Andhranews

Kurnool/Kadapa, Sept. 17: Several streams were overflowing following heavy rains in Kurnool district on Sunday. Water level is rising in Tungabhadra river with inflows of floodwater. The river receives 20,000 cusecs of floodwater. Sunkesula barrage is receiving 11,497 cusecs of floodwater and 2,534 cusecs is being released into K-C canal. Inflows into Tungabhadra dam stood at 6,777 cusecs and outflow stands at 8,516 cusecs.

Water level is also rising in Srisailam reservoir as the dam received huge inflows of floodwaters for the last two days. Nearly 1,88,912 cusecs of water has reached the reservoir by Sunday evening, officials said. Water level at the dam stood at 879.70 ft with the storage capacity of 234.8485 tmc ft. Officials were releasing 19,433 cusecs into Nagarjunsagar after power generation.

Meanwhile, water level in Penna river is rising due to heavy rains in catchment areas in Siddavatam mandal of Kadapa district. Works on high level causeway bridge on the river have been stopped. Traffic on the route has been badly affected. People living in catchment areas have been put on alert. Police personnel were deployed to prevent people from crossing the river.

The highway has been closed at Bhakarapet and buses going towards Kadapa, Rajampet, Tirupati, Rayachoti, Chittoor, Bangalore, Ongole, Kanigiri, Nellore and other areas were diverted via Badvel, Chilakanuma and Kadapa.

Anantapur/Nellore, Sept. 17: A first year engineering student, who was allegedly subjected to ragging by his seniors, attempted suicide by hanging himself at his residence at Kamalanagar in Anantapur town on Saturday night. According to sources, K. Karthik had joined Nellore-based Narayana Engineering college only five days ago.

Unable to bear the humiliation of being subjected to ragging, Karthik returned home on Saturday and attempted suicide at midnight. He was immediately rushed to a local hospital where he is recovering.
According to his relatives, no complaint was lodged with the police so far.

According to reports incidence of ragging is high in the engineering colleges in Gudur, Kavali, Sullurpet, Venkatachalams in Nellore district. A first year MBBS student Manjunath committed suicide allegedly due to the ragging by seniors on September 11.

In another case, two senior students were suspended from an engineering college in Kavali recently for harassing a new entrant. Kavali police registered cases on the seniors. Parents of the students have demanded that the government take stern action against seniors who are involved in ragging.

Ongole, Sept. 17: Telugu Desam (TD) district president and Addanki legislator Karanam Balaram on Sunday alleged that district collector B. Udaya Lakshmi should be held responsible for Saturday’s incident in which the diversion canal of the Gundlakamma reservoir project developed breaches and was washed away.

The TD leader also alleged that the collector was lying and had failed to take steps for the speedy implementation of the relief and rehabilitation (R&R) package for the displaced families affected by the construction of the Gundlakamma reservoir. When the MLA entered into a heated argument with the collector, she asked him “to hold his tongue.” The incident took place in the presence of a large number of villagers at Mallavaram village.

Earlier, Ms Udaya Lakshmi, advisor to the irrigation department P. Prakasa Rao, Veligonda project superintending engineer (SE) Suryanarayanababu and others reached Mallavaram village after inspecting the project site. The TD leaders were also present at the site. The SE invited Mr Balaram to discuss the matter in the backdrop of Saturday’s incident in which the diversion canal was eroded and washed away in the flood waters.

The MLA refused to take part in a meet saying that the collector was telling lies. Officials and Mr Balaram began talks in the room while the collector stayed outside. Villagers began questioning Ms Udaya Lakshmi on the project issue and the collector was replying on the loudspeaker nearby. Irritated over the noise, the MLA came out of the room in an angry mood and asked the collector why was she speaking to the villagers.

He said that she was responsible for the diversion canal and the disaster that took place on Saturday. He asked why officials had begun gorge works without completing the RR package for displaced families. He also alleged that the collector was responsible for delay in the implementation of the RR package.

Later, joint collector Siddardh Jain and other officials pacified the MLA. The MLA later continued talks with officials for more than an hour over the project works. He questioned project chief engineer Sivarao why the gorge works had begun without shifting the displaced villagers. Meanwhile, senior district officers have decided to go on a one-day mass casual leave on September 18 to protest against Mr Balaram’s comments against the collector.

