Andhranews

Kurnool, Sept. 22: The crest gates of Srisailam reservoir were again opened on Friday. The water level in the reservoir has gone up to the maximum level of 885 ft with the floodwater. As a result, two crest gates were lifted and water is being released at the rate of 56,000 cusecs to Nagarjunasagar in the downstream.

It may be recalled here th-at all the floodgates of Srisailam reservoir were lifted on August 1 due to the heavy floods to Krishna river. For the first time in the history of Srisailam reservoir, the water level rached full capacity in a span of two months and the irrigation officials were forced to lift the floodgates to release water downstream.

The floodgates were clos-ed on August 25, as the flo-ods to Krishna river was re-ceded. But within a month, again the Krishna river is in spate and the officials started releasing water. As on Friday, the Srisailam reservoir received an inflow of 1.53 lakh cusecs and the officials released 1.42 lakh cusecs as outflow per day.

While 56,000 cus-ecs of water was released through two flood gates, another 77,000 cusecs of water is being released to Nagarjunasagar through right and left canals after using the water for the generation of hydroelectricity at full capacity. Likewise, 9,000 cusecs of water is being released thr-ough Pothireddypadu head regulator to the irrigation canals in Rayalaseema. As Krishna is in spate, the hydroelectric generation plants are working in full swing.

Anantapur, Sept. 22: The farmers of Rayalaseema who were eagerly waiting for rains through cloud seeding are still in dark about its results. Not even the district officials have any information about the cloud seeding.

It may be mentioned that the State government entrusted the task to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU). The JNTU in turn is using the services of Agni Aviation for the job. At the same time, the district officials were assigned the job of assisting the Agni Aviation.

However, neither the district officials nor the JNTU authorities have any information about the results of cloud seeding, though the operations have begun some four days ago. It is not known what kind of results the Agni Aviation had achieved during these four days. The planning department officials claimed that they tried to contact the conductors of cloud seeding but to no avail.

The officials feigned ignorance on the issue when the mediapersons met them. Moreover, the JNTU authorities, who were working in the Radar Centre in Anantapur also did not have any information. The non-availability of information raises doubts over the success of the operations and the failure of Agni Aviation officials in their trials.

Not even a drop of rain was witnessed during the four days in Rayalaseema. However, it is learnt that the officials took up cloud seeding only in Kurnool and Anantapur districts, but failed to achieve any tangigle results.

Nellore, Sept. 22: Succumbing to pressure from women’s organisations, rights forums and police, Santhan Sagar, husband of agitating woman Rajarajeswari, said that he had no objection to live with his wife separately.

Accepting her demand for non-interference of his mother in their family affairs, he stressed that Rajarajeswari’s parents or relatives also should not interfere in their affairs. He disclosed his intention during a press conference held here on Friday.

According to Sagar, he married Rajarajeswari in 2005 August and set up family at Hyderabad where he is working in a software firm in November. He alleged that she was never cordial with him and left for Nellore without telling him in January. He refuted allegations that he was responsible for the abortion.

He said that she launched a malafide campaign against him after coming to Nellore. “Her family members levelled serious charges against me and also told my friends that that I am not fit for family life,” Sagar said. He also took strong objections to the allegations levelled against his family.

Tirupati, Sept. 22: Air pollution continues to be high in the temple town of Tirupati, according to a two-year study conducted by S.V. University at the pilgrim town. An average of 1,40,000 motor vehicles come to Tirupati every month.

Among 12 traffic centres, four traffic centres showed high air pollution on an eight-hourly basis. Highest pollution levels were recorded at the RTC central bus stand, Poornakumbha Circle, Alipiri Junction, railway station junction and Balaji Colony junction.

The study taken up by the Zoology Department of the university revealed that the percentage of respiratory disorders among traffic police exposed to automobile pollution ranged from 1 to 30 per cent from the first year to the sixth year of occupational exposure. Traffic police personnel work on deputation for a period of six years and are then posted to other divisions of the police department.

A correlation between air pollution SO2, NO2, CO and suspended particular matter (SPM) levels near the major traffic centres indicated to morbidity of traffic police personnel, who are occupationally exposed. The annual mean SPM ranged from 340-350 microgram per metre square, with 70 to 83 violations, carbon monoxide annual mean ranged from 1920 to 2098 micrograms, with 80 to 97 violations whereas nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide showed within recommended levels and least violations.

The Alipiri toll gate is the gateway for thousands of vehicles and the building abutting the Garuda statue is a high density pollution tunnel where tollgate staff, security staff of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, traffic police, special task police and civil staff are exposed, particularly on January 1 and Garudaseva day.

