Andhranews

Anantapur, Aug. 12: Unidentified persons allegedly burnt alive P. Kulasekhar Reddy, a follower of panchayat raj minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy, in an orchard in Chukkalur village under Tadipatri mandal in the district on Saturday.

The Congress activists suspect that Kulasekhar Reddy might have been killed by the CPI workers as the orchard in which he died belonged to local CPI leader Viswanatha Reddy.

Anantapur, Aug. 12: Unidentified persons allegedly burnt alive P. Kulasekhar Reddy, a follower of Panchayat Raj minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy in an orchard in Chukkalur village under Tadipatri mandal of the district in the wee hours of Saturday.

Though it is not clear who resorted to the dastardly act, the Congress activists suspect that he might have been killed by the CPI workers as the orchard in which he was killed belonged to CPI leader Viswanatha Reddy.

It is learnt that Kulasekhar Reddy participated in a party at a dhaba in Tadipatri and returned to his village in a car at around 10 pm. He was alone in the car. Meanwhile, some workers working in a nearby brick factory noticed that a car is burning in an orchard belonging to Viswanatha Reddy and informed him. The latter immediately called up the fire station, who rushed to the spot and put out the fire and sent a message to the police.

The police who swung into action noticed a totally burnt body in the car. The police later identified the body as Kulasekhar Reddy, as the car belongs to him and the wrist watch recovered from the spot belonged to the victim. The police informed his family about the incident. Kulasekhar Reddy is survived by his wife and two children. Both the victim and his brother Vasudeva Reddy are the close followers of Mr J.C. Diwakar Reddy.

The Congress workers also reacted to the incident violently and attacked Viswanatha Reddy’s house and destroyed his house by sprinkling kerosene and petrol. The irate Congress workers also set afire two houses of Viswanatha Reddy’s relatives besides four tractors, one scooter, a cycle, and an STD booth belonging to the CPI leader.

According to eyewitnesses, a total of 300 workers al-legedly participated in the arson. Besides local Congr-ess workers, activists from the nearby Pulipuddutur and Varadarayapalle also took part in the arson, the villagers said. At least six persons suffered injuries in the attack.

Though a large posse of police was deployed in the village, they failed to control the agitating mob. At one stage, the police opened fire in air to disperse the agitators, but to no avail. Meanwhile, several reporters who went to the village to cover the news were also attacked by the Congress workers. Two mediamen suffered injuries, when the irate mob attacked them with sticks. Two video cameras were also damaged in the incident.

DIG Jayarami Reddy and SP Sanjaykumar Jain are camping in the village to review the situation.An armed police picket was also erected in the village to prevent further damage of public property.

Kavali, Aug. 12: Telugu Desam supporters created havoc at the area hospital in Kavali on Saturday by attacking Congress followers of Pedda Konduru village of Kaligiri mandal when they came to visit their kin who are being treated there.

It may be recalled that 10 persons belonging to the TD and Congress were admitted in hospital with injuries which they sustained during a clash at Pedda Konduru village on Thursday. The accused in the incident are brothers of D. Maheswari of Pedda Konduru. They went berserk when they found a host of Congress followers of the same village in the hospital.

The accused, Venkates-war Rao, and Venkatarao belong to Vaikuntapuram in Kavali. They came to see their sister who is also one of the injured in the Pedda Konduru incident. They pounced on Congress worker Malyadri and bit his hand in a fit of anger after beating him up in full view of others present in the hospital.

Malyadri sustained grievous injuries following the attack. Continuing their tirade against Congress workers, they pulled a woman Masthanamma by her hair and thrashed her.

Nellore, Aug. 12: Senior officials of the corporation have decided to go slow in developing traffic islands in the town. The ambitious programme to develop nine traffic islands in the town in line with those that have come up in the twin cities to ease traffic flow was launched by the corporation a few months ago at the instance of district collector M. Ravichandra. Noted consultant Pichhi Reddy, who designed such junctions in the capital, gave the plan after studying traffic conditions.