The officials met in the evening and condemned Mr Balaram for criticising the collector in the presence of villagers. The officials expressed solidarity with the collector and said that she had been making sincere efforts to supply water to 30,000 acres of land with the Gundlakamma reservoir project.

Tirupati, Sept 17: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is gearing up for the annual Brahmotsavam of Lord Venkateswara which will begin on September 25. As part of the arrangements, huge arches and cut outs are erected to welcome pilgrims in important locations in Tirumala and Tirupati.

TTD information centres in Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore will also be colourfully decorated and illuminated. TTD officials are planning to conduct the flower and fruit show on the occasion. Officials of various departments are holding meetings regularly to conduct the Brahmotsavam in a grand manner. Road dividers between the Tirumala and Tirupati road and other important roads in Tirupati are being painted.

The Devastanams authorities asked APSRTC to increase the frequency of bus services between Tirupati and Tirumala to mark the Brahmotsavam as lakhs of devotees will visit the temple town. Meanwhile, vigilance and police officials have stepped up checking and patrolling operations on important routes, particularly between Tirumala and Tirupati. Sources said that most arrangements for the Brahmotsavam are likely be completed in five days.

Ongole, Sept. 17: Telugu Desam (TD) politburo member and MP K. Yerrannaidu on Sunday alleged that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy was giving priority for the development of his native Kadapa district and acting as the chief minister of one district.

He said the Chief Minister should give priority for the development of all regions of the State. Speaking to reporters here at the party office, Mr Yerrannaidu said regional differences surfaced in the State due to the policies of the Chief Minister. “Had Dr Reddy announced packages for the backward areas, regional differences would not have surfaced,” the senior TD leader said.

On the law and order situation in the State, he said 104 TD workers were killed in the State during the two-and-a-half years of the Congress rule. He alleged that the Congress government was harassing the TD leaders and activists and also implicating them in false cases.

Mr Yerrannaidu visited Ongole to take part in the two-day district party convention. He made it clear that the TD supports united Andhra Pradesh. He alleged that the Chief Minister had failed to fulfill the pre-poll promises and failed on all fronts. Former MP Kambhampati Rammohana Rao, TD district president Karanam Balaram and others were also present.

Kakinada , Sept. 17: The consumer movement is going into a new phase in East Godavari district.The extension of the movement to mandals and formation of mandal information centres is considered a step towards creating greater awareness among rural people.

In addition to this, the formation of 109 consumer clubs in the district is also considered a positive sign towards the development of the movement to every nook and corner of the district. In addition to this, the mandal advisory committee with the mandal revenue officer (MRO) and mandal parishad development officer (MPDO) concerned and the consumer club president or active teacher in the mandal as members was formed in all the 60 mandals in the district.

In this backdrop, entrusting the monitoring of the public distribution system (PDS) in both urban and rural areas of East Godavari district to the incharges of these centres is said to be the first of its kind in the State. Joint collector C. Sudarshana Reddy issued a circular to the mandal authorities concerned on August 24, 2006 entrusting the information centre incharges to inspect ration shops in the mandals and submit a report on the distribution of civil supplies.

The incharges were also authorised to check the date on which rice, kerosene and sugar were reaching the depots. They were also authorised to monitor whether distribution was effectively carried out at the fixed prices and to check the timings of the depot and display board of stocks at regular intervals.

The information centre incharges were also directed to submit a report every month after verifying these details to the joint collector.
According to district information centre incharge and Pedapudi MPDO Bhamidi Siva Murty, East Godavari is the first district in the State in which monitoring of fair price shops has been entrusted to consumer information centre incharges.

This move is expected to bring down irregularities in the PDS and is likely to help effective distribution through fair price shops. East Godavari district has about 2,241 fair price shops with around 13 lakh ration card holders.

Tenali (Guntur), Sept. 17: The State Legislative Assembly is ahead of the rest of the legislatures in the country in digitising the proceedings of the House. Disclosing this to this correspondent on Sunday, Mr Nadendla Manohar, Tenali MLA and one of the panel Speakers and also chairman of the Committee on Library, said the proceedings since 1952 were digitised.

