12 SELECTED FOR RECITATION OF POEMS VUDA selected 12 writers to recite poems at the VUDA “Ugadi Vinodalu” programme to be organised on March 16 at Gurajada Kalakshetram. The selected writers are: Auto driver Akkireddy Vasu, retired lecturer G.K. Subrahmanyam, P.K. Durga Prasad of Madhurawada, M.V.J. Bhuvan from Anakapalle, Railway Guard Gundana Joga Rao, retired teacher Jamili Manikyala Rao, Professor of Psychiatry and former Superintendent of Government Hospital for Mentally Challenged M. Vijaya Gopal, retired BSNL employee P.S. Muralidhara Sarma, Head of the Department of Pediatrics at RIMS, Srikakulam, Manukonda Surya Kumari, Assistant Labour Officer M. Padmavathi, general secretary of Creative Comedy Club Meda Mastan Reddy and Bhagavatula Krishna Rao. After recitation of poems, they will be honoured by VUDA. Apart from the recitation of poems, “Panchanga Sravanam” by Rampa Divakara Sarma, performance of Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vaibhavam and Sri Rama Pattabhishekam ballets and folk dances by the students of Vignan Educational institutions and skits by actor ‘Kallu' Chidambaram form part of the programme.

MLA'S PLEA ON FUNDS FOR VIMS Expressing deep anguish at not allotting funds in the budget for the prestigious Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences here, TDP MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu on Thursday appealed to the Chief Minister to immediately release required funds and see that the objectives of the project were realised. The legislator recalled how VIMS was launched by the then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy amidst lot of fanfare way back in 2006. This 1,130-bedded hospital with an estimated cost of Rs.250 crores is expected to cater to the medical needs of three north coastal districts besides East Godavari and West Godavari as also people from the neighbouring States of Orissa and Chattishgarh. Considerable research work was also proposed to be undertaken at the VIMS. But, till date only Rs.34.14 crores had been received.

FELICITATIONS TO MARK UGADI Sri Mahakameswari Peetha Samsthan will honour eminent persons and organise cultural programmes on the Ugadi day at Kalabharati on Tuesday. Announcing this at a media conference here on Thursday, peethadhipati Yaddanapudi Ayyanna Pantulu said noted poet Kondepudi Subbarao, chief priest of Sri Vaibhava Venkateswara Swami, Gopinambal Seshacharyulu, Vedic scholar Mushti Bhima Sankara Ghanapati and professor Sudipta Banerjee in the morning after which Manda Sarveswara Rao, Manda Lakshmi Gayatri, Manda Subbalakshmi Sruthi and others from Hyderabad would sing Annamayya kritis. In the evening, awards would be given away to ‘Padmasri' Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, MLA Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao, and professor Satupati Prasannasree.

WORKSHOP ON SPINAL CORD INJURIES BEGINS TODAY Wheelchair-borne people suffering from spinal cord injuries for the first time will come under one platform to learn about their problems and how to manage their lives with less dependence here at a two-day workshop beginning on Friday. The programme being conducted by newly-floated NGO ‘the ability people' at Kaveri Kannada Sangha near Seethammadhara Gurudwara will focus on sensitising the people suffering from spinal cord injuries on physical and rehabilitation medicine. The meeting will focus on the development of appropriate services for people in the area and explore the possibility of setting up a comprehensive rehabilitation centre near Visakhapatnam by mobilising required resources. The workshop will develop a network among the patients, make an assessment on requirement of wheelchairs and distribute them free of cost. President of ‘the ability people' Dilip Kumar Patro told reporters on Thursday that they were expecting people from North Andhra to learn on how to lead a near-perfect life by following simple procedures and physiotherapy. District Collector J. Syamala Rao will inaugurate and Rotary District Governor Ch. Kishore Kumar will attend as guest of honour. Chairman of ‘the ability people' and ENT specialist Dr. S. Suryaprakash Rao will preside. The speakers include Dr. Vishnuprasad from neurosurgery and Dr. Uday Kumar from orthopaedics, KGH, Dr. P.V. Ramana, Care Hospital and Dr. N.V.S. Kiran Kumar of Krushi Orthopaedic Welfare Society. Subash Kumar Sinha, clinical coordinator from Motivation India and S. Raju, programme manager (rehabilitation services), Mobility India, Bangalore will give presentations. Jonathan Sigworth, a young photographer from the US who suffered a spinal cord injury in India a few years ago and his mother Vicky Sigworth, who are associated with Empowering Spinal Cord Injury Persons will conduct training on rehabilitation.

YOUTH HELD ON CHARGE OF COHABITING WITH MINOR A youth was arrested on the charge of cohabiting with a minor girl. The girl, aged 16, was missing from her home since March 8. Her mother B. Yellayamma lodged a complaint and we traced the accused Satyanarayana with the girl and brought them to the police station, Fifth Town CI K. Prabhakar said. The girl said that she was in love with Satyanarayana and that they had been having a relationship for the past six months. We arrested the accused as consent by a minor girl was not acceptable and it amounted to rape under Section 376 of the IPC, he said. The girl was sent for medical examination and the accused was arrested and sent for remand on Thursday. Cash bag stolen A cash bag containing Rs.57,000 was stolen from a woman near the railway station on Thursday. Mangamma, a Railway employee, took the amount as loan from a bank and put it in her bag. She went to the Railway Pay Office located close to the station and was talking with an acquaintance when a youth on a motorcycle snatched the bag from her hand and fled on his motorcycle. Fourth Town SI Butchi Raju is investigating the case. House burgled Gold and silver ornaments worth Rs.20,000 were stolen in a house-breaking incident at Maharanipeta. K. Venu of Aakruthi Enclave locked his house and went for the night shift on Wednesday. He returned home on Thursday morning to find the lock on the door broken and valuables missing from the safe. In a separate incident, K. Venkata Prasad, an employee of ICICI Bank, parked his motorcycle at the DRM 's Office at Dondaparthy and went into the office on some work. On coming out after sometime, he found his vehicle missing. Two Town police are investigating both the cases. Student missing A college student is reported missing from her home. The girl aged 18 was studying Intermediate first year at a private college near Gajuwaka. She left her home at Dayal Nagar on March 6 but did not return. Her mother Parvathi suspected that she could have eloped with a boy from her college. She had left home in the past also as she claimed to be in love with Prem Kumar, who was studying in the same college. New Port police are investigating the case.

BHIMILI UTSAV NEXT MONTH Bhimili Utsav, to showcase the tourism potential of Bheemunipatnam, India's second oldest municipality about 25 km. from here, will be conducted during April end or in the first half of May. A decision to this effect was taken in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Also, a novel tourist spot on five acres will come up in Bheemunipatnam, noted for Dutch cemeteries, in typical Dutch style. On the advice of Minister for Tribal Welfare P. Balaraju, District Collecltor J. Syamala Rao had agreed to allot the land, according to information reaching here.

CENTRES FOR COLLECTING SDE EXAM FORMS Examination application forms of B.A., B.Com. and B.Sc. courses of Andhra University School of Distance Education will be collected at the following centres on March 11 and 12, Director P. Hrushikesava Rao informed on Wednesday: Satavahana College, Vijayawada; Government Arts College, Rajahmundry; Government College for Men, Srikakulam; Government Degree College, Narsipatnam and D.N.R. College, Bhimavaram. The applications will be collected between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on both days. The examination fee, in the shape of a DD drawn in favour of Registrar, Andhra University and payable at Visakhapatnam, along with copies of certificates have to be attached with the application form. Prof. Hrushikesava Rao in a separate press release informed that candidates who have been admitted in B.Sc. I year during 2009-10 and have attended their practical examination at the P.R. Govt. College, Kakinada, may opt the college as their examination centre for theory examination.

INTER EXAM BEGINS ON PEACEFUL NOTE Intermediate examinations began on a peaceful note in the district on Wednesday. No untoward incidents were reported from any of the centres barring a case of malpractice detected at a private junior college in the city. RTC buses were packed to capacity right from the early hours as students set off for their examination centres to take the examination. Many parents accompanied their sons and daughters to the examination centres and back home. Regional Joint Director of the Intermediate Board T. Suri Babu said a total of 43,363 candidates took the Junior Intermediate examination. They include 40,210 in general stream and 3,153 vocational candidates. The examination commenced with the Second Language Paper and the candidates were seen discussing the paper as they came out of the examination centres. The partially cloudy sky gave some relief to the candidates as they came out of the examination halls. No malpractices Rajahmundry: No malpractices were reported here in Intermediate examinations on Wednesday, according to Md. Gouse, Regional Inspecting Officer. He said 43,573 students out of total number of applicants of 46, 992 appeared for the exam.

