Andhra Pradesh

Sangareddy, July 26: A pall of gloom descended on Mogudampalli in Zaheerabad mandal this morning after six persons of their village died in an auto-lorry collision this morning. Two others of Kohir and Gudupalli villages also died and one another who suffered grievous injuries is receiving treatment at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad.

According to eye witnesses, nine persons boarded the auto to Zaheerabad at 6 a.m. today. Soon after they crossed Mogudampalli, the auto collided with a lorry killing seven persons instantaneously.

The auto was completely mangled in the accident.

Vijayawada, July 26: It has become more or less clear that former secretary of the Andhra Cricket Association, Chamundeswarinath would not be attending its annual general body meeting.

He has dashed off a letter to ACA president Gokaraju Gangaraju questioning the validity of the AGM.

Gangaraju, however, instisted that the AGM was a regular meeting of the association and “nobody had any right to question it’’. The ACA was conducting the AGM in accordance with the bylaws, he said.

Energy sector experts smell something fishy in the State Government’s decision to allow Hindujas to construct 1,000 mw power plant in Visakhapatnam district.

They are perplexed as to on what terms did the Government allow the Hinduja’s to go ahead with the plant and wanted the Government to make the details of the deal public.

Vizag, July 26: The Indian Navy is all set to join the global elite club on Sunday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally launches the indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant at the naval dockyard of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) in Visakhapatnam.

Prime Minister will arrive at the ENC’s airbase INS Dega in Visakhapatnam by a special IAF plane along with his wife at 11 am and drive straight to the naval dockyard to commission INS Arihant into the sea.

Hyderabad, July 25: Claiming to be the voice of the middle-class and lower-middle classes citizens, the All India Economically Backward Citizens Organisation (AIEBCO) held a meet in Hyderabad. The organisation is protesting against the Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS) by GHMC and government On July 25. Under this scheme, illegal constructions and penthouses can be regularised by the builders.

Hyderabad, July 25: The Lok Satta Party has alleged bias in the transfer of IPS officers in the State.

Speaking to the media here today, party senior leader and retired inspector-general of police V Ramachandraiah and vice-president B Babji said the government posted several competent officers in insignificant posts in the recent reshuffle. At the same time, it rewarded those who toed its line, they alleged. The LSP leaders demanded that an official be kept in a post for at least three years and reforms introduced in the police administration.

–Agencies–

Hyderabad, July 25: Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister K. Rosaiah Friday presented a tax-free, revenue surplus budget for 2009-10 with an overall expenditure of over Rs.1 lakh crore (Rs.1,000 billion/$21 billion).

In his budget speech, the minister told the state assembly that the overall expenditure in fiscal 2009-10 would be Rs.1,034.85 billion, of it Rs.633.01 billion under non-plan and Rs.401.84 billion under plan heads.

Hyderabad, July 24: As expected, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao visited Telangana Bhavan here today, the first day of the auspicious month Sravanam, and attended to party work after a long gap.

Rao has decided to visit the party headquarters regularly hereafter to set party matters right and carry on the Telangana movement with renewed spirit.

Though Rao attended to party work, he did not come out of `Mauna Vratam’ (vow of silence) and did not, therefore, interact with mediapersons.

Rajhmundary, July 24: Kovvur TDP MLA TV Rama Rao, who is lodged in the Central Prison here alleged that the government doctors in Rajahmundry and Kakinada declared his health condition as stable under duress from the higher ups and fearing for their jobs.

“Though my health is deteriorating, the government doctors are saying my condition is stable,’’ he told mediapersons.

The MLA, lodged in the Central Jail here, was taken to Kakinada Government General Hospital this morning in an ambulance, when he complained of chest pain.

Hyderabad, July 24: A little over a decade ago, she shot off a letter to the then Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf demanding that he apologise to her grand daughter after her son, whom she still refers to as 2 RR (Rajputana Rifles), had sacrificed his life for the country. That sums up her spirit. She is not the one to cry. The brave lady and her family members cut a cake every June 21 without fail to celebrate their son’s birthday but ignore June 29, his death anniversary, and continue with their normal work that day.

Hyerabad, July 23: The AP High Court on Wednesday sought an explanation from the State Government on its decision to increase management quota in medical colleges from 30 to 40 per cent for the current academic year. Justice G Rohini gave the direction while dealing with a writ petition filed by a girl student challenging the decision taken by the government after the Eamcet was over.

Hyderabad, July 23: After several television channels have shown the protests and media briefings of opposition parties in the precincts of the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly, the speaker has banned all live telecast from the complex, other than the house proceedings.

Speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy Thursday announced several curbs on media coverage of the assembly, saying they were inevitable to ensure smooth conduct of the house and protect its sanctity.

Rajhmundary, Jult 22: Expressing concern over the health of Kovvur MLA TV Rama Rao, his wife Venkata Sesharatnam has warned that Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and the CID police will be held responsible if anything goes wrong with the health of Rama Rao.

