'Cotton cluster is against TS policy'

Selection of Adilabad under Micro- small enterprises cluster development programme (MSE- CDP) for the cotton industrial cluster by the Central government will go against the state government policy to encourage alternative crops and traditional crops in place of commercial crops to prevent farmer suicides in Telangana.

The state government is discouraging the cultivation of cotton while encouraging traditional crops and also organic farming.

As part of the cotton industrial cluster, small-scale cotton ginning factories will be established at mandal and even at GP level. It was established fact that cotton farmers were in the majority of the farmers who committed suicide in the Adilabad district.

The Central government is establishing various clusters based on local crops and available deposits of minerals and materials in five districts that are Granite industries in Karimnagar and Khammam, cotton ginning industries in Adilabad, rice mills in Nizamabad and Nalgonda in the state.

The Central government will give Rs 25 crore for the development of cotton industrial clusters every year in the district.       

The poor MSP and exploitation by the cotton traders, spurious seeds and increased investment costs and successive drought and failure of borewells and mounted debts and super officials institutional loaning forced the farmers to take extreme steps.

Rythu Athma Hatyala Nivarana Committee district convenor Sangepu Borranna said a majority of the farmers’ suicides were cotton farmers and it is high time to shift them to other traditional crops.   

Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy during his recent visit to Tamsi mandal reiterated that there was a need to shift in the cropping pattern and farmers should go for traditional crops like Jowar, Maize and vegetable instead commercial crop cotton.

He observed that cost of cultivation was increased many folds in cotton cultivation and this has become an additional burden on farmers. He also stressed upon the need for organic farming to get remunerative prices to the crops.        

Cops to court Adivasis

top district police officials visiting  Maoist -affected areas   

Top district police officials are in the adventurous mode to take on Maoists. 

Superintendent of police Dr Tarun Joshi and Bellampalli OSD Sanpreeth Singh and Utnoor DSP S. Malla Reddy walked long distances in the villages crossing rivulets and streams in forest area in Indravelli and Kadam mandals.

They resorted to this adventure to instill confidence among the people and to reassure them that the police are close to people in the tribal areas.

SP Dr Tarun Joshi had interacted with the Adivasis and inquired about their problems during his 20- km journey out of which he walked for six km.

He rode on the bike for part of the distance and walked in the areas where bikes could not be used. The police seem confident of lack of Naxal movements in the villages and believe that it would be tough for Maoists to stay in the forest in the sweltering heat.

Police strongly believe it is high time to bring the villages, especially Adivasi gudems under control before the Maoists ventured into these gudems and influence the youth.

Police officials also feel that it is the right time for them to tour Adivasi gudems in the interior areas and some of them Maoist- affected areas during the summer before the onset of the rainy season.

A few days ago, SP Tarun Joshi also walked for long distances covering the Adivasi gudems in the Maoists- affected Tiryani mandal and also in Kotapalli and Bheemini mandals.

The district police are regularly conducting fee medical camps under ‘Police Meekosam’ in the Maoist-affected areas of Tiryani and Khanapur in Indravelli mandals. 

The SP opined that Maoists will not enter into the district if police developed a good rapport with the villages in the interior areas and promised to the Adivasis to resolve their problems by bringing them to the notice of the collector.

Adivasis told the SP they were facing problems related to drinking water, roads and medical treatment.

TJAC to launch agitation against opencast mines

Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) chairman M. Kodandaram said they will launch a peaceful agitation against the opencast mines in the state and JAC will not stop its agitation activities till they achieved people’s genuine rights.

He asked all the elected public representative of the district to mount pressure on the state government to withdraw its plans to establish opencast mines in the district while demanding that state government should clear its stand on establishing opencast mines in the Telangana.

He was addressing the villagers of Erraguntapalle stating protest against establishing KK opencast mine here in Madamarri.

Kodandram said it was unfortunate that people were forced to fight against the opencast mines even in Telangana state but the same people supported and agitated for the formation of the separate Telangana state with the hope that opencast mines will be stopped in the new state.

Villagers of Erraguntapalle in Mandamari mandal smashed the foundation stone of coal handling plant of the Kalyani Khani opencast mine to be established at KK opencast mine by the Singareni in Mandamarri. 

