This thread can be use to post and discuss the problems and issues and developments happening in general aspects of citizens in Vizag

SWEDISH, CDIA REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSS COLLABORATION WITH GVMC

Officials of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on Tuesday held discussions with representatives of the Embassy of Sweden and Cities Development Initiative Asia (CDIA), Chennai. Programme Manager from the Embassy of Sweden, New Delhi, Aarti Davis and Senior Programme Specialist from CDIA Balakrishnan Elangovan apprised Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu of the proposals in the areas of ‘waste to energy' and ‘pre-feasibility studies on revised City Development Plan, water distribution and integrated slum development.' The two explained details of the plan of action in the areas of support being extended by them through an integrated approach, and also in terms of long- term collaboration with GVMC. The Commissioner assured them that all possible support would be extended, in terms of land, labour and machinery, for realising the benefits of the solid waste management (SWM) project, such as generation of energy and compost for internal usage through a reasonable pay back system. Mr. Ramanjaneyulu stressed the immediate need for generating energy with Swedish technology and financial partnerships from domestic and Swedish partners. Water supply and distribution, with specific emphasis on improving revenue, and Swedish technology on revenue collection using latest information technology systems to avoid loopholes in the existing system also came up for discussion. Replying to the proposals put forth by the Swedish representative regarding the visit of the Swedish delegation to GVMC during September, 2011, he requested her to make arrangements for visits to the Waste to Energy Plants in Delhi and Sweden, to understand the process and technology, for replication in GVMC. A team comprising political members and officials of GVMC would participate in the visit before the Swedish delegation came here. The embassy official and CDIA have tentatively accepted the proposal and assured him of a response shortly. Additional Commissioners P. Poornachandra Rao and S. Krishna Murthy, Chief Engineer B. Jayarami Reddy, Chief Medical Officer D. Abbulu, Chief City Planner D. Venkataratnam and Superintendent Engineers of Water Supply and Projects, C.G.K. Raju and Surya Jyothi, Financial Advisor Y. Mangapathi Rao and Examiner of Accounts G. Satyanarayana attended the interactive session coordinated by HRD Consultant A.Rajendra Krishna.

Source (http://www.vizagcityonline.com/news/vizagnews.asp)

VSP sales grew by 87% during 1st Quarter

http://cityofvizag.com/images/stories/local/vizagsteel4.jpg

Vizag: Visakhapatnam Steel Plant sold about 5.66 lakh tons of steel products during the 1 st Quarter ending Juneí11, recording a growth of 62%. With the higher component sale of Value Added Steel, VSP's turn over increased to a high of Rs.2583 crores, a growth of 87%. Sales to projects of national importance also increased to a level of around 1.5 lakh tons which is also higher by 26% with respect to corresponding period of last year.

Thrust got intensified for rural marketing and during the Q1 VSP registered 31 new Rural Dealers. Production of finished products particularly of Steel Bars was increased to 2.20 lakh tons, represents a growth of 6% compared to last year, the best for any quarter since inception.

Improvement in some of the techno-economic parameters also achieved which include record Convertor Lining Life of 5135 Heats in Steel Melt Shop (best since inception), shows a growth of 2% over corresponding period of last year.

New Oxygen Plant under expansion started producing both Oxygen and Argon. Water Supply Unit for new SMS, new turbo blower and several others got commissioned. Test and trail runs of main units including Basic Oxygen Furnace shop, Continuous Casters and Wire Rod Mill are also progressing well.

Source (http://cityofvizag.com/home/vizag-now/1617-vsp-sales-grew-by-87-during-1st-quarter.html)

VUDA plans housing for LIG, MIG

Housing for low- and middle-income classes is top on the agenda of VUDA, Vice-Chairman Kona Sasidhar has said.

Indicating mid-course correction, he said it proposed to take up projects at Achyutapuram, Gajuwaka and Kapuluppada and with the district administration promising to look into allotment of bulk lands, the authority was thinking of a township for these sections.

He was speaking on Monday at his first major media interaction after taking over at the helm of the VUDA. Low-cost housing with schools, hospitals and other amenities were required for a balanced development, he said.

To augment its revenue, the VUDA also had plans to take up two towers in sites adjacent to its office to house IT incubation centres besides other facilities. While the VUDA has ongoing projects worth Rs.270 crore, it does not get any budgetary support from the government.

An integrated master plan of the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region (VMR) comprising four districts from Srikakulam to East Godavari would be ready in two years, he said.

The permission of the Central Government had been obtained and expression of interest (EoI) would be invited soon.

The earlier master plan for VUDA was finalised in 2006 after which its jurisdiction was increased encompassing more than 5,573 sq km. The plan would integrate the independent master plan for Visakahpatnam and wherever other towns had it and that of PCPIR.

While admitting that some lapses had occurred in the past, he said the GVMC and VUDA had to work in closer coordination for a planned growth and to prevent unplanned development in violation of the master plan.
CRZ norms

On CRZ norms, he said the Collector had written to the authorities to effect a conversion wherever more than 50 per cent development (of habitations) had occurred.

On the Harita housing project on which work had come to a halt after the demand for increasing the price by the executing agency, the Vice-Chairman said regardless of its profit and loss, the VUDA would protect customers' interests.

A final notice had been given. The VUDA was ready to take up the hill-top road once the Endowments Department gave its clearance.

©Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2167034.ece)

Rough ride for motorists

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00675/06VZVISKCITYREG2RAI_675785f.jpg
With the rain on Tuesday the Daba Gardens road in Visakhapatnam turned out to be a nighmare for road-users, particularly two-wheeler riders with its potholes and unpaved surface

For months together roads in the city had been in a bad shape owing to various works going on. With rain for a day on Tuesday, they became worse.

The arterial Dabagardens road is testing the patience of road-users. The left side of the road from Ambedkar Statue to VJF Press Club is uneven without being paved and pot-holed. The stretch from the incomplete flyover junction to Ambedkar statue from behind LIC Office is no better. The potholes have turned deeper with the rain pounding them.

Road-users, mainly pedestrians and two-wheeler riders, are in for big trouble while negotiating the road in rain. With parking taking up part of the road, manoeuvrability has become difficult often forcing vehicle-riders literally into the pits.

The Under Ground Drainage wing of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) made trenches for UGD work about six months ago. It has to restore the road after its work.

Officials of the Public Works wing of the GVMC say if instructions are given to them to restore the road in case the UGD department cannot take it up for some reason, they will do it.

The front wheel of a ready mix concrete lorry got struck in the mud dug up on the road where the work on construction of the subway work was going on at Asilametta. The roads all around Asilametta turned slushy and slippery due to the rain.

The incessant rain on Tuesday was said to be due to upper air circulation over North West Bay of Bengal. The chief amounts of rainfall received (in cm) during the last 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday are: Elamanchili – 10, Bhimavaram – 6, Srungavarpukota – 5, Amalapuram – 4, Krishnapatnam, Tekkali, Visakhapatnam city and airport – 3 cm each.

©Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2164151.ece)

GVMC moves to ban plastic bags

A resolution would be introduced on banning plastic bags below 40 microns of thickness at the corporation general body meeting on July 11 for approval and 15 days after that the ban would be enforced.
©Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2207112.ece)

GVMC to get Nagara Ratna award

The award is given every year for best rated performance

Leading the way among the 65 mission cities of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Human Resource Development Centre in GVMC has worked extensively for capacity building right from officials to workers and all the stake-holders.

Though it's an optional reform in the JNNURM, Visakhapatnam is the only urban local body to have taken up HRD. The HRD Centre, formed in 2008, when Mukesh Kumar Meena was the Municipal Commissioner, has since provided in-house training on technical aspects, engineering and solid waste management, among other things. The external training is being taken up by university professors and consultants and with support from ASCI, All India Institute of Local Self-Governance, Mumbai, ESCI, Dr MCR HRD Institute, Hyderabad, Indian Institute of Public Administration and Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies, Hyderabad.

Study tours

According to HRD Consultant A. Rajendra Krishna, a former Senior Manager of APSTC, the centre has so far conducted 120 training programmes and 49 workshops training 6,904 persons. Besides, 138 employees in various cadres and council members have been sponsored to 103 external programmes. It coordinates the study tours of corporators and officials to various mission cities. It prepared employee feedback and performance appraisal reports for those who attended the training. The HRD training and development impact reflected in the overall performance of the corporation and improving working skills as gauged through surveys of resident welfare associations. More importantly, it helped in improving the presentation skills of officials. So far, GVMC has won JNNURM awards for best city for internal earmarking of BSUP and Best BSUP city (both in 2008-09) and Best city award for implementation of urban reforms and infrastructure and best city for BSUP implementation (both in 2009-10).

On Friday, Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao and Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu will receive the Nagar Ratna award of the All-India Institute of Self-Government, under the Ministry of HRD, from President Pratibha Patil at Mumbai. The award is given every year for best rated performance in areas like SWM, revenue collection and financial performance. “The entry has been sent in the HRD applications format and how best we improved them,” says Mr. Rajendra Krishna. “As a measure of recognition of our work after a presentation at ASCI, National Institute of Urban Affairs has come out with a HRD toolkit and it recommended it for replication in all the mission cities,” he says. The HRD wing also coordinates with various international organisations such as the Swedish Embassy, CDIA, SIDA etc extending support to GVMC.

©Hindu (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2210431.ece)

GVMC assures slum free city in 5 years

July 27: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has embarked on an ambitious project to free the city from slums in another five years by constructing houses under Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) and distribute it among the slum-dwellers. It may be recalled that plans were prepared for 117 slum development projects in 741 slums in the city.

The GVMC commissioner, Mr B. Ramanjaneyulu, held a review meet on RAY and sought a detailed project from the officials by August 15 on developing two pilot projects under which 196 houses (G plus 3) would be constructed. He said a Chennai-based private agency conducting a survey on slums has been removed and asked the officials to organise a meeting with the local corporator on Saturday for construction of housing scheme in Suryatejanagar.

He said zone-wise, the slums should be either notified or denotified. He told the officials to prepare plans for constructing one lakh houses during the next five years under Rajiv Awas Yojana. “There should be no slum in the GVMC limits after five years,” the commissioner told the officials. Identification of beneficiaries should begin from now onwards and bank accounts should be opened in their names. The officials should see that the beneficiaries deposited an amount of Rs 500 every month.

Ten times of the amount deposited by the people would be given by the banks as loan. Those paying Rs 25,000 at the lintel level would be eligible for lottery and they would be entitled to direct the construction as per their needs, he said. He said he would discuss with the collector to acquire 1500 acre through land-pooling. The GVMC is also ready to construct houses for the poor if Vuda was handed over 20 per cent area of the Vuda layouts.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/gvmc-assures-slum-free-city-5-years-449

Trial runs have begun at the new Passport Service Kendra (PSK) at Muralinagar in the city. The fully air-conditioned PSK, scheduled to begin functioning from the first week of August, will literally give a breather to passport applicants, who have been sweating it out at the old Passport Office at Railway New Colony in the absence of ACs.

The swanky new office, located right beside the National Highway at Murali Nagar, has 18 counters as against three at the existing office at New Colony. The PSK will be manned by around 40 employees of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) who would take care of the front office work. There will also be six verifying officers and three granting officers and an Assistant Passport Officer at the PSK. The Passport Officer, other officials and staff will function from the new Regional Passport Office located at Marripalem VUDA Colony.

