The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Briefly

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Friday, Aug 13, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Briefly

Bank staff stage dharna

HYDERABAD: Bank employees and officers under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions staged a dharna in front of State Bank of Hyderabad, Gunfoundry branch, on Thursday as part of the all-India programme of action.

Addressing the gathering, the CITU general secretary, Veeraiah, strongly condemned the attitude of the Indian Banks' Association and the `anti-employee' attitude of the Centre. He said the deployment policy being advocated by the IBA was totally unreasonable.

The CPI assistant secretary, Narayana, charged that profits earned by the public and private sector banks were being siphoned off towards provisions for non-performing assets and to write off bad loans. The forum State unit convenor, B.S. Ramababu, and others also spoke.

Panel on irrigation projects

HYDERABAD: The general body of the Intellectual Forum for Mahbubnagar district has formed an action committee for early completion of irrigation and other projects in the district. The first meeting of the committee will be held in Hyderabad on Friday.

The committee will comprise C. Narsi Reddy, Congress MLA, as chairman, S. Sudhakar Reddy, CPI MP (vice-chairman), A.P. Jitender Reddy, former MP (general secretary), and Paga Pulla Reddy (convenor). K. Purushottam Reddy, Ramesh Reddy and Venkat Swamy, all academicians, G. Narayan Rao, former IAS officer, Venkat Ranga Reddy, former engineer- in- chief (irrigation) and T. Seetharam Reddy, will be members. Venkat Reddy, former chief engineer and Vidyasagara Rao, former chief engineer, Central Water Commission, will be advisors, according to a press release.

Cell to sort out seniority list

HYDERABAD: The Government has, following the directions of the High Court, constituted a special cell to sort out the seniority list of Assistant Excise Superintendents, headed by M.V.S. Prasad, a retired IAS officer.

In a press release, the Special Chief Secretary, N.S. Hariharan, said the Government has issued a provisional list through G.O. Rt. No. 1166 of the Revenue Departments, dated August 4. Officers, he said, were at liberty to put forth their objections in person or in writing before the Special Cell at Room No. 202, second floor, `L' block, in Secretariat within 15 days from the date of publication of the Gazette.

Meet on health, environment

HYDERABAD: The third Community Health and Environmental Survey Skillshare (CHESS) meeting will be held here between August 13 and 15 with special focus on mining. Activists from mining areas, affected communities, labour organisations and representatives from pollution impact areas will attend the meeting.

Notwithstanding the magnitude of the existing environmental and health problems in industrial and mining areas, it is unfortunate that the Government is opening up green field areas for polluting projects, says a press release. Many of the CHESS participants will be from areas already destroyed by industrial pollution or extensive mining or threatened by new projects.

There will be a keynote address by Rashida Bee, winner of the 2004 Goldman Environmental Award and leader of the Bhopal Gas Peedita Mahila Stationary Karmachari Sangh (BGPMKS).

Foundation Day observed

TIRUPATI: The All India Students' Federation (AISF) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Thursday observed the 68th foundation day of the united student movement separately. The day was observed to mark the launching of the student forum to fight for the freedom movement on August 12, 1936 in Lucknow. The former State vice-president of AISF, T. Janardhan, hoisted the commemorative flag at the Mahatma Gandhi municipal school in the town.

Meanwhile, the SFI conducted a week-long competitions for students at Ambedkar Bhavan. The former State vice-president of the federation, P.Venkataratnam, addressed students on the occasion.

TTD library's distinction

TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) digital library has been selected the quality control unit of the Universal Digital Library project that has embarked on the ambitious plan of digitising the rare books and manuscripts available across the world.

The TTD's library is one of the thirty such centres in the country that identifies the rare books, scans the contents and uploads them on the web to be made available to the millions of surfers. So far, over thousand books have been digitised, half of which are the TTD's own decades-old publications.

The UDL recently selected the TTD library to be its quality control centre, which means that the books scanned anywhere in the country will have to pass through the quality control unit here.

The centre will get a Rs. 85 lakh state-of-the-art equipment called `Print on demand', which is currently available only in Central University, Hyderabad.

Waste of funds alleged

Hyderabad: The Lift Irrigation and Rain-Shadow Area Development Minister, M. Marappa, on Thursday alleged waste of public money to the tune of Rs. 35 crores in the department during the Telugu Desam regime.

He told a meeting that the previous Government allocated the amount to an NGO, Naandi Foundation, for reviving 85 defunct lift irrigation schemes in Kurnool, Medak, Anantapur, Krishna, Mahabubnagar and Khammam districts. Only 40 schemes were claimed to have been revived. This, however, remained to be verified, he said.

