Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad, February 23: The controversial Knowledge and Innovation Park (KIP) proposed by the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) remains a non-starter as the university management is likely to initiate a dialogue with those opposing the project only after a new vicechancellor is appointed.

“We have put it on hold and the matter would be taken up only when the new vice-chancellor takes over next month.

My term is almost over and I do not intend to start any dialogue with the local community.

Hyderabad, February 23: With no funds to take up development projects, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will procure loans of Rs 600 crore from various national banks and financial institutions.

The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department has accorded permission to the GHMC for procuring loans, subject to the condition that there will be no government guarantee and repayment would have to be made from the corporation’s coffers.

The loans are needed to meet the GHMC’s share for projects taken up under the JNNURM.

Hyderabad, February 23: With over 80 Indian students on-campus, mostly in management and technology courses, the Pittsburg State University (PSU) is looking for more city students.

Although the university is not considering setting up a campus in India, placements have started looking up after a lull of two years, said university officials.

With over 80 companies coming for campus placements this year, the varsity is looking at bringing more international students.

Hyderabad, February 23: With the whole city under strict vigil of police, pro-Telangana students chose to take the MMTS to reach Necklace road, after which they started ransacking the station by pelting stones on Monday.

Around 1 p.m, more than 250 students and lawyers converged at the station from different directions, including students who came in the train and started pelting stones at the reservation complex even while some persons were in the building to buy train tickets.

Soon those inside the complex started running in panic as all glass panes got damaged.

Hyderabad, February 23: In a visible sign of a change in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)’s strategy on Telangana, party president N Chandrababu Naidu sung a new tune on Telangana while the party Seemandhra MLAs too were vocal on moving a T-resolution in the Assembly.

Hyderabad, February 23: Time has come for the Congress government in the state to prove its strength. Whether or not the TRS moves a no-confidence motion against the Congress government in the Assembly, the ruling party has to show that it has got the numbers by retaining its posts in the elections to be held soon for 10 MLC seats under the MLAs’ quota and another 10 in the local bodies’ quota.

The Congress held five seats in each category.

Anantapur, February 23: The air turned palpably tense in this faction-ridden town following the murder of Congress leader Tagarakunta Konda Reddy, a suspect in the murder of Paritala Ravi, here this evening.

Three men went to the house of Konda Reddy in Sai Nag ar local i ty at around 7 pm and called him by name. When he went to look, he was shot from very close range. He died on the spot.

A known factionist, 52- year Konda Reddy is a former mandal praja parishad president of Kanaganipalle mandal.

Hyderabad, February 23: The functioning of all the courts, including the High Court, came to a halt today on the first day of the two-day bandh across the Telangana region in protest against the Union government’s decision not to introduce a bill on Telangana in the current budget session of Parliament.

In all lower courts the work was completely affected with advocates boycotting work. In the High Court a group of pro-Telangana advocates displayed placards in support of Telangana at the main gate.

Hyderabad, February 23: Two coaches of a passenger train were set on fire while students of Osmania University clashed with police today on the second day of the 48-hour bandh called for the formation of separate Telangana.

A group of protesters stopped the Manuguru Passenger train between Kesamudram and Thallapusanapalli stations near Warangal and set ablaze one of the coaches, after asking the passengers to get down. The fire spread to another coach, a South Central Railway official said.

However, none was injured in the incident.

Hyderabad, February 23: Around 2,000 pro-Telangana agitators were today taken into custody after they indulged in violent protests on the first day of the two-day bandh called in the region on the statehood issue, police said.

The shutdown has been called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), which comprises political parties and people’s organisations, to demand introduction of Telangana Bill in the ongoing budget session of Parliament.

However, the situation in the 10 Telangana districts and the Andhra Pradesh capital was by and large peaceful, they claimed.

Hyderabad, February 23: The government is considering an amendment to the Education Act, 1982 for regulating engineering colleges and colleges offering other professional courses, Higher Education Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha disclosed during Question Hour in the Legislative Council on Tuesday.

Gulbarga, February 23: Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture (CMSA), which is based on natural farming, is fast catching up with small and marginal farmers in Andhra Pradesh.

CMSA, which was first introduced in 450 villages in 10 districts on a pilot basis in 2005-06 by the Andhra Pradesh Government covering 25,000 acres of land owned by 15,000 farmers, has now been extended in 22 districts covering 8,225 villages benefitting 25,77,877 acres of land owned by 10,47,093 farmers.

Hyderabad, February 23: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday booked a case against six persons, including four top government officials on charges of causing more than Rs.500 crore loss to the State exchequer by reducing the Government’s stake in a joint venture with the Raheja Corporation Limited.