DEVELOP AIRPORT TO ITS FULL CAPACITY: ATA Before considering the proposal for a second airport in Visakhapatnam, the Air Travellers Association (India) wants the authorities to allow the existing integrated terminal at Visakhapatnam to develop to its full capacity. Accessible The Airports Authority of India had spent nearly Rs.100 crores on developing this airport and as it is located in the heart of the city, it is accessible to people. According to president of the ATA (I) D.Varada Reddy, the proposed new airport at Rayavaram will be about 80 km. away and hence travellers would be put to avoidable hardship. At present, the number of travellers per month is about 50,000 and it is likely to increase. To make the present airport function to its full capacity, the State Government should make efforts to increase domestic connectivity by persuading more domestic airlines to operate to more destinations. The airport is under the control of Indian Navy, which according to Mr. Reddy, operates as per its whims and fancies, dissuading domestic airliners to operate at their convenience. These measures are urgently needed to make Visakhapatnam a truly international hub, president of the ATA said.

WOMEN CELEBRATE PASSAGE OF BILL The passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha was celebrated by firing crackers and splashing of Holi colours by different groups here on Wednesday. Activists of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) burst crackers at Jagadamba junction to express their joy. They thanked all political parties that supported the passage of the Bill and called upon all parties to support the Bill in the Lok Sabha also. They expressed the view that only when women attain political power they could do justice to those of their ilk besides alleviating their problems at least to some extent. They described the opposition to the Bill by some parties as they were worried about the political future of their parties. They demanded that women be given at least 33 per cent reservation in Parliament. AIDWA leaders -- M. Sujata, B. Prabhavathi and M. Jayalakshmi -- were among those who participated. Mahila Congress leaders splashed colours and played ‘Holi' at the party office to express their joy. They thanked President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for their contribution to the passage of the Bill. Congress leaders B. Vijaya Reddy and former corporator P. Uma Rani were among those who attended. Bharatiya Janata Party activists and leaders celebrated the passage of the Bill by playing with colours. BJP State secretary Kolli Ratna Kumari, city vice-president D. Sulochana Reddy and city vice-president Challa Mahalakshmi were among those who participated in the celebrations held in connection with the International Women's Day. ‘Ugadi gift' Praja Rajyam Political Affairs Committee member Ganta Srinivasa Rao described the passage of the Bill as an ‘Ugadi gift' to women. He said that the historical event, that was achieved after 14 years of struggle, as a tribute to all those women who had contributed to the growth of the nation. He hoped that the Bill would be passed in the Lok Sabha also with an overwhelming majority.

NJCS MEET ON FRINGE BENEFITS INCONCLUSIVE The first day meeting of National Joint Committee on Steel Industries discussed in New Delhi on Tuesday on proposals to enhance fringe benefits for the employees of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and Steel Authority of India Ltd. The meeting, attended by Visakha Steel Workers Union, the recognised union of VSP, president D. Adinarayana and general secretary N. Rama Rao remained inconclusive. The meeting will continue on Wednesday. Sources said the proposals made by the management included increasing local travelling expenditure from Rs.625 to Rs.1,000, night shift allowance from Rs.45 to Rs.80, house building advance from Rs.8 lakh to Rs.15 lakh and an advance of Rs.50,000 for buying two-wheeler.

CONTINUE SHIRDI EXPRESS, SAYS BJP The BJP has urged the General Manager of the East Coast Railway A.K. Vohra not to discontinue the Shirdi Express from April 2010 as it caters to the entire coastal districts. A delegation led by city president M. Nagendra submitted a memorandum to General Manager sought that trains bypassing the city from Duvvada owing to lack of platforms should now be routed via the city as a new platform and extended old platforms were ready. The BJP also wanted the new, air-conditioned reservation complex under construction to be opened as the Summer had set in. Seeking new trains, the party urged that overnight trains be introduced from the city to Mumbai and Chennai. It reiterated its demand for merger of Waltair Division in the South Central Railway for better connectivity among the three regions of Andhra Pradesh. Besides, it wanted the wagon-making workshop proposed at Secunderabad to be shifted to the backward north Coastal districts. Other members of the delegation were BJYM State general secretary P.V.N. Madhav and party leaders G.C. Naidu, B. Narendraprakash, Ganta Satyanarayana, S.V.S. Prakash Reddy and Madeti Kanaka Rao.

HAVE SAFETY PLAN, CORPORATES TOLD Commissioner of Police N. Sambasiva Rao on Tuesday said corporates should have an effective safety management system in place. He was speaking at a programme on sharing safety conducted jointly by CII and Visakha Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd (VCTPL) here. He emphasised the need to learn from past experience and equipping oneself to avoid unpleasant situations. Mr. Rao said that police personnel getting trained from the BSF had been a successful initiative in containing the Maoist activities in the State. He said every year 900 policemen sacrificed their lives for securing the safety of the State. The Commissioner asked the participants to be prepared to face safety challenges in future and appreciated the corporates for sharing their resources in times of emergency. The session was a part of week-long celebration of the 39 {+t} {+h} National Safety Week announced by the National Safety Council of India from March 4 to 10. Safety officers from various industries in the city shared their best practices with their counterparts to promote safety of employees and public at large. Capt. Sriram Ravi Chander, Chairman, CII Visakhapatnam Zone, shared the various relief and rehabilitation initiatives undertaken by CII during the Tsunami and the recent floods in AP. This was followed by a presentation on the best environment, health and safety practices followed by VCTPL – for which they won the first prize in the EHS contest. Apart from this a workshop on first aid was held for the student representatives from GITAM, Vignan, Magnus, MVGR and other colleges.

KHADI EXPO BEGINS TODAY An exhibition is being organised by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission at Vemana Mandiram, Asilametta, from Wednesday to March 14. Addressing a media conference in this connection on Tuesday, Deputy Director of the Khadi and Village Industries Board Ch. Vadapalli said that the products made by rural artisans and entrepreneurs would be displayed at the exhibition being organised under the Prime Ministers' Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). Apart from Khadi cloth and dress material, readymade garments, products like pickles, medicinal oils, herbal products, jute products, paper bags, neem products, agarbathis, camphor, Etikoppaka toys, palm leaf articles, soaps and mango jelly would be available at the expo. Main objective He said that an awareness programme would also be held on March 12 to give details of the PMEGP scheme to prospective entrepreneurs who wish to set up cottage industries in rural areas. Mr. Vadapalli said that the KVIB had been implementing PMEGP since 2008. The main objective of the programme was to generate employment to unemployed persons in rural areas. Prospective entrepreneurs would be given up to Rs.25 lakhs under the scheme. While 35 per cent of the project cost would be given as loan through banks, 25 per cent would be extended as subsidy by the Board. KVIB has provided subsidy to the tune of Rs.3.6 crores to 23 units generating employment to 300 persons as at the end of last month. MLA Tynala Vijay Kumar will inaugurate the exhibition. All India Congress Committee (AICC) member V.S. Kavi, Regional Director of KVIC R.K. Choudhary and General Manager of the District Industries Centre V.R. Nayak would attend the inaugural function.

3G SERVICES BY MONTH-END Vizagites using the BSNL cell phones will be delighted to know that they will get the 3G service, which has already been launched in Hyderabad, by the end of this month. “Richer multimedia experience, faster downloads and uploads, live TV without buffering breaks, online gaming, video calls and conferencing, video music downloads and a host of other facilities, all at 3G speed.” This is what the 3G service, according to BSNL officials, promises to customers. According to P. Naga Raju, General Manager, BSNL, Visakhapatnam, the new equipment for the new services has already been installed and more than 80 per cent of the work completed. Testing is going on, he says. Initially, 5,000 USIMs (Unified Mobile Telecom Service SIMs) will be supplied on first come first served basis. The 3G service USIM has a memory of 128 KB as against the present 32 KB in case of 2G service. The 3G prepaid SIM will cost Rs.59. The promotional plan at Rs.120 with 180 days tariff validity will be available for 30 days after activation of service. The existing customers can migrate to 3G and use all features with the present 2G SIM itself (change is not mandatory). However, if the customer wants USIM for higher capabilities and new features, the same will be given on a charge of Rs.59. There are more than 2.5 lakh mobile customers for BSNL in the city. According to Mr. Naga Raju, the existing 2G prepaid customers can migrate to 3G general 120 plan by sending SMS ‘M3G120' to 53733 free of cost. New post-paid customers can opt for 3G service along with 2G plans at the time of applying itself. The customer should have a 3G compatible mobile handset for utilising all the features of the 3G service. He says interested persons can call 1991 or 2787841 for further details.

