Date:14/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/14/stories/2006091413910400.htm

TDP activists arrested

ADILABAD: Two Town police on Wednesday arrested about 100 activists of Telugu Desam Party who staged a dharna at the district collectorate protesting against power cuts on farm sector. The dharna was first staged outside the collectorate premises and later inside. - Staff Reporter

Maoist couple surrenders

ANANTAPUR: Commander of Papaghni dalam of CPI (Maoist) K. Manohar and his wife Saroja, a member of Bahuda dalam, surrendered before Deputy Superintendent of Police G. Sivaiah at Dharmavaram in the district. Manohar was allegedly involved in the killing of politicians S. Basi Reddy and Veeramalla Naidu, blasting of forest guesthouses and famine raids in Kadapa district. - Staff Reporter

Canal breached

KURNOOL: The Telugu Ganga canal breached near Velugodu Balancing Reservoir in Kurnool district on Wednesday. On learning about the breach, irrigation personnel curtailed flow into the canal. Breach filling operations, too, began immediately. - Staff Reporter

APHDC pays dividend

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd. on Wednesday presented a cheque for Rs.18.8 lakhs out of its profits towards dividend for 2004-05 to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The corporation will also present a cheque for Rs. 6 lakhs shortly towards dividend to the Central Government.

- Special Correspondent

TRS activists obstruct Minister's convoy

Sangareddy: Over 100 TRS activists from Sivvampet, Narsapur and Jinnaram mandals obstructed the convoy of Minister for Tourism J. Geetha Reddy and Siddipet Member of Parliament Sarve Satyanarayana on Narsapur-Medak road on Wednesday. Police dispersed the activists. - Staff Reporter

PCC chief's effigy burnt

NIZAMABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi activists on Wednesday burnt the effigy of Pradesh Congress Committee chief K. Kesava Rao in front of the RTC bus depot, protesting against his challenges to the TRS and criticism on its president, K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

- Staff Reporter

Non-bailable warrants against TDP leaders

KARIMNAGAR: Karimnagar additional judicial magistrate Rajender Reddy on Wednesday issued non-bailable warrants against 15 TDP leaders, including Ravula Chandrashekhar Reddy, Mandava Venkateshwara Rao and Kadiam Srihari, for abstaining from court during a hearing - Staff Reporter

ANGRAU counselling

HYDERABAD: Counselling for admission into undergraduate courses of BVSc &AH, BSc (Ag), BSc (Hort), BFSc (CABM) and BTech (Food Science) of Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University and Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University under Defence quota will be held on September 22 and under physically handicapped quota on September 23 at the College of Home Science in Hyderabad. - Special Correspondent

Stir threat

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Panchayati Raj Chamber on Tuesday threatened to agitate if the Government revived revenue set-up in villages as demanded by the Revenue Services Association.

- Special Correspondent

AISF deplores ragging

KADAPA: AISF activists burnt an effigy before the Collectorate on Wednesday denouncing ragging as a social crime that claimed the lives of innocent students.

AISF district secretary N. Narasimhulu sought stern measures to curb ragging. - Staff Reporter

Resigns from board

HYDERABAD: Surabhi Bhoom Rao, member of the Sri Swayambhu Varasidhi Vinayaka Swamy temple trust board resigned from the post on Wednesday. In a letter faxed to the board chairman, Mr. Rao maintained that he was resigning in view of the separate Telangana agitation. - Special Correspondent

Anti-ragging poster released

TIRUPATI: SVU Vice-Chancellor S. Jayarama Reddy formally released a poster on the ill effects of ragging at his chambers on Wednesday. The poster was brought out by the district unit of National Students Union of India (NSUI) and will be pasted all over the campus.

