*TOIH110611/ /05/C/1* /05/K/1* /05/Y/1* /05/M/1* THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2011
ANDHRA PRADESH
5
Irrigation projects fail to take off No End To Water Woes In Mahbubnagar
TOI
M Pradeep Kumar | TNN
Mahbubnagar: Six years have passed since the state government had launched works on four important irrigation projects in this drought-prone district but officials are not sure whether these projects would supply irrigated and drinking water to the people by even the end of 2012. While Kalwakurthy, Bheema, Nettampadu and Koilsagar projects were launched amid fanfare, the works are progressing at a snail's pace. The only saving grace is that the administration is gearing up to release water for the kharif from the Mahatma Gandhi lift irrigation (Kalwakurthy) scheme by July this year. Officials said 13,000 acres of a total of 3.40 lakh acres ayacut would benefit in the first phase of this Rs 2,990-crore project. "We are planning to complete the project by 2013, which would directly benefit 303 villages," a senior irrigation official told TOI. People of Narsayapally village, which would be submerged, would be relocated. "We have allotted 24.15 acres of land near the vicinity of the project ayacut area for their relocation. The rehabilitation and reconstruction (R&R) package is being worked out," he said. Construction of lifts on the Rajiv Bheema LI scheme is set to be completed by September this year. While the officials are planning to undertake a trial run of the project in July or August, sources said the project wouldn't be completed
Chaos again at Rythu Sadassu
YET TO FINISH: The Kalwakurthy irrigation project site
in another one year. "But the Bheema project will definitely prevent the Palamur labourers from migrating to other parts of the country for their livelihood," asserted Congress leader Linga Reddy. While there is some hope on the Bheema and Kalwakurthy projects, Nettampadu and Koilsagar projects are hit hard by land acquisition problems. Senior irrigation officials blamed it on lack of surveyors. Sources said the authorities' efforts to acquire land since 2005 did not bear fruit till now. The problem has been compounded further with marginal farmers, possessing one or two acres, refusing to part with their land in the hope to have a better bargain in the coming years. "Why should I give away my land for a lesser price. I would rather wait till I get a good price," said Chinnarao, a marginal farmer of Pebbair, the most backward region in the district. Sources said the works were also affected by poor
Jupalli to resume padayatra today TIMES NEWS NETWORK
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Gudivada: Tension prevailed at Gudivada Rythu Sadassu when farmers obstructed the speeches of district minister K Pardha Saradhi and Congress legislator D Y Das of Pamarru on Friday. Raising slogans against the government, the farmers asked the Congress leaders, including the minister, to stop addressing them.
FARMERS FURIOUS The situation turned volatile when the minister turned the heat on the farmers by branding them as TDP cadres. Police intervention finally paved the way for the conduct of the meeting here on Friday. Farmers who kept their cool till Kaikalur MLA Jayamangalam Venkata Ramana (TDP) completed his speech, started shouting as soon as Das began addressing the meeting. "How can the government claim itself as pro-farmer when all our stocks of paddy are lying with us with no buyer coming forward to give MSP," fumed a farmer Ramineni Rathnam. Soon, other farmers shouted slogans against the government. When the minister lost his cool and branded them as TDP workers, the farmers threw plastic chairs into the air and announced boycott of the meeting.Police had a tough time pacifying the angry farmers and bringing them back to the meeting. It took more than one hour for the police to convince the farmers to stay calm. On Thursday, the farmers had stalled the proceedings of the Rythu Sadassu at Machilipatnam.
Mahbubnagar: Former minister Jupalli Krishna Rao is at it again. In what could be the first litmus test for Botsa Satyanarayana, who would take over as the new PCC chief on June 11, Krishna Rao would be resuming his controversial Telangana 'Praja Abhiyaan' padayatra in Mahbubnagar district on Saturday. This also ignites the ongoing tussle between minister D K Aruna and Krishna Rao, who is D K Aruna bent upon taking out the padayatra from her Gadwal assembly constituency. Krishna Rao said he would resume the padayatra from Aiza town where he was arrested by police on May 20. Asked about the PCC stand on his yatra, he replied that he was undertaking the yatra to mobilise the people for achieving the larger goal of separate Telangana state.
