‘Time for joint struggle by all revolutionaries’

Hyderabad, February 11: Varavara Rao, a revolutionary poet and writer, has called for an integrated struggle by the country’s Marxist-Leninist political groups under the commonly accepted Naxalbari Movement, to achieve the larger goal of New Democratic Revolution and devising an alternative development plan to the imperialist agenda.

Show-cause notices to two ACA members

Vijayawada, April 11: The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) on Sunday has issued show-cause notices to Guntur Gandhi Memorial Cricket Club president Nekkanti Venkata Rao and Chittoor District Cricket Association member B Vijaya Kumar for violating ACA bylaws.

Triangular fights in Kadapa, Pulivendula

Hyderabad, April 11: Even before the issuance of the election notification (which will be released tomorrow) for the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly seats slated for May 8, the war of words between the contesting candidates is intensifying. It will be a triangular fight between the Congress, TDP and YSR Congress Party candidates.

Tamil, Oriya films bag first prize

Karimnagar, April 11: Aval, a Tamil short film and Niyamgiri, an Oriya documentary film bagged first prize at Palapitta Awards-2011.

The awards were given at the concluding ceremony of the three-day National Short and Documentary Film Festival held here on Sunday.

Telugu short film, Mali Sandhya Velalo, and documentary film, Veli Prema, bagged the second prizes while Life@Charminar won the special jury award in the documentary category.

Information and Public Relations commissioner C Parthasarathi gave away the awards to the directors of the films.

Collector warns temple officials of action

Bhadrachalam, April 11: District collector Siddhartha Jain on Sunday expressed his anger at officials over the poor arrangements made for the Sree Ramanavami and Puskarapattabhisekam festivals to be held on April 12 and 13 at the temple town of Bhadrachalam.

He visited the temple town today along with SP Kanthiranatata to review the arrangements made for the devotees. He visited the temple, vista complex area, bathing ghats and helipad ground.

He expressed dissatisfaction over arrangements made for sanitation, accommodation, drinking water and the lack of warning signs at the river.

Now GPS to track lapses in PDS outlets

Guntur, April 11: The district administration is planning to introduce the Global Positioning System (GPS) to the public distribution system (PDS) vehicles by the month end to prevent irregularities.

As part of the move, the officials will provide GPS antennas to the vehicles carrying PDS rice, sugar and kerosene to track their movement in the district, according to joint collector A Sarath.

Secret codes were also formulated to trace the track record of the GPS vehicles distributing the commodities to the fair price shops.

Aqua ryots want national body

Vijayawada, April 11: Aqua farmers of Krishna district have stressed on the need for setting up a national level organisation in the region, as there was no scientific advisory available for them.

Speaking at a programme organised by the international marketing division of American Soyabean Association (ASA) at Hotel Gateway here on Sunday, Krishna district fish producers association president Kamineni Srinivas said, with no scientific advisory available, farmers were practising aquaculture following trial and errors in the region.

Parties stung by IYR’s touch-me-not zone

Tirupati, April 11: Leaders of various political parties including CPM, CPI, YSR Congress party, Lok Satta and RPI decried TTD executive officer IYR Krishna Rao’s move to declare the area around TTD administrative building as ‘prohibited area’.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Sunday, the leaders demanded that the TTD executive officer withdraw the move as it was ‘undemocratic’ and was aimed at curbing the rights of the political parties taking up problems of the employees and the public.

They threatened to lay a siege on the administrative building on April 13.

Lokpal Bill: CPI moots state-wide campaign

Vijayawada, April 11: Prime Minister should be brought under the purview of Lokpal Bill, observed CPI state secretary K Narayana.

Speaking to Express here on Sunday, he said the Communist Party of India would take a decision on launching a state-wide campaign against rampant corruption at official levels, in its state level meeting to be held in Hyderabad on May 3 and 4. The party is also mooting to start peoples agitation against corruption.

The CPI leader expressed concern over the increasing political corruption in the country in recent times.

Five of a family meet watery grave

Chittor, April 11: In a tragic incident, five people including three women and two children met a watery grave in Kallur on Sunday.

According information, Shakila (40) wife of Nazir Basha went along with her two married daughters Saira (25) and Reshma(22) to wash clothes in the Nallakalacheruvu village tank on the outskirts, around noon.

Muzib (4) son of Saira and Salman (2) son of Reshma also accompanied the women to the tank.

The mishap occurred when the two children who were taking bath, went deep into the waters and drowned.

It is a fight between Delhi and Kadapa: Jagan

Kadapa, April 11: YSR Congress party’s candidate for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has termed the Lok Sabha and Assembly byelections in Kadapa district as a fight between Kadapa and Delhi, and also between the popularities of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

Addressing a series of roadside meetings during poll campaign, Reddy said that had he compromised on values, credibility and character he would have got a good position in the Congress party.

TTDP leaders decide to campaign in Kadapa

Hyderabad, April 11: Telangana Telugu Desam Party (TTDP) leaders have decided to follow the instructions of party president N Chandrababu Naidu and undertake poll campaigning in Kadapa district in favour of the the party candidates.

“We are in the TDP and follow the instructions given by the party president,” senior TDP leader S Venugopalachary told reporters here on Sunday.