Two islands were taken up in the first phase at the Magunta Subbarami Reddy statue and at the Madras bus stand. The size of the islands was increased manifold leaving narrow space for traffic and traffic guides were also constructed assuming that vehicles would move without hassles because of pressure from other motorists trailing them.

Contrary to their expectations, the traffic problem became more serious than earlier, especially at the Madras bus stand because of careless parking close to the island by RTC and town bus drivers, besides autorickshaws. With little space left to overtake the parked vehicles, traffic jams became a routine at the junction, particularly when there was no policeman to regulate traffic.

Incidentally, the designer assured that there was no need for signals or traffic policemen to regulate traffic at these modern junctions. But the senior designer failed to know the mindset of bus and autorickshaw drivers of Nellore. Unlike their counterparts in metro cities, none of them bother about the traffic behind them when halting their vehicles. In addition to this, bus stops are located close to the junction and pushcarts in the road margins compound the problem.

Unable to understand the intention behind taking up the programme, people started criticising the corporation for increasing the size of the island forcing the corporation administration to rethink the programme. The Madras bus stand experience led locals to raise objections to the traffic island near VR College when corporation officials went to give marking for this. Corporation authorities blame traffic police for their failure to create awareness among RTC and city bus drivers besides autorickshaw operators.

Bent upon improving the chaotic traffic conditions in the town, the collector has already given administration sanction and released Rs 12.6 lakhs for this ambitious programme which is estimated to cost around Rs 80 lakhs.

Kavali, Aug. 12: Telugu Desam supporters created havoc at the area hospital in Kavali on Saturday by attacking Congress followers of Pedda Konduru village of Kaligiri mandal when they came to visit their kin who are being treated there.

It may be recalled that 10 persons belonging to the TD and Congress were admitted in hospital with injuries which they sustained during a clash at Pedda Konduru village on Thursday. The accused in the incident are brothers of D. Maheswari of Pedda Konduru. They went berserk when they found a host of Congress followers of the same village in the hospital.

The accused, Venkates-war Rao, and Venkatarao belong to Vaikuntapuram in Kavali. They came to see their sister who is also one of the injured in the Pedda Konduru incident.

They pounced on Congress worker Malyadri and bit his hand in a fit of anger after beating him up in full view of others present in the hospital. Malyadri sustained grievous injuries following the attack. Continuing their tirade against Congress workers, they pulled a woman Masthanamma by her hair and thrashed her.

Rajahmundry, Aug. 12: In order to assess the quantum of loss due to the recent floods and incessant rains, the district administration will be deploying 150 enumeration teams in addition to the existing 100 teams to provide relief to the affected persons in East Godavari district.

According to district collector M. Subrahmaniam, with flood waters receding in several villages, the teams would be reaching the areas and assessing damage to houses and properties. As per relief norms, Rs 2,000 will be given for a completely damaged pucca house and Rs 1,200 for a house with thatched roof. For partially damaged pucca and kacha houses, Rs 800 will be given.

Every household will be given Rs 500 each for purchase of utensils and clothes as flood relief. The Collector said that with flood waters receding at several villages falling under Ainavilli and Alamuru mandals, enumeration would begin from August 13, while in Katrenikona and other mandals, enumeration would begin from August 14 and 15, depending upon the receding water levels in those villages.

To assess the quantum of loss to agaricultural and horticulture crops, agricultural officers, accompanied by two expert farmers would assess crop loss in the flood-affected villages. Maintaining that they would enumerate perished livestock due to floods, the Collector said that directions were issued to burn the carcasses of animals wherever possible to ensure that contamination in the area should not lead to any outbreak of epidemics.

He said that community kitchens set up at relief camps were of immense help to flood victims as they were getting timely food supplies. Protected drinking water schemes at Katre-nikona, Uppalaguptam and Kandikuppa villages were restored and potable water was being supplied to other villages by 38 water tankers. He said that for some villages still mar-ooned, they were supplying water packets.