Nellore, Sept. 22: Collector M. Ravichandra directed all officials to be on high alert as October and November are considered cyclone prone months in this region, Participating at a cyclone and flood mitigation committee meeting here on Friday, the collector referred to the havoc wreaked by cyclones and heavy rains in north coastal and Telangana recently and stressed on the need for an action plan to face natural calamities to minimise the loss of life and property.

He directed officials to put up control rooms at mandal headquarters soon after calamities strike and establish communication with the headquarters as well as vulnerable villages falling under each mandal to monitor the situation continuously. He directed medical and health officials to be ready to move to affected places whenever necessary. He also instructed mandal revenue officers to hold a meeting with mandal and village-level officials on September 25 to make them ready to deal with any eventualities.

Referring to frequent breaches to tanks and inundation of villages in Atmakur and Ananthasagaram mandals, he advised panchayat raj and rural water supply department engineers to prepare plans to avert such incidents. He directed irrigation engineers to stay at villages during night and ensure their availability round-the-clock.

He told them to collect land phone and cell phone numbers of some responsible citizens in every village to get information in case of any calamity. Mr Ravichandra directed civil supplies officials to keep one month ration ready apart from the regular supply to use the same during emergencies.

He also told them to keep polythene bags ready to supply 20 kg rice to affected people. The collector suggested that they prepare an action plan with the help of ration card data to provide necessary ration to the affected people. He reminded that it was also important to supply drinking water along with the ration besides making arrangements for temporary toilets.

District SP N. Suryanarayana called for steps to take up repairs to cyclone centres on a war-footing to create confidence among locals. He stressed on the need to keep vehicles ready to shift people to safer places wherever necessary. He said that his department would establish a control room and post police personnel to guard villages.

Ongole, Sept. 22: District Congress leaders said that the Telugu Desam (TD) district president and Addanki legislator Karanam Balaram was facing pressure from within the party to step down from the party post after the TD’s defeat in polls and was hence diverting the issue by raising the Gundlakamma reservoir issue.

It may be recalled that Mr Karanam Balaram alleged that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy was behind the filing of cases against him as also in the allotment of Gundlakamma reservoir canal works to the relative of Ongole legislator Balineni Srinivasa Reddy.

DCC president G.V. Seshu, Zilla Parishad chairperson Katam Arunamma, Ongole legislator Balineni Srinivasa Reddy and SN Padu legislator Dara Sambaiah denied the allegations made by the Addanki MLA.

Addressing reporters on Friday, Ongole legislator Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said that he would resign from his post if the TD leader proved that Dr Rajasekhar Reddy was behind the allocation of Gundlakamma reservoir canal works to his relative.

He asked whether Mr Balaram would resign if he failed to prove the allegations. He said that neither his relatives nor the Chief Minister’s relatives obtained reservoir works.

“Mr Balaram raised the reservoir issue to divert the party’s attention as TD cadre are mounting pressure on him to quit the party post after the party suffered a big blow in the polls. During TD rule Mr Balaram committed many irregularities in food for work programme,” Mr Balineni Srinivasa Reddy alleged.

The Congress legislator warned that he would expose the wealth illegally amassed by Mr Balaram when he was Ongole MP. Talking about compensation to displaced families of Gundlakamma reservoir, he said that the government would pay as per the norms. ommenting on Mr Balaram abusing collector B. Udaya Lakshmi recently, he said that it was unfortunate.

Rajahmundry, Sept. 22: Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (APSACS) chalked out an action plan to ensure that no child is born infected with HIV/AIDS from January 1, 2007. As part of the strategy, APSACS, along with the district health administration, will collect information of pregnant women to keep track of them until they deliver.

APSACS issued directions to health personnel like auxiliary nurse and midwives (ANMs) and assistant para-medical officers to ensure 100 per cent screening of pregnant women for HIV/AIDS. The screening test for pregnant women is done free of cost only at government hospitals.

There are several Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centers (VCTCs) and Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission Centres (PPTCs) set up in the district and both women and men are supposed to undergo tests at these centres only.

Health personnel soon after finding a case of pregnancy, will collect information of her place of residence, her in-laws and her parents, and also the expected date of delivery. This will help them to facilitate the administration of Nivarapine tablet during delivery to ensure that the newborn baby is not infected with HIV/AIDS.

In addition, health personnel will be also be taking up an awareness programme on the importance of immunisation to ensure that the newborn baby does not catch infections and diseases. Pregnant women will be educated on the importance of intake of a nutritious diet. There will be post-natal care for them as well as for the baby.

Thrust will also be given to institutional deliveries as government is already providing financial incentives to the tune of Rs 1,000 to women for preferring institutional delivery. APSACS project director G. Ashok Kumar, during his recent visit to the city said, “We want to ensure that no child is born infected with HIV/AIDS from January 1, 2007 by taking up a programme to promote institutional deliveries.”

East Godavari district AIDS nodal officer Dr M. Pavan Kumar said, “As HIV/AIDS is transmitted through blood transfusion in most cases, we intend to keep a tab on vertical transmission also.”

