Andhranews

Adoni (Kurnool), Oct. 3: A 31-year-old man died while several others sufferred injuries in a customary fight between the villagers of Naraniki and Yellarthi during the annual Banni festival celebrated on occasion of Dasara at the Malava Malleswara Swamy temple at Devaragattu on Gattu Mallaiah hills in Adoni mandal. According to legend Lord Malleswara Swamy killed demons Mani and Malledhi on Devaragattu Hills on Vijayadasami day and sacrificed two drops of blood when they requested for human sacrifice.

To celebrate this victory, thousands of devotees armed with sticks take out utsav murties (idols) in a procession from Verani village to the Devaragattu Hills located 5 km away on Dasara night. They attack each other with sticks and arms till they bleed to signify the sacrifice of Lord Malleswara Swamy. The deceased was identified as Chakali Lakshmanna. He succumbed to injuries while being taken to hospital at Hulebidu village. While the villagers were taking back the body, the police intercepted the ambulance and took it to the Alur Hospital for post-mortem.

According to sources one more person was killed in the incident and 200 persons suffered injuries in the bloodshed. However, police feigned ignorance about it. The police had resorted to a mild baton-charge to prevent more deaths as the villagers’ ritual turned violent. The police could not stop the bloodshed despite elaborate security arrangements made to prevent violence during the festival.

Rajahmundry, Oct. 3: Unauthorised collection of blood by some private nursing homes and also organising blood donation camps by some blood banks are becoming rampant, exposing patients to infections including HIV in East Godavari district.

In case of emergencies, doctors in some dispensaries are collecting blood from the kin of the patients unauthorisedly.
Though it is mandatory to get a licence from the concerned authority like the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) and AP Blood Transfusion Council to collect blood, some doctors are doing this without permission.

In some cases, patients who failed to get their own relatives, bring in outsiders claiming that they are their kin. Another major deviation is that some blood banks are even organising blood donation camps unauthorisedly. As per the norms, the AP Transfusion Council is the body which accords permission for conducting blood donation camps and procures blood, stores it in a proper manner and supplies to doctors.

There are about 5,000 beds existing in the district at various hospitals, including both private and government and the demand for blood is 3,000 units per month. Eight blood banks, both in private and the government health centres, were given permission to procure blood, and it is estimated that only about 2,000 units of blood are being procured from these banks per month. Authorities have to find out from where the deficit 1,000 units is coming from.

A private blood bank in-charge says, “There is a shortfall of blood in the district. To meet the demand, illegal practices are being resorted to. Some blood banks are organising blood donation camps without valid licence.” DCA assistant director R.V.S.R.B Sarma says, “We are keeping a tab on such illegal practices. Moreover, we are also monitoring the number of blood bags being purchased in the district. It is difficult to nab the culprits with evidence in such stray cases. However, we will intensify our vigil.”

Kakinada , Oct 3: the Telugu Mahila State unit, the women’s wing of the Telugu Desam (TD) will fight for women who are being subjected to harassment in various departments in the State.

Speaking to press persons at the party district unit office on Tuesday, president of the State unit, Vanga Geeta said that a programme was being taken up all over the State to protect the dignity and honour of women in general, and working women in particular.

Ms Geeta called upon women in the party to extend all possible help to those who were being harassed on one pretext or the other. “We have already spoken to the two MROs who were subject to harassment by higher authorities,” Ms Geeta added.

She demanded for implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies with immediate effect. She observed that women were being targeted in the present Congress rule.
Ms Geeta found fault with the statement of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi about the development in the State. She said that AP was progressing in harassing women employees instead of development. She lamented that the government did not even have control on IAS officials.

The TD leader cited several incidents of harassment of women, right from an IAS officer to an RDO and staff of weights and Measurements department and two teachers by an MDO. Telugu Mahila would extend help by all means to the victims, she added.

She disclosed that steps were being taken to strengthen the women’s wing of the TD from grassroots. Village and mandal committees were being formed, she added. Mahila unit president Yalla Padma Lata, party women’s wing propaganda secretary Kalaga Siva Rani and others participated.

Adilabad, Oct. 3: The Telugu Desam (TD) on Tuesday demanded that the medical college announced by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy be set up in Adilabad district headquarters. It may be recalled that the Chief Minister has announced the setting up of three medical colleges each in Srikakulam, Prakasam and Adilabad districts as a “Dasara gift to the students” a couple of days ago.

Speaking to this correspondent, district TD spokesperson Joguramanna said that it would be good if the medical college was established at the district headquarters instead of somewhere else in the district. He said that people of the district headquarters town and surrounding areas did not have rail connectivity to immediately go to Hyderabad or Nagpur for medical treatment in emergencies. There was already existing infrastructure at the district headquarters hospital which could be used for the proposed medical college, he added. However, people of coal belt areas seek the medical college in Bellampalli.

Rajanna, a government employee of Bellampalli, said that setting up a medical college was a long-pending demand of the people of the coal belt area, and added that it should be set up at Bellampalli only. He said they would not allow any political party or leader to change the place. Rajanna said that tribals would benefit if the college was established at Bellampalli.

During the Rajiv Nagarabata programme in 2005 in Bellampalli, the Chief Minister assured people of the coal belt area that the State government was ready to give permission for setting up a medical college at Bellamaplli, if any private management came forward.
But efforts made to set up a medical college in Bellampalli under private management did not materialise.

Meanwhile, Adilabad MLA C. Ramachandra Reddy said that the State government decision to establish a medical college in the district would go a long way in improving the higher educational standards in this backward region.

Participating as the chief guest in the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations organised here, Mr Reddy said everybody should follow the non-violent path shown by Mahatma Gandhi. He appealed to the people to rededicate themselves to improve the living standards of lakhs of those living below the poverty line in the district.

