Naxals blow up police station in Andhra Wednesday, March 30, 2005 | Editor
Naxals blew up an abandoned police station building near here in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, a senior police official said on Tuesday.
Fifteen Naxals planted detonators in the building and blew it up at Tripurantakam in the district on Monday night, Markapuram Deputy Superintendent of Police Ranganath said.
No one was injured in the blast as the police station had been shifted 10 days back to Yerrakontapalem due to security reasons, he said.
Normalcy returns to coastal Andhra Wednesday, March 30, 2005 | Editor
Normalcy returned to coastal Andhra Tuesday morning after a night of panic and fear following....
Normalcy returned to coastal Andhra Tuesday morning after a night of panic and fear following the quake off the coast of Sumatra and fears that it might trigger another tsunami.
Families, which were evacuated from low lying coastal villages, returned home after the tsunami alert was withdrawn.
Officials said about 10,000 people were evacuated after an alert was sounded all along the 1,000 km coastal belt. There was panic in nine coastal districts as the alert was flashed on television channels and officials rushed to habitations near the sea to evacuate people.
Buses of state-owned Road Transport Corporation, police vehicles and other government transport were used to bring people out of the coastal villages.
People were evacuated from low-lying areas of Manginapudi beach of Krishna district, Suryalanka, Adavipallemaple and Patttapupalem in Guntur district and Mypadu in Nellore district, which had suffered huge losses in the Dec 26 Tsunami.
The Coast Guard and the Indian Navy have been requested to stand by to organise the rescue of fishermen caught in high tides.
In Machlipatnam, revenue and police officials used mobile public address systems to warn people to get away from the sea. Hundreds of fishermen had gone into sea when the alert was sounded. Most of them returned home Tuesday.
Officials said all those who ventured into the sea were safe as there was no disturbance seen in the Bay of Bengal.
The Dec 26 tsunami, which killed about 280,000 people worldwide, claimed over 10,000 lives in India, including 105 people in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
25 years strong is Telugu Academy Tuesday, March 29, 2005 | Editor
Madras Telugu Academy will celebrate its silver jubilee 'Samaikya Bharath Gaurav Satkar' on 3 April at Music Academy, Chennai.
Cine artistes Vikram and Meena, and singers K S Chithra, Unni Menon and Shankar Mahadevan would be among the 50 eminent personalities and child prodigies to receive the Samaikya Bharath Gaurav Satkar 2005 Award.
Scholarships of Rs 6,000 would be presented to each of the 10th std students from 28 States and seven Union Territories for getting first rank in the academic year 2003-2004, TVK Shastri, founder-chief and convenor, Madras Telugu Academy, told presspersons yesterday.
He also said dancer Jayanthi Subramaniam and Telugu writer and editor N R Chendur would be awarded the Samaikya Bharath Swarna Purashkar cash prize of Rs 1,01,116.
25 years strong is Telugu Academy Tuesday, March 29, 2005 | Editor
Madras Telugu Academy will celebrate its silver jubilee 'Samaikya Bharath Gaurav Satkar' on 3 April at Music Academy, Chennai.
Cine artistes Vikram and Meena, and singers K S Chithra, Unni Menon and Shankar Mahadevan would be among the 50 eminent personalities and child prodigies to receive the Samaikya Bharath Gaurav Satkar 2005 Award.
Scholarships of Rs 6,000 would be presented to each of the 10th std students from 28 States and seven Union Territories for getting first rank in the academic year 2003-2004, TVK Shastri, founder-chief and convenor, Madras Telugu Academy, told presspersons yesterday.
He also said dancer Jayanthi Subramaniam and Telugu writer and editor N R Chendur would be awarded the Samaikya Bharath Swarna Purashkar cash prize of Rs 1,01,116.
Naxals shot TDP activist to death, kill Congress worker Sunday, March 27, 2005 | Editor
Maoists shot dead a TDP activist and killed a Congress worker in two seperate incidents in Andhra Pradesh, police said here today.