“There will be three zones -- acceptance, verification and granting -- and an applicant can walk out of the office within 25 minutes on completion of work at the three zones. Online sending of police clearance certificate is expected to considerably reduce delays in the issue of passports,” Passport Officer V.S.D.L. Surendra said during a visit to the PSK on Thursday.

Verification
Passport seekers have to scan copies of their certificates and file their details online at any Internet centre or from their home. An Application Reference Number (ARN) would be generated and the date on which they have to report at the PSK would also be given. The applicants have to report at the PSK along with the requisite original certificates for verification, payment of fee and other formalities. After scrutiny of the original certificates at the PSK, the details would be sent online to the police. The police would verify the credentials of the applicants at their home address and send the ‘police clearance certificate' online to the PSK. The PSK would send the final details to the Regional Passport Office for issue of the passport. The passports would be sent to the applicants to the address given by them in their application.

“Once the new system gets stabilized and the huge backlog is cleared, new passports are expected to be issued in about 15 days,” said Mr. Surendra.

:bash:

The world's largest floating library M.V. Logos Hope anchored at the Visakha Container Terminal, located opposite the Old Town Hall on the Beach Road, on Saturday. It will remain open to the public till August 11.

The ship will be open for visitors from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday. The entrance ticket is priced at Rs.50 but it is free for children under 16, but they should be accompanied by an adult. The expo has over 5,000 collections which include: books on science, sports, hobbies, cookery and dictionaries.

The ship also has a cafeteria which serves ice creams, coffee, pastries and cool drinks.

http://epaper.sakshi.com/apnews/Visakhapatnam_City/03082011/Details.aspx?id=986193&boxid=28356794

Commissioner scraps RWA sanitation system

The commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, Mr B. Ramanjaneyulu, on Tuesday scrapped the sanitation system under Residential Welfare Association (RWA) and decided to appoint contractors for all the 72 wards. There were 5,200 sanitary workers run by the 600 residential welfare associations launched five years ago.

The commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, Mr B. Ramanjaneyulu, on Tuesday scrapped the sanitation system under Residential Welfare Association (RWA) and decided to appoint contractors for all the 72 wards. There were 5,200 sanitary workers run by the 600 residential welfare associations launched five years ago. Initially, there were paid Rs.1,500 each and recently their monthly wages were increased to Rs.4,500 which was inclusive of Provident Fund and ESI. Each worker was getting Rs.3,800 after deduction of PF and ESI. But the associations were paying them only Rs.3,200 and most of them were employed in corporators’ homes as domestic helps. There were allegations that the associations were drawing money under benami names. Two third of the work force was working in nights while the remaining during day. Due to lack of supervision, the day workers were working less than two hours. Keeping this in view, the commissioner introduced pinpoint sanitation system under which each worker would be allotted an area of 500 square metres. If the garbage was found in the area, it would be responsibility of the worker concerned. The system came into being from August 1.There were protests from the workers after the commissioner announced scrapping of RWA system. The commissioner spoke to them and convinced that they would be redeployed by the contractors to be appointed for each of 72 wards.He told the zonal commissioners that the contract system should not go into the hands of syndicates and announced that criminal cases would be filed if any person obstructed the sanitation work in the

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/commissioner-scraps-rwa-sanitation-system-937

Passport Seva Kendra opens in Vizag

Six more to open in the State; project in association with TCS
Visakhapatnam, Aug. 5:

A Passport Seva Kendra, the first in the State and the 13th in the country, was inaugurated here on Friday. Six more such kendras would be opened in the State and the total number in the country would go up to 77.

Mr Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi, the Joint Secretary and the Chief Passport Officer in the Ministry of External Affairs, who inaugurated it, said the e-governance project was being implemented in the country in association with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to pave the way for hassle-free and transparent issue of passports, eliminating middlemen and touts. Procedures had been simplified even for a common man to get a passport easily.

He said there were at present 37 passport offices in the country, including the one at Visakhapatnam, but they were not able to cope with the work pressure in view of the ever-increasing number of passport applicants.

Therefore, in the public-private partnership mode, the Ministry of External Affairs had introduced the PSK project in association with TCS. The first PSK was set up in Bangalore, in 2010, and the remaining would be opened in phases.

Mr K. Srikar Reddy, Regional Passport Officer, Hyderabad, said six more such PSKs would be opened in the State in a few months' time. Three of them would be located in Hyderabad and the rest at Vijayawada, Nizamabad and Tirupati. Mr Surendra, Passport Officer at Vizag, said the local passport office had been rendering excellent service to the public, in spite of staff shortage and the setting up of the PSK would greatly ease the pressure.

The local office was covering five coastal districts - Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, East and West Godavari districts. The rest of the State comes under the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad passport office.
Features introduced

Mr Rajesh Dogra, head of the passport wing, TCS, said the Passport Seva Kendras in the country had so far processed over seven lakh passport applications. On the aggregate, each PSK was processing 4,000-4,500 passport applications every day.

Biometric features and digital signatures had been introduced. There was also a fully functional call centre and the passport applicants can obtain answers in five languages, including Telugu, to their queries on the status of the application. He thanked the Ministry of External Affairs for its co-operation in the implementation of the project.
Police verification

Mr J.V. Poornachandra Rao, Commissioner of Police, Vizag, promised that the police verification procedures would also be expedited and made hassle-free to make it easier for the passport seekers. Mr Chandra Prakash, Post Master-General, Vizag region, promised that the passports would be delivered quickly. Mr Rupesh K, head of the local PSK of TCS, also spoke. Mr K. Sasidhar, Vice-Chairman of the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority, also participated in the function.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article2328237.ece

Vizag lags in road schemes: Tulasi

Appreciating the district administration’s efforts in afforestation programmes, the chairman of 20-point economic implementation programme, Dr N. Tulasi Reddy, said the administration fell far behind in Prime Minister Sadak Rozgar Yojana.

Appreciating the district administration’s efforts in afforestation programmes, the chairman of 20-point economic implementation programme, Dr N. Tulasi Reddy, said the administration fell far behind in Prime Minister Sadak Rozgar Yojana.

After reviewing the implementation of various schemes, Dr Reddy told reporters that the district has occupied sixth position in the state during 2010-11 as the performance parameters of anganwadi workers, power supply to agriculture pumpsets, but the Sadak Yojana took a back seat.

At the national level, the state stood first during 1992-93 and also in the last financial year along with Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. He said periodical assessment to understand on how the government has been functioning vis-Ã -vis the 20-point programme launched by Indira Gandhi 36 years ago.

Dr Reddy said he had suggested the officials involved in the 20-point programme to monitor the progress as per the annual targets and to always prefer field inspection without depending upon wild calculations. Stating that there was no dearth of funds, he said the programmes are being sponsored by the Centre and the funds released as per the annual targets.

Regarding shortage of supply of medicines in the Agency areas where the tribals have been suffering from various diseases, the joint collector, Mr Girija Sankar, said there was no short supply of medicines. There was shortage of medical professionals but the administration recently appointed 24 doctors for Agency areas, he added.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/vizag-lags-road-schemes-tulasi-396

Source: DC

Sri Satya Sai Seva Organi-sation launched a digital village at Buttayagudem in West Godavari district on Monday. Mr S.G. Chalam, state president, Sri Satya Sai Seva Organisations, Andhra Pradesh, inaugurated the digital village from Visakhapatnam. Prof. Kamaraju Anil Kumar, a renowned speaker and close associate of Satya Sai Baba inaugurated the project from Buttayagudem village. Significant feature of the digital village concept is the provision of specialised e-medical care to the villagers through interaction with various specialist doctors from Vizag studio.


The entire system operates through video conferencing through high-speed internet connection at Vizag and villages. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chalam said it was yet another step towards gra-ma seva by using the latest technology. He said that plans were on to extend th-is facility to some more villages in Andhra Pradesh. Prof. Anil Kumar lauded the untiring efforts of everyone who made this project a reality in a record shortest possible time.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article2552150.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy

Visakhapatnam, Oct. 19:
Intel India is conducting a campaign across the country, especially in Andhra Pradesh, to spread awareness about personal computers and the various applications, as the PC market is expanding rapidly in the State and the country, according to Mr R. Ravichandran, Director (Sales), South Asia.
At a press meet here on Wednesday, he said the PC business was stagnating in the established markets of the west but there was immense scope in the emerging markets such as India, China, and Brazil. “It is estimated that close to 3.2 billion people are without PCs in the emerging markets and it is a huge market. Unlike in the past, when prices were very high, affordability is no longer a barrier in markets such as India. PCs are now available at a price of roughly Rs 20,000 and there are 115 million households in the country with an annual income of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. There are now more than 100 million Internet users in the country, as the connectivity has improved vastly. We are bullish on the Indian market,” he said.
Digital divide

He said it was also important to bridge the digital divide and take personal computers to the rural markets. “We are conducting computer and Internet melas to give the public first-hand experience in the tier-two towns and cities. In Andhra Pradesh, we have conducted 30 computer melas during the past one year or so in towns such as Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Nellore and Tirupati. We are educating the public on the advantages of technology use and adoption and also about broadband connectivity,” he said.
Mr Ravichandran said Intel had also shown technological solutions to 5,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Andhra Pradesh in association with the Federation of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry. “Andhra Pradesh has, in recent times, made rapid strides in setting up self-help groups of women. We have trained and provided computers to 5,000 SHGs in the State and it is making a lot of difference,” he said.
He said Intel had also imparted training to 3.5 lakh teachers in the State and “it is estimated that there are four million households in the urban areas of the State without PCs. We are confident of making inroads into the market.”

Source: http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/246932

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Oct.23 (ANI): Irrespective of the competition posed by the Chinese electric lights, the traditional clay lamp makers of Visakhapatnam ,Andhra Pradesh, are doing brisk business ahead of Diwali.
On the occasion of Diwali, people decorate their homes (http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/246932#) with lights, flowers, and earthen lamps.



However in Visakhapatnam there seems to be more awareness towards the protection of environment and they look forward to light their homes with earthen diyas (lamps).
This time potters from Rajasthan flocked to the southern city as the demand for the Rajasthani earthen lamps is on the rise.
"For the last three months we were making it (clay items) in Rajasthan and we are here for the past one month," said Asha, a road side vendor.
Moreover, many corporate schools in the city had trained students (http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/246932#) in making 'diyas' by appointing a potter in their school premises and later distributed the diyas.
"The motto behind this is eco-friendship which is based totally on environment. Nowadays you can hardly see any of us buy the man made diyas (lamps) and we are going and buying these plastic diyas which are harmful and totally against the environment," said Santhi, a schoolteacher.
It was a delight for the children to watch (http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/246932#) the potter turn the wheel to make the 'diyas' (earthen lamps).
Across the state dozens of diyas designed in the moulds of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi had become immensely popular. Here the Rajasthani families gave a new dimension to clay and turned them into a decorative and artistic pieces.
The potters displayed exemplary artistic skills as they made innovative pieces from clay like a hand holding the lamp, a woman carrying diyas, or an elephant with a bulk of diyas on its back.
The terracotta pots from Rajasthan have a contemporary look. As the festival nears, the families sit throughout the day adding embellishments to the serried rows of terracotta diyas in myriad shapes.
It is customary for the Hindus in north and western India to buy new clothes, household items, sweets, decorative lights and firecrackers on this occasion.
Diwali, which falls on October 26 this year, is celebrated with great fervour and gaiety all over India as it marks the return of Hindu god Lord Ram to Ayodhya in northern India after he defeated Ravana, the powerful king of Lanka.
Legend says millions of lamps were lit when Lord Ram returned after 14 years of exile in forests and after he defeated Ravana.
Diwali is also celebrated in honour of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is believed that Lakshmi, signifying prosperity, comes into those homes that are clean and well-lit.(ANI)

GVMC plan to fight pollution

The GVMC is planning to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) produced from the solid waste in the city to reduce vehicular pollution caused by carbon monoxide emissions.

