The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Briefly

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Friday, Sep 03, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Briefly

20 pilgrims hurt in mishap

KURNOOL: Twenty pilgrims from Cuddapah district were hurt in a road accident in the ghat section near Srisailam on Thursday. According to reports, a private tourist bus overturned while negotiating a curve in the ghat section between Srisaialm and Dornala around noon. The bus was going with pilgrims from Srisailam to Vijayawada.

Of the 20 persons who were hurt, six had serious injuries. The condition of one of the passengers, Kanakamma, was reported to be serious. The pilgrims who hailed from Proddatur and Pulivendula in Cuddapah district engaged a private tourist bus to visit Srisailam, Vijayawada and Bhadrachalam. Most of the pilgrims were middle aged. After the holy dip, the pilgrims were on the way to Vijayawada when the mishap occurred.

The injured persons were treated at Government hospital in Dornala. The pilgrims were sent back to their native place through a special bus. The incharge collector, Mukesh Kumar Meena, and the Superintendent of Police, V.R.K. Mohan Rao, rushed to the place and arranged help for the victims.

Air Deccan slashes fare again

TIRUPATI: Four days after announcing a slash in its daily fare from Rs.2,647 to Rs.1,985 in the Hyderabad-Tirupati sector, Air Deccan has further reduced the `Dynafare' to 1,932.50 with effect from August 31.

The flight departs from Hyderabad at 1.20 p.m., arrives in Tirupati at 2.40 p.m. and leaves Tirupati at 3 p.m. to reach Hyderabad at 4.20 p.m., according to an official release.

Farm cooperative bodies' plea

HYDERABAD: The State Agricultural Cooperative Societies' Employees' Union has urged the State Government to take steps for release of cooperative loans to farmers in to-to as decided by the district-level technical committees.

In a memorandum submitted to the Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Cooperation, the union also wanted the Government to ensure that the NABARD refinanced the entire Rs. 3,000 crores allotted to the cooperative societies for loaning purposes. The societies should function as an instrument to release 75 per cent of institutional finance as loan. The cooperatives should be able to compete with commercial banks in the release of loan. With regard to the services of employees, the union wanted that their employment be protected. The employees whose services were terminated should be re-absorbed.

New pension scheme opposed

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh United Teachers Federation has decided to hold protest demonstration on Saturday at all district headquarters to oppose the new contributory pension scheme announced by the State Government.

The Federation president, K. Jojaiah, and the general secretary, S. Narayana, in a statement on Thursday, opposed the new pension scheme saying that it would affect the interests of teachers and employees. They said anti-people and employees policies had ensured the defeat of the TDP in the recent elections and alleged that the Congress Government was also following the World Bank directions. They said the district units would hold demonstration at the Collectorates and then submit a memorandum to the Collector.

New DG for Coast Guard

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Vice Admiral, Arun Kumar Singh, has taken over as Director-General of Coast Guard. He succeeds Vice Admiral Suresh Mehta.

According to an official release here on Thursday, he is the senior most submariner in the Indian Navy. He was commissioned on January 1, 1969, and served on ships before joining the Submarine arm in 1971. Prior to this appointment, Vice Admiral Singh served as the Controller of Personnel Services at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi.

Woman run over by train

Kakinada: Suryachandra Chakrayamma (23) allegedly committed suicide by putting her head under a running train at the Town railway station here in the early hours of Thursday. It is said to have gone to her parents' house a couple of days ago from her in-laws' place in Viravada village of Pithapuram mandal. The Samalkot railway police has sent the body for post-mortem.

VHP demands ban on DJS

HYDERABAD: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has demanded a ban on Darsgah Jihad-O-Shahadat (DJS) and protection to RSS, Bajrangdal and VHP activists in the wake of threats held out against them by the DJS.

The VHP State (west) unit general secretary, T. Muralidhar Rao, and the Bajrangdal State president, T. Yaman Singh, at a new conference here on Thursday, also demanded the arrest of the MIM MLA, Akbaruddin Owaisi, under the provisions of POTA for leading a demonstration against the arrest of some alleged ISI agents at the office of the Police Commissioner here.

They charged the DJS with spreading communal hatred in the city. The Government must not permit the procession proposed to be taken out by the organisation on Saturday.

Farmer ends life

KARIMNAGAR: A farmer, G. Satyanarayana (26), committed suicide by consuming pesticide in his cotton field in Khansaipeta village of Manthani mandal on Thursday due to failure of the crop and increasing debts.

Reports reaching here said that the farmer had cultivated cotton in four acres of land and incurred losses due to crop failure. Unable to clear the debts to the tune of Rs. 1.5 lakhs, he resorted to the extreme step. He is survived by wife and two sons, including a four-month-old.

Trophy for NALSAR University

HYDERABAD: The NALSAR University of Law has won the prestigious Raj Anand National Moot Court Trophy.

The NLSIU, Bangalore, which won the rolling trophy successively for six times has lost to NALSAR in the finals held in New Delhi on August 28 and 29. As many as 15 teams from the law universities and colleges competed to bag the rolling trophy called "Flame of Creativity".

The NALSAR team, which was adjudged the "best", consisted of Swathi Sukumar, Pritam Baruah and Zara Machado.

Selected for literary award

HYDERABAD: Literary critic, M. Veerabhadraiah, has been selected for the G.V.S. Literary Award - 2004. The award, instituted by noted literary critic, G.V. Subrahmanyam, carries Rs.10,000, according to a press release of G.V.S. Sahithi Kala Peetham.

Vacancies to be filled soon

ANANTAPUR: The process of filling 25 out of 49 vacancies of posts reserved for physically challenged persons in various departments in the district is in progress, according to the Assistant Director of Disabled Welfare, M.A. Kumar Raja. The State Government had given time till March 2005 for filling all the vacancies but it would be completed by this December-end, he stated.

Free dental camp held

CUDDAPAH: The Chiranjeevi Brothers and Allu Arjun Welfare Youth Society organised a free dental camp at Saibaba orphanage in Cooperative Colony here on Thursday to mark the birthday of filmstar, Pavan Kalyan. The ZP Vice-Chairman, P. Ravindranath Reddy, gave toothpastes and brushes to the inmates while a dentist, B. Obulapathi, examined children and distributed medicines free of cost at the camp. Meanwhile, the Rayalaseema Chiranjeevi Brothers Association president, S. Kareemullah, organised free distribution of notebooks and sweets to the inmates of Al-Shifa Rehabilitation Home for Mentally Retarded at Chinna Chowk.

TDP to move court

NELLORE: The Telugu Desam Party has decided to approach the High Court over the alleged `unilateral' transfers of village secretaries in Nellore district.

The party feels that the postings are not only one-sided but favoured the Congress functionaries. Accordingly it has decided to seek a legal remedy in this regard.

Convention

TIRUPATI: The Chittoor district Goat and Sheep Rearers Association will be holding a convention at Kalikiri on September 11. In this connection, a poster was released at the CPI-M office here today.

Flamingo treated

NELLORE: An injured flamingo, which lost its way to the Nelapattu sanctuary of Nellore district, landed on the pennar shore of Somasila, on Wednesday.

A student who spotted the injured bird brought it to the village, where first aid was administered. The concerned authorities have been intimated about the incident.

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