Explaining the plight of her husband after his arrest by the CID at his residence in Kovvur in West Godavari district yesterday, Sesharatnam said that the doctors at Guntur had told her that the MLA needed to be shifted to Hyderabad for better treatment.

Hyderabad, July 22: With the Supreme Court issuing notices to the Maharashtra Government for contempt of court for continuing construction of Babhali project, the Andhra Pradesh Government today termed it as a moral victory. Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah termed the Supreme Court action as the conclusive step for the dispute between the two States.

Hyderabad, July 22: The Andhra Pradesh High Court Wednesday stayed a state government order providing financial assistance to Christians for pilgrimage to Bethlehem, Jerusalem and other places connected with the life of Jesus Christ.

While staying the order issued last year, a division bench headed by Chief Justice A.R. Dave ruled that the government should not spend public money for any pilgrimage.

The court order came on a public interest litigation challenging the constitutional validity of the order issued by the minorities welfare department July 21 last year.

Guntur, July 21: TDP legislator T V Rama Rao, who was arrested on charges of allegedly harassing girl students of a nursing institute being run by him in West Godavari district, was admitted to a hospital here after he complained of chest pain.

The legislator complained of chest pain and uneasiness after he was remanded to judicial custody till August 3 by a magistrate court at Eluru last evening.

Rao was admitted to the cardiology ward of a government hospital here in the early hours today and went through ECG and cardiogram tests, doctors attending on him said.

Nizamabad, July 21: When poverty stares you in the face, this is what happens. In a shocking incident, a woman tried to sell her two-year-old boy in the local Pedda market in Nizamabad town on Monday as she was unable to feed the infant.

Upon coming to know about the incident through locals, the II Town police rushed to the spot and took them into custody. The boy was later handed over to the district women and child welfare department officials.

Karimnagar, July 21: Utter confusion prevailed at the District Review Committee meet here today as the Congress and opposition leaders exchanged heated arguments over a debate on illegal construction of Babli project on Godavari by the Maharashtra Government.

The meet was presided over by district in-charge minister J Krishna Rao. At the start of the meet, TDP and TRS MLAs demanded a debate on Babli issue to which ministers J Krishna Rao and D Sridharbabu objected stating that it would be taken up in the end as it would consume all the time.

Hyderabad, July 21: Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and former member of Parliament Ravindra Naik today shot off another letter to party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, asking him to hold an emergency meeting of the party’s State Committee to discuss various issues confronting the party.

In the second open letter by Naik, which was released to the media here, Naik alleged that Rao had deceived the dissident leaders by admitting them into the party.

Warangal, July 20: Minister for Major Irrigation Ponnala Lakshmaiah has said he would build a strong case to show to expose the irregularities behind the Babhali project being undertaken by the Maharashtra Government. We will fight in the court of justice with regard to the issue, he said. The Minister was speaking to mediapersons at the `Meet the Press’ programme at Hanamkonda today.

Warangal, July 20: MD Shabuddin (53), a resident of Warangal, reportedly died of starvation in the Gulf. According to information reaching here, Shabuddin went to the Gulf in search of livelihood. As he was unable to find a job there and lacked food, Shabuddin died six days ago. Shabuddin had gone there after borrowing Rs 1 lakh and paying the amount to a lcoal travel agent.

Vishakapatnam, July 20: Even as the north coastal districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram are being ravaged by floods on account of the swelling Nagavali and Vamsadhara rivers, a fresh warning of heavy rainfall in the two districts has set the alarm bells ringing. All the 22 gates of Gotta Barrage at Heeramandal in Srikakulam on the Vamsadhara have been lifted and flood water is being let out downstream. The discharge at 6 p.m. at the barrage was 53,000 cusecs and officials expect it to reach 80,000 cusecs by 2 a.m. tomorrow.

Tirupati, July 20: Praja Rajyam will contest all the 150 divisions in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the ensuing elections.

Announcing this at a press conference here today, PRP president Chiranjeevi said the party was ready to ally with the Left parties, if they come forward for an electoral pact. The PRP would have no truck with Telugu Desam and its relations with the TDP was limited to public issues. “The PRP is ready to work with the TDP on burning issues like the price rise,’’ he said.

Vijayawada, July 19: It’s a case of confusion worst confounded insofar as the availability of total seats in medical colleges in the state is concerned even as the date for the counselling is fast approaching.

The counselling for the general seats in medical and dental colleges is scheduled to begin this Monday. Curiously, the authorities at the NTR University of Health Sciences are yet to receive instructions from the state government on its latest decision to increase the management quota seats from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

Hyderabad, July 19: With the monsoons slowly looming over the city, the Hyderabad district authorities are gearing up to meet the onset of waterborne diseases. According to officials at the District Medical Health Department, a comprehensive action plan is presently being put into motion to combat possible outbreaks of water and vector-borne diseases in the city.