Thursday, July 20, 2006
Andhrapradesh Regional News July 21st,2006
Byreddy threatens stir on RDS
Kurnool, July 20: Former Nandikotkur MLA Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy said that an apolitical movement would be launched to protest against the closure of Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) sluices. Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, he said that a meeting of farmers of Kurnool and Kadapa would be convened in Kurnool in the first week of August to chalk out an agitational programme. Mr Rajasekhar Reddy alleged that the State government was doing injustice to the Rayalaseema on account of Telangana movement. He said that the Telangana leaders were indulging in blackmail politics on RDS.
He said that in the past a legislative committee said that the sluices of the RDS should not be closed. But a committee consisting of leaders of Telangana said that the sluices should be closed and the report was rejected by the superintending engineer of the Rayalaseema region.
Mr Rajasekhar Reddy said that no benefit would accrue to the Telangana if the sluices of the RDS were closed. The move would only benefit Karnataka, he added. He said that while 5,800 acres have to be irrigated with the RDS in Karnataka irrigation water was being supplied to more number of acres in that State.
Mr Rajasekhar Reddy alleged that people of Rayalaseema were treated as third-class citizens in the State. He asserted that the State government had no right to close the RDS sluices as the matter was related to an inter-State issue. Mr Rajasekhar Reddy said that due to the closure of RDS sluices there was no scope to divert to K-C canal in emergency situation. He demanded that the State government construct an irrigation project at the RDS.
Due to the closure of RDS sluices, many lift irrigation schemes Kurnool district failed to get water and people in many villages were facing shortage of drinking water, he added. Mr Rajasekhar Reddy said that it was unfortunate that the Congress and the Telugu Desam leaders of the district were keeping quiet on the issue.
Farmers pin hopes on cloud seeding
Anantapur, July 20: Farmers in the district are worried over lack of rains in the district. They are hoping that the cloud seeding, which would be started in the district from August 15. Only 10 per cent of harvesting of groundnut was completed in the district. In normal course, the district farmers cultivate groundnut in 7.5 lakh hectares. But now sowing was done in only 70,000 hectares. While the rainfall in June was more than the average rainfall, the rains in July was very less.
Only 7.6 mm rainfall was recorded in the district in July compared to 67 mm average rainfall. Farmers also faced problems as seeds stored by them were rotten in about 500 villages in the district. Agricultural experts said that if the rains were delayed further groundnut farmers would face a lot of problems.
TD, CPM stage dharna over prices
Warangal, July 20: Telugu Desam and CPM activists staged a dharna here on Thursday in protest against the rise in prices of essential commodities in the State.
Scores of activists belonging to the TD and the CPM raised slogans against the Congress governments in the State and Centre for their failure to control spiralling prices. “The life of the poor and the middle class is getting difficult with ever increasing prices and the UPA at the Centre and the Congress in the State are responsible for the worsening living conditions,” alleged Revuri Prakash Reddy, president of the district TD unit.
He said that the prices of vegetables and other provisions were also on the rise for the last two years and daily use goods were also getting costlier by the day. The TD leader explained that the UPA had increased petrol and diesel prices at least 10 times since it came to power two years ago. The hike in fuel prices had a cascading effect on other prices. The agitating TD and CPM activists also demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy for their failure to control the price hike.
Addressing the dharna, Marxist leader Nagaiah said that the governments should give top priority to the welfare of the common man and initiate all possible steps to control the rising prices. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the district authorities to register their protest. The rasta roko resulted in inconvenience to commuters on the Kazipet-Hyderabad highway.
In Adilabad, TD workers staged dharna in front of the collectorate in protest against hike in the prices of essential commodities. Speaking on the occasion, TD general secretary Ramesh Rathod and former minister G. Nagesh criticised the State and Central governments for failing to control prices of essential commodities. They alleged that the prices of essential commodities had doubled during the last two years of the Congress rule at the State and Centre.
