Andhranews

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: Agriculture minister N. Raghuveera Reddy was at the receiving end for the second consecutive day in the Assembly with the opposition Telugu Desam attacking him for going abroad when the State was reeling under floods and drought.The minister had already come under criticism for his comments against TD members in the Assembly on Monday.

Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy himself intervened to convey to the minister the agitated mood of the members. Mr Raghuveera Reddy tried to pacify the opposition by saying that he did not mean to hurt anyone. TD members directed a barrage of criticism at the minister during the debate on drought and floods in the State on Tuesday.

Mr Raghuveera Reddy’s attempt to launch a counter offensive landed him in more trouble. After TD MLA Keshav concluded a 45-minute speech, the minister took the mike and said that Mr Keshav had a habit of lying. He quoted an adage that people who lie would be blessed with daughters. Mr Keshav replied that he had two sons and it was the minister who was blessed with two daughters.

This triggered much laughter. In his speech, Mr Keshav, who hails from the minister’s native district of Ananthapur, said that Mr Raghuveera Reddy had thoroughly failed in discharging his duties. “He made some tall talk about helping farmers after returning from his foreign tour,” he said.During the minister’s recent tour to Kadiri in Anantapur, farmers had confronted him for not coming to their rescue, the TD MLA pointed out.

He also found fault with the minister’s decision to commence cloud seeding after August 15, against the advice of experts. The government had not prepared the estimate of the loss when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the State, he pointed out.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: Tuesday was a day of walkouts and protests in the Assembly.
The Telugu Desam, the CPM, the TRS, the BJP and the MIM staged a walkout in protest against inordinate delay in releasing scholarships to BCs, SCs and STs. CPI members too protested, but stayed back in the House.

On another occasion, the Telugu Desam, the CPM, the MIM and the BJP members staged a walkout to protest against tardy relief measures in the flood-hit areas and government’s failure to order an inquiry into the failure to strengthen bunds along Godavari and other rivers despite submission of report to the government.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Minister for social welfare K. Redyanaik and Minister for rural development D. Srinivas refuted Opposition charges and said that the government had increased the scholarship amount from Rs 80 crore to Rs 110 crore. Dr Reddy asserted the Government would ensure 100 per cent coverage of scholarships to all eligible in the next two years.

“We have planned to construct integrated BC, SC and ST hostels instead of separate hostels. Like the housing scheme, we will also saturate scholarship to ensure scholarships to every eligible SC, ST and BC,” he remarked.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: The Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen on Tuesday took the Congress government to task for its alleged failure to control kidnappings and trafficking of young girls in the State, particularly Hyderabad.

Armed with statistics MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said Hyderabad city alone records seven cases of missing youths, including five girls, every day. As many as five children are kidnapped every day on an average. The MIM leader said 1,118 cases of kidnap and missing of children were registered in Hyderabad during 2004 and of this 353 cases were registered within Cyberabad police limits. In 2005, 511 cases of kidnap and missing of children were recorded.

With regard to missing of youths, particularly girls, Mr Owaisi said 3476 such cases were registered during 2005. Of these only 1714 cases were traced. About 80 per cent of all missing persons are young girls who are kidnapped by professional human trafficking gangs. “There is a heavy demand for Andhra girls in other States. The kidnapped girls are sold in brothels outside the State. The CID has reported the existence of as many as 32 such gangs in the State. Andhra Pradesh has now become number one State in the country in terms of missing children,” the MIM leader pointed out.

Answering supplementary during the Question Hour, Home minister K. Jana Reddy said the AP High Court had observed the man missing cases are not cognisable offences and police need not register them. A note in the general register will suffice. However, as a social obligation police are tracing the missing persons.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: Opposition members, including those of the Telugu Desam and the MIM, stalled the proceedings in the State Assembly on Tuesday demanding that the House be adjourned and take up discussion on five per cent quota for Muslims.MIM members rushed to the Speaker’s podium and disrupted the proceedings. Telugu Desam, TRS and the Left also joined the MIM in its demand. As all pleas for calm fell on deaf ears, Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy adjourned the House for a brief period.

As soon as the House assembled for the day, MIM members pressed for their adjournment motion on quota and the Question Hour began 40 minutes late. Later at a press conference, Energy and information minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir said the government was committed to the five per cent quota to Muslims.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: The State government on Tuesday made it clear that it has no proposal to issue licences to sex workers in the State.Women development and child welfare minister N. Rajyalakshmi told the State Assembly during Question Hour that the government had no such plans as issue of licences to sex workers might lead to social and legal problems.

She said a scientific study was yet to be done State-wide to make an estimate of sex workers population. However, the estimated sex workers population in the State is between one lakh to 1.5 lakh. The minister agreed that sex workers were being exploited in several ways in society.

She said the government had taken several measures to prevent trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation. As a welfare measure, the AP State AIDS Control Society is organising thrift and saving programmes, education to sex workers’ children and newsletters by sex workers forum focusing various needs and issues.

Pain goes on for patients

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: Three months after being affected by Chikungunya, thousands of patients are still unable to recover from severe joint pains. Most of them are unable to walk due the severe arthritis problems, termed post viral poly arthralgia. Other associated ailments like high fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, rash, swelling are gradually receding, but joint pains are forcing patients back in bed. Medical experts say some patients may need six months to ‘limp’ back to normalcy. Nearly 76,000 cases of Chikungunya have been registered since June, 2006.

The Medical and Health Department says that the patients need only symptomatic treatment like rest, fluids and paracetamol. But some senior doctors felt that the steroids like “depot medral” can cure chronic patients. “The cost of each injection is Rs. 60 and it may be the reason for not supply to government hospitals,” a senior doctor opined. “We went to government hospitals in vain. Now, we are depending on homeopathy medicine,” said patients B. Kamalamma and B. Narasimha.