The ultras shot dead TDP activist Chinna Yellaiah in Nalgonda district suspecting him to be a police informer and killed a Congress worker Parvathalu at his house at Mannanur village in Mahaboobnagar district last night, police said.
Meanwhile, a report from Ananthapur district said four Maoists were arrested in a combing operation while 10 naxals, including two minors, surrendered before a senior police official yesterday.
Avunanan Kaadanna Friday, March 25, 2005 | Editor
Actress Sada will seen playing the role of a village belle in her next Telugu release "Avunanan Kaadanna".
The actress, who debuted with "Jayam" but could not find a hit after that despite releases like "Pranam" and "Monalisa", said she was on the lookout for some "meaty roles".
About "Avunanan Kaadanna", she says: "Like 'Jayam', this love story also happens in a village and I hope it recreates the same magic".
--Indo-Asian News Service
Telugu film only for 'experience': Celina Friday, March 25, 2005 | Editor
Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley claims she did the Telugu film "Sooryam" only for a change and she intends to settle down in Hindi films.
"Like Tabu and Aishwarya, I have done a south Indian movie for some experience. I have four Hindi films in the pipeline," she said rather condescendingly.
Celina was on cloud nine when her role model Zeenat Aman told the young actress that her son loved to watch her movies.
"It's the best compliment I have ever received," Celina gushed.
Arti Agarwal attempts suicide Wednesday, March 23, 2005 | Editor
Press Trust Of India Hyderabad, March 23: Famous Telugu actress Arti Agarwal was hospitalised after she allegedly attempted suicide, police said today.
Arti, who consumed bathroom cleaning liquid last night, is now out of danger, hospital sources said.
The latest Telugu film she acted is Shankranti. The Banjara Hills police have registered a case under 309 of IPC. However, the reason for her attempt to end life is not yet known, police said.
Gemini Ganesan passes away Tuesday, March 22, 2005 | Editor
BANGALORE (Reuters) - "Gemini" Ganesan, a veteran southern Indian movie star known for caring, romantic roles in an industry crowded with macho heroes, died after a prolonged illness on Tuesday aged 84, state television reported.
Ganesan, known as much for his off-screen affairs as for his on-screen passion, fathered one son and seven daughters, one of whom is the glamorous Bollywood actress Rekha.
The actor who started out as a production assistant earned the "Gemini" tag from the studio where he used to work, and starred in more than 200 films, mainly in Tamil but also in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada, and, rarely, Hindi.
Called in Tamil "Kadhal Mannan" (King of Romance), Ganesan had his heyday in the 1950s and 60s, but later played elderly characters that defied his eternally romantic screen image.
Chakri tunes top Telugu list Tuesday, March 22, 2005 | Editor
Two albums of young music director Chakri figure in this fortnight's list of top five.
1. "Chakram": Two songs in the album - "Rangeli Holi" and "Kuncham Karanga" - have become a rage. "Jagamantha Kutumbam" is a masterpiece for its celebration of universal love. Chakri, very much in tune with young composers like Puri and Suryakiron, has lived up to the standards of Krishna Vamsi.
2. "Avunna Kadanna": The Teja-R.P. Patnaik duo, known for musical hits like "Nuvvu Nenu" and "Jayam", has come up with a youth-oriented album. "Gudigantala Navvutavela" and "Anaganaga Oka Oorilo" top the charts. Patnaik, who makes a comeback after 16 months, should be satisfied with the opening response.
3. "Soggudu": For the first time, composer Chakri teams up with the reputed Suresh Productions and has delivered a commendable album. The Tarun-Aarti starrer is a youthful love story and Chakri is adept in providing music for this genre of films.
4. "Radha Gopalam": The album is listed not for its huge sales, but for its creative excellence, which deserves kudos. Star composer Mani Sharma has always tried to utilise rare opportunities to dish out a different album and this is another such effort.
"Tholi Kodi Kusindi", "Grahanam Patina" and title track "Sathamaanam Bhavathi" are catchy.
