Four from Bangalore killed in accident in Hassan - BANGALORE

Tragedy struck a family when four of them were killed after an oncoming KSRTC bus rammed into their car near Bendekere on Arasikere – Banavara road on Monday morning. The lone survivor of the family Nagamma has been rushed to Bangalore for treatment of serious injuries she sustained, police said.

The victims were identified as Bette Gowda (62), a retired employee of KEB, his son Jagadish (30), daughter-in-law Kumuda (27) and one and a half year old grandson Dhanush. Bette Gowda’s wife Nagamma survived the horrific road accident with serious injuries.

B.Sc. graduates have to wait for their turn for lateral entry - BANGALORE

BSc. graduates in the State who wish to avail themselves of the opportunity to gain lateral entry to the second year of engineering courses will have to wait till the completion of admission for diploma students who have become eligible for the same seats after clearing the Diploma Common Entrance Test (DCET).

The option entry for the second round of counselling for diploma students ends on Tuesday. The final seat allotment will be made available on Wednesday. Only after this will the remaining seats be on offer to the BSc. graduates who have already applied for the engineering courses. As many as 14,682 seats are on offer for the second round of counselling for DCET students.

Krishna in spate after fresh spell of rain - KARNATAKA

After a brief respite, a fresh spell of heavy rain lashed the catchment areas of the Krishna and its tributaries adding to the woes of people living on the banks of the river. The Krishna is again in spate with its water-level rising.

As many as 18 bridges, barrages and low-lying roads along the Krishna, the Dudhaganga and the Vedaganga in Chikkodi, Raibag and Athani taluks are submerged and people have been advised to use alternative roads thrown open to traffic by the administration.

Ensure drinking water supply, Siddaramaiah tells deputy commissioners - KARNATAKA

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday directed deputy commissioners of all districts to ensure drinking water supply in affected areas and not to cite excuses of absence of clear policy guidelines. “If a particular part of the water supply scheme through borewells is not covered under Central government

In a perpetual state of ‘work in progress’ - KARNATAKA

Traffic movement from Mangalore to Mysore via Madikeri came to a halt on Monday with cracks on a 50-m-long stretch on Mysore-Mani State highway at Koinad between Madikeri in Kodagu district and Sullia in Dakshina Kannada.

Movement of buses and heavy vehicles had been banned on this route in Kodagu district for the last seven days following the development of deep cracks on the stretch. Cars and two-wheelers had been allowed on one portion of the road. It was on Sunday that buses were allowed on a trial basis.

Meeting just a figment of imagination - KARNATAKA

Janata Dal (Secular) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy said his supposed meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party leader R. Ashok was a “figment of the imagination of a news channel”. He said he met Mr. Ashok during the filing of nomination of the JD(S) candidate at the assistant commissioner’s office,

Kumaraswamy can’t take unilateral decision: Gowda - KARNATAKA

Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda on Monday reiterated that there was “no question” of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Lok Sabha bypolls, adding that his son, H.D. Kumaraswamy, was only president of the State unit and could not take a decision on an alliance on his own.

Addressing presspersons, Mr. Gowda clarified that the decision of the party not to field anyone for the Legislative Council bypolls of Dharwad, Chitradurga and Mysore Local Authorities constituencies had nothing to do with any tie-up. “There is no need to misinterpret the decision. The party does not have strength in the three constituencies and no funds to spend,” he explained.

Privileges committee to go by the book - KARNATAKA

The privileges committee of both Houses of the State legislature have decided to go “strictly with the procedures of the legislature” on the issue of summoning V. Balasubramanian, chairman of the Task Force for Recovery of Public Land and its Protection.

Assembly Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa had referred a breach of privilege motion against Mr. Balasubramanian, moved by senior Congress leader and former Speaker Ramesh Kumar to the privileges committees. The motion referred to a recent interview given by the former civil servant where he allegedly accused members of the Assembly of encroachment of forest land.

A flurry of activity at Alamatti - KARNATAKA

Officials of Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited (KBJNL) are in a flurry of activity — after all, it is Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s first visit to Bijapur district after taking over the reins of the administration this year.

The Chief Minister is visiting Alamatti dam on Tuesday to offer “bagina” to the Krishna. He will be accompanied by Major and Medium Irrigation and District in-charge Minister M.B. Patil, Minister for IT/BT S.R. Patil, Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Umashree and other legislators/MPs of both Bijapur and Bagalkot districts.

Court suggests paying part of Kingfisher staff salary - KARNATAKA

Why don’t you pay at least a portion of salary to your employees who are facing a difficult situation due to non-payment of monthly salary?