The villagers who attempted to remove the shed withdrew their plans when Kodandaram asked them not to indulge in violence instead fight peacefully.

The agitators first took out a protest rally to GM office in Mandamarri from Erraguntapalle and later they staged a rasta roko with the goats and sheep at Yapal bus stand for 45minutes. Local police and some CISF police personnel monitored the situation all along the protest.              

The Singareni management has cancelled the programme of foundation stone to the proposed opencast mine to the KK mine scheduled today. The Eraguntapalle village will disappear with the establishment of KK opencast mine. 

The coal handling plant is being established with Rs 24 crore in 700 acres of Singareni land. The Kalyani Khani opencast mine will be established on 2,200 acres in Mandamarri.

Marriages being conducted with muddy water

newly married Kolam Adivasi couple participating in rituals 

People in interior areas are celebrating marriages, using muddy water as they are depending on streams and rivulets for their needs.

Most borewells have dried up and minor drinking water schemes have gone defunct due to damages.

Some Adivasis were struggling to collect drinking water a month before a marriage in their family. 

Now there is every possibility of an outbreak of water-borne  diseases if the forced to drink polluted water and cook with it, which could also lead to food poisoning. Such incidents took place last summer in Utnoor and Bela mandals in the district.

The RWS and gram panchayats have failed to supply bleaching powder to be mixed in open and agriculture wells nor has the medical and health department supplied chlorine tablet to purify polluted water prior to drinking.        

The marriage of Sidam Laxmibai and Atram Shankar was recently celebrated, the families going arduous lengths to procure potable water in Kakarboddi village in Sirpur(U) mandal.

Community elder of Kakarboddi Tekam Jashwanth worried about collecting water for various purposes , what with three marriages scheduled this month. 

He said that  the villagers were busy, collecting water from various drinking sources for the occasion. Some of them even being forced to drink polluted water at marriages.   

Atram Laxmibai of Kolam Kommuguda said that “the Kolams were a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PTG) and their living conditions were pathetic and opined that officials must take special care for their welfare”.

Attendance down at 40% in state schools

 Students in vacation mood 

Student’s attendance in government schools and hostels has dropped to 40 percent in the last one week as students went to their schools in a vacation mood. 

The director of school education institutions regarding dates new academic calendar year has created a lot of confusion among the students, teachers and parents.

The previous academic year is only being continued due to lack of availability of new textbooks instead upgrading the students to higher class. The students will come to school even summer if given new textbooks as they are excited about them but now students are sitting idle in the classrooms without textbooks of higher class to read or write.       

Private school managements are teaching using private textbooks to their students aginst the government instructions.             

Most of the students feel that schools are being running without giving them new books and just keeping them idle in classrooms. Some of the parents are also not sending their children to schools in view of hot summer. 

Some teachers are providing the books for the seniors’ books to juniors and taking classes.

Large numbers of students staying in SC, ST and BC hostels have been vacating the hostels for the last 10 days just after writing examinations as these days is summer holidays for many students.

The director of the school education has failed to implement the new academic year as planned from March 21 and declare the summer holidays April 23 instead postponed the beginning of the new academic year from June 13. The director of school education has advanced the academic calendar year one month on the lines of CBSE. 

But it is surprising to note that majority of the private schools have started  the new academic year as per the previous instructions issued by the director of school education.       

Teachers have become helpless and are simply following the instruction given by the director of schools education regarding new academic calendar year and also these days will be considered as working days in the academic year for them.

However, the director of school education seems to have backtracked on its earlier decision to implement the new academic year on the lines of CBSE.

Government teacher Rakesh Kumar of Adilabad has observed that director of school education decisions further weakens the school and government education instead of strengthening them while extending a helping hand to private schools.

Security on TS border up to guard barrages

 River Pranahitha at Gudem of Telangana and Aheri of Maharashtra

The state government is likely to deploy huge police force along the river Pranahitha and the Godavari on the state borders sharing with Maharashtra and Chattisgarh as it suspects threat to the construction works of proposed barrages and inter- state bridges from the Maoists.

Already police combing has intensified along the river Pranahitha and Godavari in North Telangana. They are going to take measures to control the movements of the Maoists along the river Pranahitha and Godavari. It is found that Maoists are still active on the state borders of the river Pranahitha and the Godavari in Telangana.    

