Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad, April 09: With IPL-4 set to return to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal after a lapse of two years, the ruling clique in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) got a rude jolt from an anti-corruption court on Thursday. The court ordered the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to register a case against former cricketers Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub and M V Sridhar, the powers that be in the HCA, for alleged misappropriation of funds and irregularities in the construction and running of the stadium.

Hyderabad, April 09: In an unprecedented move, senior officials of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) led by commissioner Sameer Sharma staged a walkout in middle of the general body meeting on Thursday, in protest against remarks made by certain corporators.

Barring the MIM, all floor leaders and corporators of the Congress, TDP and BJP took strong objection alleged rude behaviour of Sameer Sharma and demanded the mayor Banda Karthika Reddy should pass a resolution to transfer him.

Hyderabad, April 09: Shelving the proposed bus yatra in Telangana districts, the Telangana TD leaders were now embarking on a Kadapa yatra to support the party candidates in the byelections.

Besides several senior leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema, around 12 top Telangana leaders too would be campaigning in the byelections in Kadapa district. Telangana TDP leaders initially planned to constitute a coordination committee to step up separate statehood demand and also undertake a bus yatra in the first week of April.

Vizianagaram, April 09: Handloom and Textiles Minister P Shankar Rao on Friday stirred a hornet’s nest with a “revelation” that he had written to the High Court against the late YSR’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the behest of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

“AICC president Sonia Gandhi knows everything that is happening in Andhra Pradesh,” he said during an informal interaction with journalists at Bobbili. Shankar Rao, a controversial leader, was at his “candid” best, professing his loyalty to the Congress and opening up on the case against Jagan.

Vijayawada, April 09: A burglar on Friday attempted to loot the Sapthagiri Grameena Bank in the One-Town area here and even fired a round in the air with his gun. But his bid proved unsuccessful after an alert cashier pressed the burglar alarm, causing the thief to flee in panic. He was caught by locals outside the bank.

According to the bank employees, a person aged between 30 and 35 years entered the bank after lunch time. In the pretext of filling a DD form, he observed the surroundings for 10 to 15 minutes.

Vizianagaram, April 09: Minister for handlooms and textiles P Shanker Rao, who is known for controversies, flew into a rage and threw his cell phone at his attender here today.

The incident took place at a meeting with industrialists.

When he was busy with the meeting his mobile phone rang and he gestured to his attender to take the phone and answer the call. The attender, unmindful of the minister’s gestures, was chatting away with the security-men deployed there.

Hyderabad, April 09: Though no official announcement has come so far, state Congress leaders have confirmed that health minister DL Ravindra Reddy will be the party’s candidate to take on YS Jaganmohan Reddy in the by-election for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.

There was no confusion about the candidature of agriculture minister YS Vivekananda Reddy for the Pulivendula Assembly seat but in the case of Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, there were several twists and turns before the Congress decided to field Ravindra Reddy.

Kadapa, April 09: The Telugu Desam candidate from the Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, MV Mysoora Reddy, has said people will teach a befitting lesson to those who lure them with money earned by corrupt means.

Before kickstarting his election campaigning, Reddy worshipped Sri Venkateswaraswamy at a temple at Devuni Kadapa.

Later, speaking to mediapersons, he said he would file his nomination of April 18, he said the party would organise a public meeting in the evening of the same day. The meeting will be attended by TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu.

Vijayawada, April 09: Nuna Police solved the kidnap mystery of a B-Tech first year student here on Friday and caught the kidnappers.

Speaking to reporters here today, ACP Central A Subba Rao said that Mandangi Stephen alias Supreme kidnapped a B-Tech first year student Chili Ajay Dev, a resident of Ponagi, Eluru Rural mandal of West Godari district.

Rao said that Ajay Dev was studying in an engineering college in Nunna and he met Supreme during a train journey recently.

Hyderabad, April 09: Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy appears to be in a fix over accepting the resignation of agriculture minister YS Vivekananda Reddy who is contesting as the Congress candidate for the Pulivendula Assembly seat in the by-election.

Vivekananda Reddy met the chief minister at the Secretariat today and brought pressure on him to accept his resignation forthwith, contending that since he had already retired as a member of the Legislative Council, it was not proper for him to remain a minister.

Hyderabad, April 09: TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu has demanded that the Centre involve all political parties, eminent persons and civil society organisations in drafting the Jan Lok Pal Bill.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, Naidu said it was high time the Centre enacted a law to deal with issues of corruption and black money that have been depriving the common man of the benefits of development.

“Everyone needs to support social activist Anna Hazare, who has undertaken an indefinite fast demanding a Jan Lok Pal Act.

Rajhmundary, April 09: As many as 1,00,400 baby Olive Ridley turtles were let off into the sea since February this year and 70,000 more would be set adrift into the sea by April 10.

As part of the steps to conserve the endangered sea turtles, the wildlife wing of the Forest department has arranged rookeries with nylon nets along the sea coast and also made necessary arrangements to protect the turtle eggs in the beach sands in the district.

Putthaparthi, April 09: The authorities of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences said today that the health condition of Sathya Sai Baba remains stable.

