Cops taking test stage protest

Hyderabad, April 17: Hundreds of constables, appearing for a test to get promoted as head constables, staged a protest at the Police Training College (PTC) at Amberpet here today, alleging that a senior officer, who was posted as an invigilator, abused them in filthy language.

Examinations were being held at all PTCs in the State for constables to be promoted as head constables. The examinations, which commenced yesterday, are scheduled till April 21.

Woman found murdered in lodge

Hyderabad, April 17: A 26-year-old woman from Khammam town, who came to city in search of a job, accompanied by an acquaintance known to her parents, was found murdered in a lodge room at Gowliguda on Friday.

Kalpana, along with Raju, 30, checked into Nandini Residency lodge on Wednesday evening. Police suspect Raju’s involvement in the killing and detained some persons for questioning.

–Agencies

Police blamed for escape of massacre-accused

Khammam, April 17: Members of the families of those killed and injured in the sensational massacre here in 2005 blame the police for the escape of the prime accused in the case and most-wanted criminal, T Ramarao, from the Srikakulam district prison recently.

Ramarao is guilty of killing seven persons and injuring eight in the village on December 21, 2005.

Centre to release 18 MCMD gas to AP

New Delhi, April 17: The Centre has agreed to release 18 MCMD of gas to Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister K Rosaiah met Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murali Deora here today and urged him to fulfill the gas requirement of the State.

Union Minister has also agreed to release 15 lakh new gas connections to the State as it would reduce the kerosene requirement.

The Chief Minister said that the work of laying pipelines to supply gas to the households in urban areas is in progress and it would be completed soon.

Cop dies after surgery

Hyderabad, April 17: The death of a police constable from Medak district in a corporate hospital here sparked protests by relatives of the deceased alleging that the constable died because of doctors’ negligence.

Pension scheme for construction workers

Hyderabad, April 17: Construct ion workers in the State will get pension on attaining 60 years of age in the case of males and 55 in case of females.

The scheme is to be launched soon by Chief Minister K Rosaiah, said AP Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board chairman S Gopal to the media here today.

Workers registered with the board would draw a pension of Rs 600 to Rs 2,000 per month after superannuation, he revealed.

Pranahita-Chevella gets CWC nod

Hyderabad, April 17: Chief Minister K Rosaiah today thanked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Water Resources Minister PK Bansal and the Central Water Commission (CWC) for giving an `in principle’ nod for the mammoth Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanti lift irrigation project.

“It was only yesterday that I had met Bansal. By the time I came back to Hyderabad the project got `in principle’ approval from the CWC.

It is one of the biggest projects ever envisaged in the country and dream project for the Telangana area,’’ an elated Rosaiah said.

Atmakur ex-MLA’s decomposed body found

Hyderabad, April 17: A Former Telugu Desam legislator, who represented Atmakur in Kurnool district, was found dead in suspicious circumstances in his residential quarters at the New MLA Quarters here today.

Police said B Sitaram Reddy (50) he might have died three days ago due to health reasons, possibly of cardiac arrest. Ailing from a chronic liver disorder and jaundice, he slipped into comatose recently and was treated at a hospital here.

Status quo on degrees of deemed varsities

Hyderabad, April 17: A Division bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Nissar Ahmed Kukru and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, today ordered status quo in the case of certain students of deemed universities providing distance education.

The bench was dealing with a batch of writ appeals filed against the orders of a single judge who had rejected the petitions of students of the Vinayaka Mission Research Foundation, when they were not being given their degrees following the recommendations of the Tandon Committee.

Demerger of Telangana democratic’

Hyderabad, April 17: An end to the plunder of resources of Telangana and denial of their legitimate share in resources and political power is possible only when the people of Telangana have a State of their own. Therefore, the time has come for the Union Government to introduce a Bill in Parliament for creating a state of Telangana.

Rapist-killer nabbed at Kamareddy

Nizamabad, April 17: A SERIAL psychopath killer, who had been on a raping and killing spree for three years, was arrested by the Kamareddy police today. All the women, who became victims of his hatred, were daily wage earners and the murders took place in Nizamabad, Adilabad and Medak districts.

Former TDP MLA found dead

Hyderabad, April 17: M. Seetharama Reddy (50) ex-MLA of Telugu Desam Party from Atmakur in Kurnool district, was found dead in the New MLA quarter no. 212 at Adarshnagar on Friday.

The highly decomposed body suggested that he died three days ago, the police said. Investigators feel there was no foul play behind the former legislator’s death. “He might have died of cardiac arrest. A nearly half-empty liquor bottle and a glass in the room suggested that he could have suffered a stroke while consuming liquor,” Saifabad Inspector in-charge, K. Ashoka Chakravarthy, said.

Jamuna’s daughter alleges dowry harassment

Hyderabad, April 17: Sravanthi, daughter of yesteryear actress Jamuna, on Thursday lodged a police complaint alleging that her husband and in-laws had been harassing her mentally and physically for additional dowry.