5. "Sada Mee Sevalo": After musical hit "Missamma", director Neelakantha teams up again with Vandemataram Srinivas to come up with a melody-centric album. "Ee Dooram" and "Lub Dub" are catchy while other numbers are worth humming. Vandematrama yet again proves that he can provide soulful tunes.
--Indo-Asian News Service
Puneeth signs for a Telugu producer Tuesday, March 22, 2005 | Editor
Veera Shankar, the director of that Pawan Kalyan film in Telugu titled ‘Gudumba Shanker’ has penned the story, screenplay and directs his next film in Kannada starring Puneeth Rajkumar.
Puneeth is the number one among the young heroes in Kannada film industry. Veera Shanker is also a co producer of this film along with Dattu and Sathya under the banner of ‘V.R.Creations’. The film is all set to go on the floors on 17th of March.
Gowri, a Mumbai girl is playing the female lead. Srinivasamurthy, Avinash, Sudharani, Rangayana Raghu, M.N.Lakshmidevi, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sharan are also in the cast. Meanwhile Puneeth Rajkumar next release will be Akash for his home banner that is getting ready.
Chakri tunes top Telugu list Monday, March 21, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad, March 19 : Two albums of young music director Chakri figure in this fortnight's list of top five.
1. "Chakram": Two songs in the album - "Rangeli Holi" and "Kuncham Karanga" - have become a rage. "Jagamantha Kutumbam" is a masterpiece for its celebration of universal love. Chakri, very much in tune with young composers like Puri and Suryakiron, has lived up to the standards of Krishna Vamsi.
2. "Avunna Kadanna": The Teja-R.P. Patnaik duo, known for musical hits like "Nuvvu Nenu" and "Jayam", has come up with a youth-oriented album. "Gudigantala Navvutavela" and "Anaganaga Oka Oorilo" top the charts. Patnaik, who makes a comeback after 16 months, should be satisfied with the opening response.
3. "Soggudu": For the first time, composer Chakri teams up with the reputed Suresh Productions and has delivered a commendable album. The Tarun-Aarti starrer is a youthful love story and Chakri is adept in providing music for this genre of films.
4. "Radha Gopalam": The album is listed not for its huge sales, but for its creative excellence, which deserves kudos. Star composer Mani Sharma has always tried to utilise rare opportunities to dish out a different album and this is another such effort.
"Tholi Kodi Kusindi", "Grahanam Patina" and title track "Sathamaanam Bhavathi" are catchy.
5. "Sada Mee Sevalo": After musical hit "Missamma", director Neelakantha teams up again with Vandemataram Srinivas to come up with a melody-centric album. "Ee Dooram" and "Lub Dub" are catchy while other numbers are worth humming. Vandematrama yet again proves that he can provide soulful tunes.
--Indo-Asian News Service
Sneha on a roll Monday, March 21, 2005 | Editor
Director Selvaraghavan has begun his next Pudhupettai starring Dhanush. Expectedly, Sonia Agrawal is the heroine.
The surprise packet is in Sneha being roped in to play an important role. For the statistically inclined, Sneha is acting in a Selvaraghavan film for the first time.
Happy to be part of the team was Sneha. 'It's a powerful character, on the lines of the one I had in Autograph. Have been impressed by the work of Selva in films like Kadhal Kondein and 7G Rainbow Colony.
A heady mix of romance and action, Pudhupettai is produced by Lakshmi Movie Makers.
Sneha is on a roll these days especially in Telugu filmdom. Her hits in Sankranthi opposite Venkatesh and Radha Gopalam with Srikanth deserve mention. Both have been declared a hit in the trade circles.
Sneha, with a settled look in Tamil films, has struck a chord with the family audience. Besides, Pudhupettai, she is paired with Shaam in ABCD and opposite Arjun in Chinna.
Asked about her success in Telugu films, she felt happy to have been accepted there. An extension of her happiness was in signing another film with Jagapathi Babu.
Sneha is clear about her priorities. She is comfortable in family subjects where the audience look to her as one among them.
Having shed some weight, meaningful films will make her day. And the audience too, which goes without saying.