After a study by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and IIT, Delhi, it has been found that Visakhapatnam is environmentally sustainable along with three other cities for implementation of various measures to reduce pollution. About 60 per cent of the 1,000 tons of garbage could be converted into CNG. By its general body resolution, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has decided to hand over the SWM management to Ramki Enviro Engineers. Visakhapatnam is among the four cities selected all over the country and the only from South India for aid by UNDP for reducing carbon monoxide emissions. The other three cities are: Ludhiana, Patna, and Nagpur.

Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu told reporters on Monday that the GVMC would insist that the CNG produced from garbage and fertilizer etc. should be sold to the civic body. However, no decision has yet been taken on the technology and machinery to be used.

Besides, a strategy to fight the pollution caused by the Visakhapatnam Port is also being worked out. Some of those staying very close to the port will be shifted to other places so as to develop green belt.


HINDU (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article2569377.ece)

Source: Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Plantation-drive-in-Vizag/articleshow/10636839.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: To expand green cover in the port city, the civic authorities are planning to plant more than 50 lakh saplings at a cost of Rs 5 crore in the next five years.

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (Vuda) would jointly take up this drive and distribute saplings to citizens. Vizag was listed among the top pollution generating cities in the country by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and a moratorium on new industries was imposed one-and-a-half years ago with an aim to bring down the rising pollution levels.

The authorities would supply four saplings to each house in the greater city limits. For effective implementation, GVMC would set up street committees in all the 72 wards. The council would meet on November 9 for this. Sources said the council would also evolve policies to take the campaign among the residents. Each street committee would consist of senior citizens, youth and representatives of voluntary organizations led by the local corporator.

The committee would take care of planting, sanitation, streetlights and others. "The corporation would deal with financial matters," GVMC commissioner B Ramanjaneyulu said. He said creating awareness among the people and encouraging them to plant saplings would be one of the first campaigns to be taken up by GVMC.

Meet soon on Vizag airport

The Visakhapatnam MP and the minister of State for Human Resource Development, Ms D. Purandeswari, is likely to conduct a special meet in the second week of December with 100 VIPs, including CEOs of various industries and companies across the city, to take suggestions and feedback from them to develop Vizag airport.

read more: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/meet-soon-vizag-airport-575

GVMC plans free parking lots

To overcome the parking space crunch in the city, GVMC is planning to open free parking lots in vacant sites.

“Such sites are being identified to open them up for parking. If owners co-operate vacant land exemption will be given for such sites,” Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu told reporters on Monday.

read more: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2671146.ece

Vizag port’s cargo traffic touches 48 m tonnes

The Visakhapatnam port handled 47.9 million tonnes of cargo till the end of November during the current financial year as against 43.9 million tonnes during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of four million tonnes

read more: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article2678010.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy

Naval Day Celebrations at Visakhapatnam

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Naval war exercises leave people spellbound

The display of three-dimensional warfare capability of the Indian Navy from the picturesque beach road of the city enthralled thousands of weekend revellers on Sunday.

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00855/04_RPB_01_Navy_Day__855853e.jpg

read more:- http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article2687889.ece

VUDA to have new office complex (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2720168.ece)

VUDA proposes a new premises for its exclusive office accommodation in an area of 2,030 square metres available adjacent to the existing building at Siripuram junction.

Vice-Chairman Kona Sasidhar said the new office accommodation would be a role model for construction activity with state-of-the-art architecture and technical aspects. Green Building concept would be adopted in the construction of the new office complex. In response to VUDA's call for expression of interest from architects for designs for the new building, nine firms from Nagpur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam submitted proposals. A committee of experts has been formed to scrutinize and finalise the design for the new building.

A meeting was held on Thursday to conduct the preliminary screening of the proposals submitted by the firms. While addressing the expert committee and the representatives of the firms, Mr. Sasidhar said VUDA intended to act as a leading force in implementation of building guidelines and the new building should showcase it. The new premises has been proposed with grand entrance, space for all wings of VUDA, information kiosks, digital library, spacious parking, user-friendly amenities to visitors, measures for energy efficiency etc. The expert committee would take up two-stage scrutiny to finalise the architect. The Chairman of AP Chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects D.T. Vinod Kumar is the chairman of the expert committee.

Head of the Department of Architecture, Andhra University, G. Viswanadha Kumar, senior Professor of Economics R. Sudarshana Rao, senior architect Y. Narasimha Rao, and VUDA Chief Engineer I. Viswanatha Rao were among the members. VUDA Chief Urban Planner R.J. Vidyullatha is the member- convener.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/intl-flightvizag-likelyjan-15/459780/

Visakhapatnam airport is likely to get its first international flight from January 15. After expanding the existing airport, the Airports Authority of India has created all facilities like customs and immigration to handle international passengers.

Air passengers of this region currently depend on other airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad for international services, said Varada Reddy, president of Air Travelers Association of India.

Initially, Air India would operate its international flight from Vizag to Dubai via Hyderabad from January 15. During the last calendar year, 750,000 passengers used Vizag airport, of which about 30 per cent were international passengers. This year the number is set to touch over 900,000, KS Rao, director, Vizag airport, told Business Standard. At present, 38 domestic flight services operate from the airport daily.
In view of the increase in air passengers from here, the government has sanctioned another aerobridge, which will cost the airport Rs 3-4 crore, Rao said.

The airport now has two aerobridges with provision for four aerobridges. The civil aviation ministry has given in-principal approval to start the second international flight service from Vizag to Singapore via Madurai from March 2012, Reddy said.

International airlines like Silk Airways and Air Arabia have evinced interest in starting flights from Vizag.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/More-domestic-flights-from-Vizag/articleshow/11867172.cms

VISAKHAPATNAM: Two more flights would be available for air passengers from next month as Indigo Airlines is planning to commence its operations from the port city. Indigo will launch Chennai-Vizag-Bhubaneswar-Kolkata flight on March 7. The flight would land at Vizag at 8.35 am and the return service from Bhubaneswar would land at 2.40 pm before flying off to Chennai. Another flight on Delhi-Hyderabad-Vizag-Hyderabad-Delhi sector is set to operate from March 7. With this, the flight services from Visakhapatnam airport will reach 40 a day.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2927957.ece

Canara Bank Chairman-cum-Managing Director S. Raman has said that women from Andhra Pradesh were leading the Self Help Group (SHG) movement in the country and the local SHG women in 100 per cent loan recovery.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, he said that the local SHG women would be projected as role models for their counterparts. The Canara Bank considers lending to SHG women as the most viable proposition in view of their track record in repayment of community and individual loans.

The CMD observed that the SHG women were ushering in a silent economic revolution through the success of their movement Women had already proved themselves as good home managers and their efficiency and house hold experience is reflected in the self help movement, he added.

Canara Bank had given Rs. 1,000 crores for the women groups in the State and Rs. 150 crore in the district in the 2011-12 financial year. The bank succeeded in recovering Rs. 2,100 crore from the non-performing assets last fiscal and was expecting to recover Rs. 2,400 crores in the current year. Asked to comment on the impression that the SHG women were using the loans more for redeeming themselves from the clutches of private money lenders and less for economic activity, he replied that the suggestion was partly true. Later, Mr. Raman also participated in a meeting with SHG women organised by the bank at the Andhra University Assembly Hall. He formally launched the bank linkage of 1600 women groups spread in the nine coastal districts of Andhra involving 16,000 women with a credit amount of Rs. 30 crore. He gave away cheques to the women groups on the occasion.

Canara Bank deputy general manager S. Krishnan, in his report on the bank's performance, said that 104 branches were operating in Visakhapatnam circle with a total registered business of Rs. 5,323 crore inclusive Rs. 2,667 crore deposits and advances to the tune of Rs.2,656 crore. Out of the total advances, Rs. 2028 crore was for priority sector and Rs.1,310 crore for agriculture and Rs. 542 crore for medium and small industries. The bank was instrumental in the formation of 37,236 groups in the state, he said.

Mr. Raman also inaugurated the new circle office in the city.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article2967610.ece

As Visakhapatnam is gearing up for the international flight operations from its airport from March 25 to Dubai, the low budget carrier —Indigo — is likely to introduce Vizag-Singapore-Vizag flights from April.

The introduction of this route would immensely help the people in the coastal Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining Chhattisgarh and Odisha belts as they can catch connecting flights to the U.S and Australia/New Zealand from Singapore by going via Visakhapatnam instead of travelling all the way to Chennai or Hyderabad to catch an international flight.

According to Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology T. Subbarami Reddy, the initial glitches in the operation of the international flight from Visakhapatnam to Dubai by the national carrier Air India had been sorted out after he took up the matter with the Defence, Home, Civil Aviation and the Director of Intelligence Bureau on Monday and Tuesday.

“Now everything is clear and the first flight to Dubai from Visakhapatnam will be flagged off on March 25 by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh at Visakhapatnam,” Mr. Reddy said.

As there are a lot of investments made in the steel city and the adjoining districts, with the help of the Singapore government, the direct flight to Singapore might be useful in bringing in more investments to the north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Mr. Reddy said he had plans to bring the Singapore Prime Minister to Visakhapatnam during his next visit to India adding that he had had a meeting a few days ago in this regard with the Singapore High Commissioner for India Karen Tan.

Presently, the administrative control of the Vizag airport, including the air traffic control, comes under the Indian Navy's air station INS Dega and the integrated new terminal of the airport was inaugurated on February 20, 2009.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article2994228.ecev

All municipalities must endeavour to achieve service level benchmarks defined for local bodies, Project Director of Andhra Pradesh Municipal Development Project Katamaneni Bhaskar has said.

Addressing a workshop for municipal commissioners, engineers and public health officials of four districts here on Tuesday, he said the bench mark has 28 indicators- nine each for water supply and sewerage, eight for solid waste management and two for storm water drainage.

All civic bodies must try to achieve them by providing 135 litres per day per head of treated water, sewage treatment duly linking toilets and 100 per cent solid waste management. Visakhapatnam Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu said while maintaining service levels, officials should be ready to accept responsibility without passing the buck.

Regional Directors P. Ashajyoti and Rajendra Prasad, GVMC additional commissioners S. Krishna Murthy, K. Ramesh and P. Poornachandra Rao and civic officials from the North Coastal and East Godavari districts participated.

