worth Rs 8.61 crore by prize chit and MlM companies were registered in the State in 2005. “The scams amount to hundreds of crores of rupees but few people lodge complaints,” said a CID official.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: Justice G. Raghu Ram of the AP High Court in two separate writ petitions on Friday stayed all further proceedings pursuant to the notification issued after the change in alignment of Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Kadlakoi village, Medchal mandal for two weeks and stayed the land acquisition proceedings near Uppal for the Musi Beautification project.

The judge was dealing with writ petitions filed by the persons, who lost their lands for the Musi Beautification and ORR development projects. The judge stayed the operation of notification in ORR No. 207 dated December 14, 2005 for a period of two weeks and referred the matter to Division bench for further adjudication in the writ filed by S.B. Kirloskar and others.

The petitioners made serious allegations against Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) and its chairman Sudheer Reddy who were arrayed as party respondents along with another congress leader Ambati Rambabu. The petitioners narrated how the alignment of ORR has been altered 114 times to favour selected powerful few.

The senior advocate appearing for the petitioners S. Ramachandra Rao informed the court the role of HUDA in depriving the lands of the poor in the name of realignment. The court perused the counter affidavit filed by Project Director, ORR who claimed that everything was as per law.

Justice Raghu Ram did not appreciate the claim that a committee comprising six IAS officers was asked to look into the complaints. The judge observed that “public law” does not recognise such committees and said that the counter affidavit of the project director was not forthcoming about various serious issued raised by the petitioners. The judge referred the matter to a division bench as issues relating to environment were also involved along with some issues which need serious consideration.

In another batch of writ petitions filed, Dubba Narasimha Reddy of Uppal and others challenged the proceedings initiated to acquire their land for Musi Beautification project.
Counsel D. Prakash Reddy brought to the notice of the court that large extents of lands running into hundred of acres were being acquired when the land on banks of Musi river was enough for setting up of sewage treatment plants etc.

The petitioners complained that the authorities were acting contrary to the law and unfairly. They contended that the lands were sought to be acquired without conducting inquiry regarding the requirements. The judge admitted the cases and granted stay.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: The Andhra Pradesh Residential Educational Institutions Teachers’ Association demanded that the government permit the education department to undertake transfer of teachers to places of their choice. The association staged a demonstration in front of the APREI secretary’s office in Gagan Vihar complex on Friday.

Scores of teachers from various districts picketed and raised slogans against the government’s inaction. Most of the teachers have been working in rural areas for the last 10 to 15 years and eagerly awaiting transfers. They hoped that if they were transferred to surrounding areas of cities, they could provide better education to their children.

“Why is the government silent after conducting counselling?” questioned K. Ravi Chander, president of AP Residential Educational Institutions Teachers’ Association. They alleged that teachers working in cities were placing obstacles in the transfer process.

“The teachers based in cities fear they may be shunted out hence they are opposing transfers,” the Association alleged in their representation to the government. The association president said that Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy had given his consent but it was minister for school education N. Rajya Lakshmi who had not issued orders till date.

Hyderabadis too lazy to collect cards: Survey

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) officials will soon launch Mobile Designated Photographic Location Equipments in twin cities to issue photo identity cards to voters at their doorsteps from September. Of the targeted 19.87 lakh voters who have enrolled their names, a meagre 2.43 lakh have been issued photo ID cards.

The photo ID cards were until now issued to voters at the DPL centres. But the response to this system in the twin cities has been poor. Statistics with MCH show that Hyderabadis are lethargic in taking photo ID cards in spite of sustained campaigns. MCH will also campaign intensively on the importance of voter ID card not only as a residential proof but also as a valid document for opening bank account, obtaining passport or Income Tax PAN Card.

“We hope a large number of voters will now get the ID cards through the mobile centres,” said MCH Additional Commissioner (Estates) G. Ravi Babu. “It is because we allow the voters to exercise their franchise using other identity proof including ration cards, telephone bills etc that they do not take interest in acquiring photo ID cards.” a senior MCH official opined.

MCH officials want to bring the percentage of voters with photo ID to 85 per cent from the present 65 per cent before the Municipal Corporation elections to be held next February.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: Increasing suicide rate does not seem to be the only concern of Gulf NRIs. Many of the NRIs (most of them from Andhra Pradesh) are in need of medical attention as well.

The story of Medari Rajaiah, a native of Domakonda in Nizamabad, who is now admitted in Asian Institute of Gastroneterology in the city speaks volumes about the plight of labourers from Andhra Pradesh particularly Nizamabad and Karimnagar who have no money to pay for their medical expenses.

Rajaiah, who was suffering with appendicitis and nutritional deficiency disorders, was flown to Hyderabad from Sharjah after an NRI industrialist sponsored his flight tickets eight days back. Rajaiah said, “I went to Sharjah, along with 10 others, after paying Rs 70,000 to an agent at Kama Reddy. I had borrowed money from financiers. I was granted only a visit visa. For three months I could not get any job and had to depend on friends there. Then I started working at a construction site. But soon I got admitted to a hospital in Sharajah with severe stomach pain. I was admitted for 20 days during which an appendicitis operation was performed. Six others from Andhra Pradesh were also there with me in the hospital. Depression, stress and lack of food are leading to all these problems.”

He added that hundreds from Karimnagar and Nizamabad were jailed in Gulf countries for living illegally. The NRIs from Andhra, numbering about one million, constituted the second largest community of Indians in the Gulf. Seventy per cent of NRIs hospitalised in the Gulf are from Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad, Aug. 18: Vicar Ewari and Dr M.C. Bhurat have been unanimously elected district secretary and district treasurer respectively of the Indian Red Cross Society, Hyderabad district branch.The annual general body meeting of the Hyderabad district Red Cross branch was held on Thursday.

Hyderabad district collector R. V. Chandravadan presided over the meeting, which was attended by 89 life members. Dr Bhurat garlanded the portrait of Ronald Ross, the founding father of International Red Cross Movement.

Among those present on the dais at the meeting were Mrs Urmila Chandrasekhar Reddy, Dr Bodhamkar and advocate Ravindranth, the outgoing secretary. Others who participated in the discussion were Mrs Laxmi, Dr Hemachandra, Mrs Radha, Deshpande and senior officials from revenue and industry departments of the district.