The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 19, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Briefly

Minorities join Congress

KURNOOL: Certain leaders of minority community and their supporters from Gudur in Kurnool district joined the Congress party in the presence of its leader, D. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, here on Sunday. They included S.A. Jilani, Aslam and J. Venkateswarlu said. Over 500 people formally joined the party.

Varsity gesture

TIRUPATI: Visually and the hearing impaired students studying in colleges coming under S.V. University have a news to cheer up. The university's Executive Council, at its meeting, decided to relax the rule in their case that it was enough if they opted one paper under the `language' category instead of the two applicable for others. It also decided to construct a Rs.1.6 crore exclusive block for its MBA wing.

New Qazi appointed

ANANTAPUR: The Department of Minorities Welfare has appointed Z. Mohammed Fazl-Ur-Rehman new Qazi for Anantapur town. Orders to this effect were issued on Saturday. Mr. Rehman replaces Imam Shareef, a self-styled Qazi, who was in the position for the last 20 years.

Collector on AIR

ANANTAPUR: The district Collector, Y.V. Anuradha, will participate in a phone-in programme on the Anantapur station of All India Radio on January 20. According to the Station Director, S.H. Anjinappa, interested persons can call on the phone number 08554-275590 to air their grievances from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on January 20.

AIDS awareness programme

ANANTAPUR: The Departments of Medical and Health, Vocational Education and UNICEF are organising four-day training classes on AIDS awareness for selected lecturers of junior colleges from January 20. According to the District AIDS Nodal Officer, M. Sudhakar, the classes will be held at the District Science Centre. Two lecturers from every junior college were already selected for the training.

Consumer guide released

TIRUPATI: A book, `Tirupati consumer guide', brought out by the publishers of `Balaji Darshan - a guide to the pilgrims visiting Tirumala', was released by the TTD Executive Officer, Ajeya Kallam, in the presence of the trust Board Chairman, D.K. Audikesavulu.

The book contains the list of commercial establishments like textile showrooms, grocery traders, jewellers, construction material stores, etc., besides professionals along with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

`Health Mela'

NELLORE: On the second day of the mega free `Health Mela' at Venkatachalasatram, near Nellore, more than 650 patients were provided with free bio-focal spectacles while 200 patients have been screened for cataract, according to the Superintendent, Government hospital, K. Krishna Murthy.

Funds released

Cuddapah: The Government released Rs. 1.50 crores towards disbursement of pension to 66,720 aged persons in the district, said the District Collector, Jayesh Ranjan.

Of this, Rs. 5.69 lakhs was sanctioned for disbursing pension to 2,529 handloom weavers, he said in a statement.

Office-bearers

TIRUPATI: The following have been unanimously elected office-bearers of the Chittoor district unit of the A.P. Medical and Sales Representatives' Union at the annual meet held here on Sunday with the General Council Member, L.S. Bharavi, as the chief guest: S. Gopalakrishna (president); Ravisankarkumar (secretary) and Karunakar Reddy (treasurer).

YSR demands announcement of Group II results

HYDERABAD: The former Congress Legislature Party leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has demanded that results of the examinations held for Group II category in 1999 be declared immediately and that the State Government fill 1,172 posts in accordance with the orders of the High Court.

In a statement here on Sunday, he said that the High Court had directed the Government on July 8 last to fill 1,172 Group II category posts within six months. He accused the Telugu Desam Government of playing with the lives of youth by not calling interviews even though the deadline fixed by the court ended on January 8 this year. The former CLP leader charged the Government with defying the court ruling.

He also asked the Government to fill 2.5 lakh vacant posts in various departments, including, 40,000 backlog posts for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and 70,000 for Backward Classes.

Government's move on CEC appointment flayed

HYDERABAD: The former Minister, M. Shashidhar Reddy, has criticised the manner in which the NDA Government is dealing with the appointment of the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), saying it is a matter of great concern not only for political parties but also for every citizen concerned as it threatens to undermine the fabric of the democratic polity.

In a statement here on Sunday, he said that whatever might be the reason for the Government to consider an `outsider' to be the next CEC, it will be viewed with grave suspicion in the present context when they decided to dissolve the Lok Sabha and call for early elections. "While elevation of the senior most EC as CEC has become a tradition and a precedent, any departure from it at this juncture is a very serious matter," he added.

Plea to protect Buddhist monuments

VISAKHAPATNAM: Noted Buddhist monk from Manipur, Divyananda Tero, on Sunday appealed to the State Government to protect the ancient Buddhist sites and Buddhist relics in the State and develop them into tourist spots and prayer halls.

Addressing a Bouddha Dharma prachar sabha organised by Andhra Buddhist Society (Central) at the Buddhist shrine in Ashoknagar near Kancharapalem, he recalled that Buddhism witnessed its golden age in India about 2,500 years ago. There was a need to propagate Buddhism among people now, he felt.

The founder-secretary of the society, M. Arjuna Rao, said that teachings of Buddha were aimed at world peace and were very much relevant today. Buddhism attracted great emperors like Ashoka and the architect of the Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, he pointed out.

Police raid faction village

Cuddapah: A posse of policemen raided the faction-ridden Moragudi village in Jammalamadugu mandal in the early hours of Sunday, arrested five faction leaders and recovered two hunting sickles.

The Cuddapah SP, V.C. Sajjanar, and the Additional SP, T. Narasinga Rao, led the policemen, who arrested Jollu Janakiramaiah and Somananda Reddy, leaders of rival groups and three others and paraded them from the village to Jammalamadugu town. The SP said that such raids on factional villages would continue in view of the ensuing elections and factional leaders would not be spared, irrespective of their party affiliation.

Jail official clarifies on prisoner's death

TIRUPATI: V.V.V.S.N. Murthy, Superintendent of the Sub-Jail, Puttur, in a statement here on Sunday clarified that jails being correction centres, there would be no need for any scope for the use of third degree methods against prisoners. His clarification came in the wake of the reported custodial death of a remand prisoner, Suresh, on the night of Thursday in the sub-jail and the consequent reports in the media and complaints from the parents of the deceased that there were bruises on his body.

Mr. Murthy said that immediately after the prisoner complained of acute stomachache, he was taken to the prison and arranged his admission at 11 p.m. itself in the Government hospital where he died at 11.55 p.m. despite `timely medical attention' given by duty doctors. Mr. Murthy denied use of any violence against the deceased in the jail.

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