Andhra Pradesh

Bhadrachalam, March 24: All set for a celestial wedding of Lord Rama with his consort Sita in the temple town of Bhadrachalam tomorrow. The temple and its surroundings wore a festive look.

Elaborate arrangements have been made for the Kalyanotsavam of Lord Rama and thousands of devotees have already started thronging the town from this morning.

More than one lakh devotees are expected to witness the celestial wedding of the presiding deity tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. The stadium has been renovated at a cost of Rs 1.30 crore to accommodate 20,000 more persons.

Hyderabad, March 24: A day after the University of Hyderabad put on hold the controversial Knowledge and Innovation Park (KIP), some of the project’s anchor clients have backed out of it.

The city-based Aurobindo Pharma Ltd, a bulk drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulations company, and Alexandria, a US-based lab space provider, said they were pulling out of KIP both because of the delay in its execution and the controversy over the land issue.

Khammam, March 24: Music plays an important role in Sriramanavami celebrations at Bhadrachalam. This time, a woman musician, Y Lakshmi is going to join the temple musicians to serve the Lord from Suprabhata Seva to Pavalimpu Seva through her music.

For the first time in the temple’s history, a woman musician is performing during the festivities. Though she has been playing music for the last three years, the temple authorities regularised her services last year.

Naarketpally, March 22: The Hyderabad-Vijayawada section of National Highway-9 is being widened to four lanes in the first phase and to six lanes later.

Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways RPN Singh laid the foundation stone for the widening work at Narketpally in Nalgonda district today. Chief Minister K Rosaiah and Union Minister for Urban Development S Jaipal Reddy were present.

Vishakapatnam, March 22: The State Government received support from unusual quarters today when Praja Rajyam Party president Chiranjeevi said it seemed serious about the issue of tackling film piracy.

He said Minister Geeta Reddy had told him that the Government was concerned about the issue, especially in the wake of a spate of appeals from the film fraternity on the loss being incurred by the industry. He welcomed the Government proposal to formulate a special law to curb piracy or bring it under the proposed AP Control of Organised Crime Act (APCOCA).

Nellore, March 22: The State Government has embarked on a massive programme with an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore to develop municipalities.

Speaking to mediapersons at Kavali today, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy said funds would be allocated to municipalities as part of the programme for the development of basic infrastructure.

Vacant posts in civic bodies would be filled up in a phased manner. There was no proposal to upgrade any major panchayat into municipality, he said.

Hyderabad, March 22: Depresed over denial of hall-ticket by school authorities for the SSC examinations beginning tomorrow, a 16-year-old boy ended his life in Dharur mandal in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district today.

The school turned him down for shortage of attendance.

E Narasimhulu of Nagasamudram village in Dharur mandal, was studying in the Vikarabad Zilla Parishad High School in the mandal. Son of a farmer, Balaram, he earlier used to stay in a Government hostel but over the past six months had been helping his father with farm operations, Dharur police said.

Hyderabad, March 22: Three Bihari’s posted as security personnel at a star hotel in the city were nabbed for violating gun licence norms and the Arms Act. The trio procured licences on the pretext of `self-protection’ and got hired as security personnel through a city-based security agency.

The Task Force Central Zone sleuths nabbed the trio and seized three 12 bore SBBL guns, their licences and 24 live cartridges.

The trio hail from various parts of Bihar and are working at the Marriott Hotel at Tank Bund. They were residing at Kavadiguda.

Hyderabad, March 22: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today condemned the arrest of its international general secretary, Dr Praveen Bhai Togadia, on March 19 at Kandhamal district in Orissa. In a press release here today, VHP secretary G Durgaiah said Togadia was arrested on his way to the ashram of Swami Lakshmananda.

When European Union members were allowed to visit Kandhamal, why was Togadia, an Indian citizen, prevented from doing so, he asked.

Hyderabad, March 22: A journey to seek divine blessings for a good performance in the SSC examinations starting tomorrow turned fatal for a youngster.

He died in a road accident while returning from a place of worship in a freak mishap that took place near Shamshabad this morning.

Four students from First Lancer at Masab Tank, all appearing for the SSC examinations, set off for the Jameer Khilla dargah near Kottur in the neighbouring Mahaboobnagar district at 4:30 am on two motorcycles to seek divine blessings for their success in the examinations.

Hyderabad, March 22: Two finance companies, Sai Vuma Chit Fund Company Private Limited and Vuma Maheswara Finvest Ltd, abruptly downed their shutters, leaving in the lurch depositors who had reportedly put in over Rs 60 crore.

Both the companies are owned by Kanduru Umamaheswara Rao, sonin- law of Jnanpeeth awardee and doyen of Telugu literature late Kavisamrat Vishwanatha Satyanarayana, and nearly 600 people from all walks of life deposited their hard-earned money in the companies.