“But for Prof Raj Reddy of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, the project would not have been realised,” Mr Manohar said. According to him, Prof Reddy has been taking im-mense interest and establis-hed the set-up which ena-bles the process of digitising.

He said that a website was being designed and the digitised proceedings of the Assembly will be hosted on it to facilitate everyone to access it. All the 294 MLAs will soon be given laptops with fax, printer, scanner, copier and a cellphone. Besides, all the MLAs will be equipped with information regarding their respective constituencies to enable them to get the information on finger–tips, Mr Manohar said.

Warangal, Sept. 17: Hundreds of BJP activists clashed with the police when they were not allowed to go to the Police Parade Grounds here to hoist the national flag on the occasion of Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations. The activists, who came in a procession from the Telangana Martyrs Memorial, were halted at the Book Bird Circle and were prevented by the police from proceeding towards the district police headquarters.

Earlier, the activists led by district party unit president Gujjula Premender Reddy and former MLA M. Dharma Rao paid rich tributes to those who took part in the liberation of Hyderabad State at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial. The activists shouted slogans against the government’s alleged indifferent attitude in officially celebrating the Liberation Day. The BJP leaders alleged that the State government was showing disrespect to the Telangana armed struggle.

Meanwhile, the Congress organised a host of programmes to celebrate the Hyderabad Liberation Day. Walking a stretch of 3-km, major irrigation minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah led a rally from Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Station Road to Mogilaiah Hall. Later, the minister felicitated 100 freedom fighters at the special meet, where they recollected their experiences of the Telangana armed struggle.

Addressing the meet, Mr Lakshmaiah said that the Hyderabad liberation struggle had a special place in the world history as the peasants and other commoners including women took active part in overthrowing the Nizam rule. He termed the Liberation Day as the real Independence Day for the region’s people.

He said that the government was extending freedom fighter pensions to all those who took part in the Hyderabad liberation movement. Earlier, the minister hoisted the national flag at the District Congress Committee office where DCC president Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy, city MLA Baswaraju Saraiah, zilla parishad chairperson L. Dhanwanthi and mayor E. Swarna and others were present. The CPI and the TRS also organised meetings to celebrate the Liberation Day here.

Adilabad, Sept. 17: District officials, who were upset over the remarks made against them by social welfare minister D.S. Redya Naik, registered their protest and floated the District Gazetted Officers Association to counter such allegations. The minister scolded officials during the district review committee meeting held two days ago and allegedly called them “useless fellows” for their poor performance in taking up developmental works.

Anantharao and Satyanarayana, president and secretary of the district union of the Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers Association (TNGO) extended their support to the newly-formed association. Meanwhile, a few Dalit and tribal organisations supported the minister and threatened to agitate against the gazetted officers.

Karimnagar, Sept. 17: Minister for sports M. Satyanarayana Rao on Sunday expressed his willingness to join the Telangana movement if the mantle of the TRS leadership was ha-nded over to TRS legislator Nayani Narasimha Reddy. Mr Satyanarayana Rao made this offer after Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) activists laid siege on his residence here. The minister arrived here on a four-day tour of the district.

Speaking to TRS activists, who demanded his resignation from the State Cabinet, Mr Satyanarayana said, “(TRS president) K. Chandrasekhar Rao is a novice in the Telangana struggle. Nayani Narasimha Reddy participated in the historic struggle for Telangana in late 1960s. He suffered police lathicharge for the sake of Telangana. Let Mr Reddy take over the TRS leadership, I will fight for Telangana along with you. I will go to Delhi tomorrow and ask Congress president Sonia Gandhi to create Telangana.”

Allaying the fears of betrayal by the Congress of the Telangana cause, Mr Satyanarayana said that Telangana will be formed along with Vidharbha and other States. Explaining the reluctance of the Congress leadership to introduce a bill for granting Statehood to Telangana, Mr Rao said the UPA government cannot do anything against the wishes of the Left parties, whose support is crucial for its survival.

Later, Mr Satyanarayana Rao told reporters that the TRS president had conspired to defeat him by fielding Mr Mrutyunjayam in violation of poll pact during the 2004 Assembly elections. Reiterating that he is still abide by his challenge, Mr Satyanarayana Rao said, “I had already sent my resignation to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and it is for the party high command to decide on fielding the candidate in the event of byelection.”