He said his only aim was to garner the attention of the Centre to the larger aspirations of the people of the region for separate Telangana. Sources said Krishna Rao would face trouble once his yatra reaches Gadwal represented by Aruna. Krishna Rao suspended his yatra after the PCC sent an emissary when trouble broke out in Aiza, Pebbair and G a d w a l towns. Later, he submitted his resignation to the gover nor who accepted it following a recomm e n d at i o n Jupalli from the chief minister. Changing her tack, Aruna said she was not concerned about the yatra. Earlier, she had opposed the yatra on the grounds that she was not informed by Krishna Rao on his yatra plans. Sources said though Aruna would distance herself from the yatra, her followers would certainly obstruct the ex-minister's yatra.
Youth slits girl’s throat TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kakinada: In yet another attack by a jilted lover, a girl suffered a serious cut injury on her throat on Friday and was hospitalised. The accused later attempted suicide by slitting his throat as well. According to the port police, Voleti Veeraveni, 18, and Malladi Krishnam Raju, 22, were in a relationship in the last four years. When Raju's parents refused the marriage proposal of Veeraveni fami-
Three bodies found in Krishna river tied his hands along with the hands of both the children Vijayawada: Mystery shrouds with a towel so that they could the death of three unidenti- not swim to safety when fied persons whose bodies jumped into the waters. were found floating in the waPolice were not clear on ters of Krishna river at the up- when the trio might have comstream of Prakasam barrage mitted suicide. They were also here on Friday. not forthcoming While the man whether it was a SUICIDE PACT? was aged about 40 murder by years old, the bodunidentified asies of a 10-year-old girl and an sailants. "We have sent the bodeight-year-old boy were also ies for post-mortem and found. Police suspect that all launched an investigation," a the three could belong to one senior police official said. All family. A police official said the police stations were alertthat the head of the family ed to find out the missing casmight have resorted to suicide es to track the identity of the along with the children as he deceased. TIMES NEWS NETWORK
budgetary allocations. While the government had allocated Rs 4,709 crore, sources said the cost has already swelled to over Rs 7,000 crore. Supply of power to these LI projects is another concern as Kalwakurty LI project alone would require nearly 450 MW. "The overall requirement of power to all these projects could increase further as all of them are LI schemes," a power official noted. However, exuding confidence, district collector M Purushottam Reddy told TOI that these projects would transform the face of the drought-hit district. "Once the projects are completed, there would be social and economic empowerment," he said. The projects envisage providing irrigation to 8 lakh acres in 49 out of 64 mandals in the district. Since the projects entail diversion of 70 tmcft of Krishna water, over 9.39 lakh people of 647 villages, which are prone to frequent rainfall deficit would get drinking and irrigated water, an official said.
ly, the latter fixed their daughter's marriage with another person. Angered over this, Raju went to Veeraveni's house in the early hours of Friday. Raju picked up an argument with the girl and in a fit of rage, cut her throat with a knife. Later, he himself slit his throat. Both were admitted to the government general hospital here where the doctors said they were out of danger.
CRPF constable shoots self TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Vizianagaram: A CRPF constable committed suicide in Vizianagaram district by shooting himself with his service rifle in the late hours of Thursday. Sources said the cop, who hailed from Rajasthan, resorted to the extreme step anguished over a failed love affair. Nitish Beherwa, 24, aimed the trigger on his chest when other jawans were fast asleep at Makkuva police station. Nitish was said to have been keeping aloof from others for the last couple of weeks. "He looked dejected. He was upset over a failed love," sources said. His body was being sent to his native place in Rajasthan.
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