Warangal, Oct. 3: Former Lok Sabha MP and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leader A. Chandulal on Tuesday alleged that local candidates were getting a raw deal in the recruitment to various posts in the National Institute of Technology (NIT) here. He said that non-local candidates were being preferred over the local candidates even for the fourth grade jobs at the NIT.

Addressing a press conference here, the TRS leader alleged that the present administration at the NIT was biased against the local candidates and was violating rules in recruiting the non-locals into various posts.

He said that the NIT authorities were also not regularising the services of those who were working on a contract-basis in various departments and were recruiting outsiders. “While recruiting the personnel, there should be some kind of preference for those who are already working in the same posts on a contract basis. But the authorities have been ignoring their claims and recruiting inexperienced personnel,” Mr Chandulal alleged.

He said that the TRS would launch an agitation against the biased attitude of the NIT administration towards local people. There would be protests soon in front of the NIT and the agitation would continue till the local people get their due share.

The TRS leader alleged that though there were huge number of vacancies in various departments and the clearance was there from the Ministry of Human Resources Development the authorities were not filling up all the vacancies. TRS leader Dr Ajmera Prahlad, Ramesh Naik and others were present.

Vijayawada, Oct. 3: Devotees continued to throng Kanaka Durga temple even after the completion of nine-day Dasara celebrations. The temple archakas on Tuesday also decorated Goddess Durga as Rajarajeswari Devi for the benefit of those who failed to have darshan on Vijaya Dasami due to the heavy rush. The pilgrims from across the State who took Bhavani Deeksha on the occasion of Dasara, concluded it in the presence of the main idol.

Men and women, clad in red robes, queued up since early in the morning with irumudi. They offered coconut and other puja material to the main idol and had a holy dip in river Krishna. Since the festive mood was still palpable in the city, the cultural programmes that were being organised by the temple for the nine days continued on Tuesday also.

The utsav deities that were handed over to One Town police after Teppotsavam on river Krishna on Monday evening, were brought back to temple early on Tuesday morning and samprokshana was performed to the idols.

“We are not allowing vehicles on to the hill today due to the rush and VIPs and physically challenged were provided with special vehicles from the foot of the hill,” said temple information officer S.V. Prasad Rao. Laddu and pulihora prasadams were prepared in huge quantities to meet demand from devotees. Arrangements are being made to count the revenue of the temple through hundis, sale of tickets and prasadam in the next two days.

Guntur, Oct. 3: The operation theatre of the ophthalmology wing in the Guntur General Hospital (GGH) has remained closed for the last three months for ‘repairs,’ causing much trouble to patients.
Thanks to the tardy progress of repair work in the operation theatre, work relating to the Centre’s National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) is also getting delayed. The theatre is located near the mortuary and the GGH administrative officials decided to close it down for emergency repair work.

Dr Venkateswara Rao, head of the ophthalmology department, told this correspondent that though the initial set of repairs had been done, tenders were called for other repair work. “It may take a few more weeks to set it right,” he said. This has been hampering the implementation of the NPCB, though the Union government has passed strict instructions to avoid delays in the programme. The incidence of blindness in Andhra Pradesh is more than the national average and this had prompted the Centre to lay additional emphasis on the programme.

District blindness control societies have been formed for this purpose. In the previous meeting of the hospital development advisory committee, district collector G. Jayalakshmi instructed GGH officials to expedite the repairs to undertake necessary eye surgeries at the earliest. Despite this, officials have dragged their feet in completing repairs in a speedy manner. GGH superintendent Mohan Rao said that steps would be taken to get the operation theatre working soon.

Visakhapatnam, Oct. 3: Minister for commercial taxes Konatala Ramakrishna on Tuesday directed the district officials to speed up the process of rehabilitation and distribution of ration cards to those displaced due to the proposed Pharma City coming up on the outskirts of the city.

Speaking at the review meeting held at the district collectorate, the minister said that State government had earmarked plots in various layouts in Aganampudi for the public of the seven villages — E Bonangi, Ponnuru, Agraharam, lemarthy, Kothapalem, Thadi, Doppavanipalem, Veduruvanipalem — who would be displaced due to the Pharma City. “Apart from giving plots to the displaced, qualified youth from these villages will also be given preference for the jobs in the units coming up in the Pharma City” Mr Ramakrishna said.

He also told the Ramki & Group, the infrastructure developer of the Pharma City to speed up the process. The minister reviewed the prevailing situation at the Pharma City and also observed the way various pharma units coming up there.

The Pharma City would be coming up in 2,500 acres of the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Athcyutapuram and Rambilli mandals around 30 kilometres away from the city. The State government had already acquired land for the Pharma City. The farmers are up in arms over State government’s move for further acquisition of land for the SEZ..

Srungavarapukota (Vizianagaram), Oct. 3: An electric engine of a stationary goods train was reduced to ashes when flames engulfed it suddenly from inside here on Monday. The goods train was coming from Kirundool to Visakhapatnam with a load of iron ore with three engines and stopped at the local railway station.

When the driver in the first engine K. Madhusudana Rao tried to start the engine, he was alerted by his assistant driver S. Hanumantha Rao about the flames coming from the third engine.
They immediately alerted station superintendent who in turn the fire brigade and Railway Protection personnel and switched off the power.

Driver Madhusudana Rao said that reason behind the fire was not known and it would be probed by higher officials of Visakhapatnam. The loss of property was still to be assessed. Later, the engine was parked in the loco shed at Marripalem, Visakhapatnam.
The divisional railway manager was learnt to have ordered for a probe into the incident. The police have registered a case and are investigating.