The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Anantapur News : Collector's timely intervention saves the career of a youth

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 07, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur

Collector's timely intervention saves the career of a youth

Staff Reporter

Army coaching centre owner arrested on the charge of troubling candidate

ANANTAPUR: The high-handedness of the proprietor of a private army coaching centre nearly cost an unemployed youth a fair chance of recruitment into the Indian Army here on Wednesday. But, the timely intervention of the district Collector, Y.V. Anuradha, saved the day for the youth, as the Army officials admitted him to the screening test without his SSC marks memo.

One K. Manjunatha of Polepalli village in Ramagiri mandal of the district approached Jai Jawan Army Coaching Centre near Kakkalapalli on the Kalyanadurg Road four months ago for training. He took admission by paying Rs. 4,000 out of the total fee of Rs. 10,000 also pledged to pay another Rs. 30,000 on being selected.

His SSC marks memo was taken by the coaching centre at the time of admission as a guarantee for the remaining amount to be paid by him. Manjunatha took training for about two months and discontinued due to ill health. Later, he joined Intermediate course at Chennekothapalli.

He decided to appear for soldier clerk post and went to the coaching centre on Tuesday and got his SSC marks memo after giving a promissory note stating that he owed Rs. 36,000 to the centre.

As Manjunatha was in the queue for verification of the certificates at the recruitment rally, the proprietor of the coaching centre, Pedda Reddy, approached him and demanded him to pay the money immediately.

When the candidate expressed his inability, Pedda Reddy reportedly snatched the marks memo and tore it into three pieces. The unexpected reaction of Pedda Reddy had Manjunatha in tears, as he feared loss of an opportunity. However, on the suggestion of the candidates he immediately approached the Collector, who was inspecting the rally and explained what had happened and urged her to give him an opportunity.

The Collector went to the Branch Recruiting Officer (Guntur), P.V.S. Sangwan, and urged him to allow Manjunatha for screening without SSC marks memo after explaining the problem. Accordingly, the candidate was cleared for the physical tests to be held on Thursday.

Later, the Collector instructed the Anantapur Rural CI, T. Srinivasulu, to register a criminal case against Pedda Reddy who was taken into custody by the police. Promisory notes collected from other c andidates were also seized from the centre.

Meanwhile, the Collector reiterated her appeal to the unemployed youth not to be deceived by middlemen. She stated that the district administration had trained about 1,600 candidates for one month, after selecting them in a pre-army recruitment rally.

About 60 candidates arrived from Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts also attended the rally on Wednesday. Eligible among them in the screening were given numbering slips for the Visakhapatnam rally to be held next month.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News Update

Stories in this Section

Collector's timely intervention saves the career of a youth

10 Maoists join mainstream

`Gopala mitras' told to encourage farmers

Court reserves decision on Suri shifting

Rs. 635-cr. action plan to tackle unemployment

Love affair proves costly