IT'S WOMEN'S DAY OUT AT VIZAG'S HOTELS International Women's Day was celebrated at hotels in the city with a host of events on Monday. Palm Beach Hotel introduced the day clubbing concept called ‘Diva Days' at Dusk exclusively for the ladies. This was launched on International Women's Day by Ms. Nani Singh, President, NWWA –Eastern Region. It includes a sumptuous buffet lunch. The menu will change everyday and includes a lavish spread of soups, salads and desserts. The highlight will be healthy low calorie food and will cater to the basic vitality input needs particularly for the ladies. Apart from this, there will be a vibrant, delicious main course. A special 50 per cent discount will be offered on all drinks during the Diva Days. Diva Days will initially be open on two Wednesdays a month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “The team of Dusk has done an extensive research and interestingly it was found that the women in Vizag do not have many options for entertainment. We spoke to women from different age groups and found out that they do need something which is exclusively for them, where women feel free to relax, unwind and spend sometime in their group,” said Paramita, Business Development Manager. The concept has been designed, keeping in mind not only the home makers, but also working women, who can drop in during a lunch break and add a zing to their working days. “We are going to offer wow' factors each day which will include complimentary foot massage, some beauty tips, yoga tips, dance training, a palmist, gynaecologist consultancy and other things and try to meet up to the expectations of a lady who walks in to Diva Days at Dusk,” she said. Hotel Green Park also celebrated the day at its Once Upon a Time restaurant with a multi-cuisine buffet for lunch and dinner, specially designed for women. Apart from the mouth watering delicacies of the buffet, there were complimentary offers and surprise gifts for ladies.

VUDA GEARS UP FOR CONSTRUCTION OF PARK AT OLD CENTRAL JAIL SITE The VUDA will go ahead with construction of a park 0n the 21.6 acres Old Central Jail site in the heart of the city after taking the views of a cross section of people, VUDA Vice-Chairman B. Sreedhar has said. The Chief Minister will lay the foundation stone to the park in his next visit to the city. He told reporters here on Monday that a discussion would be arranged with senior citizens and others concerned to ensure people's participation in designing the park and the best concepts would be taken. With a public interest litigation withdrawn and the high court giving the go ahead, VUDA had begun clearing the site. Mr. Sridhar, who had returned from New Delhi after receiving a national-level tourism award for best civic management of tourism destinations for VUDA, said Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja had made mention of it in her speech. Andhra Pradesh had received a total of five awards and when Tourism Minister J. Geetha Reddy met the Chief Minister after receiving them, he had suggested that more measures be taken to promote tourism. Proposals for the award were sent by his predecessor V.N. Vishnu and after scrutiny VUDA had been selected for the award, making it the first ULB to get the award. The award was in recognition of the eco-friendly measures taken and the greenery at Kailasagiri, the Energy Park atop it, Tenneti Park, Kursura Submarine museum and Buddhist sites Bavikonda and Thotlakonda. Not only the garbage was removed but vermi-compost prepared from it. The award goes to the entire VUDA team, he said. Selective implementation of ban on use of plastic at VUDA tourism spots would be considered, he said answering a question. Shops there will be regulated and those set up without permission would be removed. Housing projects The VUDA had got a two-acre site in a joint venture with Chilukuri Developers at Kapuluppada and a demand survey would be conducted for taking up construction of apartments there, Mr. Sridhar said. Besides, a housing project is likely to come up at Vimannagar where the Collector had allotted two acres of site to VUDA. Work on a part of the land-pooling project at Paradesipalem would be taken up from March 10. Roads would be laid at a cost of Rs.3 crores. After developing the infrastructure, the farmers would be given their share. VUDA Divisional Forest Officer B.V.A. Krishna Murthy was present.

WOMEN HAVE VITAL ROLE TO PLAY, SAYS DIG DIG of Police (Visakha Range) Soumya Mishra on Monday said women had a big role to play as a home-maker and grooming their children to become responsible citizens. She was speaking at a women's day celebration by NTPC Simhadri at Deepanjalinagar. Ms. Mishra said that in the present-day world, women had proved that they could face the challenges and prove themselves on par with men in all spheres. NTPC Simhadri General Manager In-charge D.K. Sood said the pace of women empowerment in India was quite satisfactory. He said women were holding key positions in the administration, social, industrial, science and technology sectors as well. Women employees and housewives attended the programme. NTPC Assistant General Manager A. Satyabhama proposed a vote of thanks.

YOUTH NEED TO DEVELOP GREEN TECHNOLOGY: V-C Youth need to develop green technology: V-C

TDP FETES FIVE WOMEN The 100 {+t} {+h} International Women's Day celebration was marked by felicitation of women who made a mark in their chosen field, recalling their contribution to society and a call to make use of the opportunities being made available to prove themselves that they are second to none. The Mahila wing of Telugu Desam Party felicitated five women to mark the occasion. At a meeting organised on the occasion, TDP district convener and former Minister Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu recalled the contribution of the party founder the late N.T. Rama Rao towards the cause of women. MLC Dadi Veerabhadra Rao felt that real empowerment could be achieved only when women make use of the benefits being extended to them by enhancing their skills and live up to the expectations of the people. Social worker Satya, Prof. S. Prasanna Sree (English Department), noted dancer Lipika Reddy, distinguished teacher Vijayalakshmi (Municipal Corporation school) and Nursing Superintendent of KGH Roji Ananda Baby were felicitated on the occasion. Curb domestic violence Vice-Chancellor B. Satyanarayana at a programme organised by the Andhra University Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Centre for Women's Studies advised women to get united and curb domestic violence. Wife of District Collector and chairperson of District Mahila Mandals' Federation J. Sailaja Rao wanted women to develop a positive attitude. Former Mayor Rajana Ramani, and women from different walks of life spoke abut their experiences and solutions. Programmes were held at the Aditya Degree College, Chaitanya Degree and PG College for Women, and other institutions.

SCHOLARSHIP TEST Over 19,000 students from the north Andhra region participated in the scholarship test for students of Standard I to X conducted by Vignan Educational Institutions at Siripuram, Timmapuram and Duvvada on Sunday, according to General Manager K.V. Srinivasa Rao. An amount of Rs. 3 crore is offered through scholarships.

‘SANSKRITI' TO LIGHT UP A VILLAGE Sanskriti, an all-woman NGO, has pledged to light up Manuru, near Eluru in West Godavari district by donating an amount of Rs.2.5 lakh, on the occasion of the International Women's Day. Solar lanterns The village is going to be lit up with solar lanterns benefiting 200 villagers. The work will be completed within the next two months in association with NDTV-Toyota Greenathon. NDTV's Vikramchandra and actor Priyanka Chopra thanked the organisation for their humble endeavour. Sanskriti is an NGO operating for the last 12 years in helping the underprivileged children in the areas of health, hygiene and education with periodical fund-raisers for their social initiatives.

PHOTO EXPO FOCUSES ON POLLUTION The ill-effects of pollution caused by various industries under the sheen of the city as tourism and film-shooting destination were highlighted at a one-day photo exhibition conducted by 100 Months Climate Protection Movement at the Youth Hostel on the Beach Road on Sunday. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its report has listed the city as one of the 24 most polluted places and the most polluted in the State. The debilitating effects of the zinc industry, the port's pollution, the industrial pollution at Gajuwaka and the threat posed by the recently launched pharma units allegedly dumping effluents are some of the causes for worry, according to J. Ratnam, member of the movement. Ramana, a victim of pollution from Chukkavanipalem was present at the exhibition as a stark reminder of its debilitating effect. The frail, 25-year-old Ramana looks like he is 10 years old and can not walk. Mr. Ratnam was also critical of the pollution caused by thermal power plants and ash ponds there and the chemical effluents finding their way into the sea affecting the marine life. Mr.Ratnam said even the dumping of the solid waste and disposing it in an unhealthy manner was leading to respiratory ailments, TB and other diseases.

STUDENTS GO ON TREASURE HUNT A thrilling treasure hunt was organised by Ameya World School for school students on Sunday. The event was flagged off by Prof. A. Prasanna Kumar, Director – Centre for Policy Studies, from Palm Beach Hotel. The event was open to students in two categories: juniors (class IV to VI) and seniors (class VII to IX). “The main aim for conducting the event was to bring out the adventure spirit in the students and to make them aware of the local history as well as help them crack interesting clues by applying some basic concepts of science and maths,” said Mohan S.S. Mandava, Managing Director of Ameya World School. The school was planning to start a series of novel events to improve the intellectual and participatory standards to schools in the city, he said. Each student was accompanied by an adult. The clues for the event were intelligent ones including tourism related questions, scientific and general quizzes and garbled puzzles. With full enthusiasm, the students set off with their clues from the starting venue. In the seniors category, the first three prizes went to GVS Ravi Teja of Visakha Valley School, G. Alekhya of St. Joseph's Girl's High School and P. Sai Prasanthi of Sri Satya Sai Vidya Vihar. In the juniors category, the first three prizes were bagged by G. Namratha of Sri Satya Sai Vidya Vihar, Bhawana of Timpany School and Divya Rajeswari of Little Angels School. Winners would get prizes like computers, science kits and globes.