Native villagers torch effigy of Maoist leader
Warangal, July 20: Feeling ashamed for what their fellow villager did in Erraboru village in Chhattisgarh, hundreds of people from Taralapally village burnt the effigy of Maoist Naxalite M Sambaiah, alias Jangu, on Thursday for taking part in the heinous massacre. The angry residents of Taralapally village from where Naxalite Sambaiah hails also staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate and raised slogans against the Maoists.
“We are ashamed that Sambaiah, who hails from our village, took part in the inhuman massacre in Chhattisgarh. He should immediately come out of the Maoist group which is killing innocent people,” they said.The villagers also offered apologies to the victims’ families and demanded that the government offer all possible help to them and other injured persons.
Residents from the neighbouring villages of Battupally and Madikonda also joined the protest and all of them staged a rasta roko for about 30 minutes in front of the Collectorate. ‘The Maoist Sambaiah also motivated my son (Kothapally Sambaiah) to join the Naxalite group. My son should be allowed freedom to come out of the Maoist group,” said Ms Lakshmamma, the mother of another Naxalite from the village. She alleged that the inhuman acts of the Maoist leader Sambaiah were bringing disrepute to their village.
Centre ditches Spices Board to help ITC
Guntur, July 20: While the Spices Board and the Tobacco Board are yet to get permission from the Centre to set up laboratories to test pesticide residues in crops, the private Indian Tobacco Company has easily got clearance for the same. Interestingly, the ITC was also able to get subsidies from the Centre for setting up the lab.
Both the Spices Board and the Tobacco Board had written to the union commerce ministry seeking permission to set up labs. Since both the boards come under the same ministry, officials asked them to establish a common lab. Though the chairpersons of the two boards agreed to consider this, the proposal got stuck in the ministry. Meanwhile, ITC spices wing coolly established a lab, availing all subsides by the Union government. If there is a government lab, farmers can get their produce tested on nominal charges.
But now they would be compelled to get them tested at the ITC lab paying higher amounts. Labs to test pesticide residues are essential since the chilli farmers have been facing hardship because of the European Union regulations on quality. A batch of contaminated chilli powder exported from India created a scare in Britain in 2002.
The scare led to new EU regulations which insisted that all imported chilli must be certified as free of Sudan 1. This prompted both the boards to try and set up a lab. Ironically, a lab was established for the same purpose a decade ago by the State agriculture department. However, it is now in a dilapidated condition and costly equipment is in disrepair.
Students caned in varsity unrest
Guntur, July. 20: The students of Acharya Na-garjuna University were arrested and later rele-ased when they protested against lack of basic facilities, including me-als in hostels on Thursday .
In another incident, a post-graduate student made an abortive atte-mpt to end her life due to failure in love. She was rushed to the hospital. Speaking to this correspondent, Mangalagiri CI Madhusudana Rao said it was the case of love failure. According to him, parental refusal was the reason for her attempt. However, she was said to be out of danger.
The members of Madiga Reservation Porata Samati started an agitation against the medical counselling at the university. Demanding to defer the counselling till the issue of reservation for SCs was solved, the MRPS students locked the counselling hall. Police entered the scene and went berserk on the students. After indul-ging in lathicharge, they arrested four student le-aders.
In another incident, women boarders staged a dharna before the chamber of the vice-chancellor Dr Balamohan Das demanding quality lunch. They also demanded appointment of a doctor and provision of an ambulance in the university hospital. They raised slogans against the uncouth beh-aviour of the warden and also demanded im-mediate removal of the warden. As they were staging the dharna, a student fainted and was rushed to NRI hospital. Seven male students were arrested when they participated in the prot-est in solidarity.
Conned youth tells tale of toil
Kaviti (Srikakulam), July 20: Lure of lucrative jobs has landed 18 youths of this mandal in the hands of a middleman who sent them to Malaysia and disappeared. Three of them had managed to return to the village recently and narrated the harrowing experience of their friends, still toiling hard to get a square meal. The 18 youths hail from Silagam, Intenukaputtuga, Kondiputtuga, Karapadu, Gujjuputtuga and Kondiputtuga of Silagam panchayat.