For the benefit of flood victims, they were supplying 50,000 milk packets and 30 tonnes of biscuits every day. Referring to shortage of fodder for livestock in the flood-affected villages, the Collector said that though 55 tonnes of fodder was required, they were able to supply only 16 tonnes collected from the upland areas and assured to make efforts to send the remaining quantum of fodder. He said that 21 people were killed in the floods, and added that all eligible persons were being given Rs 50,000 under the Apathbandhu scheme.

Amalapuram, Aug. 12: Minister for Major Irrigation Ponnala Lakshmaiah asssured immediate flood relief in the form of 20 kg of rice and five litres of kerosene to each affected family, irrespective of their having a ration card.

Mr Lakshmaiah, along with Minister for Animal Husbandry Gollapalli Surya Rao and others, visited several flood-affected villages on Saturday. At first, they reached Koonavaram and ensured distribution of rice to the victims. Later, they proceeded towards Vadaparru and assured relief to the victims.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Lakshmaiah said that they were providing relief to the victims as per norms. He assured pucca houses to all those who lost their houses in the floods. He said that once flood waters recede, all breached and damaged portions of canal bunds and river flood banks would be restored on a war-footing.

Mr Surya Rao advised the victims to drink water supplied in packets or supplied by protected drinking water schemes to ensure that they did not fall prey to any water-borne diseases. He asked people to approach officials if they failed to get rice and kerosene supplies and said that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy had increased flood relief to 20 kg of rice and five litres of kerosene from the existing 10 kg of rice and two litres of kerosene.

The ministers visited Uppalaguptam, Perai Cher-uvu, Papai Cheruvu, Chinagadapalli and other areas and enquired with victims whether they were getting flood relief. They also visited a relief camp set up at Bheemanapalli Zilla Pari-shad High School.

Rajahmundry, Aug. 12: Duplicate certificates will be given to those who lost them in the floods to ensure that they did not face difficulties in attending interviews.

District collector M. Subrahmaniam said that following complaints from several youth that they had lost their original certificates of their educational qualitifications when their houses either collapsed or were submerged in flood waters, duplicate certificates would be issued to all those who lost them. He asked youth to approach the mandal revenue officers concerned with a written complaint about the loss of their certificates.

He said that they would write to the universities to arrange duplicate certificates for those who lost them. He advised youth to attend interviews in the district and said that they would write to departments if the youth were attending interviews in other departments.

Similarly, students who lost their textbooks in the floods would also get them free of cost, he said, and added that once water levels receded in flood-affected areas, they would start the schools only after verifying their stability. For people living in islands where power supply was yet to be restored, 45,000 candles and 600 torch lights were distributed.

Karimnagar, Aug. 12: While the hapless district-based Gulf migrant workers are falling prey to the escalation of fighting in Iraq, several organisations in the district have been vociferously demanding the government to initiate urgent steps to safeguard the lives of the Indian migrants in the Gulf countries.

With the death of Mohammed Hussain, 40, a resident of Khanpura in Karimnagar, in a firing incident in Kuwait about a week ago, the families of the Gulf migrants, particularly those working in Iraq, and its neighbouring countries are spending anxious moments back home.

In less than a week, two district-based migrants including Mallaiah of Cheekodu and Hussain of Karimnagar died in violence separate incidents in Iraq. Hussain, who was employed as a truck driver in a Kuwait-based American company, died in a gunfiring by miscreants believed to be terrorists on the Iraq border targeting the American firm’s truck, sources said.

His body reached home in Karimnagar on Friday night. Heartrending scenes were witnessed at his house as his terribly shocked wife Meharunnisa and three daughters cried miserably on seeing the body of their breadwinner.

He fell victim to the pressure tactics of the Kuwait-based American firm, which forced him to enter into the highly volatile Iraq border, deplored Mr Mohd Anees Amjad, city organiser of the Congress Sevadal.

“It is high time the Ministry of External Affairs initiate immediate measures to prevent recurrence of such tragic instances and stop the American companies from playing with the lives of the Indian migrants,” he urged. The Indian embassy should take appropriate steps to protect the Indian migrant workers from the evil tactics of the American companies which were exposing them to grave life threat by sending them to volatile areas,” said Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, Sevadal district organiser.