MEET SUPPORTS DEMAND FOR SEPARATE TELANGANA CPI (Marxist Leninist) New Democracy leaders and others on Sunday strongly backed the separate Telangana agitation. Stating that the demand for a separate State was justified due to decades of indiscrimination the region was subjected to by the people of Andhra and Rayalaseema, the speakers at the meeting held by the CPI (ML) New Democracy opined that in the process the Adivasi areas and Uttarandhra had also been meted out a raw deal. The speakers from various walks of life said Telangana was deprived of its right over Krishna and Godavari waters and blamed the ‘rulers from other regions' for their failure to fulfil Gentlemen Agreement and other commitments made to ensure balanced development of all the regions. Human Rights Forum general secretary V.S. Krishna described Telangana demand as just and legitimate and said the demand to construct Polavaram was totally wrong. The construction would entail submersion of about nine mandals in Khammam, East and West Godavari districts displacing lakhs of Adivasis. He said Uttarandhra had been discriminated in the allotment of funds by the successive governments. Dr. K. Sekhar, Associate Professor, Centre for Study Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Andhra University said immediate bifurcation of Telangana was genuine from historical point of view. He said the dominating tendency of Rayalaseema feudal class and neo rich class from Andhra had created a sense of isolation and neglect in the minds of Telangana. CPI (ML) New Democracy State leader J.V. Chalapati Rao said Telangana was a political problem and it had to be resolved immediately without further complicating the problem. He said the problem persisted for several decades and the people in general in Telangana had taken to the streets to press for carving out separate State. The sacrifices by over 300 people who died for the cause of Telangana should not go in vain and asked the Congress Government to expedite the process for formation of Telangana. Stating that the development of Hyderabad should not be considered as development of Telangana, he said the construction of Shamshabad airport, flyovers and Special Economic Zones would only benefit the multi-nationals and neo-rich people. CPI (ML) New Democracy city secretary Y. Kondaiah presided. Women activist M. Lakshmi, APCLC district president T. Srirama Murthy and others spoke.

SRI VENKATESWARA KALYANAM TOMORROW The 18th annual ‘kalyanotsavam' of Sri Bhusametha Vijaya Venkateswara Swamy at Ayyappanagar in Marripalem on the National Highway no. 5 will be held on Sunday evening. After rituals like Vishwaksena puja, and homams in the morning, Tiruveedhi will be held at 4 p.m., which will be followed by the kalyanotsavam in which devotees will participate. A felicitation programme for scholars will be held on Monday evening and poornahuti on Tuesday evening. On Saturday (March 6), Sri Chaitanya Brothers will render Annamacharya Sankeertana on the temple premises from 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.

LEPAKSHI SETS ITSELF AMBITIOUS TARGET The Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd. has set itself an ambitious target of achieving Rs.60-crore business during the next fiscal. Sharing details at a press conference after inaugurating the Lepakshi craft exhibition at Viswapriya Function Hall on Friday, the Lepakshi Emporium manager Jaganmohan Rao, said that the corporation had achieved a turnover of Rs.50 crores in 2009-10. Deputy Mayor K. Dorabbayee who inaugurated the exhibition said that the corporation would lend support to the artisans of the region to preserve the age-old crafts of AP. More than 80 artisans from AP and other parts of the country have displayed their creations at the exhibition. The exhibition has an impressive range of handlooms. Kalamkari with its lucid and colourful depiction of the epics and landscapes is available in different varieties here. Materials in a range of soothing colours in soft cottons are available here. For the ensemble, check out the sarees and dress materials from Bengal, Mangalagiri, Banaras silk, Chanderi and Maheswari sarees and Pochampalli ranging from Rs.250 onwards and a blinding array of tops, skirts, chaniya cholis, bedsheets, and cushion covers. In the handicrafts section, beautiful rosewood carvings from Mysore have been kept on display. Pure sandalwood paste and powder are also available. Apart from this, the exhibition has stalls of Kondapally and Etikoppaka toys, leather puppets, Moradabad brass items, bell metal items, bead jewellery, jute bags, ceramic paintings and terracotta magic lamps. The exhibition will be on till March 14 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

TREAT NORTH ANDHRA SEPARATELY, SAYS FORUM The Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika, espousing the cause of three North Andhra districts viz., Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, wants the Sri Krishna Committee to treat North Andhra, comprising the three districts, as a separate region and not as part of coastal Andhra Pradesh. The culture, traditions and dialect of people of these districts, which over the years had been subjected to neglect and remained backward, are distinct and hence the feelings and aspiration of the people should be considered separately, said Vedika president S.S. Siva Sankar and secretary DVT Ganesh. The Committee members have been talking about only three regions in the State. Speaking to mediapersons here on Friday, Mr. Siva Sankar asserted that unless the Committee recognised North Andhra as a separate region and took the latter's views separately, the Vedika would not allow the Committee members to tour these parts. He said that more than 53 per cent of people in the three districts were BCs, but they had no concessions or special provisions. The Vedika wanted a territorial council to be formed on the lines of Bodoland in West Bengal for ensuring development of the three districts. Regulations on the lines of Mulki Rules should also be formulated for the North Andhra region, he said. Extension of the proposed Petro Corridor between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam up to Itchapuram in Srikakulam district and expeditious completion of Polavaram project for ensuring irrigation and drinking water requirements of people in these parts were the other demands of Vedika.

NAVY UNDERTAKES IMMUNISATION DRIVE As a part of the Community Development Programme undertaken by INS Eksila, a medical camp for free immunisation and vaccination for children was held on Friday in which over 150 children from the neighbouring villages of Mulgadda and Edhuvanipalem were immunised. The immunisation camp was inaugurated by Vice Admiral Dinesh Prabhakar, Project Director, Ship Building Centre (Visakhapatnam). The attendant medical team also spoke to the parents about the importance of first aid and of immunisation for better protection against various preventable diseases and stressed on the importance of early detection of chronic and communicable diseases. Apart from free medical camps, the welfare measures initiated in the past under the aegis of the ENC include repairs and refurbishment of community halls, anti-malarial fogging/spraying and liaison with local civil authorities for better sanitation and electricity to the neighbouring villages, a spokesman of the ENC said.

GVMC SETS SIGHTS ON MAKING VIZAG A MILLENNIUM CITY The Municipal Council will adopt a resolution to make Visakhapatnam a Millennium City by 2015. The millennium development goals include eradication of poverty and hunger, universal primary education, promotion of gender equality and ensuring environmental sustainability. Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner V.N. Vishnu, who participated in the 7th Forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty - “Confronting the Crisis Collectively: Working Together to end Poverty” held at Rotterdam city in The Netherlands from February 24 to 26, recalled their experiences at a meeting here on Friday. Giving a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Vishnu said that Rotterdam was an eco-friendly city with well-developed cycle tracks and availability of all modes of public transport like trains, metro rail, trams and buses. He felt that GVMC should also register with WACAP and derive the benefits of mutual cooperation and exchange. The Mayor said that the delegates discussed the various problems confronting the 182 nations and how to alleviate poverty. It was decided to accord top priority to education, health, sanitation and water supply. They felt that these measures would go a long way in alleviating poverty. Mr. Janardhana Rao said that education was free till 18 years of age in The Netherlands. Importance was given to vocational education and it was highly subsidised. Education has been made compulsory by law. Century old buildings were protected and well-maintained which was a reflection of the priority given to heritage in that country. The Mayor said that the GVMC was planning to allocate more funds to education and health in its next budget. Mr. Vishnu said that the latest vacuum-based technology was being implemented in France for purification of drinking water and the same has been adopted in Delhi and Mumbai recently. “We (GVMC) have plans to adopt the same for GVMC as it ensures high purity at a cheaper cost,” he said.

COFFEE BOARD EMPLOYEE HURT IN ATTACK An employee of the AP Coffee Development Board at the Minumuluru coffee plantation in Visakha Agency was injured when he and two other employees were allegedly attacked by persons who were stealing pepper from the plantation on Thursday morning. One of the six miscreants, Korra China Balanna, was overpowered and handed over to the police. The injured employee, field man S.V. Satyanarayana, rushed to the police station at the Revenue Divisional headquarters Paderu from where he was sent to hospital for treatment. According to information reaching here, Mr. Satyanarayana along with two watchers observed six persons collecting pepper from the plantation. When challenged, they allegedly attacked the Coffee Board staff. Five of them fled the scene when the employees retaliated and one was caught. The field man was injured in the attack. Regional Manager in-charge of Coffee Board Gurumurthy visited the plantation at Minumuluru and called on the injured employee at Paderu. Inspector of Paderu police station Venkata Appa Rao said that a case was being booked against the six persons. A search was on to nab the remaining five persons and to recover the stolen pepper, he added.