Vizag abounds with medicinal plant (http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/article3341955.ece)

Kalmegh, a herbal plant known by its scientific name as Andrographis Paniculata of Acanthaceae family, is one of the 32 medicinal plants in high demand all over the world. The plant is abundantly found in the agency areas of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts. The rich potential of the medicinal resource could not be tapped until recently for want of technical know-how and absence of market linkages. Locally it is also called as ‘neelavemu and adavi mirchi'.

It is a herb used in siddha and ayurvedic medicine for multi-clinical applications.

Kalmegh grows erect to a height of 30 to 100 cm in moist and shady places. The slender stem is dark green. It is an erect annual herb extremely bitter in taste in all parts of the plant body. It is native to India, China and Southeast Asia. The square stem has wings on the angles of new growth and is enlarged at the nodes while the small flowers are borne on a spreading panicle. It is widely cultivated in Asia. The above ground parts are collected in the fall. The genetic variability of the species has been examined. The plant is known in north-eastern India as Maha-tita, literally “king of bitters” and also known as Buhi-neem meaning ‘neem of the ground' since the plant, though being a small annual herb, has a similar strong bitter taste as that of large neem tree.

It is known for its exceptional ability to protect the liver, brain and heart, the three major organs that embody the body, heart and spirit complex of shaman ritualistic medicine.

Recent findings indicated that the application of Kalmeg properties resulted in shortened duration and reduced symptoms of cold. A mere 3-6 grams of the dried herb when used daily, showed a marked reduction in cold symptoms whether eaten raw or made into tea. The plant extract also has anti-typhoid and anti-fungal properties and is also reported to possess anti-hepatoxic, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties to mention a few. Its general use as an immuno-stimulant agent in upper respiratory tract infections and HIV infection and decoction of the plant as a blood purifier is also well known. The herb has been primarily used for liver complaints and to reduce fevers in the traditional medicines of India and China as well as for bitter tonic properties. The potential of andrographolides as an anti-cancer agent is being investigated. Recently 3,160 kg of Kalmegh had been procured and sold to Bangalore based firm, Natural Remedies Private Limited, by Adavithalli Girijan Mahila MAC society of Chintapaka village in Ananthagiri mandal in the district.

The tribal farmers could get Rs.27.50 per kg. The society is planning to give bonus to the Kalmegh collectors. Kovel Foundation, an NGO was instrumental in the training of tribal people in scientific collection and processing packaging practices and on harvesting and post-harvesting practices.

Swine flu screening centres to come up in Vizag Agency (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/swine-flu-screening-centres-come-vizag-agency-642)

Suspecting the spread of the swine flu in tribal areas of the district, medical and health department officials geared up to set up swine flu screening centres at Araku Valley and Paderu.



Suspecting the spread of the swine flu in tribal areas of the district, medical and health department officials geared up to set up swine flu screening centres at Araku Valley and Paderu.

Swine flu has been creating panic in Visakhapatn-am district for the past few weeks and chances of spre-ading to tourism spots like Araku Valley and Paderu in the district are high.

District medical and health officer, G. Savithri, said that many tourists fr-om AP, Odisha and West Bengal have been thronging Araku Valley and Pade-ru to beat the summer which would give scope to spread swine flu at those areas. In Visakhapatnam district, six swine flu scree-ning centres have been functioning, including five, under the city limits and one at Anakapalle. Now the medical and health officials ready to set up the swine flu screening centres even in the tribal areas.

District swine flu coordinator, LBSH Devi, said the H1N1 virus has turned act-ive in the last week of Mar-ch and has been spreading in April due to climate change. There are chances that the H1N1 virus will spread further in the city and others parts of the district. Devi said they supplied medicines for both categories of swine flu if it spreads in tribal areas.

Before setting up the swine flu screening centres at tribal areas there is urgent need to appoint chest physicians.

So far six swine flu confirmed cases have been reported in the district and a 23-year-old pregnant woman of Gajuwaka area died of the disease recently.

Heritage lovers revisit the ancient glory of Vizag (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3331530.ece)

GVMC Commissioner says the greatest heritage in the world is the Indian family system

It was an enlightening evening not only for students but also the guests, who attended the World Heritage Day celebrations organised jointly by The Hindu and Pollocks School in association with Visakha Museum on Wednesday.

The exhibition of pictures of ‘ancient town', taken in the pre-Independent era and the early years of Independence, gave heritage-lovers a glimpse of the ancient glory of Visakhapatnam. The picture of the aesthetically built houses and the architectural splendour of the ancient buildings on the Beach Road, launch of ‘Jala Usha' and visits of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore and The Mahatma passing by Visakhapatnam in a train were some of the rare pictures on display which are sure to leave a lasting impression on the visitors, particularly the students.

Addressing the students on the occasion, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu said that the greatest heritage in the world was the Indian family system and values. The strength of India lay in its vast human resources and youth were its greatest asset. “We worship trees and wildlife and nature and do not harm even snakes, under normal circumstances”. He spoke of the man-made heritage structures as also the natural formations like ‘Erramatti Dibbalu'. He called upon youth not to ask what the country has given to them but to think of what they could do for the nation. He recalled the contribution of The Hindu in promoting the spirit of nationalism in the pre and post Independent era.

A retired professor of History and Archaeology of Andhra University Kolluru Suryanarayana recalled the contribution of foreigners like Max Mueller, Sir Arthur Cotton and C.P. Brown to the upholding and preservation of Indian culture and traditions.

Referring to various archaeological evidences, he said that Visakhapatnam was a part of Kalinga empire and was originally not a part of Andhra.

The Buddhist heritage sites that were found in and around the city and district bear ample testimony of the importance of the region as a centre of trade.

Though all the history books refer to the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 as the ‘First war of Indian Independence', a Sepoy Mutiny, which took place in 1780 in Visakhapatnam was the ‘First war of Indian Independence' and this was mentioned in the British Records.

INTACH member Sohan Hatangadi gave a presentation on “A brief introduction to India's heritage', INTACH member Prasad spoke on “INTACH and its objectives and activities” and INTACH member Kumar spoke on ‘Vizag – down memory lane'.

Visakha Museum Curator Patrudu, Regional General Manager of The Hindu T.V. Suresh, Pollocks School Correspondent Sandeep and Vice Principal Rajini Chitra participated.

Earlier, an ‘awareness walk' was flagged off by the Deputy Inspector General (Visakha Range) Soumya Mishra. She impressed upon the participants to safeguard India's rich and varied heritage, which has stood the test of time.

Tap removal plan draws flak (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/tap-removal-plan-draws-flak-735)

Thousands of city residents, who mainly depend on public taps for drinking water, are now worried over officials’ plans to remove them in the city to check the water misuse besides promoting 24x7 water supply scheme. Officials maintain that all alternative measures are being taken to render justice to such people.


Thousands of city residents, who mainly depend on public taps for drinking water, are now worried over officials’ plans to remove them in the city to check the water misuse besides promoting 24x7 water supply scheme. Officials maintain that all alternative measures are being taken to render justice to such people.

Government had annou-nced a house tap connection at Rs.1,225 for every below-poverty-line (BPL) family with a white ration card. However, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) did not succeed in implementing it.

Officials tried to give connections for an initial payment of Rs.200 with remaining payments on instalment, but this too failed in 2009.

Officials now wanted to complete the project before elections to the corporation in a couple of months.

“They could not implement the project due to corporators who objected to it on several occasions. This is the right time to finish the works before they come to power. Vizag will be the first city in the state if it succeeds in implementing the 24x7 water supply scheme in full swing by removing public taps,” a senior official felt.

Speaking to this newspaper, Telugu Desam city president and former corporator Kona Tata Rao said that the corporation was spending nearly 16 per cent of its funds on water supply works, but failed to check misuse of water.

Unveiling Vizag (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/242054/unveiling-vizag.html)

Though the city of Visakhapatnam had been passed through many times before, never had it occurred to me that this industrial city is also a destination of tourist interest and has quite a few sights of its own. It was a discovery of sorts when we actually landed there recently, on a small tour of the district and its surroundings.

Visakhapatnam, known as Waltair in colonial times, and Vizag for short, is an upcoming metropolis, home to many an industrial giant and dominated by an expansive natural harbour. With a few pristine beaches dotting the city, it is no wonder that Vizag is nicknamed “Goa of the east.”

As if to familiarise us with Vizag as a beach city, we were taken to the Rushikonda Beach Resort, one of the best options for accommodation, some 14 km off the city. The resort is built on Rushikonda Hill, overlooking the beach in such a way that all of its 57 rooms have balconies with a lovely view of the sea. Having reached by late evening, the balcony view was all we could have a taste of on the first day.

At dawn, the real beauty of the place opened up. The vast stretch of blue sea spread out before us with a curved bay lined with gentle hills and profuse greenery. Enthralled by a stroll along the cool beach, we embarked on the sights we had marked out for the day.

We had discovered a well-defined Buddhist circuit in this part of the state. Nearby hills held ancient relics, stupas and viharas. The first hill we visited was Totlakonda. A welcome arch leads the way up the hill, and at the top, we explored a few abandoned small tanks used to store water.

A line of cells where the Buddhist monks resided has been reduced to the base. A large stupa stands in the centre, though dilapidated. Numerous flowers and birds of many varieties make the visit refreshing. We moved on to Bhavikonda, a similar site close by with remains of stupas and a mahastupa.

“Buddha’s jaw bone was excavated here,” remarked our guide, and is now kept in the museum at Hyderabad. After a quick visit to the pilgrim town of Simhachalam, famed for the Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple, we came back for lunch which, surprisingly, was not spicy.

The afternoon was spent visiting a couple of museums; a maritime museum named Visakha and the submarine museum Kursura, the only one of its kind in the country. There are some fine beaches here as well, but a tad bit too crowded. As evening was drawing to a close, we took the ropeway lift to Kailasagiri Hill, another enchanting spot in Vizag.

True to its name, the hilltop has the statue of Shiva-Parvathi. The several vista points here offer stunning panoramic views of the sea and the city.

The last day was marked to visit Sankaram, another historic site of Buddhist relics dating back to 1st century AD. Here, the Bojjanakonda hill, reached by a flight of steep steps, has a fine rock-cut temple with images in its niches. A huge ruining stupa is also found on top.

The
opposite hill with a collection of stupas that look like lingas has earned it the name of Lingalakonda.
Ross Hill, which is closer to the harbour, is actually a cluster of three little hillocks, where a temple, a mosque and a chapel exist. The views of the harbour and ships on the sea are eye-catching. After an enjoyable boat ride on the sea, we made it to the Dolphin’s Nose, a large rocky hill in the shape of a snout, extending into the sea.

It is this feature that has made the natural harbour possible and the shipping industry thrive. Driving back along the sea beaches to the comfort of the resort, the visit to Vizag culminated with a dinner overlooking the sea.

