Security beefed up at all major temples

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 14. High security has been provided to all big temples in the State whose annual income exceeds Rs 10 lakhs, with the deployment of armed guards drawn from the Special Protection Force.

Making a statement to this effect in the Assembly on Wednesday in reply to a question tabled by Mr D. Umamaheswara Rao, TD, the Minister for Endowments, Mr D. Sivarama Raju, said as part of new security arrangements, ``burglar alarm system'' was installed wherever necessary in temples. Even those temples having an yearly income of Rs 50,000 were provided with watchmen. He made it clear that there was no plan to sell away gold and jewels in temples to avoid the risk of theft as doubted by the member.

Promise on road

The Naidupet-Renigunta road will be completed by March 2002, said the Roads and Buildings Minister, Mr K. Vijayarama Rao.

Responding to Mr A. Vivekananda Reddy, Congress, who complained about prolonged public inconvenience caused by non-completion of the roads from Gudur to Naidupet, Naidupet to Renigunta and Renigunta to Tirupati, the Minister said the stretch of the road between Gudur and Naidupet which was nearing completion, would be ready by next monsoon.

Replying to a question by Mr P. Brahmaiah, TD, who sought a pucca bridge across Cheyyeru replacing the existing causeway between Rayachoti and Rajampet on the plea that this shortcut to Bangalore used by about 2,500 vehicles daily was being submerged whenever there were floods in the river, the Minister said, he had a plan to take up the bridge on "build, operate and transfer" basis.

Kidney operations

The Health Minister, Dr S. Aruna, told Mr Premsingh Rathore, BJP, that most of the kidney transplant operations done in Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad were "successful" these days. All the six operations so far this year had been successful while one of 11 persons who underwent the operation last year, died. She said the operations were conducted only if the State-level Authorisation Committee constituted under the Human Organs Transplantation Act, 1995, recommended and only on those who could maintain post-operative immuno suppression.

Buildings for girls hostels

The Social Welfare Minister, Mr K. Pushpaleela, stated that Rs 50 lakhs was sanctioned adding to an equal amount provided by the Centre, towards construction of buildings for Social Welfare girls hostels in the State this year. Responding to a point raised by Mr K. Atchan Naidu, TDP, she said, 165 out of the 570 such hotels were located in private accommodation.

ICDS projects

The Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Mrs S. Saraswathi, informed Mr Gadde Babu Rao, TDP, that as many as 29 ICDS projects were in operation in agency areas with 3,933 anganwadi centres working under them, benefiting 2.6 lakh children and 62,988 women.

Among them, the Seethampet project was having 89 angwanwadi centres. Since 1998, 42 ICDS projects were sanctioned under a World Bank project and 35 this year. Out of them, 5.9 lakh women and 26.6 lakh children would benefit. The vacant posts in all the anganwadi centres were being filled as per guidelines, she said.

Ragging

The Minister for Higher Education, Mr K. Ramachandra Rao, strongly denied the charge made by Mr C. Ramakrishna Reddy of Congress, that ragging was rampant in educational institutions, especially professional colleges.

Mr Reddy ridiculed the Minister's claim, citing newspaper reports about incidents of suicides, especially in Vijayawada. He alleged that the Anti-Ragging Act remained only on paper.

New police commissionerates

The Home Minister, Mr T. Devender Goud, told Mr G. Butchaiah Chowdary, TD, that he had called afresh for details about Rajahmundry, Kurnool, Warangal, Guntur, Tirupati and the 10 municipalities lying around Hyderabad, with a view to exploring possibilities of setting up police commissionerates for them.

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Section  : Southern States
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