The Karnataka High Court posed this question orally to senior counsel representing UB Holding Ltd. (UBHL), which is the holding company of Kingfisher Airlines Limited (KAL), during hearing of petitions seeking winding up of both these companies.

Copious rain helps Karnataka release record quantum of Cauvery waters to TN - KARNATAKA

Karnataka has released a record quantum of Cauvery waters in over a decade to the lower riparian State of Tamil Nadu in the first two months of the south-west monsoon, and given the present scenario, a meeting of the Cauvery Supervisory Committee is unlikely in the near future.

Sources in the State government said that the irrigation authorities here have released 121.66 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu from the Kabini and the Krishnarajasagar reservoirs exclusive of water accumulation from the catchment areas close to the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.

Seers of 35 maths come out in favour of a Dalit Chief Minister in Karnataka

Seers of 35 maths in the State have come out in favour of president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee G. Parameshwara becoming the next Chief Minister and Basavamurthy Madara Chennaiah Swami of Madara Guru Peetha, Chitradurga, even warned the Congress that it may have to face adverse results in the Lok Sabha elections if Dr. Parameshwara is not made Chief Minister.

The seers and Christian and Islamic leaders came to Dr. Parameshwara’s residence here on Monday to bless him on his 63rd birthday.

Services of 197 employees of Arogya Kavacha terminated - KARNATAKA

As the strike by contract workers entered the 12th day on Monday, GVK–EMRI, the private agency that runs the emergency 108 Arogya Kavacha services, terminated 197 employees.

While the list of terminated employees was not disclosed, the company warned that those who do not return to work immediately will face “similar termination orders”.

Irrigation projects will not snatch away farmers’ land - KARNATAKA

Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation M.B. Patil has asserted that the government will not acquire even an inch of additional land than required from the farmers for irrigation projects in the State.

Interacting with the farmers in Bijapur on Monday, he assured them that the maximum compensation would be given to farmers who lose land to irrigation projects.

“I assure you (the farmers) that I will not let any additional land be acquired for irrigation projects than required. The farmers need not to have any apprehensions,” he said.

Tribal outfit to stage demonstration on August 13 - KARNATAKA

The Karnataka Adivasi Rakshana Parishat will stage demonstrations at district headquarters on August 13 to press for various demands including land grant.

Parishat general secretary M. Krishnaiah said here on Monday that the protests would coincide with the World Adivasi Day.

No respite from floods in Bellary district - KARNATAKA

Water-level in Tungabhadra river continued to be rising following heavy inflow into the reservoir at Hospet.

The inflow recorded on Monday was at the rate of 1.74 lakh cusecs and the discharge 1.59 lakh cusecs from all the 33 gates.

Telangana: hunger strike agitators taken to hospital - ANDHRA PRADESH

A tense situation occurred on the Andhra university campus on Sunday when police forcibly took the student leaders, sitting on hunger strike against the bifurcation of the state, to hospital in view of their deteriorating health.

The student JAC leaders have been on a hunger strike from June 30 at the Andhra University here.

The doctors who conducted medical check-up of students JAC leaders, including its convenors Lagudu Govnida and Arati Mahesh and few others, advised them to take medical care immediately as their sugar, BP and water levels were going down.

TRS rules out Hyderabad as UT or joint capital - ANDHRA PRADESH

The TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday voiced his opposition to to any proposal making Hyderabad a permanent joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh or a Union Territory.

Mr. Rao said the administration of Hyderabad should be run by the Telangana government.

“TRS would have no objection if the new Andhra Pradesh government runs its administration from Hyderabad till a capital with necessary infrastructure is built, but the administration of Hyderabad should be run by the Telangana government,” he said.

The TRS president was speaking at a meet the press programme organised by the Telangana Journalists Forum.

While giving its nod to the creation of Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh last week, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has proposed that Hyderabad will be the joint capital of the newly-proposed state and the other regions -- Rayalaseema and Andhra -- for a period of 10 years.

With no major city in the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions having the necessary infrastructure to be the capital of the new Andhra Pradesh state, some leaders from the two regions have favoured making Hyderabad a UT or permanent capital of the two states.

Mr. Rao also denied having made remarks that employees from Andhra have no option but to go back to their native region post-bifurcation that caused a furore.

“Who asked you to go? You will do your administration. You run (administration) for 10 years (as said by Congress). You retire here and buy a flat and be here. We have no objection. We never curse people. We only curse people who curse people,” he said.

