Andhra legislator booked for rape, murder of nursing student

Hyderabad, June 19: A Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislator has been booked for allegedly raping and murdering a student of an Andhra Pradesh nursing college run by him. But T.V. Rama Rao has termed it a conspiracy by his rivals.

Police said Friday that tension prevailed in Nidadavolu town in West Godavari district as the legislator from Kovvur assembly constituency was Thursday night booked for the alleged rape and murder of a student of TVR College.

Several trains cancelled/diverted

Hyderabad, June 18: Several trains were cancelled or diverted today due to the derailment of a goods train between Narasaraopet and Satalur in Guntur division of South Central Railway. The authorities have cancelled the Guntur-Secunderabad Passenger (train no 406) scheduled to leave Guntur at 5:30 p.m. this evening.

Passengers jump from train, three hurt

Rajhmundary, June 18: Three persons, including two women, were injured, when passengers of No. 429-Visakhapatnam- Vijayawada passenger jumped from the running train following a country-made bomb going off in the train today.

However, a major mishap was averted as the explosion occurred before the train got on the bridge on Godavari River and the train driver noticing smoke from a compartment and the passengers jumping out in panic and stopped the train.

The passenger train reached Godavari station at 3:13 p.m.

CM wasn’t behind DGP’s transfer: APCC

Hyderabad, June 18: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today denied allegations of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that state Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was behind the row between the Director General of Police (DGP) SSP Yadav and Chief Electoral Officer I V Subba Rao.

Addressing a press conference here, party spokesperson N Tulasi Reddy alleged the TDP was trying to politicise the delicate issue between an independent organisation and the state police administration.

‘Nothing wrong in employing non-Hindus in temples’

Kakinada, June 18: Minister for Endowments, Stamps and Registration Gade Venkata Reddy said there should be no objection to employment of non-Hindus in Hindu temples as India was a secular State while propagation of other religions on the premises of Hindu temples was prohibited.

–Agencies

‘Focus on girl child education’

Hyderabad, June 18: Minister for Small Scale Industries D.K. Aruna urged the parents and teachers to concentrate on girl child education. Participating in rice distribution to the “Kishore Balika” at a local school here on Tuesday.

The Minister also informed that there are about 1.42 lakh dropouts in the district and requested the officials and parents to take steps to admit all the children in schools. She said that the government was implementing many schemes for education, including construction of school buildings and recruitment of teacher

–Agencies

Report on developmental works sought

Hyderabad, June 18:Minister for Marketing C. Damodar Rajanarasimha on Wednesday directed the officials to give the suggestions for improving hostels, roads and drinking water facilities in Andol Assembly constituency in three days.

Presiding over the review meeting held at Sangareddy, the Minister said the officials of department of Roads and Buildings and Panchayat Raj should involve in preparing these reports.

Referring to land acquisition for Singur project, he told Special Deputy Collector Surender Rao to pay compensation to all those who lost land.

–Agencies

3 hurt as crude bomb explodes in train

Hyderabad, June 18: A crude bomb exploded in a compartment of the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada passenger train shortly after it left the Godavari railway station here on Wednesday injuring two women and a man.

A youth carrying a bag containing the bomb and some other articles climbed the upper berth and soon after the train moved from the station, the bag fell on passengers seated below and the country-made bomb

exploded triggering panic. Fearing a major disaster, three passengers jumped from the train just when it picked up speed.

Airtel launches Kisan Green Card

Krishna dist.,June 18: Bharti Airtel Limited, the provider of Airtel mobile phone services, has come out with Kisan Green Card, the prepaid service aimed at providing value-added services to farmers using its mobile phone service.

YSR to thwart bid to shift BHEL-NTPC project

YSR to thwart bid to shift BHEL-NTPC project

Hyderabad, June 18: During his two-day visit to New Delhi on Thursday and Friday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy will make an all-out bid to thwart the attempts by his Rajasthan counterpart Ashok Gehlot to prevail upon the Centre to establish the BHEL-NTPC joint venture to manufacture power equipment in his State.

The Andhra Pradesh government had announced allotment of 750 acres of land for the Rs. 6,000- crore project at Mannavaram near Srikalahasti in Chittoor district.

Rivals come to understanding

Hyderabad, June 17: Staunch rivals – Telugu Desam MLA from Nagarkurnool, Nagam Janardhan Reddy and former Congress Minister G. Chinna Reddy have decided to bury the hatchet for the present and decided to withdraw the defamation cases they filed against each other.

On Tuesday, the duo filed petitions before the District First Sessions Court.

Admitting both the petitions, the Judge, Ashok Kumar advised

RTC to issue free passes in colleges

Hyderabad, June 17: The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is making arrangements to issue free bus passes to students on the doorstep of colleges. Passes will be issued in colleges located in the town on June 18, 19, 20 and 22, and in Cheepurupalli and Gajapathingaram regions on June 23, 24 and 25. Special teams were drafted for the purpose, said T.V.S. Sudhakar, Vizianagaram Depot Manager, at a press conference on Tuesday.

Demolition of illegal G+2 structures ordered

Hyderabad, June 17: The Ranga Reddy district collector M Dana Kishore has ordered the immediate demolition of all illegal G+2 structures coming up under Bandlaguda, Poppalguda, Manikonda, Bachupally and Peerzadiguda gram panchayat limits.