Vijayawada, Sept. 17: Municipal commissioner Natarajan Gulzar on Sunday asked the citizens to cooperate with the administration for completely eliminating mosquitoes from the city. Launching a programme that aims to eliminate mosquitoes from all colonies, Mr Gulzar said every house owner must prevent accumulation of stagnant water as it serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

“Our personnel will place ML oil balls in the stagnated water pools to prevent the growth of larva and release gambusia fish into the wells. Pyrethrum and bitech pesticides are also being distributed in the colonies to ensure clean and healthy environment,” he said. The commissioner, along with corporator Ch. Babu Rao, went round Singhnagar, P&T Colony, K.L. Rao Road, Sivalayam Street, American Hospital Road, Santhi Nagar and inspected the drains in the colonies.

The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation authorities have pressed into service malaria department personnel who would ensure that water does not get stagnated in flower pots, wells, besides conducting malaria tests. The citizens were also requested not to throw garbage into the drains.

“The programme would be implemented in all the colonies in the city twice a week,” Mr Gulzar said. The officials also visited the Vambay Colony where 540 families have been rehabilitated from the Padmavati Ghat.“Ex-gratia was also given to the settlers towards flood relief and we are evicting the road-side vendors. The height of the low-lying land is also being repaired as water is accumulating there,” said the commissioner.

Khammam, Sept. 17: A devotee of Lord Sri Rama, who bought kalyanam and VIP darshan tickets online was charged three times the tickets money by the company operating the puja services.
The temple authorities have handed over the service of selling the puja tickets to a private company. Devotees from India and abroad can buy the tickets with their credit cards.

T. Krishnamohan Reddy of Hyderabad purchased kalyanam ticket and VIP darshan ticket by producing his credit card number. The price of the tickets was around Rs 3,600. But the company is said to have withdrawn Rs 3,600 three times from Mr Reddy’s ac-count. Mr Reddy appro-ached the temple officials on the issue. However, the temple authorities did not bother to make the company repay the overdrawn amount to Mr Reddy.

Previously, the temple au-thorities used to operate the services through a website. Later, the services were handed over to a private company. The company is said to be depositing the amount with the temple six months after receiving it.

When asked about it, temple executive officer K. Ramakrishnam Raju admitted that the company with drew the amount of Rs 3,600 three times from Mr Reddy’s account. He said that the issue was taken to the notice of the company in Hyderabad.

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 17: In protest against the alleged harassment by the revenue authorities, the Visakhapatnam Cine Exhibitors closed down around 120 theatres in the district on Sunday. Boards stating “Cinema hall will remain close indefinitely in protest against the actions of joint collector” were set up at theatres.
It may be recalled that the administration on Saturday ordered the stoppage of screening in five theatres in the city for alleged violation of stipulated norms.

The closure orders were issued for the alleged violation of the conditions of B-form licences and for not providing basic facilities to the cine-goers. Many families returned home disappointed when they came to know about the protest. “I have a hectic schedule on my working days and on Sunday I get some time to spend with my family. I usually prefer watching a movie. The closure of the cinema halls derailed my plan for the day,” said Mustafa who came to watch a Hindi movie with his family to Jagadamba Theatre.

The managements said that the revenue authorities have been harassing them by way of issuing orders to stop screening due to absurd reasons. “They are not ready to re-inspect our premises even after we rectify the defects pointed out by them. We had to wait for long hours outside the joint collector’s office with rectification report. After sometime, the office staff came out and said that the joint collector was busy and asked us to meet him on Monday,” alleged a theatre owner.

On the other hand, the cine-goers are concerned about the closure of the theatres, as movies of their favourite heroes are scheduled to be released on Wednesday. “The theatre owners and revenue officials should sort out their differences so that films are screened,” said Chandramouli, a cine-goer.

Meanwhile, secretary of the Vizag Cine Exhibitors Association T.P. Anantham alleged that joint collector Sandip Kumar Sultania was treating them as the incorrigible creatures. “There were many instances when we were humiliated. We have been doing this business for 50 years but never faced such harassment. A few months back we met commercial taxes minister Konatala Ramakrishna on the issue but to no avail,” Mr Anatham said.

