Andhra Pradesh

Guntur (AP), February 15: Opposition to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh came out from a spiritual head today with Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati saying the division would be “disastrous” as it would give Maoists a free run.

“If Andhra Pradesh is split it would be disastrous.

Maoists will become stronger,” the pontiff told reporters here.

“There is no need to bifurcate the state where all people speak Telugu.” His remarks come in the wake of ongoing agitation for separate Telangana state.

The Sankaracharya pleaded for unity of the country and deplored linguistic chauvinism.

Hyderabad, February 16: Violence erupted again in Andhra Pradesh on Monday when pro-Telangana activists and police clash on the Osmania University campus and in various places across the state.

Even as chief minister K Rosaiah and home minister Sabita Indra Reddy visited hospitals and apologised to students beaten up by police at the Osmania University campus on Sunday, policemen again lathi-charged students on Monday, forcing more to seek treatment.

Hyderabad, February 15: That the newly-established universities in the State are facing trouble in their endeavour to have good facilities due to financial crunch is only well known. But what’s new about the hardship faced by the AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) in monitoring these higher institutes of learning is that there is severe data crunch about the infrastructure and number of enrolled and continuing students.

Tirumala, February 15: In the wake of increase in terror threat, there is every need to strengthen security at Tirumala and set up exclusive security and intelligence wings for the hill shrine, Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy has said.

Speaking to the media here Saturday after reviewing Tirumala temple security, she said two units of Greyhounds would be deployed on the hill shrine.

Hyderabad, February 15: A da y ahead of the Budget session of the AP Legislative Assembly, 15 MLAs from Telangana resigned here on Sunday, contending that the terms of reference of Justice BN Srikrishna Committee were not in favour of creation of a Telangana State.

Hyderabad, February 15: In a deft move, the Opposition Telugu Desam Party has lobbed the T-ball into the court of the Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC), putting the onus on the latter to pressure Congress legislators from the region and precipitate a Constitutional crisis in the State.

The Telangana TDP MLAs, who met at NTR Bhavan today, submitted their resignations to politburo member and Nagarkurnool MLA N Janardhan Reddy.

Adilabad, February 15: Police have heightened security for Chief Minister K Rosaiah’s maiden tour to Telangana districts tomorrow in the wake of threats by the TRS that it would thwart his tour.

The TRS is planning to stall the chief minister’s convoy in protest against the inclusion of eliciting the opinions of Andhra people in the Terms of Reference for the Sri Krishna Committee.

NEDUNUR(Karimnagar district)/ ADILABAD: Chief Minister K Rosaiah has denied that he was biased on the issues of adminstration and allocation of funds to various regions in the district.

All are equal to me, he said.

Hyderabad, February 14: The Budget session of Andhra Pradesh Legislature begins here tomorrow amid a fresh turmoil over the Telangana issue.

The 45-day session, of which the working days will be 31, will begin with an address by state Governor E S L Narasimhan to a joint sitting of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly.

While the Assembly will sit for its regular business from Tuesday, the Council is likely to be adjourned for a day on February 16 due to the death of its sitting member M Lakshmidevamma.

Hyderabad,February 14 : Congress legislators hailing from Telangana vertically split tonight into two groups with one section stoutly opposing the move to resign on the statehood issue from their posts while the other favouring it.

In the end, however, only four MLAs and two MLCs decided to submit their resignations on Monday.

Hyderabad, February 13: The Justice BN Srikrishna Committee’s terms of reference have left the Congress a houses divided.

Some legislators have decided to go along with the party line while others are opposed to the terms. Eleven MLAs, nine MLCs and one MP (Manda Jagannadham) went into a huddle after the Delhi announcement but felt the need to meet again tomorrow as many legislators were away in their native districts for Maha Shivaratri.

Today’s discussions were on whether the terms were inimical to the Telangana cause and, if so, what should be the future course of action.

Hydereabad, February 10: AN 80-year-old moneylender, who went missing more than two months ago, was found to have been killed by an autorickshaw driver and the body dumped in a well at Alwal in Secunderabad.

New Delhi, February 10: Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran on Tuesday said he will forward to the Finance Ministry the demand of Andhra Pradesh for allocating Rs 140 crore for setting up textile clusters in the state.

“My duty is to recommend. It is up to the Finance Minister (to decide),” Maran told reporters after meeting a delegation of ministers from Andhra Pradesh met him here.

The state plans to set up two textile clusters at Srikakulum and Dharamavaram districts.

Setting up of clusters would provide common infrastructure to weavers and the small textiles units.

Hyderabad, February 10: A pregnant woman set herself ablaze allegedly after she was insulted by her neighbours at Vishnu Nagar in Saidabad on Tuesday.