He, however, alleged that Telangana has suffered a lot in terms of jobs, availability of water among other things in a united Andhra Pradesh.

The TRS president also said that red carpet welcome would be extended to those who wish to make investments in Telangana.

“The Telugu film industry, based in Hyderabad, would also be encouraged to grow,” he said.

Mr. Rao also said that he would like to see a Dalit leader as Chief Minister of Telangana if TRS gets majority and that he would like to head a “state advisory commission”.

The passage of Telangana bill is important before taking a call on the possible merger of TRS with Congress, he added.

About the development of Telangana after the formation of separate state, the TRS chief said he would “like to see smiles on the faces of all”.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/trs-rules-out-hyderabad-as-ut-or-joint-capital/article4988780.ece

KCR silent on merger with Congress - ANDHRA PRADESH

In a significant departure from his stated stand that he would not have objection to merging the Telangana Rashtra Samiti with the Congress if the latter conceded separate Telangana, TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday refused to respond on the issue until a Bill on creation of the new State was passed by Parliament.

Mr. Rao based his refusal on the danger whether the Bill would be taken up by Parliament at all in view of past experience when the legislations on women’s reservation and quota for SCs and STs in promotions fell through after being considered by the Upper House.

Defer ‘T’ decision: Nadendla Bhaskara Rao - ANDHRA PRADESH

Former Chief Minister Nadendla Bhaskara Rao on Sunday urged the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi to defer the recently-announced decision on carving out a separate Telangana.

At a press conference here, he wanted the Centre to convene a meeting of elected representatives from all political parties and representatives of employees’ throughout the State so that the pulse of the people could be gauged correctly. People had a right to express their dissent, but conveying it in the form of violence was not advisable, he said, referring to the ongoing agitation for the past four days in the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

Seemandhra Congress MPs to skip LS session? - ANDHRA PRADESH

Congress MPs from Seemandhra would take a call on whether or not to attend Parliament session beginning tomorrow after meeting the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kamalnath in Delhi, before the commencement of the monsoon session of Parliament from Monday.

The meeting comes at a time when the Parliament session has turned crucial as the Congress leadership is keen in getting the Food Security Bill passed in the present session itself.

Tension runs high in Anantapur, the epicentre of protests

Anantapur district continued to boil on the fifth day of bandh with dharnas and protests being held, even as the Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee (JAC) called for a bandh on Sunday.

Speaking to The Hindu, Samaikyandhra JAC leader Kogatam Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy said they had decided to ensure that they send a strong message to the Central government and built such pressure that the Centre stalls the bifurcation process.

Meanwhile, thousands swarmed roads under various banners demanding united Andhra Pradesh. A large number of women agitators took out a protest rally. Protesters took to sloganeering and demanded Sonia Gandhi to leave the country as she hails from Italy.

CWC asked to reconsider Telangana decision

Andhra Pradesh Official Language Commission Chairman Mandali Buddha Prasad, who resigned from his post, has asked the Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) to “reconsider” the decision to divide the state.

Members of Samaikyandhra Student JAC organised sporting event at the Benz Circle and cooked breakfast as part of protest to oppose division of the State.

Secretariat Seemandhra employees’ strike

For the second consecutive working day, Secretariat Seemandhra Employees boycotted their duties demanding that the Centre take back its decision on State bifurcation.

The employees led by Secretariat Seemandhra Employees Forum took out a rally and staged dharnas in front of the Chief Minister’s block besides the Secretariat entrance and in front of D Block.

Feudal lords may stage a comeback, says Manda Krishna

Founder president of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS), Manda Krishna, on Monday asserted that the reconstruction of a separate Telangana State under the stewardship of Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K. Chandrasekhar Rao would be tantamount to the return of the feudal system.

At a press conference here, primarily held to counter Mr. Rao’s statements at the ‘Meet the Press’ programme on Sunday, the MRPS leader recalled that post-1970, the ‘Doras’ (feudal lords) had fled the villages because they were unable to bear the pressure mounted on them by Naxalites and taken refuge in Hyderabad and its surroundings.

Now, with the beginning of the process of a new Telangana State, these feudal lords will return home, he said.

Under the leadership of Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao and by using the garb of the struggle for a separate State, many of them had started the process of settling in their native villages, Mr. Krishna pointed out.

He said that for administrative convenience, each revenue division in all the 10 districts that fall in the region could be made a district.

This would mean that the new Telangana would have 30 districts and they could be named after people of eminence and those who made sacrifices for social justice.