The doctors treating the Baba said that his kidneys continue to show signs of recovery.

“The infection in the lungs is also less, although it is still a matter f concern. He continues to be on the ventilator for his respiratory support and he is on slow dialysis,” said institute director Dr AN Safaya, in a press release.

Hyderabad, April 09: Fearing an adverse impact on its poll prospects, the Congress high command appears not ready to take disciplinary action against MLAs who are extending support to former MP Jagan Mohan Reddy till the completion of the by-elections in the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constituencies on May 8.

It, however, intends to take a firm action specifically for disqualifying them as MLA in case they campaign against the party’s official candidate.

Vishakapatnam, April 09: In yet another incident of police high-handedness, some Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers, who were taking out a rally in support of their demands in the town, were seriously injured in lathicharge by police. While police action sparked off protests by various organisations in other parts of Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, home minister Sabita Indra Reddy directed deputy inspector-general (Viskha Range) Soumya Mishra to suspend the circle inspector who had ordered lathicharge. Mishra complied with the orders and suspended Trinath.

Hyderabad, April 8: Women associated with the Andhra Pradesh voluntary health workers union (AASHA) who were agitating in front of the District Medical Health Office were lathi-charged by inspector Trinath and Sub inspector Appa Rao of Vizianagaram town leaving them injured.

Mr. Trinath resorted to indiscriminate lathi charge on ASHA workers during which 4 of them lost consciousness due to indiscriminate beating.

Kolar, April 08: Fifteen students were among 20 people injured when police baton-charged a crowd during an election campaign by megastar Chiranjeevi at Bangarpet in this Karnataka district.

Thousands of fans from neighbouring regions rushed to Bangarpet after news spread that the star would be arriving to campaign for the Congress candidate in the area for the by-poll on April 9.

Fans and students surged forward when Chiranjeevi tried to alight from his car and police resorted to baton charge, police said.

Anantapur, April 07: Things are distinctly listless in the ashram town of Puttaparthi ever since Satya Sai Baba was hospitalised on March 28. With the 36 doctors treating him alternately appearing grave and reassuring, and the bureaucracy of the Satya Sai Trust barring entry into the hospital to even his kin, rumours are rife.

Karimnagar, April 07: Final-year engineering students of the Kamala Institute of Technology and Sciences (KITS), Huzurabad have designed an advanced electronic voting machine (EVM), which they claim would be able to stop tampering of votes. Four students P Shalini, Ch Pranay Kumar, M Soujanya and K Sumanth Kumar of electronics and communication engineering (E&CE) department designed the machine.

Bhadrachalam, April 07: Telangana political joint action committee (JAC) convener Prof K Kodandaram said the state government was constructing the Polavaram irrigation project to protect interests of some corporate companies.

During his visit to Bhadrachalam today, he met the people who were displaced from their villages for the construction of the irrigation project.

Hyderabad, April 07: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao will perform ‘Chandi Yagam’ at the Gandipet farm house of A Jitender Reddy, who switched over to the pink party from the Telugu Desam, to invoke the blessings of Maha Shakhi for speedy realisation of a Telangana state and also ensure the well-being of the people of Telangana. The Yagam will be held for three days beginning April 14.

Hyderabad, April 07: Rajya Sabha member and senior TD leader MV Mysoora Reddy will take on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in Kadapa Lok Sabha byelection, while Mareddy Ravindranath Reddy will be pitched against YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s widow Vijayamma in Pulivendula.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu cleared the names of Mysoora Reddy and Ravindranath Reddy today.

Announcing their names at a media briefing here today, Naidu said the fight in Kadapa byelections would be between honesty-corruption and vandalism-peace.

Koraput, April 07: Gashi alias Chenda Bhusanam, arrested by Koraput Police on Sunday, was one of the most ferocious killers churned out by the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and is believed to have murdered around two dozen men between 1991 and 1996 during which he was wanted in as many as 58 cases.

Andhra Pradesh was his hunting ground where he had unleashed a rein of terror in Visakhapatnam, Visakhapatnam (Rural) and Karimnagar.

“From the information gathered from Andhra Pradesh police so far, we’ve found that Chenda was booked in as many as 58 cases.

Guntur, April 07: Next time you are waiting for a bus and some one in a passing by car offers to drop you to your destination, you may want to think twice before getting in. For, you risk falling prey to con men who offer to take you to your destination, but loot you midway.

In a similar incident on February 5, Dharmastanam Prasannakumar (29), a software engineer was waiting to board a bus bound for Visakhapatnam, at LB Nagar bus stop in Hyderabad. Passengers of a car offered to take him till Vishakapatnam for the same bus fare and Prasanna Kumar got into the car.

Anantapur, April 07: The condition of Satya Sai Baba, in hospital with heart and kidney complications since March 28, was reported to be stable and improving.

So attesting, a whole group of mandarins including Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences director Dr A N Safaya, medical expert Dr Ravi Raj, principal secretary (health) P V Ramesh and Anantapur Collector B Janardhan Reddy, said Wednesday that Baba was responding to treatment and his blood pressure and sugar levels were normal.