Police movement has increased along the above two rivers much before the beginning of the construction works of proposed barrages on these rivers.

      

The police force will be deployed at the project sites of Thummidihatti and Medigadda and Thupakula Gudem in Adilabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts.

Recently DGP Anurag Sharma and top police intelligence officials had visited the Kaleshwaram and Medigadda in Karimnagar and Tupakulagudem in Warangal districts.

Meanwhile, Greyhounds DIG M. Stephen Ravindra and state intelligence bureau (SIB) IG Sajjannar reportedly held the closed-door meeting with the police recently at Kasipet in Adilabad district. 

A police source said the border areas along the rivers sharing borders with the Maharashtra and Chattisgarh may turn into a high-security zone soon with the deployment of huge police force.

It is learnt that police security will be given to the construction works of proposed barrages to avoid any untoward incidents involved Maoists.  

It is said inter- state check posts may come up along these two rivers and focus will be on the movement of the people travelling in boats crossing the rivers.Maoists generally cross the rivers entering into North Telangana by taking the help of the boats from bordering Maharashtra and Chattisgarh.

For security and emergency purposes, helipads may come up at suitable places close to project sites along the river Pranahitha and Godavari.     

Police keeping a close vigil on suspected Maoists sympathizers, surrendered Maoists and supporters in the villages and shelter zones along the river Pranahitha and Godavari. The Adilabad district police have started cracking down on the latter.

Mahua is sacred tree for Adivasis

Adivasi woman with collected Mahua flowers 

The liquor made out of Mahua flowers, known as Ippa Sara, is popular due to its therapeutic, rich nutritional value and various uses in day to day life and sacredness attached to it unlike Gudumba (illicitly distilled liquor).

But, rarely is Mahua liquor available these days in Adilabad as even Adivasis have stopped making liquor out of Mahua flowers. Sometimes the Ippa Sara cost is on par with the foreign liquor brands as people gets it rarely.   

Few Adivasis prepare liquor with Mahua flowers they collect during the summer for their own consumption and to use it in their traditional rituals. Liquor made out of Mahua flowers is costly as generally Adivasis will not sell it to others.     

Mahua flowers collection is in full swing in the Adilabad now which is considered to be minor forest produce. Mostly Adivasi women and girls collect Mahua from the jungles. 

Adivasis prepare Kudumulu (laddus) and roti mixed with the glue of Mahua flowers. They also extract Oil by crushing the Mahua flowers. The Adivasis offer the Mahua liquor to their traditional gods and goddesses during the rituals as it is considered sacred.

Mahua trees are popular in the Central India which is the natural habitat of the Adivasis for centuries in the country. The Adivasis worship the Mahua tree and they will not cut these trees as this was sacred for them and this practice is seen everywhere in the tribal belt.

The Mahua trees remained to stand proudly when other trees were cleared and converted the area into agriculture fields in the jungles by the Adivasis.

Adivasis place the Mahua flowers in the sun and use the dried Mahua flowers for various purposes.

Women and children collect them from jungles in the wee hours for collection of Mahua flowers and sometimes they have to even confront with the wild animals like bear and others before completing their work.  

There are incidents where forest animals attacked the Adivasis when they were collecting Mahua flowers in the forests.

Atram Laxmibai of Kolamguda in Narnoor mandal said they collect Mahua flowers every season and use them for their own use as Mahua tree,  Mahua flowers and its liquor considered sacred.

Adivasis suffer as cops intensify ops

Adivasis staging dharna in front of the police station 

Adivasis in the district have become victims of intensified operations against Maoists. Special party and greyhound police have intensified combing along the river Pranahitha on the information of Maoists movements.

Police took two Adivasis Sidam Srinivas of Ravulapalli and Kudimetha Sugunaiah of Tempergoan of Dahegoan mandal into their custody branding them as Maoist sympathizers and helping them on March18.

The condition of the Srinivas deteriorated on being allegedly beaten up indiscriminately by the police during interrogation and subsequently he consumed pesticide.

There is no clarity whether Srinivas himself consumed pesticide or police forced him to consume pesticide March19 evening.

However, police shifted Srinivas to a private hospital in Mancherial for treatment as his condition was deteriorated further.