According to police, Naga Lakshmi (24), six months pregnant, used to have frequent quarrels with her neighbours Panthu Nayak, P Srinu and others over petty issues. There was a similar fight on Tuesday morningo and, following heated arguments, Lakshmi locked herself in the house and set self afire.

Naga Lakshmi’s husband, Sunil, was arrested recently for supplying `ganja’ and is presently lodged in prison.

Hyderabad, February 10: Justice Tamada Gopalakrishna of the High Court today sought the response of the Warangal district superintendent of police on the threat perception which led to the cancellation of the permission granted for yet another `garjana’ at Mulugu in Warangal district.

The Pydi Telangana Praja Sanghala Samakhya moved the High Court questioning the withdrawal of the permission.

Warangal, February 10: Barely a week after eight-yearold Vaishnavi was brutally murdered in Vijayawada, an incident almost similar in its barbarity unfolded in Hanamkonda on Tuesday. A government school teacher allegedly slit the throat of a 10-year-old boy.

The teacher in question is said to be the boy’s family friend. Police suspect disputes between the child’s father and the teacher might have led to the ghastly act.

Hyderabad, February 09: Surya in the latest Bollywood flick, Striker, may be a reel life character that emerged from a ghetto to become a carom champion on the silver screen but we have amidst us a real hero who fought against odds to become the Junior National Carom Champion.

Sixteen-year-old Komervelli Srinivas, son of a roadside barber, braved financial constraints and severe cold at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh where the competition was held recently and brought laurels to the city.

Hyderabad, February 09: The controversy over NTR Jr-starrer Adurs refuses to die down. The film producer and TDP MLA Kodali Nani’s foot in the mouth remarks on the ‘‘success’’ of his flick in Telangana and against Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhara Rao and his family led to disruption of the screening of the film and finally, a boycott call from the Telangana joint action committee on Monday.

Nizamabad, February 09: The Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) activists today obstructed the screening of Jr NTR-starrer ‘Adhurs’ in Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts following the inciting remarks by it’s producer and MLA Kodali Nani.

At a press meet in Vijayawada yesterday, Nani wondered how can the the T-movement leaders oppose ‘Samaikyandhra’ stir even while they could not stop the screening of ‘Adhurs’.

NIZAMABAD: The student JAC warned the exhibitors to voluntarily stop the screening of the film in the district.

Vijayawada, February 09: The Vijayawada police today arrested another accused in Naga Vaishnavi case. The accused was identified as P Venkata Rao Goud, a relative of Vaishnavi family and a case was registered against him under Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Later, the police produced the accused before First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate M R Satyanarayana at his residence here this morning amid tight security. The judge ordered remand for the accused up to February 22 in the Vijayawada District Jail.

Hyderabad, February 09: Justice T Meena Kumari is all set to make a record of sorts when she becomes the first woman acting chief justice of the AP High Court, the day Anil Ramesh Dave becomes the chief justice of the Bombay High Court.

With Justice Meena Kumari becoming the CJ of the High Court, Andhra Pradesh state can boast of having women as Governors (Sharada Mukherjee and Kumud Ben Joshi) Legislative Assembly Speaker (Pratibha Bharati), CLP leader (J Geeta Reddy) and Home Minister (Sabita).

Hyderabad, February 09: Governor and Chancellor of State Universities ESL Narasimhan means business. Delegates at the Vice-Chancellors’ Conference here on Monday realised that right at the inaugural and before lunch, were left red-faced rewinding his hard talk that ‘‘there are no free lunches.’’ In his first meeting with the vice-chancellors of State universities at the Jubilee Hall here, Narasimhan told them point blank that they needed to pull up the socks.

‘‘Autonomy doesn’t not mean that one can do whatever one wants and get away with it.

New Delhi, February 09: The five-member committee constituted on the Telangana issue is likely to have a tenure of one year and its terms of reference (ToR) may be made public this week.

Sources said the ToR has been finalised by the home ministry in consultation with the chairman of the committee justice (Retd) BN Srikrishna and member-secretary Vinod K Duggal but it will be announced only when the Core Group of the Congress party gives its approval.

Warangal, February 08: The spirit was the same. Whether it was the Osmania University the other day or the Kakatiya on Sunday, students, who turned up in huge numbers, appeared determined to secure statehood for Telangana.

Vijayawada, February 08: The bandh call given by Joint Action Committee (JAC) of students for Unified Andhra Pradesh for closure of all educational institutions in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions evoked partial response in Krishna district today.

The students of JAC had given the bandh call yesterday in protest against the midnight’s preventive arrest of 28 students in a driving school near Nandigama in this district while they were on a ‘Padayatra’.