KATRINA TO ENDORSE LUX PRODUCT Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif has joined Lux beauty brigade to endorse its new variant ‘Lux purple Lotus and Cream', enhanced with essential beauty oils. According to a release here on Thursday, the new soap is infused with the magical anti-ageing properties of the enchanting purple lotus flower and the formulation promises to hydrate, nourish, and moisturise the skin to give it a petal soft and smooth feet.

CPI ACTIVISTS PROTEST AGAINST PRICE RISE CPI's district council organised a big procession in the city on Thursday to protest against the rising prices of commodities and demanding food security to the people. Attempt by hundreds of CPI workers, led by their leaders to gatecrash into the Collectorate after marching from the party office in Allipuram, as part of the State-wide ‘siege Collectorate' programme was foiled by the police present at the spot since the morning. Many CPI woman workers climbed the closed gates of the Collectorate and their attempt to open the locked gates was resisted by the police. With some hundreds of men and women trying to enter the Collectorate, the police had a tough time in controlling them. Agitators held The police constables soon picked up the CPI workers and leaders and pushed and dragged them into police vehicles. Nearly 130 persons, including party district secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, other leaders Chalasani Raghavendra Rao, corporator A.J. Stalin, V. Nookaraju, P. Gangabhavani and B. Ramarajyam were taken away to the I Town and II Town police stations. Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy criticised the government for its failure to control the spiralling prices of all commodities and the Union Budget also failed to mention measures to control prices or ensure food security. He asked the Central and State governments to come to the rescue of poor and middle class sections.

POWER CUTS IN PEAK HOURS PARALYSE OPERATIONS OF IT UNITS The software entrepreneurs of Rushikonda IT Special Economic Zone have greeted the government's decision to impose power supply to their units with a pinch of salt. As per SEZ Policy, it is the bounden duty of the government to ensure uninterrupted power supply. To the chagrin of many, the Eastern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited known as EPDCL, has issued notices to all the units at Rushikonda and asked them to declare weekly holiday on Wednesday.

IT UNITS HIT BY POWER CUTS The software entrepreneurs of Rushikonda IT Special Economic Zone have taken the government's decision to impose power supply to their units with a pinch of salt. As per SEZ Policy, it is the bounden duty of the government to ensure uninterrupted power supply. To the chagrin of many, the Eastern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited known as EPDCL, has issued notices to all the units at Rushikonda and asked them to declare weekly holiday on Wednesday. The company stopped power supply from 6 a.m. of Wednesday for 24 hours. EPDCL as per notice served on February 28 stated that due to acute shortage in AP, they are being constrained to stop power supply for 24 hours continuously in a week and asked the units to restrict lighting load from 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. on other days. “They want to deny us power during peak American hours from 6.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. How could we operate our business and stick to delivery schedule in completing our contracts,” asked Naresh Kumar, CEO of Symbiosys Technologies. “Uninterrupted power supply to SEZ was a promise and it is there in the IT policy. Now after having set up operations they are changing the rules. The industry will suffer badly and new people also will not come to invest in Vizag. For new people coming to Vizag or AP, there is no point investing here when the Sate cannot ensure quality water or power,” he told The Hindu Thursday.

OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLE SPOTTED ON VIZAG BEACH An adult Olive Ridley turtle strayed on to the Ramakrishna Beach on Thursday night to lay eggs. The Vizag coast is said to be a sporadic nesting zone for this endangered species of turtle. The turtle was spotted by visitors, who later informed the Forest Range Officer for protection of the eggs. It was at the beach for two hours for laying the eggs after which it returned to the sea. Considered to be on the verge of extinction, Olive Ridley turtles have attracted a great deal of attention from conservationists. During the year-end, a large number of Olive Ridley turtles, protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, arrive all along the coast of North Andhra to lay eggs. Largest nesting area The famed Olive Ridley turtles cross oceans to nest in the Gahirmatha beach, part of Bhittarkanika wildlife sanctuary in Orissa, known for one of the largest nesting population of sea turtles in the world. These turtles are classified as endangered under IUCN Red List and also listed on Appendix-1 of CITES. Threat from trawlers Every year, hundreds of these turtles fall victim to the nets of fishing trawlers, leading a decline in the species of the marine creatures. The Olive Ridley turtles take 25 to 30 years to reach adulthood. Environmentalists and research workers say that the rising mortality rate can have devastating effect on the survival of the species and also cause heavy damage to the environment.

TOP HONOURS FOR VISAKH REFINERY TEAM HPCL's Visakh Refinery won the team championship in the all-India Hindustan Petroleum all-India sports meet held in Mumbai recently. Visakh Refinery men and women won many medals in the meet in which 18 teams participated. Aneesh and Elavarasi were adjudged best athletes in men and women categories, according to a press release here on Wednesday. Chairman and Managing Director Arun Balakrishnan handed over the Director's Trophy to the Visakh Refinery team for its overall sports proficiency during 2009-10.

FILM INDUSTRY NEEDS A PERSON LIKE SACHIN, SAYS TANIKELLA Wit and wisdom with a fair sprinkling of enjoyable banter and lively repartee marked the one hundred minute interactive session of noted film actor and writer Tanikella Bharani with the invited elite audience, organised by the Vizag Film Society at the Academic Staff College here on Wednesday. Mr. Tanikella Bharani, who had acted in more than 550 films in a career spread over 25 years, is a poet, character actor, comedian, villain, short film producer and director of documentaries, all rolled into one. Answering a plethora of questions on literature, films, both art and commercial and film production, he compared the condition of small producers in the film industry with the cotton farmers who had been committing suicide. Producers, who invest crores, would expect crores as returns and would not bother about values. ‘Dammu unna sommuleni paristhithi kondaridi' (Some have guts but have no money), Mr. Bharani, who was one of the producers of the only National Award winning Telugu film ‘Grahanam' said. A good film is one which shows human being as human being. But like gold which is a rare metal, good films are also rare, the actor observed, asserting that if it all he decided to produce a film it would only after he was convinced that it would bag an Oscar. We need a ‘Sachin Tendulkar' in film industry, he said. In the past, director and producers have no idea of how to produce a bad film that was the reason why they produced only good films, he said. ‘People are happy if we produce a picture with some fights and titillating songs and dialogues, why should we bother about producing films with artistic values,' this was the feeling of present day producers and directors, he said. “In the film industry, as is the case in other fields, only the best can survive in the present day competition,” Mr. Bharani said. “Leader, produced by Sekhar Kammula, had bisected the world of politicians and one should see it,” he said. President of VFS, Ramachandrudu, gave the background of Bharani and how he entered film industry. Noted film comedian ‘Kallu' Chidambaram said that 90 per cent of people in the industry were hypocrites and Tanikella Bharani belonged to the remaining 10 per cent. Secretary of VFS Narava Prakasa Rao and joint secretary Ramana proposed a vote of thanks.

ROLLBACK OF HIKE IN MILK PRICE DEMANDED Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI (M) has opposed the hike in the price of milk by Visakha Dairy. It demanded immediate rollback of the hike. The Congress Governments in the Centre and the State have already caused an undue burden on the common man by hiking the prices of essential commodities like petrol and diesel. The steep hike of Rs.2 a litre on milk would add to the woes of the common man, the party's city committee secretary K. Lokanadham noted in a statement. He said that the hike in the prices of essential commodities without a proportionate hike in the income was crippling the poor and middle class people. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has also hiked the property tax, water charges and other civic taxes. Mr. Lokanadham alleged that the Visakha Dairy management had hiked the price of milk on the plea of scarcity of fodder, increase in the price of fodder and to reduce the burden on dairy farmers. He said that the dairy management had hiked the price not with any special concern for farmers but as a sequel to the hike in prices by the Government. He said it was unfortunate that the managements that were averse to increase the wages of staff were not hesitating to tax the consumers.

BHPV DEVELOPS COMPONENTS FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels (BHPV), a subsidiary of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, has developed critical components for space applications. BHPV has now emerged as one of the very few industries in the country which have the capability for hot forming of titanium. The company has successfully developed conical and elliptical titanium alloy components required for critical space applications. The conical components are critical for various satellites being launched by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Trivandrum and the elliptical domes form a critical part in satellite launch vehicles like PSLV. The components have undergone rigorous testing. The microstructures and mechanical properties have met the stringent specifications of VSSC. BHPV has supplied 41 numbers of conical components and four elliptical domes. It will now receive regular orders from VSSC for similar components. Documents handed over At a function held at BHPV, the company's Managing Director S.S. Gupta handed over the technology-cum-quality documents for the components and domes to VSSC Deputy Director P.P. Sinha on Wednesday. Among others, VSSC Group Director K. Shree Kumar, BHPV Directors A.S. Nagaraja (operations), P.V. Sridharan (HR), Executive Director (operations) P. Phalguna Rao and others were present. Titanium alloys find extensive applications in aerospace sector owing to their high specific strength, excellent corrosion resistance and compatibility to the various working fluids. Hot forming of titanium is specialised as the working temperature range is narrow and it requires close process parameter control and specially designed tooling to achieve specified properties and dimensions.