Talagana Danayya of Silagam, the middleman, lured these youths to Malaysia. The three youths Kadiala Vallabha Rao, I. Janaki Rao and Narthu Sitaram said Danayya promised them to get good jobs in Malaysia and collected Rs 1 lakh each from them. They sold gold ornaments, lands and other valuables to pay the money six months ago.
After reaching Kaula Lumpur, Danayya introduced them to an unknown agency and disappeared. The agency made them work in the toilets, drains and forced them to do other menial jobs which the locals never do. The agency people were also too harsh in their treatment, Vallabha Rao told this correspondent.
This went on for five months. Later, they were not given work for more than a week. With the salary drawn for week, they were forced to manage the entire month. “There was no food or water and the agency operators refused to allow them to make phone calls to their native village,’’ Sitaram said. He said 10 more persons were brought from the mandal but their whereabouts were not known.
Fortunately they could make a call home last month and reach the village. Murupala Dhilli Rao and his parents Purushottam and Parvarthi said they mortgaged their house for Rs 1 lakh to pay to the middleman Danayya. “We are going to lodge a complaint with the senior police officers soon,” Purushottam said.
TD takes out rally over prices
Visakhapatnam, July 20: Hundreds of Telugu Desam activists took out a rally here on Thursday protesting against the spiraling prices of essential commodities in the State and also across the country This is the first time in years that TD conducted a rally on people’s problems. The workers who participated in the rally in their hundreds, raised slogans against the Congress governments in the State and at the Centre.
Activists also carried placards and banners during the rally that started at Jagadamba junction and ended at the district collectorate. Later, they staged a dharna at the collectorate for a while. The district collectorate and the route of the rally turned yellow with the TD banners. The urban TD president, Dr Zaheer Ahmed, said that the Congress, which boasts as the poor man’s party, has turned a blind eye to their plight.
He said that the price rise was due mainly to the rise in prices of petroleum products. Mr Zaheer Ahmed lambasted the State government also for not streamlining the public distribution system giving a chance to the traders to indulge in black marketing. “How can a common man go and buy these commodities in black market? The government should take some measures to control the prices of essential commodities,” he demanded. Various other TD leaders also took part in the rally and dharna.
Kurnool, July 20: Former Nandikotkur MLA Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy said that an apolitical movement would be launched to protest against the closure of Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) sluices. Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, he said that a meeting of farmers of Kurnool and Kadapa would be convened in Kurnool in the first week of August to chalk out an agitational programme. Mr Rajasekhar Reddy alleged that the State government was doing injustice to the Rayalaseema on account of Telangana movement. He said that the Telangana leaders were indulging in blackmail politics on RDS.
He said that in the past a legislative committee said that the sluices of the RDS should not be closed. But a committee consisting of leaders of Telangana said that the sluices should be closed and the report was rejected by the superintending engineer of the Rayalaseema region.
Mr Rajasekhar Reddy said that no benefit would accrue to the Telangana if the sluices of the RDS were closed. The move would only benefit Karnataka, he added. He said that while 5,800 acres have to be irrigated with the RDS in Karnataka irrigation water was being supplied to more number of acres in that State.
Mr Rajasekhar Reddy alleged that people of Rayalaseema were treated as third-class citizens in the State. He asserted that the State government had no right to close the RDS sluices as the matter was related to an inter-State issue. Mr Rajasekhar Reddy said that due to the closure of RDS sluices there was no scope to divert to K-C canal in emergency situation. He demanded that the State government construct an irrigation project at the RDS.
Due to the closure of RDS sluices, many lift irrigation schemes Kurnool district failed to get water and people in many villages were facing shortage of drinking water, he added. Mr Rajasekhar Reddy said that it was unfortunate that the Congress and the Telugu Desam leaders of the district were keeping quiet on the issue.
Farmers pin hopes on cloud seeding
Anantapur, July 20: Farmers in the district are worried over lack of rains in the district. They are hoping that the cloud seeding, which would be started in the district from August 15. Only 10 per cent of harvesting of groundnut was completed in the district. In normal course, the district farmers cultivate groundnut in 7.5 lakh hectares. But now sowing was done in only 70,000 hectares. While the rainfall in June was more than the average rainfall, the rains in July was very less.
