Andhranews

Karimnagar, Aug. 15: The rural water works department would take up a total of 302 drinking water works at an estimated cost of Rs 6.70 crores to strengthen the rural water supply and distribution system in the district under the Bharath Nirman scheme, said minister for sports M. Satyanarayana Rao.

Addressing the Independence Day main ceremony here on Tuesday, the minister said that the government had accorded top priority to provide basic amenities like drinking water in the rural areas. A total of 236 drinking water schemes were already initiated under Indiramma scheme and another 252 drinking water works were under various stages of execution in the government schools across the district, he added.

He said that the Sripadasagar project works were being executed at a brisk pace to fetch water to about 4.50 lakhs acres in Karimnagar and Medak districts besides catering to the drinking water requirements in both the districts. Stating that the recent heavy rains caused extensive property damage to the tune of Rs 27 crores in the district, Mr Rao said that the district administration has already sent a report on the damage to the government.

Earlier, the minister unfurled the national flag and took guard of honour from the police. ZP chairman A. Mohan, district collector M.V. Satyanarayana, SP D.S. Chauhan and others were present.

Adilabad, Aug. 15: Union minister of State for commerce Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday that the Naxalite problem would not be solved without distribution of land to the poor and tribals. He said that the Naxalite problem was prevalent in States where tribal population was more and quoted examples where tribals lost their lands to non-tribals in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that Rs 12 crores would be given to 13 districts, including Adilabad of Andhra Pradesh, under the Backward Regions Fund. He said that one should not attribute any divinity to public representatives because they were simply spending people’s money on welfare and development. Adilabad Congress MLA Ramchandra Reddy and Integrated Tribal Development Agency Utnoor project officer Saurabh Gaur accompanied the minister.

Vijayawada, Aug. 15: Following heavy inflows, river Krishna is set to rise again, posing threats to island habitation downstream and villages on the banks between Prakasam Barrage and Nagarjunasagar reservoir. Inflows are expected to touch six lakh cusecs by Tuesday night as the officials at Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs have discharged surplus water in the late hours on Monday.

Water levels at Prakasam Barrage have gone up to 13.90 feet with 5.02 lakh cusecs of water being discharged to the downstream. The discharge at Srisailam reservoir had gone up to 6.80 lakh with 877.10 feet level, while Nagarjunasagar had discharged 5.50 lakh cusecs of water at 581.30 feet level. It was in 1998 that the officials had opened all the 27 gates of Srisailam and discharged over seven lakh cusecs of water to the Nagarjunasagar reservoir. In turn, the Nagarjunasagar officials too have discharged the same quantity of water leaving no scope for officials to make safety measures and rescue people and properties from floods.

Though there was no loss of life in the 1998 floods, people lost their properties and houses were damaged as the floodwater inundated several island habitation in the Diviseema. This time, though the officials are on high alert and are regulating water discharges from the Prakasam Barrage, the surplus inflows that are expected to reach Prakasam Barrage by Tuesday night are to be let out to sea, inundating several habitation downstream.

“The inflows from Bheema and Tungabhadra have gone up alarmingly and we had no option but to allow the excess water to go into the sea. We have no mechanism to store this water and regulate the discharges wit-hout causing damage people living downstream,” the Prakasam Barrage anicut superintendent N. Benarji told this correspondent on Tuesday. As the inflows to the river began to increase from the early hours on Tuesday, the river bank villages between Nagarjunasagar and Prakasam Barrage were facing the threat of inundation.

People from several villages along the river, particularly in Jaggaiahpet, Chandarlapadu, Nandigama and Ibrahimpatnam mandals are spending sleepless nights.

Vijayawada, Aug. 15: The inflows to river Krishna are once again set to increase, posing a threat to the island habitations in the downstream, besides the river bank villages between Prakasam Barrage and Nagarjunasagar reservoir.

The inflows are expected to touch six lakh cusecs by Tuesday night, as the officials are Srisailam and Nag-arjunasagar reservoirs have discharged surplus water in the late hours on Monday.
Water levels at Prakasam Barrage have gone up to 13.90 feet with 5.02 lakh cusecs of water being discharged to the downstream. The discharge at Srisailam reservoir had gone up to 6.80 lakh with 877.10 feet level, while Nagarjunasagar had discharged 5.50 lakh cusecs of water with 581.30 feet levels.

It was in 1998 that the officials have opened all the 27 gates of Srisailam and di-scharged over seven lakh cusecs of water to the Naga-rjunasagar reservoir. In tu-rn, the Sagar officials too have discharged the same quantity of water leaving no scope for officials to make safety measures and rescue people and properties from the floods.