On the other hand, police released Sugunaiah only when Adivasis, leaders of Left parties and Adivasi Girijana Sangham staged a protest in front of the police station demanding the release of Sugunaiah on Sunday.

MLA Koneru Konappa claimed that the two Adivasis were innocent. The MLA visited the hospital and comforted Srinivas who was undergoing treatment.

News is making rounds in the political circles that Konappa has brought the issue to the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and complained against the district police with regard to police harassing the Adivasis branding them as Maoist sympathizers.

Things are fast changing in the Adilabad district after a top police officials meeting in connection with Maoists held at Devapur few days ago. District police intensified combing along with river Pranahitha and Godavari in the district.

Police suspect that Maoists are sneaking into district crossing the river Pranahitha and some locals extending their support to Maoists in their activities.

Agriculture wells turn lifeline in tribal areas

Adivasis fetching water  from a well in Kakarboddi

The Agriculture wells have become a life saver for the people in the rural areas especially in tribal areas in the hot summer and in the wake of depleted groundwater table as they are only drinking water sources now quenching the thirst of the people, unlike borewells.

People are depending on the agriculture wells while a majority of the borewells dried up and were defunct.

Even RWS is getting water from the Agriculture wells and supplying to the people in some villages. There is a need to encourage digging of agriculture wells on a big scale to retain the rainwater and use them during summer.

The success rate of the Agriculture wells is high when compared to borewells and it evident with most of the Agriculture wells quenching the thirst of the people in interior areas.

There is still water in the wells in Pangidi village in Sirpur (U) even in the prevailing successive drought conditions and same within Kakarboddi village.

Most of Kolam, Gond Adivasi of and non-tribals of interior areas are collecting water in plastic and iron drums from the Agriculture wells while borewells serving no purpose.

Sarpanch of Pangidi Atram Jalimsha said Agriculture wells have become more useful than the borewells and observed the most of the borewells has gone dry much before the onset of the summer, unlike wells.

He said the indiscriminate digging of borewells is not serving any purpose without taking measures for rainwater harvesting.

Sidam Laxmi Bai of Kakarboddi said that “the entire village is depending on the agriculture well for drinking water and other purposes.”

In a recent survey, the ITDA, Utnoor has identified that still people are depending on streams and rivulets for drinking water in 133 villages in Tribal areas and there is severe drinking water problem in 28 out of total 52 mandals in the district.

The district received 818.01 mm rainfall this year against the district normal rainfall 1,157 mm and the groundwater table has gone down to -1.48 feet deep further when compared to corresponding period February of last year in the district.

Basar rail station to get free Wi-Fi

Basar railway station is the first railway station to offer free Wi-Fi services for the benefit of the devotees and passengers who come here to have darshan of goddess Saraswathy at temple. 

It is said that after Secunderabad railway station, Basar railway station is the next one to offer free Wi-Fi services.      

The SCR which is presently in testing stage will launch free Wi-Fi services in three days. Basar village has recently achieved distinction of achieving first digital literacy village in Telangana.

The free Wi-Fi services will be available for the internet users in a 100 meters radius in and around the Basar railway station.

The South Central railway has selected the Basar railway station as it has become major pilgrimage centre in the South India and devotees from various places coming to have darshan of goddess Saraswati.

Basar is the only second temple of knowledge goddess after Jammu Kashmir. The Basar railway station has also in the centre of the Telangana and Maharashtra states and well connected with railway routes.               

Some of the enthusiasts of Basar town are already availing the free Wi-Fi services at the Basar Railway station for the last two days as the services are run on a trial basis.

Basar temple Executive Officer M. Venkateshwarlu said the free Wi-Fi services to be made available at Basar railway station will certainly helpful to the devotees and passengers to get the information online. He said they will start online booking for rooms, darshan ticket,  Abhishekam and Aksharabhyasam in three months.

“Already we have started online donations though SBH, said Venkateshwarlu adding that the number of devotees visiting the temple is increasing especially during special occasion like Vasantha Panchamy. 

Basar Railway station master Gangadhar said efforts are being made to make the free WI-Fi services available officially in three days.

Syllabus of previous classes being taught

New academic calendar year may not have begun, but state government has announced that new academic calendar will begin from March 21.

Syllabus of previous classes is only being taught to the students upgraded to next class in the schools.

