The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Cloud-seeding on regular basis: Raghuveera

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 10, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Cloud-seeding on regular basis: Raghuveera

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JULY 9. The Government has decided to take up cloud-seeding exercises on a regular basis in all drought-affected districts, particularly in Rayalaseema and Telangana and operations for the current season will start on July 15, the Minister for Agriculture Minister, N. Raghuveera Reddy, told the Assembly.

G. Veera Siva Reddy (TDP) said there was no scientific proof that cloud-seeding would result in rain. Mr. Raghuveera Reddy and the Minister for Lift Irrigation and Rain Shadow Areas Development, M. Mareppa, said that while there was no guarantee that every sortie by a silver iodide-laden aircraft would result in rain, the experiment was successful in Karnataka where the 90-day exercise saw rain for 56 days.

Mr. Mareppa said a provision of Rs. 10 crores had been made for the purpose. Tenders had been finalised and agreements made for a sum of Rs. 11.83 crores, he said. Mr. Reddy said the Telangana region would be covered with a plane operating out of Hyderabad and cloud-seeding planes would use airstrips at Bangalore and Puttaparthi in Anantapur district, to cover the whole of Rayalaseema.

G. Chinna Reddy and Y. Kista Reddy (Congress) alleged corruption in the purchase of digital cameras in Mahbubnagar district. The Minister for Youth Employment, T. Harish Rao, replied that the cameras appeared to be bought at rates higher than the market price because the package included accessories.

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