Only 7.6 mm rainfall was recorded in the district in July compared to 67 mm average rainfall. Farmers also faced problems as seeds stored by them were rotten in about 500 villages in the district. Agricultural experts said that if the rains were delayed further groundnut farmers would face a lot of problems.
TD, CPM stage dharna over prices
Warangal, July 20: Telugu Desam and CPM activists staged a dharna here on Thursday in protest against the rise in prices of essential commodities in the State.
Scores of activists belonging to the TD and the CPM raised slogans against the Congress governments in the State and Centre for their failure to control spiralling prices. “The life of the poor and the middle class is getting difficult with ever increasing prices and the UPA at the Centre and the Congress in the State are responsible for the worsening living conditions,” alleged Revuri Prakash Reddy, president of the district TD unit.
He said that the prices of vegetables and other provisions were also on the rise for the last two years and daily use goods were also getting costlier by the day. The TD leader explained that the UPA had increased petrol and diesel prices at least 10 times since it came to power two years ago. The hike in fuel prices had a cascading effect on other prices. The agitating TD and CPM activists also demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy for their failure to control the price hike.
Addressing the dharna, Marxist leader Nagaiah said that the governments should give top priority to the welfare of the common man and initiate all possible steps to control the rising prices. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the district authorities to register their protest. The rasta roko resulted in inconvenience to commuters on the Kazipet-Hyderabad highway.
In Adilabad, TD workers staged dharna in front of the collectorate in protest against hike in the prices of essential commodities. Speaking on the occasion, TD general secretary Ramesh Rathod and former minister G. Nagesh criticised the State and Central governments for failing to control prices of essential commodities. They alleged that the prices of essential commodities had doubled during the last two years of the Congress rule at the State and Centre.
Native villagers torch effigy of Maoist leader
Warangal, July 20: Feeling ashamed for what their fellow villager did in Erraboru village in Chhattisgarh, hundreds of people from Taralapally village burnt the effigy of Maoist Naxalite M Sambaiah, alias Jangu, on Thursday for taking part in the heinous massacre. The angry residents of Taralapally village from where Naxalite Sambaiah hails also staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate and raised slogans against the Maoists.
“We are ashamed that Sambaiah, who hails from our village, took part in the inhuman massacre in Chhattisgarh. He should immediately come out of the Maoist group which is killing innocent people,” they said.The villagers also offered apologies to the victims’ families and demanded that the government offer all possible help to them and other injured persons.
Residents from the neighbouring villages of Battupally and Madikonda also joined the protest and all of them staged a rasta roko for about 30 minutes in front of the Collectorate. ‘The Maoist Sambaiah also motivated my son (Kothapally Sambaiah) to join the Naxalite group. My son should be allowed freedom to come out of the Maoist group,” said Ms Lakshmamma, the mother of another Naxalite from the village. She alleged that the inhuman acts of the Maoist leader Sambaiah were bringing disrepute to their village.
Centre ditches Spices Board to help ITC
Guntur, July 20: While the Spices Board and the Tobacco Board are yet to get permission from the Centre to set up laboratories to test pesticide residues in crops, the private Indian Tobacco Company has easily got clearance for the same. Interestingly, the ITC was also able to get subsidies from the Centre for setting up the lab.
Both the Spices Board and the Tobacco Board had written to the union commerce ministry seeking permission to set up labs. Since both the boards come under the same ministry, officials asked them to establish a common lab. Though the chairpersons of the two boards agreed to consider this, the proposal got stuck in the ministry. Meanwhile, ITC spices wing coolly established a lab, availing all subsides by the Union government. If there is a government lab, farmers can get their produce tested on nominal charges.
But now they would be compelled to get them tested at the ITC lab paying higher amounts. Labs to test pesticide residues are essential since the chilli farmers have been facing hardship because of the European Union regulations on quality. A batch of contaminated chilli powder exported from India created a scare in Britain in 2002.