'Offers pouring in my way in Telugu is a great feeling. Good films interest me and language can never be a barrier.
The satisfaction is huge when you get to do character which suit the image.
Last year was a successful one with two consecutive hits in Autograph and Vasoolraja MBBS. It was a great feeling to be part of Kamal Haasan's movie. A great learning experience, was how she put it.
Row over renaming of Hyderabad airport Friday, March 18, 2005 | Editor
There was chaos in the Rajya Sabha today after opposition MPs protested against the new airport in Hyderabad being named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
TDP MPs want the airport to be named after their party's founder and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Ramarao.
"NTR's name has been deleted from the airport. Why has that happened? This is a bad precedent," said TDP MP S Ramachandaiyah.
Govt's stand firm
But the government is standing by its decision and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will lay the foundation stone for the airport on Wednesday.
The TDP MPs were supported by NDA MPs who also objected to Sonia Gandhi laying the foundation stone.
"In what capacity is Sonia Gandhi laying the foundation stone of this national project?" asked BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu.
Patel defends decision
Defending the decision, the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said that the renaming had been cleared by the Narasimha Rao government in 1992.
In 1999, the then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, had asked the Central government to name a terminal after NT Ramarao and in May 1999, the NDA Cabinet cleared a proposal to rename the Rajiv Gandhi Airport as Hyderabad Airport.
"When NTR died these people were fighting. Look at them now, protesting like this," said RJD MP Raghuvansh Prasad.
Cabinet clearance
Praful Patel told Rajya Sabha that it was the board of a privately controlled consortium that decided to name the airport after Rajiv Gandhi, which was seconded by the state government and finally cleared by the Union Cabinet on Monday.
Despite the NDA protests Congress President Sonia Gandhi will lay the foundation stone for the airport at Shamshabad on Wednesday.
But if what happened in Parliament today is anything to go by, this issue will continue to be bitterly fought by the two sides.
Katrina Kaif returns to Tollywood Wednesday, March 16, 2005 | Editor
'Mallishwari' was Katrina's first Telugu film. After 'Mallishwari', she however decided to concentrate on Hindi films alone. But, nothing much happened in Bollywood. Her only claim to fame was the fact that Salman Khan became very smitten by her.
But, Katrina is convinced these days that Salman has not yet completely recovered from his breakup with Aishwarya Rai and still goes about acting with her look-alikes. Sensing that it is about time she changed her priorities, Katrina Kaif has decided to accept the Telugu offer.
Jayant is going to direct the new film. The film has two heroines. Charmi plays the second heroine in the film.
Hyderabad airport to be named after Rajiv Gandhi Tuesday, March 15, 2005 | Editor
The government Monday decided to name the upcoming international airport near Hyderabad after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The airport near Shamshabad village on the outskirts of Hyderabad will be called the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy told reporters after a meeting of the cabinet at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 7, Race Course Road residence.
The cabinet decision came ahead of the formal laying of the foundation stone for the airport by Congress president Sonia Gandhi March 16.
The government had cleared the draft concession agreement for the Rs.14 billion airport in December last year.
--Indo-Asian News Service
YSR gets all emotional Tuesday, March 15, 2005 | Editor
HYDERABAD: Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy took part in the historic 'Dandi March' along with a host of state Congress functionaries in Ahmedabad.
Large number of local Congress leaders from Gujarat recalled the Praja Prasthanam undertook by the chief minister in the past and remarked that the present walk would be a cakewalk for him.
The chief minister accompanied by PCC chief K Keshava Rao, ministers Konatala Ramakrishna, B Satyanarayana, M Satyanarayana Rao, V Hanumantha Rao, D Vittal Rao walked about 11 km from Aslali to Bhareja near Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Rajasekhara Reddy was welcomed by the grandson of Mahatma, Tushar Gandhi, Gujarat Congress Legislature Party Leader, Arjunbhai and others on reaching Aslali. During the 3-hour long walk, Satyanarayana Rao reportedly entertained the gathering by sharing his experiences of the freedom struggle.