Kakinada, Sept. 22: District medical and health officer (DMHO) D. Jayaram expressed serious alarm over the declining sex ratio in the district. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, he said that in 1991, the district had recorded 994 women against 1,000 men and added that by 2001, the number of women had gone down to 978.

He said that in Rayavaram mandal, there were only 613 women against 1,000 men. Referring to the increasing practice of female foeticide, he said that carrying out sex determination tests and disclosing the gender of the foetus were illegal.

Dr Jayaram said that till 1978, termination of pregnancy was illegal in the country but it was permitted in the same year in case both the mother and foetus were found to be suffering from health problems and genetic disorders.

However, the State government imposed a ban on disclosing the details of the gender of the unborn baby after conducting ultra sound tests from 1996 onwards, the DHMO said. Accordingly, for the first offence of disclosing gender after conducting tests, three years imprisonment and a minimum of Rs 10,000 fine, would be imposed.

For the second offence of revealing the sex of the unborn baby, five years imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine would be imposed. Dr Jayaram said that a district level joint action committee under the chairmanship of the district collector was keeping a tab on such developments and added that about 150 scanning centres were registered at present in the district.

Karimnagar, Sept. 22: The road and other key infrastructure network suffered severe damage due to the torrential rains, which wreaked havoc in the district last week. Though the officials put the estimated loss at Rs 100 crores as per the preliminary surveys, the damage is likely to be around Rs 300 crores on all counts considering the magnitude of the flood devastation.

Farmers once again bore the burnt of the nature’s fury ahead of the upcoming Dasara festival. It is believed that crops spread in over one lakh hectares were submerged in the floods across the district. A total of 432 irrigation sources breached and 14,649 houses damaged and 2,839 persons rendered homeless.

The Rajiv Rahadari suffered a major damage following the breach of the Thotapaplli River paralysing the road link between Karimnagar and Hyderabad. The vehicular traffic is being diverted via Husnabad to reach Hyderabad in view of the obstruction. The road network under the panchayat raj, the roads and buildings department and municipal limits was also damaged severely.

A total of 1,497 electricity services including 12 11 kv feeders, 147 11 kv poles, 23 kms length of transmission lines and 797 poles were damaged. A total of 179 rural water supply works worth about Rs 1.46 crores were damaged in the havoc. The works in respect of the upcoming Sripadasagar Project and the Flood Flow Canal were also severely hampered due to the rains.

The extensive damage to life and property in Karimnagar town exposed the poor maintenance of the drains and unauthorised construction of houses in the encroached lands close to the canals and ponds.

Speaking to newsmen here on Friday, district collector M.V. Satyanarayana said that ex gratia has been disbursed at the rate of Rs 1.50 lakh each to the bereaved families of the 14 of the total 18 persons who died in the rain devastation in the district.

Warangal, Sept. 22: The Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (Kuda) is erecting colourful electric trees in order to beautify the junctions in the city.

The eye-catching trees were already set up at Ambedkar Circle, and Fort Warangal Park and two more will be erected at the Kakatiya Musical Gardens. Joint collector Syed Omer Jaleel told this correspondent that the electric trees would give the city a new look. Based on the response from the people, more electric trees would be installed at all important junctions in the city.

He said that besides erecting the electric trees, the Kuda would take up the junction improvement and beautification programme. In the first phase, the DEO Junction would be developed as a model junction in the city.

Discussions were on with the district educational officer Ch. Ramana Kumar to give the land from the DEO office complex in order to ease the traffic congestion at the busy junction, he said.

He said that the works were in full swing at the Kakatiya University Crossroads where the junction was being developed on the Karimnagar highway. Meanwhile, the WMC has got overwhelming response for its recent meet on the Fund Your City scheme.

Srikakulam, Sept. 22: State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) chairman B. Subhashin Reddy on Friday found fault with the district collector V.N. Vishnu and other officials and also the close relatives of the three teenage orphans who committed suicide at their home on Thursday due to poverty.

Mr Reddy conducted an inquiry here by talking to the officials and relatives of the children. He expressed his anger at the collector and other officials for not putting the three children in hostels under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. “The close relatives of the teenagers were inhuman,” the chairman said.

Though action cannot be initiated against the relatives, action could be taken against the district officials, he said. The SHRC chairman spoke to officials of all departments concerned. He asked the collector to construct a school in the place where the teenagers died.

Vijayawada, Sept. 22: The AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) has no plans to increase the power tariff in the near future, asserted its chairman and managing director P. Gopala Reddy.

The APSPDCL covers six districts of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa, with headquarters at Tirupati. Speaking to mediapersons here on Friday, Mr Gopala Reddy said that the company earned over Rs 36 crores profit during 2005-06 with an annual turnover of Rs 202 crores. This was against Rs 6 crores profit earned during the previous financial year, he said.