Nizamabad, Aug. 12: Former chief minister and Telugu Desam supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu felt uneasy when a flock of buffaloes and sheep obstructed his convoy continuously during his tour in the district.

Though police tried to keep the road clear for Mr Naidu’s vehicle, they could not do anything as buffaloes came on the roads at several places. Mr Naidu arrived on Saturday in the district to tour flood-affected areas to assess the damage. He reached Yamcha, the border village at Nizamabad district five hours behind his schedule. A red carpet welcome was given to him at Yamcha village by the district Telugu Desam leaders.

An overwhelming response was received by Mr Naidu from the public, whom he addressed at Yamcha and Aljapur of Navipet mandal and Thadbiloli of Renjal mandal. The TD president said that the party would ensure that all those affected by floods get adequate relief from the State government.

Dichpally ZPTC member Dinesh acted as pilot by riding on his car in front of Mr Naidu’s motorcade to prevent further disturbances from buffaloes.

Karimnagar, Aug. 12: The Directorate of Collegiate Education has finalised a plan to fill up a total of 86 vacant lecturer posts in the government degree colleges in the district on contract basis for the 2006-07 academic year.

A decision to this effect was taken at the government degree college principals meet organised here on Saturday. Directorate’s representative D. Ramesh presided over the meet. According to the recruitment plan approved in the meet, the candidates who possess a minimum of 55 per cent marks in the concerned subjects at the postgraduate level are eligible to apply for the posts. The last date for submission of the applications is August 16.

The interviews will be held at the respective colleges on August 18 and 19. The college-wise break up of the vacancies is as follows: SRR government degree College (14), Government Women’s Degree College, Karimnagar, (20), SKNR Degree College, Jagtial, (18), Women’s Degree College, Jagtial (2), Degree College, Korutla, (3), Degree College, Godava-rikhani, (3), Degree College, Manthani, (3), Degree College, Peddapalli, (10), Degree College, Agraharam, (5), Degree College, Jammikunta, (7) and Degree College, Huzurabad (1).

Vijayawada, Aug. 12: With water level rising in the Krishna river on Saturday, officials began evacuating people from the low-lying areas in the downstream Prakasam Barrage.Over 500 families in Guntur district were evacuated to various relief camps in Repalle and Bhattiprolu mandals.

People from Pallepalem and Lakshmipuram under Bhatriprolu mandal and Penumudi, Lankevanidibba and Krishnanagar un-der Repalle mandal were shifted to the rehabilitation camps on Saturday. Officials used boats to shift people to safer places and provided food and water.

Meanwhile, officials at the Nagarjunasagar reservoir have discharged over 5.33 lakh cusecs of water to Prakasam Barrage further increasing the inflows to the downstream villages. The water levels at Prakasam Barrage have gone up to 14.4 feet, des-pite the officials releasing 5.32 lakh cusecs of water into the sea.

Khammam, Aug. 12: The flood victims who are re-turning home after water started receding are shocked to find that all that remains is ruins. They are yet to get over the trauma over the devastation created by floods in their villages. All they can find are the felled trees and the snapped power lines. They could not locate any of their belongings in the houses and some of them whose houses collapsed were in a state of distress.

K. Nagamma, a resident of Iravendi under Bhadrachalam division, found it hard to identify her house. Floods have ravaged her house and not a single thing remained intact in it. Nearly 126 villages in Bhadrachalam division we-re submerged and many houses are still under flood water.

T. Muthamma of Kuna-varam said that she was not left left with even a glass or any other utensil to drink water or cook food. Utter darkness in the villages is another problem to the people are facing due to snapping of the power lines. Lack of utensils and boxes to keep valuables are the other problems being faced by the flood victims.

Villages including Sabarirajugudem, Tekulaboru, Po-charam, Thummileru, Kondrajupet, Reddypalem, Ma-ddigudem and Chinamandrajupalli in VR Puram, Chintoor and Kunavaram mandals have been hit badly by the floods.