Addressing the co-padayatris, the chief minister recalled that 'Dandi March' had influenced a generation of people in the country and motivated them to sacrifice themselves for the nation.
The chief minister also told the gathering that he started Praja Prasthanam two years ago in the state to highlight the anti-people policies of the Telugu Desam government. Keshava Rao, Satyanarayana Rao and other ministers also spoke on the occasion.
Later, Rajasekhara Reddy visited Sabarmati Ashram and went round it recalling the days Mahatma spent there. According to an official note, Rajasekhara Reddy became emotional after entering there. Reddy penned his impressions in the visitors' book at the Ashram.
On reaching Ahmedabad on Sunday morning, the chief minister inquired about the happenings in the state from chief secretary Mohan Kanda over phone. AICC state-in-charge Digvijay Singh personally met Rajasekhara Reddy and congratulated him for taking part in the 'Dandi March'. Singh asked the chief minister, "are you going to create a new record by doing this pada yatra?"
Naidu demands recall of Jharkhand governor Tuesday, March 15, 2005 | Editor
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu today demanded the removal of Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi for "violating all democratic norms."
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu today demanded the removal of Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi for "violating all democratic norms."
Talking to reporters at the NTR Trust Bhavan, party headquarters here, he alleged that the Congress-led-UPA government was craving for power and destabilising duly-elected governments.
Recalling the "destabilisation of the then TDP Government in Andhra Pradesh in 1984, when Governor Ramlal was used to dismiss the N T R government," Naidu said the same was repeated in Jharkhand.
He warned the Congress that it would have to pay a heavy price for what it had done in Goa and Jharkhand. He said it was ridiculous that the Congress which "had no faith in Gandhian philosophy or democratic norms" was undertaking "Dandi Yatra."(ANI-with other wire inputs)
Puneeth signs for a Telugu producer Tuesday, March 15, 2005 | Editor
Veera Shankar, the director of that Pawan Kalyan film in Telugu titled ‘Gudumba Shanker’ has penned the story, screenplay and directs his next film in Kannada starring Puneeth Rajkumar.
Puneeth is the number one among the young heroes in Kannada film industry. Veera Shanker is also a co producer of this film along with Dattu and Sathya under the banner of ‘V.R.Creations’. The film is all set to go on the floors on 17th of March.
Gowri, a Mumbai girl is playing the female lead. Srinivasamurthy, Avinash, Sudharani, Rangayana Raghu, M.N.Lakshmidevi, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sharan are also in the cast. Meanwhile Puneeth Rajkumar next release will be Akash for his home banner that is getting ready.
State rewards parents of girls: Thursday, March 10, 2005 | Editor
HYDERABAD, India, March 10 : The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh will attempt to boost its female population by offering cash to families having a single girl child.
The one-time payment of 100,000 rupees, or nearly $2,300, would be given to the child when she turns 20, and both parents would have to undergo sterilization surgery, the BBC reported Wednesday.
The state government announced the move in reaction to the falling female-to-male ratio -- in 2001 it was 943 to 1,000 -- and to the rise in abortions of female fetuses.
State Chief Minister Y.S.Rajashekhar Reddy announced other benefits for families having a single daughter, including an annual education grant of more than $28 during grades nine to 12. In case of the death of either parent, the family would get up to $1,150 immediately.The Andhra Pradesh government is planning a publicity campaign to promote female children, featuring tennis star Sania Mirza, who comes from the southeastern state.
"Your daughter may be the next champion," reads a billboard with Mirza's face.
- -- Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
Naxalites kill 8 in Andhra Wednesday, March 2, 2005 | Editor
Press Trust Of India / Hyderabad March 02, 2005 In a spurt of activity, the naxalites shot dead eight villagers and chopped off limbs of two others to avenge the killing of their nine sympathisers in the Kurnool district today while a CRPF constable was injured in a blast at a forest rest house in the Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh.
About 30 naxals descended on the Vempenta village, about 280 kms from here, and asked 10 villagers to follow them as they wanted a discussion on killing of nine sympathisers of the PWG, (now known as the CPI-Maoist) in 1998, police sources said here.
