Andhra Pradesh

Three persons including two women were killed and five others suffered injuries when a tractor and auto-rickshaw fell off a bridge after having a head-on collision.

The incident happened on Edulavanka bridge on Sindupalli and Rayavaram road of Kadapa district on Sunday. According to police, the tractor was carrying sand and it fell on the passengers after both the vehicles fell off the bridge. The deceased include tractor driver Ganapati. The other victims have been identified as Pavalamma and Jayamma.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau on Sunday conducted massive raids at the residences of several excise and police officials who are allegedly involved in the liquor syndicate.

In Adilabad district, the ACB conducted raids at the residence of Adilablad OSD Uma Maheshwar Rao and Rural CI Sridhar Rao. The ACB officials have reportedly seized property worth several lakhs from their possession. Both the officials were reportedly taken into custody and were brought to Hyderabad.

Authorities of the Kanaka Durga temple have on Saturday opened the Hundi, containing controversial bag of coins and counted the cash.

The missing bag has created a sensation on February 20, and it was later found dumped in a corner. Temple authorities led by the Assistant EO opened the Hundi in the presence of revenue and police officials. EO Raghunath has later said that the bag contained Rs.14,601. He said apart from the bag deposited by the temple superintendent, the Hundi contained 50 paise coins of the value of Rs.1307 and 117 other coins of no value.

Centre has proposed to develop all the ports in the country with huge investment to increase the overall capacity of Indian ports, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan said. Addressing a gathering here yesterday, Mr Vasan said it was necessary to increase the overall capacity of Indian ports to 3230 million tonnes by 2019-20 which was three times the present level of 936 million tonnes. He said an investment of Rs 2.77 lakh crore was required for the modernisation and development of ports on par with international standards to increase the capacity of the ports.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Botcha Satyanarayana said regional parties cannot have any influence in Indian politics and predicted the Congress would win majority of seats in the ensuing by-elections in the state. Talking to reporters at I Bhimavaram Village, today, before going for a road show in West Godavari District, he said despite the Congress Party not doing well in the just concluded Assembly Elections, it succeeded in improving its per centage of votes as well as seats.

Four people, including two children, were buried alive and one injured seriously when an old compound wall collapsed on them at Kalilwadi in the district today. According to police, the incident occurred, when the labourers, belonging to Guntur district, engaged in work for construction of a new building was adjacent to the compound wall. All the bodies were retrieved from the debris and sent to government hospital for post-mortem. The deceased were identified as D Padma (35), Venkatamma (45), Chaitanya (2.5) and Rani (5). The injured were shifted to local area hospital for treatment.

Secondary Education Minister K Parthasarathi here today appealed to the agitating teachers, working in the high schools run by the municipal corporation who were observing relay hunger strike demanding salaries to be paid from government exchequer instead of JNNURM funds, to call off their agitation keeping in mind the coming class ten examinations.

Krishna District Judge R Ramachandra Reddy today said a judicial website to know the status of cases and other relevant information on trials, would be launched soon. Addressing a press conference in Machilipatnam, he said clients, lawyers and officials concerned could know the status of their cases from the website. All judicial information including trials, examination of witness and the reasons for adjournment of cases would be put in the website. Vijayawada, Machilipatnam and Nandigama Courts would be computerisd soon, the District Judge informed.

Union Ministry of shipping, P K Sinha today Visited Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI) in the Port City. According to DCI spokesman here tonight, the Shipping Secretary Reviewed the Performance of the Company Progress. He planted a sapling in the premises of the company. On the Occasion of Reviewed the Company Development and Progress here, he Stressed the need to Increase the Dredging Capcity in the Company. He stated that the DCI should take all necessary steps to improve its performance and become more competitive to become a global player. UNI

The relations between India and China are improving fast amid growing trade ties between the two countries, a top Chinese Embassy official said. Addressing a One-Day International Seminar on ‘BRICS and the New World Economic Order’ here today, Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) Embassy of China, Deng Xijun said the trade volume between the two countries had increased more than ten times in the past 11 years. ‘Last year, the bilateral trade between the two countries had reached new heights, despite the global economic and financial crisis,’ he said.

The YSR Congress party on Saturday said that the ruling Congress and main opposition TDP leaders were hit by Jagan-phobia ahead of the by-elections in the State.

Describing both the parties as sinking boats, YSR Congress party spokesperson Gattu Ramachandra Rao said that the parties were jittery ahead of by-polls as their base was eroding fast. “Chief Minister and Congress president failed to draw crowds and had to bring in recording dancers to hold the public while TDP is spending more on liquor at Kovur,” he alleged.