Rain likely

Hyderabad: The low pressure area remained stationary over the north-west Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast on Thursday.

The State Met Office Director, C.V.V. Bhadram, said the system would have an impact on the monsoon resulting in rain in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts. Many places in these districts and a few places in coastal Andhra and the rest of Telangana would experience rain on Friday.

During the 24-hour period ended this morning, there was light to moderate rain in the State. While it was isolated in coastal Andhra and Telangana, the weather was dry in Rayalaseema.

Red sanders seized

TIRUPATI: Flying squad sleuths of Tirupati seized red sander logs along with a Tata Sumo (TN 09 X 4329), worth in all Rs. 2 lakhs, near Pichinaidu Palle on Renigunta-Chandragiri road (Tirupati bypass) on Wednesday.

The perpetrators fled the scene on sighting the guards, according to the DFO, V.Santasila Babu. The 14 logs weighed 625 kg.

DRO, RDO hurt in accident

KURNOOL: The District Revenue Officer, Laxmikantham and the Revenue Divisional Officer, Suryaprakash, were hurt in a road accident near Rollapenta in the ghat section in Kurnool district on Thursday.

The mishap occurred when the vehicle hit a bus in the opposite direction. The, who were out of danger, were on the way to Srisailam. The Nandikotkur MRO, Noor Ahmed, also sustained minor injuries.

Coaching for Urdu students

CUDDAPAH: The zonal member of Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu, Syed Shakeel Ahmed, on Thursday called upon the correspondents of Urdu study centres to give intensive coaching to students in their school subjects.

Addressing a workshop on Urdu examinations for the study centre correspondents of Cuddapah, Anantapur, Kurnool and Chittoor district,

Mr. Ahmed asked them to take steps to drive away the fear of examinations from the mind of students.

Minister's services lauded

NELLORE: The district unit of B.R. Ambedkar's Mission, has lauded the services of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, its president, M.V. Ramanaiah, urged the Congress high command, to ignore, what he described as the ongoing `political conspiracy' against the Minister.

Review meet held

CHITTOOR: The district Collector, S.S. Rawat, reviewed the progress of several activities implemented for the welfare of Scheduled Castes at a meeting held here on Thursday.

MLAs, A.S. Manohar, Subramanyam Naidu, and other members demanded implementation of special action plan for the development of Scheduled Tribes.

Kerosene for card holders

KURNOOL: The Civil Supplies Commissioner, Banwarlal, asked the civil supply officers to allow card holders draw kerosene against the ration cards until the coupon were distributed to consumers. He reviewed the functioning of public distribution system at video conference on Thursday.

Civic staff threaten stir

ADILABAD: The Telangana Municipal Employees' Association has threatened to launch an agitation if the Government does not concede its demands within two months.

The association has been demanding, among other things, payment of salary to employees through the treasury.

The association president, L. Taj Mohan Reddy, the district unit president, M.R. Jairaj, and others told newsmen on Thursday that employees in 40 of the 43 municipalities in Telangana region had not been getting their salary for months together. "Salaries are paid only when tax collections are good. This is putting the employees to great hardship," they bemoaned.

Antyodaya beneficiaries

ADILABAD: The Government has asked Mandal Revenue Officers (MRO) to submit a list of beneficiaries identified as additional below poverty line (BPL) households for sanction of cards under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) on or before was August 14.

In a press release, the Joint Collector, V. Durga Das, said special focus would be on landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans and craftsmen, households headed by widows and disabled persons without an assured source of income and all primitive tribal households.

Red sanders seized

The perpetrators fled the scene on sighting the guards, according to the DFO, V.Santasila Babu. The 14 logs weighed 625 kg.

DRO, RDO hurt in accident

KURNOOL: The District Revenue Officer, Laxmikantham and the Revenue Divisional Officer, Suryaprakash, were hurt in a road accident near Rollapenta in the ghat section in Kurnool district on Thursday.

The mishap occurred when the vehicle hit a bus in the opposite direction. The, who were out of danger, were on the way to Srisailam. The Nandikotkur MRO, Noor Ahmed, also sustained minor injuries.

Coaching for

Urdu students

Addressing a workshop on Urdu examinations for the study centre correspondents of Cuddapah, Anantapur, Kurnool and Chittoor district,

Mr. Ahmed asked them to take steps to drive away the fear of examinations from the mind of students.

Minister's services lauded

NELLORE: The district unit of B.R. Ambedkar's Mission, has lauded the services of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, its president, M.V. Ramanaiah, urged the Congress high command, to ignore, what he described as the ongoing `political conspiracy' against the Minister.

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