VUDA GETS RECOGNITION AT NATIONAL LEVEL Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) has been awarded the National Tourism Award by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for 2008-09. The Ministry has selected VUDA for the special award in the ‘Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India' category for green practices. There are only two awards in the category. While one award was jointly won by Tranquebar (Tarangambadi) in Tamil Nadu and Yanam in Pondicherry and the other was bagged by VUDA. Andhra Pradesh Minister for Tourism J. Geetha Reddy and VUDA Vice-Chairman B. Sreedhar received the award from Vice-President Hamid Ansari at a function at Vignan Bhavan, New Delhi, on Wednesday. Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja and the Minister of State Sultan Ahmed, and Secretary, Tourism, Sujith Benarjee were present. VUDA Divisional Forest Officer B.V.A. Krishna Murthy also attended the function at New Delhi. Expressing happiness on receiving the award, Mr. Sreedhar said it was in recognition of the developments and amenities provided at all its tourism destinations. User-friendly VUDA, the second largest urban development authority in AP and the third largest in the country, has now earned recognition at national level with the award, he added. The user-friendly amenities and arrangements, maintenance of facilities, waste management practices, encouragement of re-use and re-cycling systems, care for environment and green practices at Kailasagiri, Thotlakonda, VUDA Park and Submarine Museum have been considered and the award announced. The continuous efforts of the urban forestry wing and engineering officials under the supervision of B.V.A. Krishna Murthy, DFO, have made VUDA's tourism spots user-friendly, according to a VUDA release.

MILK PRICE TO GO UP FROM MARCH 5 Visakha Dairy (Sri Vijaya Visakha Milk Producers Company Limited) has hiked the price of milk by Rs.2 a litre. The hike will come into effect from March 5. The steep hike in diesel and petrol prices and increase in various taxes was resulting in losses to the dairy farmers besides making it difficult for the management of the dairy. The dairy management had also increased the milk procurement price to save dairy farmers from losses, according to an official release of the company. The new rates are as follows: homogenised double toned milk (500 ml) Rs.12 (old rate Rs.11), toned milk (500 ml.) Rs.13 (Rs.12), Homogenised toned milk 1 litre Rs. 26 (Rs.24), 500 ml Rs.13 (Rs.12) and 200 ml Rs.6 (Rs.5) and full cream milk 500 ml Rs.16 (Rs.15).

TITAN TRIM LAUNCHED Titan Eye Plus launched its new collection of rimless frames called Titan TRIM on Tuesday. With over 80 styles to choose from, TRIM has something for everyone from the traditional black, brown and grey to the vibrant tones like blue and silver. The collection offers innovative designs from embossed sporty rubber temples and translucent thick temples in juicy red for the trendy look to embellished and elegant split temples for the more classic look. “Rimless frames have always been one of the most popular categories of frames, thanks to their seamless and unobtrusive look that suits every age and personality. This new collection caters to the modern Indian consumer who sees spectacles as a lifestyle accessory and not just as a necessity,” said K.M. Javed, Regional Business Manager, Eyewear business, Titan Industries Ltd. Titan TRIM frames are priced between Rs.1,600 and Rs.3,400 and are available at the Titan Eye Plus store at Dwarkanagar. The store has a wide range of contemporary and stylish eyewear ranging from Rs.395 to Rs.30,000. Customers can also go for a free eye check-up at the store. Titan Eye Plus has also introduced a free insurance on its range of spectacles. “This is the first optical retail chain that is providing such a free insurance offer. The insurance is valid for a year and offers insurance coverage of 80 per cent on the product price,” said Rana Uppalapati of Titan, Vizag.

ROLLER-SKATER DIES IN ACCIDENT Winner of many medals in the national roller-skating championships, S. Sivaditya (17), died in a road accident at China Waltair here on Tuesday. Sivaditya, while riding a two-wheeler tried to avoid a car coming in the opposite direction, hit a dust bin and lost control and came under the wheels of a bus. Sivaditya was studying first year Intermediate in Sri Chaitanya College. He was trained by roller-skating coaches K. Gangadhar, S. Raja and K. Ravikumar and won 25 gold, 15 silver and 10 bronze medals in many State and national championships. He was a highly-talented roller-skater in speed skating. He had participated in the Republic Day parade as an NCC cadet. Sivaditya was the nephew of vice-president of Volleyball Federation of India S. Kodandaramaiah. The Visakhapatnam District Roller Skating Association expressed its shock and grief over the death of Sivaditya. Chairperson T. Saraswathi Devi, president D. Prasanna Kumar, secretary M. Syambabu, members Thomas Chowday, T. Sobhasri and others paid their homage to Sivaditya.

TRAIN EXTENDED TO SHIRDI TILL APRIL To clear extra passenger rush, the East Coast Railway has extended the bi-weekly special 0867/0868 Visakhapatnam-Shirdi-Visakhapatnam for a period of another two months. The 0867 Visakhapatnam-Shirdi train that leaves on every Wednesday and Saturday has been extended from March 3 to April 28, according to an official release. The 0868 Shirdi-Visakhapatnam train that leaves on every Thursday and Sunday has been extended from March 4 to April 29. The 0865/0866 Visakhapatnam-Nizamabad-Visakhapatnam train has been extended by four months. The 0865 Visakhapatnam-Nizamabad train that leaves every Tuesday has been extended from March 9 to June 29. The 0866 Nizamabad-Visakahpatnam special that leaves every Wednesday has been extended from March 3 to June 30.

CII FOR PUBLIC PROCUREMENT POLICY FOR MSMES CII has asked the authorities to announce a public procurement policy to encourage micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Addressing a meeting here held by CII on ‘Strengthening MSMEs in a competitive world,’ CII AP Chapter chairman Y. Harischandra Prasad said MSMEs were the backbone of the country’s economy. He said the industry in the State was hit in 2009 due to recession, sudden death of then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, vagaries of nature and the ongoing agitation over separate State. He said though the growth indicators showed a positive sign of recovery from the economic recession, as the industrial production index and the consumer index were signalling growth in the economy, lot of challenges were awaiting diagnosis. One of the challenges was to strengthen MSMEs, he said and thanked the government for allotting Rs.2400 crore -- Rs. 600 crore more than the earlier to the sector. One challenge “This, I believe, would certainly enhance the MSMEs in our country. This allocation was possible with the release of the Report of the Taskforce on MSMEs, which recommended certain comprehensive measures to enhance the MSMEs and guide through the sector in the present recovery phase,” he stated. Quoting the task force report, he said the government should extend, for a further period of one year, beyond March 31, 2010, the components of the ‘stimulus package’ which are specific to MSMEs. He also wanted the government to ensure strict adherence to the stipulated targets by the commercial banks for the micro enterprises (viz. 20 per cent year-on-year growth for micro and small enterprises lending with 60 per cent apportionment for micro sector). Mr. Prasad suggested a separate fund may be created with SIDBI, using the shortfalls, if any, against the MSE credit targets set for the commercial banks. This fund named ‘Special Fund for Micro Enterprises’ should be utilised exclusively for lending to the micro enterprises. The CII Chairman suggested that the government earmark additional public spending to the tune of Rs.5,000 to Rs.5,500 crore over the next three to five years to specifically target deficiencies in the existing infrastructure and institutional set up. CII Vizag zone chairman Sriram Ravichander, his predecessor K.V. Bhaskar, vice-chariman R.V.S. Raju, management experts Kumar, K.R. Satyanarayana, Anand Kumar and others spoke.