For instance, Adilabad could be named after Komaram Bheem, Konda Lakshman Bapuji (Mancherial), Chakali Ailamma (Jangaon), Srikantachari (Suryapet) Madanmohan (Siddipet), K. Mahendranath (Nagarkurnool) and Annabathula Ravindranath (Kothagudem), Mr. Krishna said.

Referring to Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao’s promise of ensuring that Rs.10 lakh would be paid to the families of all those who had sacrificed their lives for Telangana since 1969, Mr. Krishna said once a Dalit-led government was formed in Telangana, he would see that the families of each of the martyrs would get Rs. 20 lakh and a government job for one eligible member.

Also, he announced Rs. 5,000 for all those who went to jail in the struggle.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/feudal-lords-may-stage-a-comeback-says-manda-krishna/article4993341.ece

Buddha Prasad offers to quit Congress to lead Samaikyandhra struggle

Andhra Pradesh Official Language Commission Chairman Mandali Buddha Prasad, who resigned from his post, has offered to quit the Congress party too to lead the Samaikyandhra struggle in Krishna District.

At a press conference here on Monday, he asked the Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) to “reconsider” its decision to divide the State.

YSR Congress MP quits Lok Sabha; BJP puts govt. in the dock

The number of MPs from the Seemandhra region who have quit membership from both Houses protesting the creation of Telangana went up to 17 on Monday with the YSR Congress’s Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy (Nellore) faxing his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Among the Lok Sabha members who have quit, eight are from the Congress and four belong to the Telugu Desam Party. As for the Rajya Sabha, one Congress member and three TDP MPs have put in their papers.

The tale of bad stretches of roads - KARNATAKA

One can see stark contrast between the condition of Bangalore-Mysore State Highway 17 (143 km) and the 35-km stretch of National Highway 48 between Manjarabad in Hassan district and Gundia in Dakshina Kannada district.

While the former, reconstructed a decade ago, continues to be free of potholes, importantly without any annual resurfacing, the latter is riddled with potholes and craters despite crores of rupees being spent every year for annual maintenance.

Chandre Gowda, Nirani told to stop working for merger - KARNATAKA

Reaffirming his party stand that the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) will not merge with the BJP or any other party, KJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa has asked MP D.B. Chandre Gowda and the former Minister Murgesh Nirani not to take a lead in clinching a merger with the BJP.

“My party’s stand is very clear that in no case we will merge with the BJP. I want Mr. Nirani and Mr. Chandre Gowda to stop making any such efforts as their efforts will not yield any result,” he told a press conference here on Sunday.

Tungabhadra continues to be in spate in Honnali - KARNATAKA

More than 56 families living in two residential extensions in Honnali taluk, Balaraj Ghat and Bamboo Bazaar, have been shifted to community hall and a gruel centre set up to provide food and shelter to them till the water in the river recedes.

Water-level in Tungabhadra river has remained at about 11.25 metres at Honnali for the past two days as 30,000 cusecs of water is being discharged into the river from Bhadra reservoir and another 36,000 cusecs from Tunga reservoir. The 11.25-m water-level in the river is stated to be highest in recent years. Threat of floods is looming large over about 21 villages in Honnali taluk. Sensing the possible danger, the authorities have shifted the residents to government school and community hall.

Global economic crisis necessitates study of Marxism - KARNATAKA

The global economic crisis has necessitated an in-depth study of Marxism, G.V. Sriram Reddy, State secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist), has said.

Inaugurating a seven-day State-level workshop of the party here on Sunday, he said the solutions to the problems created by pro-capitalist policies lie in Marxism.

Man loses leg, hand in accident - KARNATAKA

A man lost his left leg and hand after they came under the wheels of a running train at Haveri Railway Station on Sunday. Worse, he had to wait for more than an hour to get help.

The incident happened when Vinayak Ramappa Mahendrakar tried to alight from the Mysore Dadar Express. He slipped and was caught under the wheels of the train. No one came to his help while he lied on the railway tracks bleeding profusely.

‘Living on the forest fringes’ has cost Adivasis in Mysore dear - KARNATAKA

Even as Adivasis in the State demand rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, the majority of them in Mysore district have to contend with their applications for land grants being rejected.

Godavari wreaks havoc in Agency areas - ANDHRA PRADESH

The turbulent Godavari continued to wreck havoc in the Agency areas under Bhadrachalam and Palvancha divisions flooding over 160 villages, paralysing the road network and displacing thousands of tribal people all along the river course.