Visakhapatnam, March 21: The ruling Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam Party have given a go by to public issues and were only trying to score political points over each other in the assembly, Praja Rajyam leader Chiranjeevi alleged Sunday.

“The ruling party and the main opposition have degraded the Assembly. They are more interested in scoring political points than burning public issues like long power cuts and water shortage,” he told reporters.

Nalgonda, March 21: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today urged Telangana protagonists not to stall development activities and instead plead ‘strongly’ their views before the Justice Srikrishna Committee appointed by the Centre to look into the gamut of the vexed issue.

Visakhapatnam, March 21: The ruling Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh are more interested in scoring political points over each other in the state assembly rather than discussing public issues, Praja Rajyam leader Chiranjeevi alleged here today.

“The ruling party and the main opposition have degraded the Assembly. They are more interested in scoring political points than burning public issues like long power cuts and water shortage,” he told reporters.

Vijayawada, March 21: Eleven people were injured in a clash between Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Congress party activists at Kothavemavaram village in Krishna district late last night.

According to police here today, the row began when TDP activists complained on Friday last in a ”Gramadarshini” (village meeting) against a Congress activist, who used to keep his tractor machinery parts in a government school, which was inconvenient to the students.

Over the issue, activists of the two parties clashed eachother in which seven TDP workers and four Congress workers were injured.

Hyderabad, March 20: In a damage control exercise, Mayor B. Kartika Reddy regretted sharing dais with VHP leader Praveen Togadia last week and said it was “totally unintentional”. In a communication to the APCC president D. Srinivas on Friday, the Mayor tried to clarify about her participation in a women’s programme organised by a social organisation as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations on Saturday last.

Hyderabad, March 20: Days after two top Maoist leaders were killed in ‘encounters,’ a Naxalite couple were killed in an exchange of fire in Khammam district even as the ultras alleged that another top Maoist leader was in the custody of Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) of the State police and might be killed in a fake encounter.

Hyderabad, March 20: Next time when you visit any wildlife sanctuary, beware not to dump leftover food or food packets around as you may be endangering the wildlife. Many deer, wild boars, blue bulls consume such food or even food packets, which are made of polythene or plastic etc and are prone to diseases.

Awareness drive

Sangareddy, March 20: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to clinch victory in the bypolls for Siddipet Assembly segment.

Even before there is clarity on whether the rival parites would field their candidates for the polls in the segment, TRS candidate and former MLA T Harish Rao is busy implementing a two-pronged strategy to secure a thumping win.

Rao wants both the Congress and the TDP to contest the polls but ensure that the candidates lose their deposits and thereby prove that the Telangana sentiment is strong.

Hyderabad, March 20: Praja Rajyam members stalled the proceedings of the State Legislative Assembly today demanding a debate on the government’s resolution on the Hyderabad Free Zone issue, which was unanimously adopted yesterday.

Immediately after Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy disallowed the adjournment motions for which notices were given by the TDP, CPM, CPI and BJP members, the PRP members rushed to the podium demanding a debate on the Hyderabad free-zone resolution.

But, the Speaker announced that the matter was closed yesterday and could not be reopened today.

Hyderabad, March 20: TDP president and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu today challenged that he would quit politics if he could not prove “irregularities” in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in the state. “The NREGP has turned into a major scandal in Andhra Pradesh as a whopping Rs 4,000 crore have been misappropriated by Congressmen, including some ministers.

Hyderabad, March 19: Police in Andhra Pradesh Friday gunned down a Maoist husband-wife duo in a gun battle in a forested area in Khammam district.

Police said the Maoists, belonging to the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist, were killed in a gun battle in the Venkatapuram forest area in Khammam, about 300 km from here.

The gunfight took place when policemen engaged in combing operations in the area came face-to-face with a group of Maoists. Police found two bodies after the exchange of fire, which lasted an hour.

Sangareddy, March 19: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to clinch victory in the bypolls for Siddipet Assembly segment.

Even before there is clarity on whether the rival parites would field their candidates for the polls in the segment, TRS candidate and former MLA T Harish Rao is busy implementing a two-pronged strategy to secure a thumping win.

Rao wants both the Congress and the TDP to contest the polls but ensure that the candidates lose their deposits and thereby prove that the Telangana sentiment is strong.

Hyderabad, March 18: Allaying fears over the human pappiloma virus (HPV) vaccine, Andhra Pradesh government today said that the vaccine being administered for prevention of cervical cancer in Khammam district was safe.

The death of three girls reported in the district were coincidental and not associated with the HPV vaccine, state Health Minister D Nagender told mediapersons here.

Visakhapatnam, March 18: The district police arrested two school teachers who are alleged to be involved in sexually harassing girl students at a Zilla Parishad school in the Nakkapalli Mandal in the district.