‘MMTC bucked the trend and achieved 35% growth’ (http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/MMTC-bucked-the-trend-and-achieved-35-growth/Article1-844669.aspx)

MMTC has been in the bullion trade since 1988 and over the years has transformed itself into one of the largest bullion importers in the subcontinent. As part of its commitment to bullion industry, MMTC hosted its first 'Festival of Gold' exhibition in 1994 in Delhi. While the Festival of Gold


exhibition in Delhi has become a biannual affair (around Akshay Tritiya and Diwali), MMTC has taken the Festival of Gold to other cities also such as Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai. Ved Prakash, Director, Marketing, MMTC, spoke to Hindustan Times on a range of issues. Excerpts:
How was MMTC's bullion business in 2011-12?
Overall MMTC achieved a turnover of approx. Rs. 45,000 crore in the bullion sector. Imports were reflective of market trends wherein during the period April-October 2011, there was phenomenal growth. After October 2011, due to weakening rupee against the dollar and economic factors related to Eurozone, imports were on decline. There was also customs duty hike in January 2012 followed by another hike in March 2012, resulting in lower off take of gold and silver by the industry.

What's the target for retail sales and growth in 2012-13?
Bucking the trend, MMTC's retail precious metals business has achieved around 35% growth in last fiscal. Growth has been substantial in retail sales of silverware, silver/gold medallions and gold jewellery. Exhibitions have contributed significantly to the value chain of MMTC. An ambitious growth target of over 25 per cent is planned for retail products during 2012-13 over the previous year's sales of around R650 crore.

Elaborate on the current scenario of high prices of gold versus strategy for growth consolidation in precious metals.
Post customs duty hike and low margins, MMTC is reviewing the consignment model for bullion. Efforts are concentrated on targeting corporate/institutional manufacturers and offering value added services. MMTC is also coordinating with its joint ventures for offering refined gold and silver bars in different denominations. In line with customer preferences, MMTC is also introducing coloured silver pendants with superior quality finish hitherto unavailable in Indian market.

What are your major plans for Akshay Tritiya 2012?
Gold is the central theme of Akshay Tritiya. Originating in the south, the culture and flavour of this festival has now a pan-India presence with familial and cultural binds being the unifying theme for celebrations of prosperity with gold and silver. The exhibition is being held at Hyatt Regency from April 21 to April 25, 2012. Jewellery from all regions of the country will be showcased here under a single roof. In line with customer preferences, new trendy fashion jewellery for the youth is an added attraction.

What is MMTC's focus in the retail sector?
We see a big opportunity to meet people's demand in the jewellery and bullion sector. We are expanding our footprints in some new terrains. Recently during Ugadi, we had our first Festival of Gold exhibition in Vizag that received tremendous response. Our customers have responded positively to our commitment to give them hallmarked products guaranteed for purity. We stand firm on this commitment. We will be opening around five more MMTC Jewels exclusive showrooms in Delhi/NCR and planning another showroom in Goa, as well as Vizag in the days to come. Through IPL, (Indian Potash Limited), two more showrooms are planned for Patna and Lucknow.

CRZ: No checks on ground water usage (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/crz-no-checks-ground-water-usage-570)

After authorities miserably failed to control the rampant use of ground water by various commercial establishments, star hotels, residential apartments, a group of local NGOs and voluntary orga-nisations approached the High Court and filed a public interest litigation (PIL) recently. The case that came up for hearing on Monday was posted after four weeks for hearing.

After authorities miserably failed to control the rampant use of ground water by various commercial establishments, star hotels, residential apartments, a group of local NGOs and voluntary orga-nisations approached the High Court and filed a public interest litigation (PIL) recently. The case that came up for hearing on Monday was posted after four weeks for hearing.

Meanwhile, the court also issued notices to around 30 respondents to give their opinion.

There are more than 100 apartments, around four-star hotels, beach resorts across the city in the coastline between Vizag port and Rushikonda.

Petitioners felt that commercial establishments and star hotels have taken up digging of borewells and extraction of ground water between the high tide line (HTL) to 500 metres in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

They alleged that ordinary, natural wells along the coastline from Vizag port to Rushikonda have dried up and people are suffering for drinking water. Experts also point out that groundwater has been overdrawn in Vizag and there was no scope for recharge which was causing sea water ingress, and increasing salinity of gro-und water. “For the last six months, we have been making representations, bringing all these issues to the notice of Vuda, GVMC, tourism department and district collector. As they failed to take any steps, we had to approach the High Court,” said Mr Karajada Krishna of a Better City of Destiny & Economically Weaker Section Welfare Association.

In a recent communication by GVMC to one of the petitioners, it admitted that there are borewells dug against CRZ norms. After inspection, several notices were also issued to seize the borewells and the owners were instructed to take drinking water from the GVMC, paying necessary charges. Action would also be initiated as per the WALTA Act, said GVMC’s water supply superintendent engineer Surya Jyothi.

India Inc puts its might behind innovations (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/india-inc-puts-its-might-behind-innovations/472858/)

It is a problem that confronts most steel makers, but few have been able to work round it. The one who has is Tata Steel. The Rs 29,396-crore steel major is piloting a technology at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh that will help it reduce wastage when it removes the ash content from coal mines. The issue can be put in perspective when the ash content in Indian coal is noted: it is almost 35 per cent, which makes it unusable as a raw material for steel. To tide over this problem, most steel makers import high-grade coal from countries such as Australia. Tata Steel, which was feted for its technology at the 2012 edition of Tata Innovista (awards that recognise innovations within the Tata Group), is looking to cut imports once it is commercialised in three to four years.

The Mumbai-headquartered company, whose largest plant is located at Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, is not the only one to be devoting its attention to break-through technology of late. Information technology company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has rolled out a new software for farmers in Maharashtra and Gujarat that allows them to have easy access to information that counts, whether it is about the arrival of the monsoons, soil quality or pest control. Called Samriddh Krishi, TCS has collaborated with Tata Chemicals for the project, and the rollout, according to R Gopalakrishnan, director, Tata Sons, will be expanded over time.

Here is another example of clutter-breaking work: Tata Chemicals, the maker of Tata Salt, the largest table salt in India, has just launched an iron fortified salt. Now table salt is packed with iodine, which is a vital nutrient. But recognising that Indians also grapple with the problem of iron deficiency, the agro-chemical major tied up with the Hyderabad-based National Insitute of Nutrition to launch Tata Salt Plus this month. “This is the first time that an iron-fortified salt has been launched in India,” points out Gopalakrishnan.
The work that group companies within the Rs 4.15-lakh-crore (or $83-billion) Tata conglomerate are doing is part of a system that was put in place almost seven years ago. Recognising the need to harness creative ideas and solutions, the group formed a total quality management services division under holding company Tata Sons that, among other things, actively promotes innovations.

The group, which is eying a turnover of Rs 26 lakh crore (or $500 billion) by 2020, also instituted the Innovista Awards to help recognise good innovations. Besides this, the group also attempted to recognise those innovations that dared to try, basically ideas, which though attempted seriously, turned out to be failures.

The result of all this is a 28-fold increase in the number of entries from 2006 (the entries then were 101) to now. The participating countries have also expanded from one, namely India, to 25 including the US, UK, Europe, etc. But this is only one aspect of the culture of innovations that the Tatas have been looking to foster. Thanks to the emphasis on creative thinking, which is also part of the appraisal system of line managers, the ecosystem, says Gopalakrishnan, has seen nearly 6,000 ideas and 11,000 innovation projects over the last seven years. Of this, nearly 43 per cent has come from line managers working in Tata group companies abroad.

While the total R&D spends by the Tata group is just three per cent of its turnover at Rs 12,500 crore spread mainly across Tata Steel, Tata Motors and TCS, the group, says Gopalakrishnan, is counting on more companies to come up with clutter-busting work. The signs are visible: At the Innovista Awards this year, entries came from a total of 71 companies out of 91 that make up the group. The number of failures, which qualified for the Dare to Try category, also grew from 12 in 2006 to 87.

Summer camps become money-spinners in Vizag (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/summer-camps-become-money-spinners-vizag-105)

Institutions conducting summer camps for students are collecting exorbitant fees in the name of camps where nothing much is taught. The main aim of the institutions seems to be promoting self interests rather than recreation or skill upgradation of the children.

Institutions conducting summer camps for students are collecting exorbitant fees in the name of camps where nothing much is taught. The main aim of the institutions seems to be promoting self interests rather than recreation or skill upgradation of the children.

With the onset of summer. a variety of camps spring up, taking advantage of accommodation available as all schools and colleges are closed for more than a month. The very purpose of closing educational institutions is to provide respite and relief to teachers, students and office-goers. But many institutions conduct summer camps where orientation is given in the fields of sports, music, dance, yoga, spoken English, computer courses, and many more. There is no proper regulation of such institutes and no control over how they function, how much they charge, etc.

A spoken English coaching centre in the RTC complex area has been charging Rs.1,000-Rs.2,000 for a batch of 30- day coaching, said a resident of MVP Colony area.

Some coaching centres act as informal agents of a particular school or college.

APIIC issues notices to six software companies (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article3371152.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

VISAKHAPATNAM, APRIL 30:
The AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) has issued notices to six software companies which have failed to establish the proposed projects within the stipulated period.

Sources said the APIIC had cancelled sometime ago allotments made to four companies including Wipro at Rushikonda. Sources said 9.65 acres allotted to Wipro was cancelled for not grounding any work. The amount paid towards the land was also refunded.

For various reasons, it is said, the software companies are unable to start work on the projects at Rushikonda. Two hillocks have been set up apart for the software companies, but the infrastructural facilities are inadequate and the companies are reluctant to start operations there due to the lack of transport facilities and telecommunication facilities. Initially, the companies were told that the land would be sold to them outright, but subsequently they were converted to special economic zones. The two SEZs are plagued by a plethora of problems.

Even though the experience at Rushikonda was not very happy, the State Government proposed another IT SEZ at Gambhe eram village near the city. The IT Special Economic Zone was developed in 20.76 hectares for allotment after the Ministry of Commerce issued a notification in April 2009. Though provisional allotment letters were issued to six companies for setting up software units, none has come forward to take up work on the project.

Only a few companies such as Symbiosis have set up units at Rushikonda and fulfilled the obligation of providing employment to 100 persons for every acre of land taken from the Government.

Nice to see Vizag in SSC. I wish some of the forumers from Vizag give us more info on the infrastructure, real estate and other developments from there. Looking forward to it.

Nice to see Vizag in SSC. I wish some of the forumers from Vizag give us more info on the infrastructure, real estate and other developments from there. Looking forward to it.

I wish to see this too. But unfortunately not many from Vizag are active on the forums at the moment :(

VUDA board likely to meet on May 8 (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3373374.ece)

The board meeting of VUDA is likely to take place on May 8. It will take up for discussion about 40 to 45 subjects, including master plan roads taken up and proposed at a total cost of Rs.44 crore, besides the jogging track getting ready and the rebuilding of children theatre.

A proposal for adopting common planning rules for all urban authorities will be discussed and sent to the government.

PROBLEMS

VUDA's problems including the tax notice slapped on it by the Income Tax Department and Harita housing project that ran into problems and legal hurdles for which VUDA hired legal experts and audit of accounts will also be part of the agenda.

The meeting will take up for discussion the paucity of staff VUDA is facing and urge the government to depute staff from related departments, say sources.

It is also likely to witness a presentation on a new project for a novel auditorium atop Kailasagiri.

