Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati, October 29: A court Friday sentenced to seven years jail the four accused in the failed assassination attempt on former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

After the seven-year-long trial, Additional Senior Civil Judge Venkataramana sentenced Maoist leader Panduranga Reddy alias Sagar and three traders of gelatine sticks – Ramaswamy Reddy, Nagarjuna and Gangi Reddy.

The court, which examined 96 witnesses including Naidu, also imposed a fine of Rs.5,000 on each of the accused.

Hyderabad, October 28: Keeping its promise to the advocates from Telangana, the State government today issued orders filling up the vacant posts of 68 standing counsels for various government departments on population basis from the three regions of the State.

Accordingly, 28 posts have been given to advocates from Telangana, 27 to those from Coastal Andhra and 13 to Rayalaseema lawyers.

Hyderabad, October 28: Setting a record of sorts, APGenco generated 19,633 MU from April 1 to October 24 as against 17,679 MU produced during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 11 per cent in power generation.

It achieved the highest monthly power generation of 3,734 MU in September.

Hyderabad, October 28: The agitation to demand an Andhra Pradesh high court bench between Guntur and Vijayawada intensified Wednesday with a shutdown in Guntur district.

The shutdown, called by lawyers and supported by all political parties, evoked good response.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions were closed while few vehicles were seen on the roads in Guntur and other major towns in the district, about 300 km from here.

Hyderabad, October 28: Former minister and Congress MLA DL Ravindra Reddy today warned that he would wait for another 30 days to file a Public Interest Litigation in the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Emaar scam if the state government failed to order a CBI probe into the controversial issue. He, however, exuded confidence that chief minister K Rosaiah would definitely order a CBI probe into the scam. “I am hopeful that the Congress high command will permit me to file a PIL on Emaar scam,’’ he said.

Tirumala, October 28: The 346 jewels, studded with diamonds and other precious stones, out of the 1,096 ornaments of Lord Venkateswara at the temple here have been certified as genuine and authentic.

A team of gemologists from Surat, Jaipur and Mumbai has tested each and every ornament that is studded with diamonds or other precious stones. Along with the digitized pictures, the details of that particular jewel have also been digitized.

Hyderabad, October 28: The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) said 27 micro-earthquakes were recorded in Sachivalay Nagar of Vanasthalipuram during the past five days. They said the phenomenon will die down soon and assured it will not cause any serious damage to life or property in the locality.

The NGRI had set up two seismographs, one in a house near the Venkateshwara temple and the other at Saheb Nagar Government School, to record the ‘subterranean sounds’ experienced by the locals.

Chittor, October 28: In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old college girl was set afire by a stalker at New Prashanth Nagar in Reddygunta area of the district headquarter town today.

K Tapasvini, studying Intermediate first year in Vijayam College, came out of her house to go to college at 7:30 am when the attacker identified as Mainkanthan (26), sprinkled petrol on her and set ablaze.

Hyderabad, October 28: As November 1 draws closer, the demand from Telangana protagonists that the AP Formation Day should be observed as ‘Telangana Betrayal Day’ is becoming shriller. While the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, Telangana JAC and the Telangana Praja Front are the main supporters of the demand, the Congress leaders from Telangana region too are for it.

Nellore, October 28: Tension prevailed in Vaddipalem hamlet of Kothavangallu village panachayat in Kodavaluru mandal when the upper caste people of the village prevented dalits from the Dalitwada from using water of the village well.

As the news spread like wildfire, several dalit organisations rushed to the village resulting in exchange of arguments between the upper caste people and dalit leaders. District collector K Ramgopal directed the Kodavaluru MRO to get the pipeline fixed and restore water supply from the well to the Dalitwada and submit a report on the incident immediately.

Hyderabad, October 28: In a shocking incident, a 24-year-old man hacked his mother and younger brother to death and attempted to kill another brother at Chellapur in Doulatabad mandal in Mahaboobnagar district today.

The accused, M Vijay, attacked his mother Sivamma (45) with an axe killing her instantaneously. He then attacked his 14-year-old brother Venkatesh who was sleeping and the profusely bleeding teenager died on way to hospital.

Hyderabad, October 28: Senior IAS officer Bhanwar Lal has been appointed as the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh while his predecessor I V Subba Rao has been posted to the central services.

Lal is currently working as Principal Secretary for Home, where he was appointed just a month ago.