Everybody is waiting for the state government’s decision on implementation of the new academic calendar year announced in the past by the director of the school education.

As per the new academic calendar year, classes should be held from March 21 to April 23, but summer holidays would be declared later. Leaders of teacher organizations alleged that state government is under pressure from the private schools managements to only follow the last year’s academic calendar and reopen schools on June13.

It is said that private schools managements would not be in a position to campaign for their schools, sending their teachers to the villages and getting admissions from rural areas if state government followed the schedule of the new academic calendar.

Private school managements are mounting the state government to drop its idea of adopting the new academic calendar year since it had failed to supply the new school books to the school in time  and what they would not be able to teach them  anything new now.

Telangana State United Teachers Federation district general secretary A. Venkat said yesterday they had taught previous year’s syllabus to the students even after upgrading to higher class.

He said all the teacher unions welcomed the state governments’ move to implement new academic calendar year on the lines of the CBSE to strengthen the government school education system but now they could not understand why state government is in dilemma on implementation of new academic calendar year.

School management are of the opinion that students will join governments schools if the schools will continue till April 23 and this will hit the fresh admissions in private schools.

Private school managements say that there will be more admissions for private schools only when there was a sufficient time for them to campaign in the rural areas.

Land disputes rise around Mancherial

Land disputes and its related crimes are on the rise in the coal belt area especially in and around the Mancherial town in the wake of state government’s decision to create a new district with Mancherial as its headquarters. 

The land- related disputes are posing threat to the law and order in the coal belt area.  

Many land related disputes are being reported every day and victims are bringing them to the notice of the police. Mancherial police are receiving petitions of land related problems.  

Land value has been increased many fold in and around the Mancherial town following the news that the new district will be created with Mancherial headquarters.

It is found that same land is being sold to many persons with fake documents and some of the lands are landing in legal litigations.

Assistant Superintendent of police, Mancherial S. M Vijay Kumar said they have receiving many land related complaints and added that one plot is being sold more than one person. 

He advised buyers to purchase plots only in the government approved layouts. Buyers should check the documents of survey numbers and Pahani and EC authorization before purchasing any land.

It is found that land related problems are cropping up more also because buyers are registering the lands, plots and applying for patta to the lands they have purchased long back.

Incidents of encroachment of government, private lands and tanks are also on the rise around the Mancherial town these days and land prices are skyrocketing with the creation of new district with Mancherial its headquarters.

Some realtors had support of the local political leaders who invested money in the real estate business pinning hopes of getting huge profits with the escalation of land prices near future if Mancherial was made new district head quarters.

New barrages to prevent floods

River Penganga is flowing high 

The proposed four irrigation barrages planned on river Penganga and Pranahitha will not only improve the Agriculture ayacut in the district but also prevent the seasonal floods take place especially in Adilabad and Sirpur (T) Assembly constituencies in the district.

The flood affected mandals will get most benefit with the four barrages. Recently, Maharashtra and Telangana governments had signed on MOU on these barrages.    

The Tamsi, Jainad and Bela mandals, were most flood affected due to overflowing of river Penganga in Adilabad constituency while Sirpur(T), Bejjur, Kautala were most affected in Sirpur(T) due to river Pranahitha in Sirpur (T) Assembly constituency in the Adilabad district.

During the floods, road connectivity gets affected in these mandals and hundreds of houses and agriculture fields with standing crops were inundated in the flood water causing much damage to crops and loss to the farmers.

There were incidents where the team of national disaster response teams swung into the action to save the lives of the people in the flood affected areas in the recent years in district. 

People of the these mandals are hopeful of these proposed barrages will prevent the floods in the future and cheers to the people of the same areas with water to irrigate their lands.

It is estimated that, Pranahitha- Chevella barrage to be constructed on river Pranahitha will give water to nearly 2 lakh acres in Sirpur(T), Asifabad and Bellamaplli Assembly constituencies while three other barrages to be constructed on river Penganga will irrigate 25,000 acres in the flood affected mandals in Adilabad Assembly constituency.

Alke Ashok of Anthergoan village in Tamsi mandal said that ‘Rajapet and Korata and Chanaka barrages will certainly prevent floods and irrigate their barren lands’.

Shaadi Mubarak turns into a farce, couples marry 'again'

The much- hyped Shaadi Mubarak scheme has turned into a scam and anti- corruption Bureau personnel have started a field level inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries under it.

