Stand-off ends as Collector apologises

By Our Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH, JULY 9. Officials, engineers, MDOs and VDOs called off their agitation and resumed duties all over Cuddapah district on Monday in view of an apology from the District Collector, Mr. Adhar Sinha, tendered on Sunday night.

Regretting his remarks, `made in a fit of rage,' Mr. Sinha told the Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad, Mr. V. N. Brahmendra Rao, the District Panchayat Officer, Dr. G. Sankaraiah, and leaders of 10 Panchayat Raj Associations at the Collectorate that he had no ill-will against any official or employee. The Collector explained that he lost his cool because the election work was not progressing as per his expectations.

Assuring them of giving a free hand to PR officials and reducing the role of revenue officials and employees in the conduct of elections, he said that even cheque powers could be given to them. He urged them to work in such a manner that the district earned a good name. Mr. Sinha said he admonished the officials like the head of a family would do to his kin.

The Superintendent of Police, Mr. Nalin Prabhat, also expressed apologies on behalf of the Collector. If the election work was not done at the expected level and any anguish was caused to the Collector due to the lapses of officials, he said he was also apologising on behalf of the PR officials and employees to the Collector.

Earlier, the Joint Collector, Mr. G. Balaramaiah, went to the ZP premises, where the protesting officials and employees had been squatting since Sunday morning and invited them to the Collector's bungalow for holding discussions with Mr. Sinha but they refused. After some time, he came again to persuade them to come to the Collectorate where the Collector apologised and pacified the agitated employees to resolve the issue.

Naxals beat TDP men

According to a Karimnagar report, CPI-ML Prathigatana group naxalites beat two Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders in the interior Kaleshwaram temple town of Mahadevpur mandal on Sunday night threatening them to abstain from campaigning for the local bodies polls.

Reports said that the Prathigatana group Bakanna dalam members went to the houses of Saraiah and Ramnarayana Goud, both TDP senior leaders of the village, and took them into the forests where they were beaten up severely with sticks and gun butts. The naxalites warned them of dire consequences if they participated in the electioneering. The injured persons have been admitted to Mahadepur hospital for the necessary treatment.

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Section  : Southern States
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