Koya Ganganna of Sabarirajugudem said, “I lost all my belongings in the floods and it is difficult even to cook food.” All the drinking water schemes in the five mandals were submerged and it would take another month to revive them.

ITDA project officer Jyothi Buddha Prakash said that mechanics were asked to start repairs to the motors and borewells in the flood-affected villages. Three bodies were found at Sitanagaram under Burgumpahad mandal and ano-ther woman’s body was se-en at Pamileru. Efforts are on to identify the bodies.

The death toll due to floods in Bhadrachalam division went up to 14. Thati Ramaiah, a farmer from Pathabandarigudem in Du-mmugudem mandal died due to cardiac arrest as he saw the submerged fields.

Khammam, Aug. 12: Voluntary organisations started extending assistance to the flood victims and are approaching the district administration to conduct health camps. Apollo Hospitals of Hyd-erabad started health camps in Bhadrachalam division. They are giving medicines to the victims to avert epidemics.

The staff of ITC, Bhad-rachalam unit and their families formed teams to participate in the relief ope-rations. They have been providing food to people in several nearby villages that have been marooned under flood water.

Soon after the news of the calamity broke, employees of ITC plunged into relief work by dividing themselves into teams. They are cooking food at the company’s kitchens, sealing them packets and supplying them to the flood victims.

Rotray Club activist B. Sankar Reddy said that the club started distributing bl-ankets to the flood victims in Kukkunoor and Veleirpad mandals. Rayalaseema Seva Samiti chairman K. Muniratnam Naidu said that he proposed to send iron boxes to the flood victims to store their valuables. He said that he approached women and child welfare officials in New Delhi and apprised them of the situation in Bhadrachalam division.

Visakhapatnam, Aug. 12: In a step to ensure the safety of schoolchildren, the traffic police has decided to act tough against the managements of schools who do not comply with statutory norms stipulated under GO No. 41 of the education department.

The traffic police, along with members of school-level traffic awareness and transport committee, will conduct surprise checks on schools. The committee was recently formed to ensure the safety of schoolchildren. They will sensitise school managements on measures to be taken for the safety of schoolchildren.

As per the new rules, if a school is situated in multistoried building, the management has to fix grills to balconies and install fire safety equipment as per the the National Building Code of India, Part IV of Fire protection Act 1997. The managements should also paint zebra crossing and deploy guides in front of school premises after school hours so that children cross the road on zebra lines safely.

According to records, 1,39,222 children study in 356 schools in the city. “We will take every step to enforce laws for the safety of schoolchildren. Surprise raids will be conducted to check whether schools have parking slots, whether they painted zebra lines outside premises and deployed guides to assist schoolchildren,” deputy commissioner of police, traffic and security, P. Viswa Prasad said.
He said that the STATCOM has asked all schools to nominate guides to assist children.

The schools have to follow these rules in the interest of their students. Otherwise police would recommend the education department to take necessary action, the DCP said. Any agency which wants to start a school or upgrade its school premises has to get a no objection certificate from traffic wing of the police department.

The NOC will be issued only after traffic police inspect the school premises, the DCP said. Existing schools should also get a NOC from traffic police for renewal, he added.

Visakhapatnam, Aug. 12: The city police sounded red alert in the city after the recent intelligence reports about the possible attacks by terrorists in various parts of the city on the occasion of Independence Day.

The city police also received directions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in this regard. Keeping in view of the reports, the city police beefed up security along the industrial belt of the city where Visakhapatnam Port, HPCL, Coromandel Fertilisers, Hindustan Zinc, BPCL, Hindustan Shipyard and organisations of Eastern Naval Command are located.

The police on Saturday informed that they are diverting heavy vehicular traffic from August 13 midnight to August 16. Heavy vehicles will not be allowed into the city through Gajuwaka and Scindia junction where all the above industries and organisations are located.

However, vehicles of the employees of the concerned industries and RTC buses are exempted and can move freely, Traffic DCP P. Viswa Prasad said. The police will thoroughly check all the vehicles on this road, he said.