It is learnt that some of married couple got financial help under the Shaadi Mubarak scheme by tampering their date of birth and marriage dates to suites to the scheme.

Middlemen collected certificates from some of the ineligible married couples and managed to get sanctioned with the help of the Revenue and Minority welfare officials. 

The scheme, which was on October 2, 2014, enables those who got married after this date to avail of Rs 51,000 in financial assistance.        

A total of 2,908 candidates applied online for financial assistance under Shaadi Mubarak and among them 2,498 applications having been accepted so. Rs 12.7 crore have been sanctioned to the district under the scheme and Rs 12.04 crore have been released to 2,360 beneficiaries under the Shaadi Mubarak since its inceptions in the district.

A social activist belonging to Minority community observed that, the Shaadi Mubarak has observed wryly that this has turned into a scheme for aged couples in Adilabad, with a large number of already married couples benefitting by tampering with their date of birth and marriage. Many woman who had got married much before the launch of the scheme had managed to get selected for it.

He pointed out that middlemen and several officials concerned were enabling the ineligible candidates to benefit at the expense of the needy and genuine in rural areas who were not even aware of the scheme.

Photographs can’t lie and it was easy to identify those who had clearly crossed 40 years from their wedding snapshots even if they had been photographed.

During a review meeting held recently, both the ministers Allola Indrakaran Reddy and Jogu Ramanna had expressed their displeasure over irregularities in implementation of the scheme and said even women who had children were also selected for the Shaadi Mubarak scheme in the district.

There are strong allegations that dates in Nikhanama were changed and printed new wedding cards to become eligible for the scheme.

Two beneficiary in Devapur village in Talamadugu, one in Dongargoan village in Gudihathnoor and four beneficiaries in Narnoor mandal headquarters were facing allegations of fake beneficiaries.

CCTVs to be set up at SSC centres

CCTV camera 

The director of school education, who held a video conference with all the district education officials instructed to them to set up CCTV cameras at ‘self- examination’ centers for SSC examinations to avoid any malpractice.

The director had earlier issued instructions to install CCTV cameras at all the examination centres, but withdrew this suggestion after opposition from the parents and teachers’ unions.

The officials opined that there was every possibility of teaching staff encouraging malpractice at their own centres to ensure that their school children got good marks as there was no jumbling system.

Teaching staff can easily encourage in mass copying in the examinations as only students of the same school write examinations at that centre. And there are several government schools holding the examinations at their own centres in Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda and Mahaboobnagar districts but none in Adilabad.          

What will pose a problem for students appearing examinations from March 21 is the shortage of drinking water in the district since the last one month.

Efforts are being made to provide purified water to the students at examination centres, and the district education department is in the process of identifying the lack of basic amenities like drinking water facility, toilets, fans and benches in the 204 schools selected as examination centre for SSC examinations.

A total 43,291 students- 19,043 girls and boys 18,396 - were appearing the examinations for the first time while there were 5,852 reappearing for the examinations, having failed in it last year.

Efforts are being made to improve the SSC pass percentage as district stood was ranked last in the state last year. Special classes are also being held in schools and hostels.

The director of school education instructed has instructed to the education department to ensure that benches be provided for the students to write on instead    of sitting on the floor.

The district medical and health department will set a medical camp at examination centres to give primary treatment if any students due to suns stroke or any other problem. The revenue department will provide drinking water facility at all the examination centers.

ACB faces threat from impostors

Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) is facing a threat from unexpected quarters: fake ACB organizations that are misusing its name for their selfish gains and getting their things done by threatening officials under its guise.

The Mancherial police on Monday arrested two persons K. Venkata Varaprasad and K. Srinivas, and two others who were absconding, who posed as publishers of a non- existing newspaper of ACB and had even ‘recruited’ few persons as staff.

The issue came to light when two youth, posing as ACB officials, asked Mandal surveyor G. Krishnapriya, who was working in local Tahsildar’s office to give a report in their favor with regard to a disputed land or they would expose her corrupt practices to higher level officials.

A person named Olapu Sukesh,37, had sought their help to get this survey report  done in his favor.