He said that Naidu had already asked the party MLAs to leave for Kadapa district.

Fears grow for worker trapped in a tunnel

Vishakapatnam, April 11: Is Gopal Behara alive? Trapped in a tunnel at Gandhigram near the Sagar Durga Hill here, Behara, a worker, has been battling for life for over 72 hours.

About 50 personnel, including those from Defence services, are engaged in the rescue operation. Official sources said it may take eight more hours to know his condition.

Police also fear that more workers might have been trapped.

Well-wishers flock to wish-fulfilling tree

Puttaparti, April 11: People have been queuing up to tie a rolled letter containing a handwritten message, ‘Jai Sai Ram. Long live Baba’ to a branch of the Kalpavruksham, a tree considered divine, here ever since Sathya Sai Baba was admitted to hospital.

The tree has so many papers containing get-well messages hanging from every branch that it has become invisible.

Crores lost in fire at Vizag steel plant

Vishakapatnam, April 11: In a major fire at the Steel Melting Shop (SMS) of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), liquid steel worth crores of rupees fell on the floor damaging equipment and cables here on Sunday.

The world’s longest dosa

Vijayawada, April 10: The Vijayawada Hotel Owners Association on Saturday successfully gained entry into the Guinness Book of World Records by preparing the longest dosa here.

The 38.2 feet-long dosa was longer by almost 6 feet than the previous record – a 32.5 feet-long dosa prepared by Sankalp Restaurant in Mumbai.

The event organised at the Siddhartha College of Arts on the occasion of its golden jubilee celebrations saw the participation of as many as 30 chefs.

Civic contract labour seek hike in wages

Hyderabad, April 10: Andhra Pradesh Municipal Contract Workers Union (affiliated to INTUC) has demanded the state government to hike wages of its contract labourers working in sanitation department from the current Rs 4,030 to Rs 6,700.

Adil Shariff, general secretary of the state unit of INTUC alleged that the government was going back on its promises with regard to their hike in salary.

Foreigners recall how Baba changed their lives

Puttaparti, April 10: In 1977 Philips, an Italian, found himself at the crossroads. He felt dejected, remained disturbed with the ups and downs in life and felt that it was not worth living anymore.

But on one fine day, his friend gave him a piece of advice. He told Philips to read a write-up on Satya Sai Baba in a local magazine. This led him to visit Puttaparti in 1978 and since then, Philips has made it a point to visit Puttaparti every year without fail.

‘Mosquito temple’ helps curb malaria

Mokshagundam, April 10: The temple at Mokshagundam in Bestavaripeta mandal in Prakasam district is a unique place of worship. Devotees here do not ask for riches or deliverance from personal turmoul. All they ask is to be free of mosquito-borne diseases, a major concern in these parts.

Supporting wall of Srisailam project collapses

Kurnool, April 10: A 25-feet high supporting wall on the left bank of the Srisailam project collapsed today posing threat to the first gate of the dam.

However, officials claimed that there was no immediate threat to the project as the water-level was less but they pressed the need for taking up the reconstruction of the wall urgently.

According to the authorities, the wall near the first gate of the project collapsed this morning. A team of senior irrigation officials rushed to the spot but could not identify the exact reasons for the damage.

Five more arrested in Sambasivudu murder case

Nalgonda, April 10: The Nalgonda police today arrested five persons who were allegedly involved in the killing of TRS leader and former Naxalite Sambasivudu. They surrendered voluntarily, police said.

With this, police have taken into custody 10 members of a 12-member gang led by Nayeem, a renegade Naxal, in connection with the murder. Sambasivudu was hacked to death near Gokaram village in Valigonda mandal on the night of March 26 when he was going to Hyderabad.

Sambasivudu was once an active Naxalite, before he surrendered in 2009, and joined the TRS last year.

Harikrishna to launch stir against corruption

Hyderabad, April 10: Almost raising a banner of revolt against Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, Rajya Sabha member and party founder NT Rama Rao’s son Nandamuri Harikrishna has declared that he will go to people soon and launch a movement against corruption.

When Naidu and scores of party leaders were undertaking a padayatra in the city today in a campaign against corruption, a three-page statement signed by Harikrishna was distributed by his followers during the padayatra extolling NTR’s fight against corruption.

1 lakh from AP to take IIT entrance exam

Hyderabad, April 10: Nearly one lakh aspirants from the state will appear for IIT-JEE 2011 to be held tomorrow. In all, about 4.85 lakh candidates will take the examination at 1,051 centres in 131 cities across the country.

According to officials, rankers in the IIT-JEE will fight it out for roughly 10,000 seats in 16 IITs and Indian School of Mines (ISM) at Dhanbad. This year IIT-Kanpur is conducting the entrance test and will announce the results on May 25.

Worker threatens to jump off tower

Hyderabad, April 09: A municipal worker gave a scare to police and onlookers for more than three hours after he climbed a floodlight tower and threatened to jump from there, demanding release of his arrears.

The worker, B Narasimha Rao was working as a pump operator in the LB Nagar municipal division. According to police, Narasimha was suspended from work three years back and later reinstated.

Narasimha was supposed to get arrears of his salary during the suspension period. But his repeated appeals to officials reportedly went in vain.