Hyderabad District Medical and Health Officer Dr. Satyavati differs to agree though. “We are supplying even homoeopathy medicines. The steroids may give some immediate relief but they will lead to lot of side affects. Those are not to be administered to BP and diabetes patients,” she contends.

Even after the tall claims of the government, cases of Chikungunya are being reported in the city. But officials put the fever with joint pain cases only 2,223. “Only domestic sanitation is the solution. Fogging. Anti larval operations are still on. We are doing our level best. When compared to neighbouring States, AP is in a better position,” said another official.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: A retired deputy commercial tax officer, Ramana, was robbed of 25 tola gold ornaments and cash, all worth over Rs 2.5 lakh on Monday night. The incident occurred when Ramana was alone at his residence in Laxmi Arcade in West Srinivasa Colony.

According to S.R. Nagar police, an unidentified person gained entry into the house by opening the main door through an open window. The thief woke up Ramana and asked him where the money and gold were kept.When a shocked Ramana tried to raise an alarm, the robber took out a knife and atruck him on the right hand thumb. The thief then added that he required money for the treatment of his ailing mother.

With Ramana keeping quiet, the thief searched the almirah and suitcase and found the gold and cash. Police said that the thief, before going to Ramana’s house, had also tried to rob a lonely woman in the same colony. He had knocked the doors of her house but fled when she had raised an alarm.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: Telangana Rashtra Samithi legislator Mandadi Satyanarayana Reddy on Tuesday said that he and his family faced a threat from his party leaders. The TRS member, who is known for his opposition to party chief and Union Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his policies, submitted a memorandum to Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy seeking protection.

Mr Reddy said he and his family members had been constantly receiving threat calls and letters ever since he started questioning the party chief. Our own partymen are writing letters to female members of my family using foul language, he lamented. He also handed over the copy of one such letter to the Speaker.

Maintaining that he already brought the issue to the notice of the district superintendent of police and other higher police officials, the TRS member urged Speaker to take necessary action on his complaint.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: Two impostors, Shyam Kumar, 50, and M.B. Daniel, 53, who posed as policemen were arrested on Tuesday when they threatened the family members of a murdered man, Ramayya, to withdraw the case against the accused.

Chilkalguda Inspector Vinod Kumar said the duo had introduced themselves as policemen from Charminar police station and threatened Gowri Shankar and Maisamma, son and wife of Ramayya.They were told that they would have to face severe consequences if they did not withdraw the case against the accused Chinna Narasimha, Pedda Narasimha and others.

With the court posting the next hearing for September 4, the two called Maisamma over phone and said they would come to her residence on Tuesday. The police, who were informed about the call, laid a trap and arrested the duo.Police has booked cases under sections 448 (criminal trespassing), 419 (cheating by impersonation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC against Kumar and Daniel.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: Singareni Collieries Company Limited and National Thermal Power Corporation Limited will sign a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to collaborate and promote one or more joint venture companies in the field of coal mining and coal-based power plants.

The MoU will be signed by R.H. Khwaja, chairman and managing director of SCCL and T. Sankaralingam, CMD of NTPC in the presence of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The MoU will be a landmark agreement, which would synergise the business operations between the two PSUs in achieving greater economies in power generation as well as coal mining by leveraging their respective professional strengths.

The objectives of the MoU are: Acquisition of coal/ lignite mining block(s), its exploration, development, mining, processing, operation, maintenance and selling the coal/ lignite, besides development and operation and maintenance of integrated coal-based power plants and selling the electricity generated.

NTPC and SSCL will have equal equity holding in the JVs and the debt and equity will be in the ratio of 70:30 respectively. The JVs arrange necessary funds for the projects without any recourse to NTPC and SCCL.

The MoU will come into force from the date of its signing and will remain in force for a period of five years. An apex committee will be formed with the top officials of NTPC and SCCL. This committee will consider and approve viable projects submitted by the steering committee. The projects cleared by the apex committee will be processed further by NTPC and SCCL for preparing JV agreements for formation of joint ventures.

Hyderabad, Aug. 22: A physics lecturer of a government college in Kadapa was arrested in the city for trying to con a young widow into marrying him. Police have learnt that the con man, V. Jagan Mohan, 36, a resident of Tundu village in Kadapa, had a wife and two daughters staying in his native village.It was indecent SMS messages sent by him which made the young widow suspicious of his character. She alerted her relatives, who trapped the lecturer.

Chilkalguda Inspector Vinod Kumar said that on interrogation Jagan Mohan confessed to have made a failed attempt to marry another widow earlier. Jagan Mohan told this correspondent that though he was married, he was frustrated with his life and this had forced him to try to marry again. “Fate has landed me behind bars,” he said. His modus operandi was to register his name in marriage bureaus with the condition that he would only marry widows. He would present himself as a man who lost his wife.

In Hyderabad, he got his name registered with a marriage bureau in Ram Nagar in June this year. In less than two weeks, the bureau informed him that the parents of a widow were interested in contacting him. They met in the last week of June. Jagan Mohan informed them that both his parents were dead. He did not give them his home address and said he was staying in the college premises.

He also took the mobile number of the 24-year-old widow and soon started sending indecent messages to her. “He would send indecent messages at midnight. I got scared and informed my parents and relatives,” said the woman. When her relatives enquired at the college, they learned, to their shock, that his wife was alive. Jagan Mohan was not aware of this and persuaded the widow to meet him. Her family set a trap for him at the meeting place and handed him over to the police.