APIIC V-C and MD B.R. Meena, the district Collectors of the north coastal and East Godavari, GVMC Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu and the Director of Town and Country Planning are expected to participate.

VUDA Vice-Chairman Kona Sasidhar will discuss the agenda with Chairman and Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, B. Sam Bob, on Wednesday.

Satyajit Ray festival concludes (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3386931.ece)

Every budding filmmaker should study Satyajit Ray's films to gain an insight into the process of making meaningful films, said cinematographer and director M.V. Raghu at the valedictory of the three-day film festival on Satyajit Ray, held at Visakha Public Library on Friday.

The festival was organised by Vizag Film Society (VFS) in association with Bengali Association on the occasion of the maestro's 91 birth anniversary. The cinematographer pointed out that though Ray hailed from Bengal, he was a global figure and made India proud. “The unique part is that Satyajit Ray produced masterpieces during a period when the Indian film industry was seriously handicapped of both technology and finances,” said Raghu.

The three-day festival began with the screening of Pather Panchali and concluded with Apur Sansar. “The idea was to cover Ray's Apur's trilogy during the festival. Ray is an iconic figure and we intend to cover more of his films. We are working to organise a children's film festival based on the films that Ray made for children such as Sonar Kela,” said the Secretary of the society Narava Prakasa Rao.

The President of Bengali Association U. Panchali Banerjee pointed out that Ray was a perfectionist and his films were thought provoking. Joint Secretary of VFS P.V. Ramana spoke on the occasion.

Vizag will become world-class station: Mukul Roy (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3386932.ece)

Railway Minister Mukul Roy has said that the Ministry has not received any proposals to resolve the problems being faced by Waltair Division of East Coast Railway.

Members of the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone Sadhana Samithi, formed with representatives of various political parties with the objective of seeking the setting up of a separate railway zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters, met the Railway Minister in New Delhi on Friday and drew his attention to the long-pending demand for the establishment of a separate zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters.

The delegation was led by Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari who represents Visakhapatnam in the Lok Sabha.

The delegation also impressed upon Mr. Mukul Roy the need to set up a Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), introduction of special trains, re-routing of trains being diverted via Duvvada to Visakhapatnam, and running of an additional train to Araku to tap the tourist potential.

“The Railway Minister responded positively to the demands.

He, however, said that he was unaware of the problems as no proposals were received from the East Coast Railway Headquarters regarding the issues raised. He said that the GM would be directed to meet the Union Minister D. Purandeswari, and discuss the issues with her,” Samithi convener J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy (CPI) told The Hindu on phone from New Delhi.

The Railway Minister announced that steps would be taken to develop Visakhapatnam as ‘world class station'. A committee would be formed to suggest the reorganisation of various railway zones. He, however, expressed the view that there should be only one zone in each state. He also asked the sadhana samithi leaders to take the issues to the notice of the ECoR. General Manager.

Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal was also present. Samithi leaders Cheruvu Ramakotaiah (BJP), Anurag Kejriwal (Lok Satta) and K.V.K. Krishna Rao of Delhi Andhra Association were among those who were in the delegation.

Fans bat for Test status (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/fans-bat-test-status-026)

Cricket lovers of Vizag and surrounding districts, who enjoyed all formats of cricket except Test Cricket at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA stadium in the port city. Now eagerly waiting Test cricket status for the stadium to watch real cricket.

The stadium, which lies in the outskirts of the city, between two hillocks, had hosted the first match in 2005 and an ODI first time under floodlights in 2010. So far the stadium hosted four ODI matches. In all the matches host India had won. Few weeks back the stadium hosted two matches of Indian Premier League (IPL).

Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allot test status to the stadium citing that cricket lovers in and around Visakhapatnam have been waiting to watch five-day cricket match at the picturesque stadium.

The BCCI has yet to respond on the request for Test match status to Visakhapatnam stadium in spite of the strong efforts of ACA and VDCA officials for the past few months as the stadium met all the requirements of Interna-tional Cricket Council (ICC), such as flood lights and all modern facilities.

As per the new guidelines of ICC since 2010, ICC would allot world cup cricket matches to stadiums which got test status and should host the required number of test matches.

ACA officials were hoping that the stadium will be conferred test status by the ICC by the end of 2012. Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolk-ata, Mohali and Hydera-bad enjoy Test status while Vizagites are missing joy of test cricket said a cricket lover, N. Tilak Kumar.

D.V. Subba Rao, president of ACA said considering the modern facilities at the stadium it has the necessary infrastructure to host test matches but the BCCI is yet to announce Test status for the stadium.

Mr Subba Rao said they would take all steps to impress the BCCI to allot test matches to Vizag.

Non-clearance of land delays flyover (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/non-clearance-land-delays-flyover-027)

The much awaited 1.6-km long flyover in Vizag is seeing tardy progress. As per estimations, the Rs.88 crore project is supposed to be completed by 2011. But, even the works on service roads were also not completed as on Saturday. Official sources revealed that the flyover is being delayed due to failure in release of required funds from investors, non-clearance of railway land, non-shifting of overhead power lines and underground BSNL cables, besides Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation’s (GVMC) water pipelines and drainage system works. Clearance of railway land (nearly 6,000 square metres) is big issue to the GVMC to speed-up works. We pleaded railway officials to render justice to the project. However, we got some enthusiastic response from the railway officials in the recent meet, a senior GVMC official said.The flyover is supposed to end near the Institute of Engineers building, which is near the Waltair railway station. However, due to slow progress, Dwarakanagar junction is facing traffic congestion and movement of vehicular traffic is very slow. M. Venkata Rao of Infra Projects Limited was given work order of the first phase at a cost of Rs.63 crore including Rs.12 crore for underpass work in November 2008.


The much awaited 1.6-km long flyover in Vizag is seeing tardy progress. As per estimations, the Rs.88 crore project is supposed to be completed by 2011. But, even the works on service roads were also not completed as on Saturday. Official sources revealed that the flyover is being delayed due to failure in release of required funds from investors, non-clearance of railway land, non-shifting of overhead power lines and underground BSNL cables, besides Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation’s (GVMC) water pipelines and drainage system works. Clearance of railway land (nearly 6,000 square metres) is big issue to the GVMC to speed-up works. We pleaded railway officials to render justice to the project. However, we got some enthusiastic response from the railway officials in the recent meet, a senior GVMC official said.The flyover is supposed to end near the Institute of Engineers building, which is near the Waltair railway station. However, due to slow progress, Dwarakanagar junction is facing traffic congestion and movement of vehicular traffic is very slow. M. Venkata Rao of Infra Projects Limited was given work order of the first phase at a cost of Rs.63 crore including Rs.12 crore for underpass work in November 2008.

In second phase, the flyover was extended by 0.5 km at an additional cost of Rs.25 crore. While admitting the delay in completing the flyover, GVMC chief engineer, Mr Jayaramreddy told this newspaper, “Yes, the project is being delayed. We are making all efforts to complete it by October.”

APIIC moots cancelling land allotments to firms (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/apiic-moots-cancelling-land-allotments-to-firms/255466-60-114.html)

VISAKHAPATNAM: The district administration and zonal office of Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd. (APIIC) is preparing a draft note on industrial development.
The objective is to identify entrepreneurs who are not setting up their units in the lands they purchased from the government.
Several companies bought acres of land at Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for cheaper prices from APIIC for establishing industrial units and IT organisations.
However, except for a few, majority of them didn’t set up the units till date and some of them didn’t lay foundation even after five years of purchasing the land.
According to the pact inked with the government, the companies should offer employment opportunities to the locals.
A few companies at the SEZ in Atchutapuram mandal and those at IT SEZ in Madhurawada did provide job placements but the number was much lesser than what they claimed initially.
In case of Brandix, the company didn’t offer 60,000 jobs as it guaranteed, which did become an issue for the administration.
Surprisingly, the units are not even responding to the notices of the APIIC.
“With the higher officials inquiring about industrial development at the SEZs, we have issued notices to the companies, which however are reluctant to responding to the same.
Even after four years of buying the land here, WIPRO didn’t its operations.
Recently, Minister Balaraju too enquired the ground status of the placements and industrial development,” a senior revenue official working with the APIIC told Express.
In the context, the works on Petroleum, Chemicals and Petro-chemical Investment Regions have come to standstill.

Indian Cos supporting 3 lakh jobs in US: Survey (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indian-cos-supporting--3-lakh-jobs-in-us-survey/255876-60-114.html)

VISAKHAPATNAM:� Indian companies are supporting over three lakh jobs in USA, according to India Business Forum Survey-20112 released by the Confederation of� Indian Industries.
TK Chand, chairman CII ,Vizag Zone and director (commercial) of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, in an interactive session with Consul General of� US, Hyderabad, Katherine S Dhanani here on Monday said that since 2005,� Indian companies have been collectively involved in 72 mergers and acquisitions in the United States, creating thousands of employment opportunities.
Despite economic downturn,� Indian companies in the US increased their turnover and 70 percent of them have increased their number of employees, he said.
Terming Visakhapatnam as a region with tremendous business potential in the state, Chand said that� the city of destiny has� a high-tech steel plant, major and minor ports and more than 14 major industries in oil , power, chemical, IT, ferro-alloy, and pharma sectors. �
Responding to the presentation, Katherine S Dhanani indicated they were interested in trade and investment in the city. She requested the CII chairman� to evolve plans for Exchange of Trade Mission between Visakhapatnam and the US.

Cord blood banking slowly catching up (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/cord-blood-banking-slowly-catching-676)

An alien concept until a few months ago, cord blood and tissue banking is fast catching up in Vizag. Though an expensive affair, expectant parents are not willing to take any risk about their baby’s future and are evincing interest in preserving their child’s umbilical cord blood stem cells for future use.

The regenerative medicine field is the new frontier in medicine where scientists and clinicians alike agree that stem cells found in cord blood are one of the most promising sources for cellular therapy. Cord blood transplants have been performed for patients with genetic or metabolic diseases and have the capability to treat more than 80 diseases. These stem cells are taken from the umbilical cord blood shortly after birth. Once the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut, a nurse or a doctor will collect blood from the cord. Later, they preserve it in a special facility at -1960C with liquid nitrogen. When it is needed, stem cells are thawed and are ready to use in transplant therapy. It was a few inquiries from educated parents from Vizag that prompted Florida-based Cryobanks International India Pvt Ltd to open its office here a year ago. Now Cryobanks has around 220 clients in Vizag alone. Cryobanks collect Rs.75,000 for preserving cord blood for 21 years at its special facility in Delhi. “Over 50 per cent of our clients are from the middle class, 10 per cent from the lower income group and the rest are affluent. Increased awareness among the general public makes them approach us,” said Cryobanks relationship manager, Satish Yemsani.

COO of the newly opened Babycell, Dr Satyen Sanghavi said that they are aggressively rolling out their second phase of expansion plans, and target to increase their presence to 60 cities in the next year.

Dr Radhika, consultant gynaecologist at Manipal Hospital here said that stem cells are already being used to replace other cells in the body that are abnormal or have been destroyed by disease. I believe that regenerative medicine can offer extraordinary medical possibilities to patients in a range of diseases. We also need to help parents understand why it is so important to save their infant’s cord blood, added the gynaecologis.t Global cord blood bankers like Cryobanks, Stemcyte, Lifecell, Babycell have opened their offices in Vizag.