Following the complaint, Sravanthi’s father-in-law Madhusudhan Reddy and mother-in-law Vasantha were arrested while her husband, Rahul Reddy, who is into land development, is absconding.

Sravanthi married Reddy in 2006 reportedly against the wishes of her family. They, however, reconciled later. The couple has since been living separately in Banjara Hills.

Transco defers submission of ARR to APERC

Hyderabad, April 17: The AP Power Transmission Corporation (Transco) once again deferred submission of its Aggregate Revenue Report (which determines the tariff for the power being used by the consumers) to the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) with the State Government not giving the go-ahead signal.

Lineman missing after claiming big land deal

Hyderabad, April 17: A casual employee of the AP Transco, who told his family that he had made Rs 50 lakh in a land transaction, went missing under mysterious circumstances two days ago. The family suspects kidnap.

Th e missing p e r s o n , G Narasimha Reddy, is a lineman with the AP Transco at Chatrinaka and a resident of Karmanghat.

Government giveth, taxmen taketh

Guntur, April 15: If it was heartbreak for Kota Satyam of Bodanam village in Bellamkonda mandal of Guntur district last year, now it is shock and outrage.

Being turned out of the house he had lived in all his life because it was to be inundated under the Pulichintala project was a wrench.

Now, the IT department officials have turned up at his new doorstep saying he owes them 10 per cent of the Rs 1.04 lakh paid to him as compensation.

Angry at this insult added to injury, Satyam refused to receive the notice.

CPM to fight against economic disparities

Hyderabad, April 15: CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechuri has said that his party will build people’s movements against economic exploitation and social oppression.

Addressing a meeting on the occasion of BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary here today, he said, “Some people have asked why the CPM is focusing on the caste system as it is supposed to confine to class struggle. Class and caste are, after all, not contradictory. They overlap each other,’’ he explained.

Countdown for GSLV-D3 launch begins

Nellore, April 15: The countdown for GSLVD3, the first satellite launch vehicle to have indigenously developed cryogenic engine, commenced today at 11:23 a.m., 29 hours before the launch, slated at 4:27 pm tomorrow.

It will be for the first time that ISRO will be flight-testing the strategic technology, which is crucial to put communication satellites weighing more than two tonnes into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Geosynchronous orbit is 36,000 km above earth.

Finance company leaves investors in lurch

Hyderabad, April 15: A private share broking company at Nacharam down shutters today duping investors to the tune of several crores.

Police suspect the broker might have collected nearly Rs 8 crore to 10 crore.

The 45-year accused, G Gopalakrishna, a native of Tamil Nadu, came to the city two years back. Initially, he worked in some private stockbroking companies in the city and later set up his own outfit, GGK Share Broker Company in HMT Colony.

Police said he managed to lure investors by offering to pay Rs 10,000 every month for every Rs 1 lakh invested.

Will State plan be cut to size?

Hyderabad, April 15: Chief Minister K Rosaiah who is camping in Delhi is undestood to be keen on impressing upon the Planning Commission of India for approval of the State Annual Plan without cuts on the ground that subsidies being given are on the higher side.

He is scheduled to confer with the Planning Commission members on April 16. Rosaiah will press for the State’s case when he meets Congress biggies Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram and Veerappa Moily ahead of the meeting with the members of the Planning Commissione.

Jagan’s yatra evokes good response

Khammam, April 15: Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s Odarpu Yatra evoked good response in the district today. He resumed his yatra from Palvoncha town this morning and covered two Assembly constituencies Kothagudem and Sattupalli. He touched more than 20 villages en route and unveiled 15 statues of late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

His yatra continued in the plain area and covered Palvoncha town, Chaparalapalli, Pentalam, Annapureddypalli, Cherukupalli, Kristaram, Sattupalli town, Rejerala and Vemsur villages and consoled the bereaved family members.

Loyalty outweighs nativity

Hyderabad, April 15: Loyalty to the YSR family or the cause of Telangana? Congress leaders in Telangana, who had been on the horns of a dilemma, seem to have plumped for the former.

4-day-old baby burnt alive in incubator

Mancherial, April 15: In a shocking incident, a four-day-old infant was burnt to death in an incubator at a private hospital in Mancherial, 160 km from Adilabad in the early hours today.

A short-circuit is suspected to have sparked the fire, which damaged coolers, refrigerators and other equipment including the incubator in the ward, hospital authorities and police said.

Luckily, five infants who had been in the incubators were discharged just a day before the tragedy took place.

‘UPA Govt may resort to horse-trading’

Hyderabad, April 15: “The Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre may resort to horse-trading to face the cut motion to be moved by 13 parties in the Lok Sabha against the proposed hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and fertilisers in the Finance Bill.’’ This fear was expressed by CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechuri while speaking at a meeting on `60 years of Indian Constitution _ Social Justice’ on the occasion of Dr BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary here today. “Thirteen political parties have decided to move a cut motion against price rise.