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 17: After being hounded out from tribal areas by the police, Maoists are trying to make inroads into cities by entering the trade union movement. Since they got active in Vishakapatnam in the 1980s, the Maoists have confined themselves to forests and tribal areas and have not entered the industrial front unlike mainstream Marxist organisations.

However, deep forays into the jungle by Greyhounds in the past one year have forced the Maoists to move out of agency areas and into the forests of the Eastern Ghats, mainly in the Malkangiri and Koraput districts of Orissa.This has also forced the Maoist leaders to explore options of establishing a base in the cities.

Key documents seized by the police from Maoist hideouts have disclosed that the foray into urban industrial areas was seriously discussed at a political reorganisation review meeting of the Andhra Orissa Border Special Zone Committee. Divisional committees of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and other border districts of Orissa come within the purview of the committee. Sources said that Maoists were planning to work among both the organised and unorganised working class. So far, even the front organisations of the Maoists have been keeping away from this terrain.

A clear signal of the new thinking was evident from the reaction of Maoist leaders to the recent crisis at Gangavaram private port leading to police firing. Maoist East Division Committee secretary Jagadeesh immediately put out statement expressing solidarity with the fisherfolk and warned the port management and government functionaries of dire consequences.

There are more than a dozen public sector units and many private industries in the city employing over a lakh workers. The Maoists consider this fertile terrain. Trade union leaders from these areas had interacted with Maoists during the period of peace talks. Top Maoist leader Sudhakar had taken the initiative for this.

“We know that some recent agitations by the industrial workers had the backing of Maoists,” said a trade union leader. “Managements conceded their demands because of this”. Deputy commissioner of police Bhavana Saxena told this correspondent that police were keen on exploring the ‘industrial link’ of the Maoists. Special surveillance teams were keeping a watch on Naxal movements in the city, she added.

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 17: The district administration has ordered an internal inquiry into the alleged assault on a woman officer working in the department of stamps and registration by her superior.
The incident came to light after a complaint was lodged with the IV town police by P. Lakshmi Kumari, assistant deputy registrar (flying squad) of stamps and registration department against deputy collector and flying squad in-charge C. Seshagiri Rao.

Ms Lakshmi Kumari alleged that Seshagiri Rao had been harassing her and had also misbehaved with her. “Unable to bear Seshagiri Rao’s harassment, I approached deputy inspector general (stamps and registration) V. Ravi Kumar on September 15 to complain against him. While I was briefing, Seshagiri Rao entered the DIG chambers and slapped me, in the presence of the DIG,” Ms Lakshmi Kumari alleged. She added that the deputy collector even warned her of dire consequences.

When contacted, Mr Ravi Kumar said that he had communicated the issue to the higher-ups in the department for further action. Ms Lakshmi Kumari said that she would meet the district collector A.K. Singhal on Monday in order to seek protection from Seshagiri Rao.
Visakhapatnam police commissioner V.S.K. Kaumudi said that an investigation is on. When this correspondent tried to contact Seshagiri Rao over phone he was not available.

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 16: Union minister of State for mines T. Subbirami Reddy felicitated chief priests of various famous temples of the country here on Sunday morning on the occasion of his birthday.
The chief priests of Tirumala, Srisailam, Sabarimala, Shirdi, Puri, Bhadr- achalam, Madurai, Kanchi- puram, Annavaram were among those who were felicitated. Avadhoota Datta Peetadhipathi of Mysore Sri Ganapathysatchidananda Swamy also took part in the programme.

In the evening, at another programme in Kalavani Auditorium, the TSR National Integration Awards were presented to film actress and social activist Shabana Azmi and lyricist Javed Akhtar. Lok Sabha member Priya Dutt received the award announced for Sunil Dutt. The TSR Lifetime Achievement awards were given to the yesteryears actress and chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification Sharmila Tagore and Telugu actress Anjali Devi.

The evening programme Sarva Dharma Sadbhavana Sammelan started with the blessings by Sri Jagadguru Pushpagiri Sankaracharya Swamiji of Pushpagiripeetham, Imam of Mecca Masjid Moulana Mohammed Osman Saheb Naqshebandi, Bishop of Guntur Rev Dr Gali Bali, Head Granthi Gurudwara Sadh Sangath Darshan Singh.