The high-level bridge across the confluence point of Sabari and Godavari rivers between Kunavaram and V R Puram was submerged cutting off road link to both mandals.

The flood level in the Godavari hovered around 61.3 feet, over eight feet above the red mark, at Bhadrachalam on Saturday evening.

Harikrishna resigns from Rajya Sabha - ANDHRA PRADESH

Rajya Sabha member of Telugu Desam N. Harikrishna on Sunday resigned his membership of the Upper House demanding justice for both Telangana and coastal districts on account of bifurcation of the State.

It’s an emotional link, say NGOs - ANDHRA PRADESH

The link of Seemandhra people with Hyderabad was an “emotional one”.

The capital of a State is not a place with the secretariat, Assembly or High Court. It is a place where everyone feels at home, P. Ashok Babu, President of the APNGOs Association, said here on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference after announcing that the NGOs would go on an indefinite strike from August 12 midnight if all the elected representatives from Seemandhra region did not resign, he said the resignation would definitely bring about a change in the political equations at the Centre.

There was no unanimity amongst leaders of the parties that were supporting Telangana.

While the Congress was saying that it would not introduce the Bill in the Monsoon session, Narendra Modi was saying that it was not yet time for the separation of Telangana, he said.

Mr. Ashok Babu said the NGOs were ready to forgo their salaries for the larger good of the State.

Saying that the Telangana issue was a creation of politicians, he said that the issue would simply blow away if the politicians kept “silent for a year”.

GREAT TIMES

He said these were the great times in which walls (the Berlin Wall) were being broken, to bring people together and countries were coming together to form unions (European Union), but wondered why the leaders of Telangana wanted a separate State. Hyderabad was also the employment and educational hub of the State.

An entire generation would lose out, if it was taken away.

There was still time to reverse the decision and keep the State united. “The patient is not dead. We should do everything in our means to save it,” he said.

The NGOs would definitely support the elected representatives who resign and ensure that they were re-elected notwithstanding the party they belong too, Mr Ashok Babu said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/reconsider-bifurcation-move-apcc-chief/article4989212.ece

Kiran faces wrath of integrationists

Protests continued for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday in Seemandhra region over the move to bifurcate the State as dharnas, human chains, traffic blockades were held in various parts, even as demands for resignation of people’s representatives grew louder.

AT Neelakantapuram in Anantapur district the Chief Minister was greeted with slogans for a united State and those demanding his resignation together with that of his Cabinet colleagues.

Minister for Primary Education Shailajanath was turned back from Penukonda by irate protesters and he could not go to Neelakantapuram.

The car of Jammalamadugu MLA Adinarayana Reddy was damaged by angry demonstrators.

EMBARRASSING MOMENTS

Thousands took to streets in Anantapur, including a large number of women demanding a unified State. Anantapur MP, Ananta Venkatarami Reddy faced embarrassing moments when students of Sri Krishnadevaraya University asked him to ensure that his resignation was accepted before he came to address them. However, he was allowed to speak after they were pacified.

GENUINE DEMANDS

Mr. Reddy advised the students to see that the movement did not slip into the hands of politicians as they could undermine their genuine demands.

BANDH

Meanwhile, Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee called for a bandh in Anantapur district on Monday.

In Nellore, TDP activists took out a huge rally in support of Samaikyandhra, while YSR Congress Party leaders organised a rasta roko on the national highway.

RAISE SLOGANS

In Ongole, around 4,000 students took to streets and raised slogans supporting unified State.

Students also held a candlelight vigil in front of the statue of Tanguturi Prakasam. TDP activists took out a motorcycle rally in Chirala.

In Guntur, the members of various JACs took out rallies, while para-military forces kept a strict vigil to ensure that trouble-makers were kept at bay.

At Kadapa, JAC leaders asked elected representatives to resign in a week or face social boycott.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/kiran-faces-wrath-of-integrationists/article4989208.ece

Andhra Pradesh Municipal employees to go on 72-hour strike

The municipal employees in 13 districts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema have joined hands for Samaikyandhra, and also to protest against the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhara Rao remarks on Government employees.

The AP Municipal Employees JAC, in its emergency meeting here on Sunday, has decided to launch 72-hour strike from Monday.

Addressing a press conference, the JAC leaders said that the 72-hour strike would commence with pitching of tents in front of municipal offices.

The employees would stage protests in the morning, and form human chains at the important junctions.

The municipal schools’ teachers would be asked to boycott the classes and join the agitation. On second day of strike, the government offices and educational institutions would be closed down. On last day of the strike, massive rallies would be taken out by the employees and workers, they said.