Keeping the profits in view, Mr Reddy said the APSPDCL decided not to increase the power tariff. He said several measures were introduced to improve the company’s performance du-ring the last two years. Regularisation of unauthorised power connections, levying penalties, besides issuing new connections on demand were some of the measures that they have been adopted to improve the company’s performance.

Mr Gopala Reddy said that a thorough survey was held to identify unauthorised power connections in all sectors. The owners of such connections were also identified and notices were served to them giving them a week’s time to get their connections regularised with the penal amount.

He said the response from the people was good as several of them have paid the penal amount and get their power connections regularised. The CMD said that the offer was still being extended in all the six districts. He said surprise checks would be continued to unearth unauthorised connections.

When asked about the agriculture connections, Mr Reddy said that farmers have been advised to go for capacitors on priority. “They need to have the capacitors first before going for the motor pumps,” he said. He said the State government had given time till March 2007 for the farmers to arrange capacitors for the agriculture connections as it would minimise the consumption and avoid wastage. Mr Gopala Reddy said that the power situation in the State was comfortable due to the rains.

The power units at Nagarjunsagar were generating over 700 mw, while those at Srisailam were generating over 1,500 mw, besides the thermal power stations. The situation would remain stable for the next couple of weeks, he said and asserted that efforts were being made to ensure seven-hour uninterrupted power supply to villages. APSPDCL superintending engineer P. Anjaiah was also present.

Vijayawada, Sept. 22: The members of the Samaikya Andhra Praja Porata Samiti on Friday blamed the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders of misleading people and trying to divide the State for their political gains.

The Samiti leaders who have launched a 12-day-long campaign from Tirupati to Vijayawada, reached the city on Friday. The campaign was to sensitise people against the separatist forces and keep the State united. They covered Chittoor, Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts during the last 12 days and interacted with various sections of the people on the need for a united State.

Samiti founder president Sk. Babu blamed the TRS leaders K. Chandrasekhar Rao and A. Narendra of being opportunistic and asserted that the people of Rayalaseema, Coastal And-hra and Northern Andhra would not allow the TRS to succeed in its plans. He found fault with the TRS leaders for provoking caste groups and the students in the name of Telangana.

Stating that the TRS leaders were in power for more than two years in Centre, he wanted to know the contribution of Mr Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr Narendra for the development of the Telangana region during their stint. Mr Babu said that the Samiti had met the representatives of all sections of people from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions. Samiti leaders B.N. Narasimhulu and Krishna district unit president M. Venkata Reddy were also present.

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 22: The teaching of English as a medium of instruction in the primary schools run by the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation (GVMC) got a big boost with the joining of city-based Anglo-Indian Women Forum in this mission.

On a request from the district administration and the corporation, the forum has decided to deploy 23 retired and working teachers to teach English in the primary schools and also to train other vidya volunteers working in the same schools. The first batch of these teachers will start working from October 16 as vidya volunteers in 14 English medium primary schools of the corporation and 33 parallel schools where both Telugu and English are taught.

Deputy educational officer of GVMC K. Vijay Kumar said 900 students were being taught in English medium in Class I, 1,050 in Class II and 1,100 in Class III. The English medium was introduced in 2003 by the then collector and special officer of GVMC Praveen Prakash.

“The Anglo-Indian teachers would focus more on non-verbal features crucial for the children to learn English as a language,’’ said Mr Vijay Kumar. The demonstration for the vidya volunteers began on Friday and a few experienced teachers from Visakha Valley School were also roped in, he said.

President of Anglo-Indian Women’s Forum June Rodrigues said that they have decided to teach English to the children of the poorer sections of the society as it would help them in future. Talking to this correspondent, she said the Anglo-Indian teachers would be focussing more on the phonetics so that the children would pick up the correct pronunciation of the words.

She hoped the children would pick up the language faster under their guidance and also propagate their success in their residential areas.
During the next academic year, these schools could enroll more children, Ms Rodrigues added.

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 22: The Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) representatives will soon meet Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy to brief him about the development they have achieved so far, said head of the external affairs of the Brandix Company Vinu Sudan.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mr Sudan said his company officials would brief the Chief Minister on October 4 on the ongoing activities of the company after the land was formally handed over to them in June this year. On September 11, the Chief Minister during his visit to the district expressed his doubts over the progress of works and told the company to speed up its work.

Mr Sudan said the company would take five years to complete the project from the date of getting the three major facilities of roads, water and power. “We can start project works only after we obtain environmental impact assessment clearance, which is expected this November,” he clarified.

To a question on investment, Mr Sudan said BIAC was contemplating to invest $40 million for Brandix alone and $ 1.5 billion was expected for the entire Apparel Park.