Former minister and senior Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy has said that no force on the earth could face the YSR Congress party’s wave in the Seemandhra (coastal) region.

Talking to the media here, Jeevan Reddy said that the Congress had engineered disqualification of the Jagan group MLAs only to deprive them of their voting right in the Rajya Sabha election.

He said that Congress would have some future in Telangana region only if it states its stand clearly on the statehood issue. He said that it was strange on the part of Chief Minister N Kiran

Primary Education Minister S Sailajanath on Friday said that the prospects of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu wresting power in the State from the Congress regime were remote.

Talking to media persons, Sailajanath said that Naidu has started day dreaming after the successful ride of Samajwadi Party’s ‘cycle’ in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. However, the prospects of Naidu coming to power in the State were highly remote, he said.

Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development D Purandeswari on Thursday said that the Congress party would consider changes in organizational matters in the wake of debacle in the recent elections in five states.

The BSNL East Godavari unit tops in Andhra Pradesh in providing as many as 42,000 BroadBand connections and 7.5 lakh mobile connections. At the technical awareness meet conducted for the customers at the central telephone exchange here today, the BSNL district General Manager G Raghavendrarao said that their organisation was first and foremost in applying the ever growing technologies in communication and information fields to cater to the peoples’ requirements and bringing them to their doors steps.

City Police Commissioner J Purna Chandrarao today flagged off World Kidney Day walk here. More than 500 people participated in the walk from Rama Krishna beach road to YMCA. Apollo Hospitals has organised a health awareness walk in the morning. Those presence on the occasion included Dr T Ravi Raju MD DM, former Director Medical Education and the Chief Nephrologist, Apollo Hospital. The participants included Experts Dr B B Phani Kumar, Dr J A L Ranganath, Dr P V Naresh Kumar, Dr N K Panigrahi, Dr Ramesh Babu, Dr Siva G Prasad, Dr Srinivas, nursing students and school children. UNI

Vizianagaram Member of Parliament Botsa Jhansi Lakshmi today inaugurated a 2-day UGC national seminar on ‘Violence against Women, Combating and Coping Strategies’ in the Andhra University (AU). The seminar was organised by Dr Durgabai Deshmukh Centre for Women’s Study.

Speaking after inaugurating the seminar on International Women’s Day here, Dr Lakshmi said the economic and women empowernment go together for a successful nation.

The Port City police today registered a case against Principal of a public school here for allegedly beating up a student of fourth class for conversing in Telugu. According to police here, The MSN English Medium Public school Principal N S N Murthy has been booked under section 324 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after parents of nine-year-old Pavani lodged a complaint. Mr Murthy was taken into custody for questioning.

At least four people were killed Wednesday evening in a huge fire in a firecracker unit in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, police said.

The incident took place near Atmakur in Nellore, about 500 km from here.

Four workers were killed in an explosion. Three of them died instantly.

The entire building was gutted in the fire, which is being investigated by police.

At least four people were killed Wednesday evening in a huge fire in a firecracker unit in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, police said.

The incident took place near Atmakur in Nellore, about 500 km from here.

Four workers were killed in an explosion. Three of them died instantly.

The entire building was gutted in the fire, which is being investigated by police.

Expecting more need for power in future due to increasing demand from agriculture and domestic sectors in the state, the Andhra Pradesh Government is planning to purchase 2,000 MW from June 2012 to May 2016.

BJP has resorted to false propaganda against the Muslim candidates floated by TRS. BJP activists are terrorizing the voters that in case Mr. Syed Ibrahim (TRS) wins the Assembly seat, Mahboobnagar will go back to Razakar period.

Government today said a major portion of the government land in Visakhapatnam district has been allotted to the various agencies for industrial, IT and tourism development and for mobilisation of resources. In a written reply to a question raised by MLA V Ramakrishna Babu in the State Legislative Assembly, Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy informed that an extent of 2217.29 acres of land was allotted to APIIC for industrial promotion during the years 2003, 2004 and 2008. Similarly, 3142.07 acres from the years 2000 to 2011 were allotted for 589 industrial units in the district.

Severe power crisis, which forced the government to announce power holidays to the small industries, has made the spinning mills in Guntur and Krishna districts to reduce production by 25 to 35 per cent which made them to incur huge losses. As many as 60 spinning and ginning mills in cotton rich Guntur district are facing threat of huge loses, following power holiday, announced by the government. All the spinning mills reduced their production by 25 to 35 per cent during the last 15 days.

Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Minister P Balaraju today said he was against bauxite mining in agency Girigen Adivasi-dominated areas in Visakhapatnam district. Addressing a news conference here, he said ‘as a tribal, I am against bauxite mining in the agency areas in the district.