When the surveyor refused, pointing out that he had no legal land documents for it, the miscreants summoned her to their office and threatened her with regrettable consequences if she failed them what they wanted.  She became suspicious and reported the matter to the police.        

Police found that some miscreants where resorting to blackmail, their main target being revenue department officials.

They were using the ACB’s credentials and capitalizing on the rise in entrapment cases by threatening officials. They were also ostensibly publishing a newspaper called Anti- Corruption News, in High Teach Colony in Mancherail town and claiming that it was affiliated to the ACB.

Similarly, many associations, masquerading as proponents of human rights, have mushroomed in the Adilabad in the recent, interceding on various issues involving family, land and police and collecting money from both the parties that they were apparently trying to help.

Members such organizations ask the people to come to their office, promising to resolve their problems.

Even top government officials have been attending the meetings or workshops conducted by such organizations as chief guests without neither checking their track record nor authenticity.

The organizations have been prominently displaying hoardings, bearing their photographs, and gullible people have been going to them for help. The police had even arrested a person who claimed to be the president of human rights association and was indulging in extortion in Hyderabad last year.

Vattivagu project to be shelved

Vattivagu project 

Komuram Bheem project right canal works in progress

The Vattivagu medium irrigation project located near Pahadibanda in Asifabad mandal will soon disappear and a new opencast mine or exertion of Dorli opencast mine will come up in the backwater of the project.

With the Komuram Bheem project becoming operational, Vattivagu project will be shelved forever without making repairs and laying new canals in place of damaged one.

Actually the Komuram Bheem project was planned to irrigate only 20,000 acres under left canal against the proposed 39,000 acres and the right canal was proposed to irrigate 6,000 acre in Asifabad mandal. 

The canal works of right canal works of Komuram Bheem are in progress as part of Mission Bhagiratha.

The Singareni may start its coal excavation activities in dried up Vattivagu project where it found huge coal deposits and the place is just attached to exiting Dorli opencast mine.

The Vattivagu project will be linked to right canal of Komuram Bheem project. The soil excavated from the Dorli opencast project is dumping close to the Vattivagu project and the soil is flowing into reservoir every rainy season and huge siltation deposited in the project waters sinking the storage capacity of the project.

The local Adivasis and fishing community people alleged that Singareni has been deliberately dumping ash heaps to make the project irrelevant and sink its storage capacity so that they will start opencast mining in the backwaters of project in near future.

Former Asifabad MLA Atram Sakku said that the left and right canals of Vattivagu project were fully damaged and water will not flow downstream only for one km through canals and  funds have not been sanctioned for the project repairs and canals.

It is said that the right canal of the Vattivagu project may be linked with the right canal of the Komuram Bheem project. 

Actually the Vattivagu project was envisaged to irrigate 24,500 acres covering 30 villages in Asifabad and Rebbena mandals.

The project was breached few times due to heavy rains and temporary repairs were done to strengthen the bund close to the crest gates in the past.  The vattivagu project was constructed on Vattivagu stream which was tributary to the river Godavari.        

Students breathe easy

Parents of the school children of Adilabad who are worried over fulltime school in the blazing summer are relived from the pressure of sending their children to full time school.

The school education department is reportedly backtracking on its earlier decision to run fully time school as per changed academic calendar.

However, orders to this effect have not yet been received by the district education officer.

Adlabad is witnessing highest temperature that is 37 to 38 degree Celsius in the state.

It is learnt that, department of school education reportedly took a decision not to conduct two time school taking lack of amenities like fans, drinking water facilities at many schools into consideration in addition to the opposition from parents and teachers unions. 

Now, the school timings will be 8 am to 12.30 noon for half day schools.

State government has backtracked on its decision to run two time school in the summer in the wake of hot summer and suspecting that students may suffer from hot summer.

News is making rounds that the previous pattern of academic calendar will be continued in the next academic year too.

Actually, the director of school education was in the process of changing the academic calendar year on par with the CBSE. The director of school education has issued new academic calendar with full time school scheduled March 21 to April 23. The previous academic year will be ended March 15 and holiday will be given till March 19.

During the four days holidays, teachers have to evaluate the exam papers and prepare progress card report and issue it to the students on the reopening of the schools on March 20.

New academic year will begin from March 21 and school will continue till April 23.Term holidays will be given till June 12 and school will be reopened on June13.