‘EXCESS' COLLECTION BY RTC COMES TO LIGHT APSRTC is collecting excessive tollgate charge from its passengers, an application filed under the Right to Information Act has revealed. Samalochana, a voluntary organisation of Anakapalle filed applications with the Depot Mangers of APSRTC's Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam depots seeking details of how much money was collected from the passengers between October 2008 and September 2009 towards toll gate fee at the Aganampudi toll gate plaza on the National Highway and how much has been paid to the National Highway Authority of India towards toll fee for its buses. The replies given by the officials concerned revealed a huge difference between the fee collected from the passengers and the amount paid as toll gate, executive director of Samalochana, Chakradhar said. The Anakapalle bus depot collected Rs.16,78,948 towards toll fees and paid only Rs.9,36,000 while the Visakhapatnam bus depot collected Rs.41,39616 and paid only Rs. 15,73,616. The excess amount collected by the two bus depot in 12 months is Rs.33 lakhs. Toll fee of Re. 1, Rs.2 and Rs.3 for a passenger of an express, luxury and Volvo bus is being collected. If the two depots collected this much amount in excess, how much additional amount the APSRTC was collecting all over the State, , wondered Mr. Chakradhar. Samalochana lodged a complaint with the APSRTC Chairman and MD. “We are contemplating the idea of legal intervention. We are demanding immediate roll back of prices,” Chakradhar said. He alleged that the officials were lethargic while providing the information. Samalochana had to approach the RTI Commissioner to get the information from the Visakhapatnam depot and the Anakapalle depot provided information only on the second appeal. The Anakapalle depot clarified that there was no GO or a circular making it necessary for a student to buy a CAT card to receive his or her student bus concession pass.

RAJASTHANI FAMILIES CELEBRATE HOLI Shri Shyam Prayer Hall near Kurupam Market provided the perfect setting for members of the Rajasthani community to play the ‘Festival of colours’ at a programme organised by Visakha Prem Sagar on Monday. Men, women and children of all age groups had a gala time applying colours on one another. The programme that began at 10 a.m. went on till around 1 p.m. The revellers danced in gay abandon as they sang bhajans in praise of Khatu Shyam Baba. Men and women danced in separate groups. Chandmal Agarwal of Visakha Prem Sagar briefed about the significance of Holi and the legend behind its celebration. The revellers looked as though they took a dip in colour. Children thoroughly enjoyed splashing colours on one another. At the end of the celebrations, the participants partook community lunch (‘prasad) along with local guests.

YERRAN LASHES OUT AT ROSAIAH Telugu Desam Party polit bureau member K. Yerran Naidu on Monday accused Chief Minister K. Rosaiah of having no grip over the administration. “The law and order machinery has collapsed completely and Mr. Rosaiah has no control over the administration. It is unfortunate that Mr. Rosaiah is working as an agent of the Congress high-command and depending on New Delhi to get orders to take decisions,” he told reporters here. Dig at Botsa Mr. Naidu said that the government was hesitant to take action against Telangana Political Joint Action Committee convener Kodandaram despite his call to boycott goods and services from the businessmen of Andhra. “Being a professor of Osmania University, how could he indulge in unconstitutional talk,” he wondered. Taking strong exception to the statement of Minister for Panchayat Raj Botsa Satyanarayana to support the demand for a separate Telangana, he said he owed an explanation to the people as to why he backtracked from his pro-Samaikhya Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Naidu said the Minister might be having a secret agenda behind his decision to support Telangana.He came down heavily on the State government for imposing power cut for domestic and industries sector.

BOTCHA’S STATEMENT ON NORTH ANDHRA WELCOMED The Uttarandhra Praja Hakkula Porata Vedika welcomed the observation made by Panchayati Raj Minister Botcha Satyanarayana on the backwardness of north costal Andhra region. The Vedika, at a press conference here on Monday said that Mr. Satyanarayana’s statement that a new State could be formed was in tune with what Dr. B.R. Ambedkar has observed in the Constitution The Vedika also supported the Minister’s statement that people with the common language could have more than one State and wished that those supporting a unified AP must understand this point and demanded all those who criticised the demand for a Uttarandhara to tender an apology to the people of this region. The present and past “non-local” Union Minister, MPs, MLAs, Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Corporators of the region should explain to the Sri Krishna Committee the backwardness of the region, it demanded. The organisation said the Samaikya Andhra slogan itself was detrimental to the interests of Uttarandhara, Rayalaseema and Telangana people and alleged that the upper castes that held power for the last many centuries after fighting the Muslim rulers were worried that they would lose out to the SCs, STs, BCs and minorities if small States were formed. The MPs who lacked sincerity and knowledge of constitution and were involved in real estate, investments and mining mafia were not bothered about the development of Uttarandhra. In the recent general and railway budgets the Centre had ignored Uttarandhra.

NEW GM FOR NTPC SIMHADRI At a simple function, D.K. Sood has taken over as General Manager (in-charge) of NTPC Simhadri Super Thermal Project. The post has fallen vacant following transfer of R. Venkateswaran to NTPC Talcher Super Thermal Power Station. Prior to his posting in Simhadri, Mr. Sood was General Manager at NTPC’s Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Project, Kayamkulam. A post-graduate in electrical engineering and MSc (power systems), Mr. Sood brings with him rich experience of 30 years in power sector in various capacities at NTPC in operation services at the corporate office, New Delhi and Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd.

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF NATIONAL ANTHEM The scenic settings of Tenneti Park reverberated with patriotic spirit. Some 60 children played ‘Jana Gana Mana’ on the keyboard to create a national record on Sunday to celebrate 60 years of national anthem. It was an evening when people remembered the glorious past of the nation. Dressed in the three colours of the Indian flag, the group of young musicians was quite a spectacle as it played harmoniously on the keyboard. ‘Ode to diversity’ The chief guest for the occasion was Soumya Mishra, DIG of Police, Visakha Range. She recalled the history of Indian freedom struggle and said that the national anthem was an ode to the rich diversity of India. It was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27th December 1911. Composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national anthem on January 24, 1950. Other cultural programmes like rendition of patriotic songs and dances were also organised. The event was organised by Sun Murthy, Creative Entertainers. PVGDR Prasada Reddy, Registrar, Andhra University, was present.

IN-DEPTH STUDY OF RAILWAYS MOOTED There is an urgent need for an in-depth study of Railways on connectivity, potential to bridge the gap between the regions and for preparing a blue print for the future, Praja Spandana president C.S. Rao said here on Sunday. ‘Short-sighted policies’ Talking to mediapersons, he said that the study could also suggest ways and means to mobilise financial resources and technical know-how. This was necessary in view of populist and short-sighted policies adopted by the Railway Ministry that led to gradual erosion of surpluses due to which there was a time when Railways was in the red, he stated. Mr. Rao said Indian Railways, which started with 34 km in 1853 about 150 years back, had achieved the coveted distinction of the biggest network in the world with about 65,000 route kilometres, carrying about 15 million passengers and operating ration around 90 per cent. The nine administrative zones were divided to form another seven mini zones on April 1, 2003. “It may be said that these seven zones were formed for ostensible reasons of administrative convenience and better service to some selected areas and states. It is doubtful to what extent they served the objective in techno-economic terms. Railways used to generate substantial surplus revenues contributing to capital fund of the Central budget. “But now it is the other way round,” he said, and called for taking up the study as a national priority.

POWER-CUT SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED In the backdrop of critical power position, the Eastern Power District Company, on Sunday, announced power-cut schedule to different categories and different areas. According to the Chief General Manager, B.Ramesh Prasad, power-cut would be for two hours (in two instalments) in areas of Corporations, Municipal towns, district headquarters and for four hours (in two instalments) in the mandal headquarters. The actual hours of power-cut would be announced by the circle offices in the five districts viz., Srikakulam, Vizianagram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari which are under the jurisdiction of EPDCL. For agriculture sector, the supply would be for seven hours in two instalments. There would be one power holiday in a week to all industrial units using 30 HP or above. The holiday would be on Monday (for Srikakulam), Vizianagaram (Tuesday), Rajahmundry (Friday), Eluru (Saturday), Visakhapatna Zone II (Thursday) and Wednesday for all the remaining areas. Only lighting would be permitted in factories from 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm every day. These measures were taken to ensure uninterrupted power supply, according to Mr. Ramesh Prasad. He urged all consumers to cooperate with EPDCL.

WORKSHOP ON PHOTOGRAPHY CONCLUDES The two-day photography workshop organised by Rotaract Club of GITAM University in association with Visakha Camera Club concluded on Sunday. More than 40 people took part in the workshop that was conducted by photographer B.K. Agarwal. The workshop focussed on landscape and portrait photography. Theory classes were conducted on the first day while practical sessions on photography were held on the second day. The practical session began at the wee hours of Sunday at the fishing village of Pedajalaripeta. The participants shot pictures of sunrise and fishing boats as part of the practical sessions. The portrait photography class by Mr. Agarwal, S.V.S. Ravi Kumar and Kishen Chand dealt with right pictorial compositions and other details during which models posed for the practical session at VUDA Park. Finer aspects of photography like white balance, ISO and appropriate exposures for shooting pictures were told to the participants. They also experimented with micro-photography at the park by shooting flowers and insects. The Rotaract Club also conducted a ‘click and win’ contest on the concluding day. The contest received 150 registrations, Rotaract Club president C.Sisira and vice-president V. Suhasini said.