Born on October 25 1957, Bhanwar Lal is a 1983 batch IAS officer of AP cadre.

Hyderabad, October 28: It’s free for all in the state Congress once again with the truce reached at the luncheon meeting organised by PCC president D Srinivas lasting barely a month. The latest bout of acriminious exchanges has been sparked off by the trouble that broke out at the martyrs’ memorial meet organised by the Telangana Congress leaders at Mahboobnagar recently.

Hyderabad, October 28: Chief minister K Rosaiah today declared that the Andhra Pradesh Formation Day celebrations would be organised across the State on November 1. He urged political parties not to disrupt cordial atmosphere in the State for their political gains and suggested that they should rethink their call for boycott of the celebrations.

Sangareddy, October 27: An accused teacher tried to utter blasphemous remarks against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) during his lecture in Krishnaveni Talent High School Sangareddy. High school administration had called the accursed teacher to teach the social studies subject for just one day.

New Delhi, October 25: The Srikrishna Committee, examining the demand for Telangana and the protests against the separate statehood movement, will submit its report to the Centre by the end of the year and will not seek any extension.

The five-member committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B N Srikrishna, has completed its visit to Andhra Pradesh and the consultation with all stake holders.

Home Ministry sources said the committee is now preparing the report and will submit it within the stipulated time of December 31.

Vijayawada, October 25: Representatives of the Vijayawada Bar Association staged a dharna here Monday in front of the Sub Collector office, pressing their demand for setting up of High Court Bench in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Vijayawada Bar Association President Ajay Kumar said it has decided to continue its agitation until November 10 and has planned a ‘bandh’ to garner support for their demand.

Kumar said many states in the country have set up High Court benches for the convenience of the public.

Karimnagar, October 25: The state police is gearing up for possible trouble after the Srikrishna Committee submits its report on the state bifurcation issue on or after December 31. Director general of police K Aravinda Rao, speaking to newsmen here today, said: “Additional central forces have already been requisitioned to tackle any law and order problems in the state.” “Any agitation should be in a democratic way. If anyone resorts to violence, the police will have to take stringent action,” he said.

Hyderabad, October 25: Congress MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take steps to provide reservation to Dalit Christians as they are not able to get the quota facility after they converted to Christianity from Hinduism.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Jagan said Dalit Christians are feeling discriminated as Dalit Buddhists and Dalit Sikhs are able to avail of the reservation facility.

Banglore, October 25: Investments in the Information Technology sector in Andhra Pradesh which suffered a decline in the wake of agitations relating to Telangana movement “are improving gradually”, state Chief Minister K Rosaiah said today. “The IT investments in the state which suffered a decline in the recent months due to various agitations (relating to the Telangana Movement) are improving gradually,” he told reporters here today.

Hyderabad, October 25: Telangana Congress leaders on Sunday targeted YS Jagan Mohan Reddy indirectly for the trouble at the Telangana Martyrs’ meeting held yesterday at Mahaboobnagar.

Without naming him, they said that Telangana people would teach a fitting lesson to those who try to disrupt meetings meant to pay tributes to martyrs. They decided to submit a report to the PCC on the incident. They are also preparing to submit another report to the SP requesting him to identity those who created the trouble and take action against them.

Hyderabad, October 25: An all-party meet on Sunday demanded that the state government blacklist Emaar Properties and direct a CBI inquiry into its irregularities.

Hyderabad, October 25: Chief Minister K Rosaiah has directed the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to hire an agency to implement Sri Seva introduced by it for providing better facilities to pilgrims.

The chief minister, before leaving for Bangalore this morning, was briefed about the Sri Seva scheme by endowments minister Gade Venkata Reddy, TTD Specified Authority chairman J Satyanarayana and members IYR Krishna Rao and V Nagi Reddy. They told him that right from reserving a cottage to provision of darshan and even tonsuring – all could be done under Sri Seva.

Hyderbad, October 25: The National Federation for New States (NFNS), an organisation demanding reorganisation of states, has decided to intensify its efforts for formation of separate Telangana state.

Hyderabad, October 25: The Lake Protection Committee in Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) area will take up the demarcation of the full tank level (FTLs) of 169 lakes in the GHMC area and 501 lakes in the HMDA area to prevent further encroachments in the water spread area and the buffer zone. An enumeration of the existing encroachments will also be made in order to take further action in this regard.