The JAC also decided that its members should not vandalise the statues and government properties.

The JAC would chalk out action plan after three days and work in consultation with AP NGOs Association. If the government has not responded to the agitation, the emergency services would come to a grinding halt, they threatened.

The JAC leaders deplored that KCR remarks were unwarranted.

“The Telangana was not ‘jageer’ (property) of KCR. Who is he to say Jago Bago?

His unparliamentarily language and threats hurt the Seemandhra people, and the government has not reacted strongly to his comments.

The real Telangana protagonists should drive him out as he hails from Seemandhra,” they said.

JAC honorary chairman Ch. Srinivasa Rao, convener T. Venkataramaiah, AP State Municipal Commissioners Association treasurer S. Sivaramakrishna, AP Municipal Ministerial Association president S. Krishnamohan Rao, executive member Haribabu, VMC Employees Union president Eswar and others were present.

MLAs participate

City MLAs Malladi Vishnu and Vellampalli Srinivas said that they were committed to an undivided state.

The MLAs along with A.P Official Language Commission chairman Mandali Buddha Prasad, Samaikhyandhra Krishna district political JAC convenor Kolanukonda Sivaji, Student JAC chairman Devineni Avinash participated in a rally taken out from the Sub-collector’s office to the Tummalapalli Kalakshetram and paid tributes to the Telugu Thalli statue. Former PCC secretary Akula Srinivas Kumar, former Mayors M. Ratnabindu and Mallika Begum and several former Congress corporators participated in the rally. Later in the evening a candle-light rally was taken out again from the Sub-Collector’s office by the Sri Sashasra Foundation and All Non-Governmental Organisations Together Association.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/andhra-pradesh-municipal-employees-to-go-on-72hour-strike/article4991233.ece

Four fasting JAC leaders shifted to KGH

Four fasting leaders of the Samaikhyandra Vidyardhi Joint Action Committee were shifted to KGH on Sunday afternoon as their health deteriorated.

They are, however, continuing their fast there.

The fasting leaders - president of the JAC Laugudu Govinda Rao, Youth JAC leader Areti Mahesh, Andhra University leader Kantha Rao, and Girijan JAC leader Suresh Kumar - were shifted to the KGH after doctors examined them at the fast camp on the university premises. Mr. Govinda Rao had become unconscious after which 108 ambulance was called by students themselves.

Stir upsets pilgrims’ travel plans to Tirupati

Continuous protest by Seemaandhra supporters against decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh has upset the travel plans of devotees from North Andhra to the hill shrine at Tirumala.

With no solution in sight for the protests triggered by the decision of the Congress Working Committee, the devotees, who generally plan their visit to Tirumala for darshan of Lord Balaji well in advance, are resorting to last-minute cancellation.

Some of the pilgrims, who returned to the city after visiting Tirumala, said they had easy darshan of Lord Venkateswara but termed the inconvenience caused to them due to the near total strike at various places as ‘very painful.’

Anti-Telangana protests continue in Seemandhra

A series of protests continued in the Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh for the sixth consecutive day on Monday against the Congress and UPA’s decision to bifurcate the state for creation of Telangana.

Samaikyandhra supporters and members of various organisations held protests across coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema districts demanding united Andhra Pradesh, though, the situation was under control, police said.

Protesters took out huge rallies and held demonstrations in Anantapur.

Over 150 villages cut off due to fresh floods

Over 150 villages in Koutala and Bejjur mandals were cut off on Sunday following flooding of the Penganga near Sirpur (T) mandal in Adilabad district. The river came in spate the previous evening after the heavy discharges from Gokhurd dam in Bhandara and Iraqi dam in Chandrapur district of neighbouring Maharashtra reached it.

As much as 6 km of the road between Sirpur (T) and Koutala was submerged due to fresh floods which also caused inundation of thousands of acres of land. There is a likelihood of the road bridge across the Maddelavagu stream outside Sirpur (T) suffering damage in the floods.

Govt to prepare Cabinet note on Telangana formation

Amidst an uproar over creation of Telangana, the Government on Monday told the Parliament that a Cabinet note is being prepared to go into substantive and procedural issues concerning formation of the new state.

“In the matter relating to the separate state of Telangana, the Constitution of India lays down a procedure for formation of new states. Besides, a number of substantive matters have to be addressed with the formation of new state. These matters are under consideration of the Government,” Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said in a brief statement in the Rajya Sabha.