RINL TO GAIN ONLY IF CONSUMPTION RISES Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) – the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant – will stand to gain following drastic fall in import of iron ore by China from India only if the per capita consumption of steel goes up substantially. The steel consumption at present in the country is abysmally low compared to other developed countries. The per capita consumption went up by a kg in 2009 from 38 in 2008 as against 300 in China and world average of 200. Living standards Korea has a per capita consumption of 979 kg, Germany 540 kg and the United States 410 kg. “The per capita consumption will go up only when the living standards will increase remarkably. It is unfortunate that as per government’s estimates, 75 per cent of people living in rural and tribal areas in the country have an income of less than Rs.20 a day,” said Ch. Narsinga Rao, executive member of Steel Workers’ Federation of India. Mr. Rao, who is the honorary president of Visakha Steel Workers’ Union, the recognised union of VSP, told The Hindu that the minimum wages for a worker in Special Economic Zones in China was Rs.6,000 per month four years ago. As part of social security, a retired person is assured of 75 per cent of his income at the time of superannuation as pension. As the consumption level is very low in the country, with most of the poor in rural and tribal areas not able to afford steel utensils, the demand for steel would not be much in the near future. Hence, a long-term policy, taking cue from China’s success story, should be formulated, he said. The union leader said raw material was accounting for 68 per cent of RINL production cost while wages were costing only 10 per cent and favoured the merger of RINL with the SAIL to give it raw material security. Bleak scenario On RINL’s future, he said it had suffered a lot due to “step-motherly” treatment in getting government nod for expanding its capacity. As per the detailed project report, it was designed for 10 million tonne per annum capacity. The present expansion to attain a capacity of 6.3 million tonnes should have been completed by the year 2000 to avail the benefits of boom-time, he felt. Cost escalation Mr. Rao said due to abnormal delay, the cost of expansion escalated from Rs.8,600 crores to Rs.12,228 crores. Now it would be forced to take a debt of Rs.5,464 crores and there was a conspiracy to realise this through disinvestment.

NATURAL WAY TO STAY HEALTHY Wish to find simple and natural remedies for most of the lifestyle disorders without the worry of side effects? Rush to the ayurveda mela and exhibition, being organised by Amrutham, at the TTD Kalyana Mandapam at MVP Colony. Herbs like Podapatri, Methi, Amla, Karakaya, Brahmi and a host of other herbs are available both raw and in powdered form. Stevia leaves, that are recognised as zero calorie natural sweetener with medicinal and nutritional properties, are available. One can feel the strong sweetness by chewing a single tender leaf. The sweet tinge can be felt in the mouth for about an hour. In powder form Available in powder form, it can be used as an alternative to sugar in both hot and cold beverages. It is said to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics without the risk of their developing hypoglycaemia. Amla candy that comes with all the health benefits of the proven berry can be had at the expo. Pure herbal shampoos and soaps that promise to prevent hair fall and control dandruff and give a glow to the skin and keep it healthy are also available. Charts are displayed to create awareness among visitors about the health benefits of various herbs. Books and magazines on herbal remedies and products by various publishers provide an insight into the Ayurvedic remedies that have an answer to most of the common ailments. It’s no surprise that the exhibition is drawing good response from all age groups. Girls and young women were seen enquiring about the herbal shampoos and soaps. Ayurvedic doctors are available at the expo to prescribe the herbal medicines for various ailments and to clarify the doubts of visitors. The herbal tea, priced at Rs.5 a cup, caught the fancy of the visitors. The tea promises to promote digestion besides having other medicinal properties. The expo will be on till Sunday.

GOLDEN PALM TRI-MEDIUM EXPEDITION FLAGGED OFF The Tri-medium Expedition Team of the Headquarters of Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala (HQ ATNK & K) Area, also known as the Golden Palm Area of the Indian Army, which arrived in the city on Monday, was flagged off by Rear Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command on its return journey to Chennai on Friday. The expedition covers all three dimensions of water, sky and earth and comprises sailing, para motoring and cycling teams. Sailing is being undertaken by Madras Engineer Group and Centre, para motoring by Para Regimental Training Centre, both located at Bangalore and cycling by 5th Battalion Jammu & Kashmir Rifles. The aim of expedition is to promote the spirit of adventure, spread awareness and motivate the youth to join the Armed Forces. Apart from an interactive session, a demonstration was also organised by the team on Para Motoring for school students, NCC Cadets and Ex-Servicemen. The para motoring and cycling expedition teams are also scheduled to meet the school and college students en route at Guntur and Vijayawada and will undertake similar demonstrations there as well.

INDIA KEEPS WINNING AT THIS STADIUM! India keeps wining at the modern ACA-VDCA stadium at PM Palem in the city outskirts. The first one-day international cricket match at the stadium, against Pakistan saw the present captain M.S. Dhoni pulverising the bowlers before India won the match. Then Sri Lanka came as a cropper against India. Now the Indian women's team won two consecutive matches against England at the venue, and also gained a winning lead in the 5-match series. Now the fifth and final match in Mumbai is of academic interest. India has won the ODI series three times against England. The victory and the stupendous knock played by Mithali Raj for India are great consolation for the locals who missed, without no fault of theirs, seeing the ODIs against Sri Lanka and South Africa (many felt that Sachin Tendulkar might have hit the glorious record-breaking double ton here if the match was allotted) and very recently the IPL matches of Deccan Chargers, wondering what made the IPL and BCCI believe that the law and order here is out of control. The two matches, scheduled here have been shifted to Cuttack. The spectators might not have thronged the ACA-VDCA stadium for the two matches, first major events to be held after the stadium was named after the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, but even the presence of about 1,000 in the stands is encouraging for the organisers. Girls from schools and college were also present. It is a pleasant sight to see the spectators applauding the performance of every player, whether she was Indian or English. The Indian and England teams were happy about their stay here and the facilities available at the ultramodern stadium. The crowds were also liked by them. “Very nice people, enthusiastic crowds and a fantastic and beautiful stadium” said England captain Charlotte Edwards. “Other than cricket everything is good,” she quipped. Indian captain Jhulan Goswami is full praise for the stadium and the people. She noted that the Andhra Cricket Association is always supporting women's cricket in a big way.

INDIA IMPRESSES BRAZILIAN ROTARY TEAM “We did not come to India to see the Taj Mahal or the Qutub Minar. We can come back any time to see them. We came here to meet our Indian friends and enjoy their hospitality. And now we are going back with a heavy heart.” This was the feeling of Fausto Tavares Paiva a member of the Rotary Group Study Exchange team from Brazil. In one go, the other four members of the team from the Rotary district 4580 agreed to the view of Fausto. The team was here on a month-long visit of Rotary district 3020 that extends from Krishna district to the extreme corner of north coastal AP. In a chat with The Hindu, the GSE team from the soccer crazy nation shared their experience. The team comprised Marcillo Geraldo Vieira de Queiroz, Carlos Henrique Theodor Batista, Fellippe Concolato Heitor, Fausto and Gustavo Rocha Martins. Coming from varied backgrounds they hail from the Brazilian city of Minas Gerais. Marcillo a lawyer by profession- a Rotarian and the team leader, Carlos a dentist, Fellippe an English teacher, Fausto a maintenance engineer, and Gustavo a law professor. “We were astounded by the hospitality extended by the people of this great nation. We heard a lot about Indian hospitality and cuisine, and we now experienced it. We are going back with a lot of fond memoirs, after making quite a few good friends and we are now sure that the future belongs to us (referring to the BRIC countries),” said Marcillo. The team leader also spoke of the Rotary GSE programme, he said, “It is a unique programme. Even if one spends a million dollar, he or she will not experience the hospitality and attention that we get under this programme. ”

WOMEN WRITERS' CONVENTION TODAY A State-level women writers' convention on “Literature of North Andhra and Adivasi Women” is being jointly organised by Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Centre for Women's Studies of Andhra University and ‘Manalo Manam', a joint forum of women writers, at Darshan Bhavan on AU campus on Saturday. Announcing this at a media conference on Friday, Director of the Centre for Women's Studies B. Ratnakumari and member of ‘Manalo Manam' Malliswari said that feminist literature questioning the suppression of women started in the 1980 s. The organisation floated in Visakhapatnam, as a joint platform for women writers in January last year, has already conducted regional conferences at Warangal, Kadapa and Guntur. It has now returned to the city. Tribal students would present Dhimsa dance at the inaugural function. Writer Samata Roshni was also present at the media conference.

SCHOLARSHIP TEST Pinnacle is conducting a scholarship test for CAT 2010/11 aspirants on Sunday. Interested candidates can contact on phone no.(0891) 2502111 or mobile no. 98492 56958.