Now Cryobanks alone has around 220 clients in Vizag.

Special buses to Odisha a dream (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/special-buses-odisha-dream-265)

Even after access to better road connectivity of 400-km national highway and a huge rush of passengers including devotees, tourists and workers to Bhubaneswar round the year, timely bus service is still a dream project for APSRTC passengers.



Even after access to better road connectivity of 400-km national highway and a huge rush of passengers including devotees, tourists and workers to Bhubaneswar round the year, timely bus service is still a dream project for APSRTC passengers.

It is learnt that apart from tourism, rapid industrialisation and a real estate boom in Vizag attracting thousands of migrant workers from neighboring Odisha state, many places in Odisha state are prime pilgrimage locations for AP Hindu devotees. Realising the need of addressing the transportation woes of passengers, the East Coast Railway based in Bhabaneswar has made available many train services between these two destinations. Yet, around four trains to Bhubaneswar including the intercity express have not been able to clear the passenger rush from Vizag, particularly during the monsoon and summer.

Speaking to this newspaper, Vizag regional manager of APSRTC Y. Jagadish Babu revealed that no agreement between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha transportation services have been signed to ply bus services from Vizag to Bhubaneswar and return. We have also no proposals in this regard for the coming years, he said. While APSRTC officials agree that there is huge demand of passengers from both destinations, they say that state government is the competent authority to take a decision of plying bus services to out of state locations.

Of Dimsa, green valleys and virgin beaches (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-18/travel/31750553_1_green-valleys-broad-gauge-araku)

Settling among the lovely Eastern Ghats and covered all over with hues of green, rests the cool Araku, a tranquil point, dotted by hills and valleys, and inhabited by 19 tribes

There are several green destinations in south India. However, one that has the best of both the blue and green world is undoubtedly Visakhapatnam, or Vizag as it's fondly called.

Breathtaking valley, beautiful hill ranges, deep blue sea, natural caves, ropeway adventure, virgin lands, rich tribal culture ... Vizag has it all.

Though I love to venture out on my own, I chose to make an exception this time, as I didn't want to miss out on any important locations. After an informal chat with the locals, I learnt that my best bet would be the rail-road tour, conducted by the AP tourism. The package covered pretty much all the hotspots in and around the city - Simhachalam temple, Kailasgiri hillock, Rushikonda beach, Araku valley and Borra caves.

A four-hour enchanting train ride through the green valleys of Araku, which is called the Ooty of Andhra Pradesh for its cool weather and scenic beauty, and I was already smitten with the green hills and the white frosty waterfalls!

Though most hill stations in India runs trains in meter or narrow gauge, this was surprisingly a broad gauge line passing through Shimiliguda station, which is the highest broad gauge station of India (at 996.32 mt above MSL). The best part of the ride is that the train passes through 84 bridges and 58 tunnels. The longest tunnel is 520 metre long.

A bus took me to Kailasagiri hill top park from Araku, that has seven different view points and the famous gigantic statue of Hindu God Shiva Parvati. My next stop was the tribal museum, which gave an insight into the life of an Araku tribe. Tribal women, dressed in their ethnic attire, sang in their local dialect and showed off some traditional dance moves (called Dimsa). On our way to the Borra caves, we did a quick stop at the Ananthagiri coffee plantation grown by the tribals.

The last, but the most interesting halt was at Borra Caves. William King, the British geologist discovered this million-year-old cave, in 1807. The caves, filled with stalagmites and stalactites, are worth million dollars!

Though I did see Simhachalam temple, RK beach and the famous submarine museum at Vizag, the most unforgettable places were definitely the green valleys and the caves.

Vizag Steel CMD inaugurates business meet of HSCL (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/vizag-steel-cmd-inaugurates-business-meet-of-hscl/1000853.html)

Visakhapatnam, May 19 (PTI) Chairman and Managing director of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) A P Choudhary today advised the officers of Hindustan Steel Construction Limited (HSCL) to introspect about their style of functioning. He also suggested to closely monitor the strategies being followed by the competitors. While inaugurating the two-day business meet of construction giant HSCL at Ukkunagarm today, Choudhary said that shrinkage of margins and inadequate ability of resource mobilisation are big challenges before the HSCL collective. "More Supervision and planning is the need of the hour he said," according to a release. He urged the HSCL management to look for more number of potential consortium partners in all the works even at a cost of low margins as they help in increasing the business. He also asked them to develop expertise in other fields like water supply system, crane erection system, which have got high potential market.

RINL, NMDC to ink MoU for Rs 2,200cr slurry pipeline venture (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/RINL-NMDC-to-ink-MoU-for-Rs-2200cr-slurry-pipeline-venture/articleshow/13411592.cms)

NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL) will sign a pact with iron ore miner National Mineral Development Corporation ( NMDC) for a joint venture that aims to set up a 336 km slurry pipeline and a pellet plant with an investment of Rs 2,200 crore.

"The two state-run firms will sign an MoU in the presence of steel minister Beni Prasad Verma here tomorrow.

"As per the agreement, the two will form a joint venture, which will set up the pipeline for transporting fines in the form of slurry from NMDC's Bailadila mine to RINL's Vizag facility where the pellet plant will be located," a source in the know of the development told PTI.

Total investment in the pipeline and the pellet facility will be around Rs 2,200 crore, which will be shared between the two companies depending upon the shareholding structure of the venture, he added.

"All the modalities regarding the shareholding and the investment of the joint venture will be worked out later. It will be done in due course," the source said.

The source said the pipeline will pass through national highways keeping in mind the insurgence problem in the entire stretch and to avoid an Essar like situation.

Ruias-promoted Essar Steel recently said it was considering to reroute its 267-km slurry pipeline from Kirandul in Chhattisgarh to Vizag in Andhra Pradesh in order to avoid disruption.

Fines are to be pumped through slurry pipeline to RINL's Visakhapatnam facility to convert them into pellets. Pellets are key raw materials for sponge iron, which is an essential ingredient for steel making.

The transportation of fines in the form of slurry would reduce RINL's dependence on rail. The usage of pellets would also help the company in improving productivity of the blast furnace. It would also reduce its coke consumption.

The two companies have been discussing the matter for long and on June, 2010, the two decided to join hands for working out modalities, land requirement and equity participation to set up the joint venture.

Sailesh Bolisetti wins in British GT (http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wheels/sailesh-bolisetti-winsbritish-gt_708188.html)

India's Sailesh Bolisetti clinched his maiden win along with teammate Phil Glew in the second race of the British GT on Saturday at the Nurburgring, Germany. The team had earlier finished fifth in the first race . The weekend started on a good note for the Vizag lad with his team doing very well to finish third and first in the two practice sessions. However, during qualifying sessions, Phil and Sailesh had to face some technical issues with the car leading to a not so impressive qualifying.
Team Lotus Sport UK's plans of finishing the first race on podium went awry when Sailesh spun out on the warm-up lap with the car on slicks. This brush with the barriers left the car in a slightly bruised state, something that the team managed to fix just ahead of the race. Sailesh started the race however a slow puncture and a broken side view mirror further added to his woes and impeded progress during the race. After the mandatory pit stop, Phil took over but despite putting in a good stint of driving, he could only manage to take the team to the fifth at the finish.
For the second race, Phil took over the wheel for the opening stint and got to the front, all the while battling the second place Ginetta. He then handed over the car to Sailesh post the 30-minute mark pit stop. Sailesh held onto to the slim lead that he had with the Ginetta in hot pursuit until the latter was forced to retire due to some mechanical issues. When he finally finished, Sailesh was had crossed the finish line 27 seconds ahead of the second Ginetta team.
To win at a track which we've never driven or tested is the cherry on the cake, and it isn't just any other circuit but a place like the Nurburgring which is steeped in motor racing history, quipped Sailesh on the brink of emotions.
The third race of the British GT championship will be held at Rockingham on June 9.

Vizag records highest temperature in 17 years (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3486273.ece)

The city recorded the highest temperature in 17 years when the mercury level soared to 44 degree Celsius at Visakhapatnam Airport on Saturday. The highest temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius recorded earlier was on June 9, 1995. The temperature recorded at Waltair on Saturday was, however, much lower at 37.3 degrees Celsius.

“When the influence of north westerly winds is more, temperatures rise as they arrest the sea breeze from flowing on to the land. Visakhapatnam has been getting hot winds from westerly/north westerly direction. This season, the influence of winds was felt more from the second week of May,” Director of the Cyclone Warning Centre V.L. Prasada Rao said. “The South West monsoon is expected to touch the Kerala coast by June 5. It will take another one week to 10 days after that to cover entire Andhra Pradesh. The heat wave conditions will continue till then,” he said. The temperatures recorded (in degrees Celsius) at other coastal areas of AP on Saturday are: Kakinada and Tuni – 47 (9 degrees above normal), Machilipatnam, Bapatla and Renta Chintala – 46, Narsapur, Gannavaram, Ongole and Nandigama – 45, Visakhapatnam airport and Kavali – 44, Nellore – 42, Kalingapatnam – 40.

Power holiday for hospitals, industries in Vizag (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article3486906.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

VISAKHAPATNAM, JUNE 3:
The power situation has become critical again with the Eastern Power Distribution Company of AP Ltd (Apepdcl ) imposing a power holiday for hospitals and industries.

Half-day power holiday has been declared for hospitals for six days, and malls and commercial establishments will have three days power holiday a week.

In the city, domestic consumers will have four hours of power-cut, other towns, five hours, mandal headquarters and municipal towns, six hours a day.

According to Mr H.Y Dora, the Director (Operations) of Apepdcl , “it has been necessitated due to the sudden spurt in demand and severe fall in power generation. We are resorting to load relief so as to ensure normal supply to domestic consumers, drinking water and agriculture connections.”

“Power demand in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, East and West Godavari districts, which come under the jurisdiction of Apepdcl, is 2,300 MW, against the supply of 1,250 MW on Saturday. The supply went up by 100 MW on Sunday, with a shortfall of around 1,000 MW.

Mr Dora said with no rain since August, hydel production had become almost zero. Gas-based power stations were only receiving 30 per cent gas supply, against the installed capacity of 2,400 MW. “The third unit of NTPC Simhadri is generating 300 MW only against a capacity of 500 MW due to poor quality of coal and all these factors have led to the present crisis,” he said.

For the industries, the power holiday at three days a week is declared in two categories. Some are facing holiday on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays and others on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Except IT units, which are exempted and cold storage units with 50 per-cent power cut, none is spared.

The decision on power holiday has come in for criticism from industrialists. “We don't know what to do. Perhaps the Government wants us to shut down our operations,” said Mr Ramakrishna Narappareddy, the President of Visakha Autonagar Small-Scale Industrialists' Welfare Association. “We were taken aback when we came to know late on Friday evening that power holidays are back again,” he said.

Mr O. Naresh Kumar, the CEO of Symbiosys Technologies, said discoms should have proper planning and accordingly they should buy power from power-surplus States/companies, and try to ensure normal supply to the industries.