At a meeting with the gram panchayat secretaries under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) on Tuesday, the collector said all the buildings that were being constructed despite being given notices should be razed immediately.

2 teachers held for harassing girl students

Hyderabad, June 17: Two teachers were arrested and produced before a court on Tuesday on the charges of sexually harassing two girl
students of the zilla parishad high school at Veeravasaram village in West Godavari district.

S Ahmed, station house officer of Veeravasaram, said the accused teachers were arrested following a complaint lodged by one of the victim’s father. It is learnt that the court directed the police to initiate the necessary action after a lawyer filed a petition seeking punishment to the teachers for their misconduct.

Cases registered against TRS leaders

Hyderabad, June 16: Cases under SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act and other Sections of the IPC have been registered against TRS leaders Karne Prabhakar and Rammohan basing on a complaint lodged by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader and former MP Ravindra Naik. The TRS leaders also filed a complaints against Ravindra Naik and his followers under similar Sections.

Cotton worth 3.7 cr. destroyed in fire

Hyderabad, June 15: A major fire destroyed over 3,200 cotton bales worth about Rs.3.70 crore in a godown on the premises of the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) located on the Chilakaluripet road on Sunday morning. The fire which broke out in the ‘E’ block was, however, contained by the evening after the fire brigade and poclains broke through the walls of the godown to allow access to the fire tenders.

Conflicting versions

Mamata drives party agenda on railway tracks

Kolkata, June 14: The new Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has been accused of neglecting the Ministry at the cost of Bengal politics. Reportedly, the Minister is preparing the Rail Budget without taking any advice from her Ministers of State – KH Muniyappa and E Ahmed – and hasn’t allotted any work to them.

Muniyappa who was a MoS under the former railway minister Lalu Prasad refused to specify the work that has been allotted to him.

“We have to work together, there is no problem,” says Muniyappa.

AP record shows Sania Mirza belongs to BPL family

Hyderabad, June 14: Tennis star Sania Mirza may be a millionaire but her face appears on a ration card belonging to a below poverty line (BPL) family in Andhra Pradesh.

The white ration card, which makes a family eligible to get rice at a highly-subsidised price of Rs 2-a-kg and social security benefits health insurance and a permanent housing, has been issued to one Laxmi of Vizianagaram district with a photograph of Sania.

Congress steps up campaign against TRS

Hyderabad, June 12: The Congress appears to be preparing for an all-out offensive against the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. Apparently taking a cue from Chief Minister YS Rajansekhara Reddy’s tirade against Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao in the Assembly on Wednesday, ministers belonging to the Telangana region as well as PCC chief D Srinivas stepped up their campaign against the TRS.

Minister offers Rs42cr crown at Tirupati temple

Hyderabad, June 12: Karnataka tourism minister and Bellary mine baron Gali Janardhan Reddy will probably be better known for something else: with

an offering of a diamond-studded crown worth Rs 42 crore, he became the biggest donor to Lord Venkateswara at Tirupati since the Vijayanagara

kings 400 years ago.

The 20-kg stunner was a “thanksgiving” gesture, the minister said. Sources added that 32kg of `aparanji (pure)’ gold went into its making,

Nine ministers given additional charge

Hyderabad, June 11: Nine ministers in the State Cabinet have been given additional charges here today. Major Industries Minister K Lakshminarayana has been allocated additional portfolios of Commerce, Export Promotion, and Food Processing. Higher Education Minister D Sridhar Babu will also look after NRI Affairs. As per the orders issued here today, Secondary Education Minister D Manikya Vara Prasada Rao will hold the additional charge of Intermediate Education, Government Examinations, AP Residential Educational Institutions Society, and Hyderabad Public School.

MPs condemn attacks on Indian students abroad

Hyderabad, June 11: Congress MP from Nizamabad Madhu Yaskhi Goud has said that all the Parliamentarians from Andhra Pradesh have strongly aired their concern at the increasing attacks on Indian students including the Telugus studying abroad.

Mr. Goud said that the very fact that the Indian Government summoned the Australian High Commissioner and admonished him for the continuing racial attacks on Indian students showed the concern of the Parliament.
Meet Union Minister

‘True colours’ of YSR exposed: KCR

Hyderabad, June 11: Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that the ‘true colours of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’ were exposed by his ‘anti-Telangana’ remarks in the Assembly on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing the party’s performance in the elections at the party office here, Mr. Rao came down heavily on Dr. Reddy for hurting the sentiments of the Telangana people. Dr. Reddy spoke in a manner demeaning his stature and the people would teach him a fitting lesson.
‘Deep anguish’

Naidu hard sells TDP’s cash transfer scheme

Hyderabad, June 10: Congratulating chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on coming back to power in the state, opposition leader and TDP president N
Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday suggested that the state government implement the cash transfer scheme (CTS), which was the his party’s main electoral plank in the 2009 election.

Senior Maoist leader surrenders

Hyderabad, June 09: Vexed with the Maoists philosophy and unhappy with the leadership, a senior leader of the CPI (Maoist) gave himself up to the police in Vizianagaram district today.

Kondagorri Kurma Rao alias Kurranna was a member of the Maoist Nagavali area committee and was allegedly involved in several offences, including blasting of Gummada railway station, a mandal development office, and attack on Udayagiri police station.

Vizianagaram district Superintendent of Police Y Gangadhar said the latter was vexed with the Maoist philosophy and wanted to lead a normal life.