The scare led to new EU regulations which insisted that all imported chilli must be certified as free of Sudan 1. This prompted both the boards to try and set up a lab. Ironically, a lab was established for the same purpose a decade ago by the State agriculture department. However, it is now in a dilapidated condition and costly equipment is in disrepair.
Students caned in varsity unrest
Guntur, July. 20: The students of Acharya Na-garjuna University were arrested and later rele-ased when they protested against lack of basic facilities, including me-als in hostels on Thursday .
In another incident, a post-graduate student made an abortive atte-mpt to end her life due to failure in love. She was rushed to the hospital. Speaking to this correspondent, Mangalagiri CI Madhusudana Rao said it was the case of love failure. According to him, parental refusal was the reason for her attempt. However, she was said to be out of danger.
The members of Madiga Reservation Porata Samati started an agitation against the medical counselling at the university. Demanding to defer the counselling till the issue of reservation for SCs was solved, the MRPS students locked the counselling hall. Police entered the scene and went berserk on the students. After indul-ging in lathicharge, they arrested four student le-aders.
In another incident, women boarders staged a dharna before the chamber of the vice-chancellor Dr Balamohan Das demanding quality lunch. They also demanded appointment of a doctor and provision of an ambulance in the university hospital. They raised slogans against the uncouth beh-aviour of the warden and also demanded im-mediate removal of the warden. As they were staging the dharna, a student fainted and was rushed to NRI hospital. Seven male students were arrested when they participated in the prot-est in solidarity.
Conned youth tells tale of toil
Kaviti (Srikakulam), July 20: Lure of lucrative jobs has landed 18 youths of this mandal in the hands of a middleman who sent them to Malaysia and disappeared. Three of them had managed to return to the village recently and narrated the harrowing experience of their friends, still toiling hard to get a square meal. The 18 youths hail from Silagam, Intenukaputtuga, Kondiputtuga, Karapadu, Gujjuputtuga and Kondiputtuga of Silagam panchayat.
Talagana Danayya of Silagam, the middleman, lured these youths to Malaysia. The three youths Kadiala Vallabha Rao, I. Janaki Rao and Narthu Sitaram said Danayya promised them to get good jobs in Malaysia and collected Rs 1 lakh each from them. They sold gold ornaments, lands and other valuables to pay the money six months ago.
After reaching Kaula Lumpur, Danayya introduced them to an unknown agency and disappeared. The agency made them work in the toilets, drains and forced them to do other menial jobs which the locals never do. The agency people were also too harsh in their treatment, Vallabha Rao told this correspondent.
This went on for five months. Later, they were not given work for more than a week. With the salary drawn for week, they were forced to manage the entire month. “There was no food or water and the agency operators refused to allow them to make phone calls to their native village,’’ Sitaram said. He said 10 more persons were brought from the mandal but their whereabouts were not known.
Fortunately they could make a call home last month and reach the village. Murupala Dhilli Rao and his parents Purushottam and Parvarthi said they mortgaged their house for Rs 1 lakh to pay to the middleman Danayya. “We are going to lodge a complaint with the senior police officers soon,” Purushottam said.
TD takes out rally over prices
Visakhapatnam, July 20: Hundreds of Telugu Desam activists took out a rally here on Thursday protesting against the spiraling prices of essential commodities in the State and also across the country This is the first time in years that TD conducted a rally on people’s problems. The workers who participated in the rally in their hundreds, raised slogans against the Congress governments in the State and at the Centre.
Activists also carried placards and banners during the rally that started at Jagadamba junction and ended at the district collectorate. Later, they staged a dharna at the collectorate for a while. The district collectorate and the route of the rally turned yellow with the TD banners. The urban TD president, Dr Zaheer Ahmed, said that the Congress, which boasts as the poor man’s party, has turned a blind eye to their plight.
He said that the price rise was due mainly to the rise in prices of petroleum products. Mr Zaheer Ahmed lambasted the State government also for not streamlining the public distribution system giving a chance to the traders to indulge in black marketing. “How can a common man go and buy these commodities in black market? The government should take some measures to control the prices of essential commodities,” he demanded. Various other TD leaders also took part in the rally and dharna.