Prof. Reddy lauded the initiative in curbing the ragging menace and assured the students to get the poster displayed prominently on the campus. - Staff Reporter

65 selected in campus interviews

TIRUPATI: Some 65 students have been selected at the campus interviews conducted by Satyam Computers at Siddhartha Engineering Institute, Puttur recently. Engineering students from across Chittoor, Nellore and Kadapa districts attended the interview spread over three days, which was conducted by 12 HR teams from the company. 295 students took the written tests, of whom 96 got through group discussions, while 65 were picked up in the final technical interview. - Staff Reporter

Bone health camp

ANANTAPUR: A pharmaceutical company in association with a private nursing home will organise a bone health check-up camp on September 14 and 15 here. A multi-purpose health camp will also be held for the physically disabled persons of Anantapur town here on September 17 under the Andhra Pradesh Urban Poor Services Programme. - Staff Reporter

Dharna staged

VIZIANAGARAM: The CPI(M) on Wednesday staged a dharna at the Collectorate demanding suspension of the project officer of ICDS for alleged irregularities in recruitment of workers for additional anganwadi centres in the district. Party district secretary M. Krishna Murthy said the project officer, due to political pressure, had appointed ineligible candidates. An inquiry ordered by the Collector following a directive from the Chief Minister in May this year had not begun so far, he said. He also demanded that the appointments be kept in abeyance till the inquiry was completed. CPI(M) leaders, M. Suryanarayana and Reddy Sankara Rao and anganwadi workers participated in the dharna. - Correspondent

Study material released

VIZIANAGARAM: Study material for police constables recruitment test, published by Gurana Ayyalu Educational and Charitable Trust was released by DSP K.K. Achari here on Wednesday. The DSP asked trust chairman Gurana Ayyalu to keep copies of the study material at all the police stations for the benefit of candidates appearing for the examination. Municipal chairperson M. Geetha released general knowledge book published by the trust. - Correspondent

Tributes paid

SAMBALPUR: Rich tributes were paid to eminent educationist and former vice-chancellor of Sambalpur University late Prafulla Kumar Pati on his 86th birth anniversary at a function organised by Nrusingha Guru Smruti Samiti here recently. The speakers recalled his contributions in education and social work.

The Samiti also felicitated retired professor, Balaram Dash, on the occasion.

Protest against erratic power supply

Kakinada: The district unit of Telugu Desam led by K Yerramnaidu, parliamentary party leader, and Jyothula Nehru, district committee president, staged dharna in front of the electrical sub-station in Raja tank area here on Wednesday protesting against erratic power supply. The TDP workers raised slogans denouncing the Government for its failure in fulfilling its promise of nine-hour supply to ryots.

State Telugu Mahila chief Vanga Geeta, former Mnister Chikkala Ramachandrarao, former ZP chairman Dunna Janardhanarao, city unit president Sunkara Tirumala Kumar and former MLA Vanamadi Venkateswerarao took part in the dharna.

Farmers storm power sub-station

ELURU: Farmers from the upland parts, backed by the CPI(M)-affiliated Andhra Pradesh Rytu Sangham, staged a demonstration near a sub-station at Bhuttayagudem in West Godavari district on Wednesday in protest against erratic power supply for agriculture.

The protesters came in a procession to the sub-station and besieged it. The protest lasted for over two hours.

The protesters regretted that the duration of power supply for agriculture fell to 2-3 hours a day as against the government's claim of seven-hour supply. - Staff Reporter

Spurious drug seized

ELURU: S. Vijayakumar, Drugs Inspector, Eluru, on Wednesday seized a batch of Ampicillin Trihydrat Oral Suspension, an antibiotic, containing fungus and black spots, from the Central Stores of the Andhra Pradesh Medical and Health Infrastructure Development Corporation at Eluru.

According to a press release, the Medical Officer at Ganapavaram Primary Health Centre found the spurious drug manufactured by a Hyderabad-based private pharmaceutical company and supplied by the corporation. He asked the authorities of the Medical and Health Department to take back the spurious drug from all the government hospitals in the district. - Staff Reporter

Study material released