The villagers were not allowed to meet anybody and later, the naxals shot dead eight of them in the forest and chopped off hands and legs of another two villagers, police said.
Sania upsets Kostanic to enter second round of Dubai Open Tuesday, March 1, 2005 | Editor
Dubai, Feb 28 (PTI) India's tennis sensation rallied superbly to upset world number 34 Jelena Kostanic of Croatia in the first round of the USD 585,000 Dubai Open Tennis tournament here today. The 18-year-old, one of the three wild card entrants in the competition, came back after losing the first set to beat the Croatian 6-7 6-4 6-1 in just over two hours.
Sania, who created history by becoming the first Indian to win a WTA tour title at her hometown Hyderabad last month, will now face US Open champions and fourth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in the second round. PTI
Andhra industry hails budget as growth-oriented Tuesday, March 1, 2005 | Editor
Hyderabad, Feb 28 : Those in the textile, agro industry and infrastructure sectors in Andhra Pradesh lauded Monday's union budget as "growth oriented."
The textile sector welcomed the sops announced in the budget announced by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and hoped they would help it meet the challenges of the post quota regime.
M.K. Patodia, managing director of GTN Textiles Ltd, said 10 percent capital subsidy for the textile sector was a welcome move and this and other measures would help the sector meet the new challenges and achieve the target of Rs.50 billion exports by 2010.
He quoted Chidambaram to say that the textile sector would offer 12 million jobs by 2009.
Patodia, who is also the vice chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Andhra Pradesh chapter, welcomed the enhanced allocation of Rs.250 billion for the technology upgradation fund and Rs.400 million for modernisation of 20 clusters of handloom manufacturers.
He said since processing in India was poor, the cut in customs duties on textile machinery from 20 to 10 percent would help the sector to go for good processing machinery.
M. Gopalakrishna, chairman, Andhra Pradesh Finance Corporation, called it a welcome budget. He lauded Chidambaram for laying emphasis on infrastructure, housing, education and health.
"Expectations were somewhat belied," he, however, said and pointed out that better concessions in the area of direct tax were some of the expected things.
Anil Kumar V. Epur, director, VST Distribution Storage and Leasing Company Limited, welcomed the measures to boost the agriculture sector.
Epur, past chairman, CII, southern region, also hailed the initiatives for diversification of the sector, the support given to the sugar industry and the plan to employ 10 million people in irrigation schemes.
D.V. Manohar, chairman, Shakthi Gas, welcomed the measures announced for tourism and the oil and gas sector. He said while the finance minister was not able to touch subsidies on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene, he removed customs duties.
"This is something we have been fighting for, for the last 10 years," he said.
While hailing the Special Purpose Vehicle announced for tourism, he said the sector needed special focus, as it was the largest producer of jobs. He felt that Rs.150 billion outlay was not enough. He said the finance minister had done nothing to give tax relief to the sector.
Manohar felt that the allocation for defence should be cut to ensure more spending on priority sectors. "I am a patriot but I am also concerned over the growing allocation for defence. We should see how it can be cut down," he said.
He also found fault with the special grants announced for Bihar. "Are we giving incentives for non-performance," he asked.
Y. Harish Chandra Prasad, managing director, Lanco, said the budget was not "electrifying" for the electricity sector. He said the issues facing the sector were not addressed. He underlined the need to give top priority to the transmission sector to ensure that power deficient states get electricity from coal-rich states.
Chidambaram's proposal to tax every cash withdrawal of Rs.10,000 in a day evoked strong opposition.
"The proposal is discouraging," said CII member K. Narayan Rao. "This will discourage people from depositing their money in banks."
Another member J.N. Rao said the move would not help in controlling black money transactions.
"Many account holders draw Rs.30,000 to Rs.40,000 in the beginning of the month to meet their household expenses," said J.N. Rao. "The black money transactions generally take place in real estate and construction and it can't be checked by this measure," he added.