Though there was no loss of life in the 1998 floods, people have lost their properties and houses were damaged as the floodwater inundated several island habitations in the Diviseema. This time too, though the officials have been on high alert and were regulating water discharges from the Prakasam Barrage, the surplus inflows that are expected to reach Prakasam Barrage by Tuesday night are to be let out to the sea, inundating several habitations in the downstream.

“The inflows from Bhee-ma and Tungabhadra have gone up alarmingly and we had no option but to allow the excess water to go into the sea. We have no mechanism to store this water and regulate the discharges wit-hout causing damage in the downstream,” the Prakasam Barrage anicut superintendent N Benarji told this correspondent on Tuesday.

As the inflows to the river began to increase from the early hours on Tuesday, the river bank villages between Nagarjunasagar and Prakas-am Barrage were facing the threat of inundation. People from several villages along the river, particularly in Jaggaiahpet, Chandarlapadu, Nandigama and Ibrahimpatnam mandals are spending sleepless nights.

Vijayawada, Aug. 15: The Jana Vignana Vedika had launched State-wide agitation seeking total ban on the sale and consumption of soft drinks, which were branded as harmful for children’s health. Taking cue from various State governments banning soft drinks in educational institutions, JVV president V. Lakshmana Reddy called upon people to discourage the consumption of cool drinks. He wanted the people to encourage consumption of fruit juices, milk products and tender coconuts.

Lakshmana Reddy demanded that the State government impose total ban on the production and consumption of cool drinks in the State on the lines of the decision taken by the Kerala government.
The co-operative sector handling fruits and milk products should be strengthened to expand their activities replacing the cool drinks, he said. He also appealed to the sportspersons, film actors and models not to accept modelling for cool drinks which were found harmful.

Srikakulam, Aug. 15: Revenue minister Dharmana Prasad Rao here on Tuesday said that the State had witnessed a very bad phase due to floods that inflicted severe damage twice in recent times. Speaking at the Independence Day celebrations held here, the minister said the State government was now giving top priority to the construction of reservoirs to contain floods. “Construction of reservoirs is the only solution to stop floods. The recent devastation due to heavy floods was unimaginable,” said Mr Dharmana.

He said lakhs of cusecs of water went waste into the sea due to the lack of adequate storage facilities. “The additional water could be diverted to thousands of acres of land if the Thotapalli and Hiramandalam reservoirs were constructed. Farmers would have sufficient water for the next three years even if there were no rains. That’s why the Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy gave top priority to irrigation projects,” he said.

He ordered the officials to chalk out plan for the construction of Nagavali and Vamsadhara river protection bunds and said that the State government was striving hard for the all-round sustainable development in the State. “The projects taken up by the government under the leadership of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy are unique in the country. We are committed for the development of the State,” added the minister.

Visakhapatnam, Aug. 15: An Intermediate college that was registered in one part of the city conducts classes at another place. It has become commonplace in the city of destiny. There are also many Intermediate colleges being run without any permission from the Intermediate Board. Gone are the days when persons intended to start an Intermediate college get board for permission. Now the colleges are being started without any such mandatory permission. Unauthorised Intermediate colleges are being run in many parts of the city.

Normally, the State Intermediate Board advertises asking the persons interested in starting a college to send in applications to the secretary of the Board. After receiving applications, the board authorities send a three-member committee to inspect the premises of the applicants where the college was proposed to start. The applicant should possess 8,000 sft premises with all the infrastructure. The committee that was appointed would inspect the premises and would writes to the secretary giving all the details.

The secretary in turn gives the permission to start an Intermediate college after paying a certain amount as fees. The fees amount would be different to start a general Intermediate college and the college with vocational courses. The committee would also check all the necessary documents of the premises. The Regional Intermediate Board after receiving several complaints about some colleges being run in and around the city without mandatory permissions wrote to the higher authorities.

Later the colleges- Mahodaya Intermediate College in Madhurawada and another one in Gajuwaka were forced to close, as the managements did not get any permission from the board. “We will definitely write to our higher authorities if we come across any such college being run without permission from the Intermediate board.

The regional office is not competent to take any action against such colleges, but we will definitely take action if our higher authorities ask us to take any,” said The Regional Intermediate Officer A. Bhaskar Rao. Apart from permission, these colleges would also have to renew their affiliation every year. There are around 177 Intermediate colleges in the district including government, aided, unaided, welfare, private and composite ones.