Hyderabad, February 23: The Legislative Assembly could not transact business on Tuesday also, thanks to the disruptions by the Opposition, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in particular, that continued unabated.

The slogan-shouting TRS members, who stormed the Speaker’s podium for the third consecutive day, prevented the House from taking up the agenda listed by the Business Advisory Committee of the Assembly.

Hyderabad, February 23: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has appealed to the students, political parties and employees to wait for Centre’s decision on Telangana and promised that the State government would abide by it.

Mr. Kiran was making a brief reply to the motion of thanks to Governor’s address in Assembly amid interruptions from the TRS members seeking a resolution on creation of Telangana State.

Hyderabad, February 23: Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy will present his maiden budget for the State for 2011-12 in the Assembly with an outlay which is likely to be around Rs 1.25 lakh crore and without a proposal to impose any fresh tax.

Indications were available on Tuesday that the budget, like in the past since 2005-06, would be revenue-surplus, with overall projected revenue receipts expected from all sources exceeding expenditure.

Hyderabad, February 22: Sahitya Vyasam, the systems engineer with Infosys Technologies Limited, who jumped to death from the fourth floor of a parking complex inside the Infosys campus at Gachibowli yesterday, was to get married in March this year.

But with no one, including the Infosys management, her parents and friends, willing to talk to the police about the reasons behind the extreme step, police officials are unable to make up their mind whether the marriage was against her wishes or whether there was any other reason for her suicide.

New Delhi, February 22: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday insisted on bringing a legislation in the ongoing budget session for a separate Telangana state to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

“Our party has been completely supporting the Telangana movement,” BJP MP Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha, speaking on the motion of thanks to President Pratibha Patil’s address to a joint sitting of both houses of parliament.

Hyderabad, February 22: Assembly marshals on Monday physically obstructed the suspended TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy from entering the Assembly lobbies. Revanth Reddy was suspended from the Assembly for seven days for his unruly behaviour towards Governor ESL Narasimhan recently.

When the MLA tried to enter the Assembly lobbies, the marshals and the police prevented him at the MLAs gate. But Revanth Reddy waited near the gate for more than twenty minutes.

Hyderabad, February 22: Except paying condolences to the departed former members, no business took place in the state Assembly on Monday due to continuous protests by TRS members on separate Telangana issue.

Uproarious scenes were witnessed whenever the House reassembled. There was no change in the situation though the House met after a two-day break. Separate Telangana and student fee reimbursement issues rocked the Assembly.

New Delhi, February 22: The TRS, with the help of other national parties, would move an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha demanding a separate Telangana state on Tuesday, party president K Chandrasekhar Rao has said.

If the motion was not allowed, the TRS MPs would stage a protest near the Speaker’s podium and stall the proceedings, he told reporters here on Monday. “The TRS will take the support of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and others for its podium protest,” Rao added.

–Agencies

Karimnagar, February 22: Despite stiff resistance from public, officials are being forced to lease out land around temples and historical places to mining contractors in Karimnagar district. And the reasons are obvious.

Recently, about 17 applications were received from granite contractors seeking permission for mining around Kondagattu, the abode of Lord Hanuman.

Of the 300 acres government land in survey number, 25 acres belong to Kondagattu temple.

Bowing to pressure from power circles, officials reportedly are mulling to accord permission for granite excavations at Kondagattu.

Hyderabad, February 22: Ganti Prasadam, whom the CPI (Maoist) wants to involve in talks with the Orissa government to press for the acceptance of its demands in exchange for the release of Malkangiri collector R Vineel Krishna, is a “mild man”, policemen themselves say.

A write since his college days, his association with the Naxalite movement dates back to 1971.

Affiliated to the CPI (ML) People’s War faction for long, he became a member of the CPI (Maoist) following the formation of the latter.

New Delhi, February 22: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the State government to pay by July 15 Rs 3,430 crore fee reimbursement arrears to private professional and engineering colleges.

A Bench of Justices RV Raveendran and AK Patnaik asked the state government to pay the amount in three instalments _ the first by the end of March, second by May-end and the last by July 15.

The State government is under pressure from private professional and engineering colleges who have threatened to shut shop from Feb 24 if it failed to meet their demands.

Hyderabad, February 22: Discussions between the state government and the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) of Employees, Teachers and Workers on the ongoing non-cooperation movement ended in a deadlock on Monday with the latter remaining firm on its demand for introduction of a Telangana bill in the Parliament.

While the state government appealed the employees to withdraw their agitation, the employees wanted the government to come out with its stand on the issue before February 24.