Public hearing on petro coke plant opposed (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/article3490508.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

VISAKHAPATNAM, JUNE 4:
The Movement for People-Centred Development (MPCD) has urged the Government to reconsider its decision on conducting a public hearing on the establishment of a 4.60 lakh tonne capacity calcined petroleum coke plant along with a 25 MW power plant by Sanvira Industries of Hyderabad at Chaatametta in Rambilli mandal of Visakhapatnam district on June 6.

Mr J.V Ratnam, an activist of the organisation, said the local people were strongly opposing the plant which would cause a lot of damage to the environment, and did not want the public hearing to take place as they did not want the industry.

He said in a press release that the environment impact assessment (EIA) report prepared by the B.S. Envitech of Hyderabad did not contain all relevant information in full. The report said only sulphur dioxide would be released, but in fact the industry would release lead, mercury, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which cause heavy damage to health. This unit and a 0.42 million tonne carbon black industry approved in the nearby Pudi village would destroy the environment and a cumulative impact assessment exercise was needed since the petroleum coke plant was proposed in an area which already has many major and pollution-causing industries, he said.

MANAGEMENT ALLAYS FEARS

In another press release, the management of Sanvira Industries Ltd said that the fears that the factory would release mercury, lead and trace elements into the environment were unfounded. Mr P. Patanjali, General Manager, said the petrol coke would only be densified in the process and there would not be any burning of it. Only volatile matter would be taken out and the resultant product would be eco-friendly. It would be used mainly in aluminium industries, he said.

He said, “We are employing better technology and shaft kilns will be used. We have explained it to the residents of villages in the vicinity and made it clear to them all the stipulations laid down by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board would be complied with. There is no cause for concern. Even the material will be transported in completely covered trucks. There will not be any leakage anywhere.”

Children throng Olympic Day Run in Vizag (http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/06/24/118-Children-throng-Olympic-Day-Run-in-Vizag.html)

Vizag, June 24 (ANI): Thousands of children participated in an Olympic Day Run here on Sunday to celebrate the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on this day in 1894.
The objective of the marathon was to promote interest in sports and to promote an Olympic spirit in the city.
"This year also we are expecting huge turnout of children. This is an expression of solidarity with the sports and the sports loving people. This day Olympic Day is conducted in all districts and all states of the world," Harshavardhan Prasad, president of District Olympic Association, said.
Several elderly people along with specially- abled persons participated in the marathon with the children.
"I am participating with my granddaughter in the support of the Olympics Games," Satyanarayan, a local, said.
The District Olympic Association would reward the children with cash prize for their efforts.
Olympic Day Run is an international Olympic movement activity promoting mass participation of people in sports.

Vizag takes the lead to fight drug abuse (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/others/vizag-takes-lead-fight-drug-abuse-274)

Since early 2012, close to 1,400 youth between the ages of 18 and 30 have joined the alarming number of drug addicts in the city. And this official figure may actually be lower than the real numbers. Marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Aardar, an NGO in Vizag reveals that only 400 abusers have given up drugs while the remaining 1,000 are still caught in the trap of addiction. Meanwhile, medical and health officials and NGOs like Aardar have been striving to curb the number of youths taking to drug and substance abuse.

“It usually begins among friends and peers at colleges or the workplace. Many youngsters are trying marijuana, heroin and cocaine just to fit in,” says Senior Civil Judge K. Surya Rao who advises the youth to choose the right friends. In response to a mass awareness rally by the students of Pyda College, Dr R. Ramesh, an AIDS control officer, said that many drug abusers are injecting with unhygienic syringes and needles leading to HIV and other diseases. “Around 8 per cent of drug users in the state are using the same needle to inject drugs,” he said.

Adding to the mind-boggling facts about drug abuse in Vizag is the information that 29 hotspots have been found engaged in drug sales, import and consumption. It is observed that those who experience failure at work or in studies, and those burdened with personal issues form the prime addicted group. They have access to various drugs in Vizag itself, where the sources are ample and easily available.

626 villages in Vizag district take up organic farming (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/article3573527.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

VISAKHAPATNAM, JUNE 26 :
Farmers in Visakhapatnam district are being encouraged to rediscover and adopt age-old agricultural practices, give up use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and grow organic crops, according to Mr P. Ramana, district manager of Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture project.

He said in an interview that the project, being implemented by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), is meant to support poor farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices to reduce the cost of cultivation and increase net return. It will also boost soil fertility and enable them to produce pesticide-free food products.

The project is being implemented in 626 villages in 30 mandals of the district, benefiting 45,371 farmers. The extent of coverage is 78,690 acres, of which 17,873 acres are in the agency (tribal) areas in the eastern ghats.

Mr Ramana said the farmers were realising the importance of organic farming and the increasing demand for such products on health grounds. “They are re-learning old agricultural practices. We are gradually persuading them to give up on chemical fertilisers and pesticides,” he said.

To realise the objective, the farmer field schools are being established. A group of 20-25 resourceful farmers, already well-versed with the agricultural practices are being engaged in promoting awareness about eco-friendly farm practices. Under the poverty alleviation scheme, the landless labourers are being given land on lease for promoting organic cultivation.

The SRI (systemic rice intensification) system in paddy cultivation is also being promoted under the project to boost paddy production. In traditional paddy cultivation, 30 bags are produced in an acre and under SRI 40-50 bags. The crop is totally organic.

The department of Tribal Welfare and the ITDA are also striving to keep tribal farmers away from chemical fertilisers and pesticides. It is intended to bring the entire area in the tribal belt under organic farming in a phased manner in the district.

Film stars t-20 match in Vizag on july 16 (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/film-stars-t-20-match-vizag-july-16-851)

Vizagties have an opportunity to watch Tollywood stars Twenty20 cricket match at picturesque Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy ACA-VDCA stadium under floodlights on July 16.

Tollywood stars association and Vizag-based Sri Vijetha Group will organize the Tollywood Cine Stars Twenty20 match.

Actors Srikanth and Tarun who came to city said that Tollywood was always in the forefront to play cricket for charity.

They said that Vizagties, who love and support cricket would throng the stadium to watch their favourite stars play.

Two teams from Telugu film industry battle it out on the cricket field and it is a treat to watch. Tarun and Srikanth would lead their respective teams to give a visual feast to the game lovers.

Speaking on the occasion, Sri Vijeta Group chairman Mr S. Suresh Kumar said that all the upcoming actors in Tollywood will be participating in the match. He said that the price of tickets would be fixed at minimum to attract more number of film lovers.

He said at the end of the match they would hand over the money to orphans and few others.

Appointed Archbishop of Visakhapatnam (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/article3605186.ece)

They praised the Archbishop for his relentless work towards bettering the living conditions of the poor and orphan children.

Bishop of Vijayawada Catholic church Mallavarapu Prakash has been appointed Archbishop of Visakhapatnam by the orders of the Pope Benedict 16 of the Vatican on Tuesday.

On hearing the news, people from all over the State, Bishops from Krishna district and church Fathers came in person to congratulate the new Archbishop.

They praised the Archbishop for his relentless work towards bettering the living conditions of the poor and orphan children. He was also responsible for the construction of many Catholic schools, churches, and hospitals in the district.

Bishop M. Prakash, born in 1949 in Nizamabad district, was first appointed as Catholic preacher in 1979. After working in various places like Hyderabad and Kadapa and getting a master’s degree in theology from Loyola University in Chicago, he was sworn in Bishop in Vijayawada.

During his decade-long service in the city, he was twice appointed C.C.B.I Secretary and even took up the additional responsibilities of Eluru Catholic church administrator. Among the people who congratulated the Archbishop were the former Bhisop of Kurnool Mathew Cherian, Income-Tax Commissioner Vijay Kumar, Monsignor M. Chinappa, Chancellor Father J. John Raj, Procreator Father M. Gabriel, SSC Director Father Muvvala Prasad, other fathers and sisters from various hospitals.

Vizag steel records 7 per cent rise in hot metal during Q1 (http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-07-05/news/32551652_1_vizag-steel-production-of-saleable-steel-hot-metal)

KOLKATA: RINL, which runs the Vizag steel plant, recorded a growth of 7 per cent in hot metal and 6 per cent in liquid steel production during the first quarter of the current year. During the same period, production of saleable steel and iron registered a growth of 2 per cent over previous corresponding period.

In terms of financials, RINL registered a 16 per cent rise in its turnover to Rs 3,000 crore in the first quarter. The growth in turnover was supported by 20 per cent improvement in project sales, 42 per cent improvement in by-product sales and also an improvement in value added steel sales during the quarter.

On the techno-economic front, RINL achieved a 22 per cent reduction in water consumption through a series of water conversation measures.

Reacting to Q1 performance, A P Choudhary, chairman and manging director of the company complimented the RINL collective for achieving the growth in both turnover and production. He said the growth in the first quarter will set the tone for further growth in subsequent quarters of the current financial year 2012-13.

Vizag port reports 20% dip in cargo handling in Q1 this year (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/vizag-port-reports-20-dip-in-cargo-handling-in-q1-this-year/479512/)

The Visakhapatnam port has reported a 20 per cent decline in cargo handling during the first quarter of the current financial year, as compared to the corresponding period last year.

During April-June 2012, the country’s second-largest port has handed 14.89 million tonne of cargo, as against 18.64 million tonne during the same period last year.

The decline was primarily on account of the three-million tonne of iron ore and petroleum products that the port had lost during the quarter. However, it has registered some growth in handling container cargo, which grew 50 per during the quarter.
The port has handled 3.41 million tonne of iron ore, 4.04 million tonne of petroleum products, 2.40 million tonne of coal, 1.24 million tonne of container cargo and 3.80 million tonne of other cargo during the first quarter of the current financial year, as against 4.41 million tonne, 5.93 million tonne, 2.78 million tonne, 0.83 million tonne and 4.69 million tonne respectively in the same period a year ago.

“Following the alleged iron ore mining in several states and high duties being levied, ore exports dipped significantly. Also, a majority of crude transshipment cargo has shifted from Vizag to Paradeep port. All these factors resulted in the reduction in cargo handling by the Vizag port,” port sources told Business Standard.

According to the sources, the only factor that brought cheers to the port was the increase in container cargo. The container berth at the port is being operated by a private company, VCTPL.

“Courtesy the marketing efforts by the private company, the container cargo handling has been increasing year-on-year. While the port has handled 2.57 million tonne of container cargo in 2010-11, VCTPL is expecting this to cross the five-million tonne mark this year,” they said.

Groundwater level dips in city (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/groundwater-level-dips-city-992)

The delayed south-west monsoon, poor rainfall in June and early July have resulted in the dipping of average groundwater levels in Vizag city to 15.27 meters.

The city did not receive normal rainfall of 15 cm in June. Speaking to this newspaper, deputy director for Ground Water K.S. Sastry said that the current Vizag district average ground water level is 9.65 meters and of late, Vizag city average has fallen down to 15.27 meters in the absence of timely rainfall and poor rechargeable measures. Weathermen predicted signs of no heavy rains in the coming week in Vizag district with temperatures close to 340C. The district administration is geared up with an action plan for potable water and collector Lav Agarwal directed officials to come up with a Rs.7 crore action plan for water needs.

B-Boying bounces big into Vizag (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/others/b-boying-bounces-big-vizag-790)

The Hip Hop culture in the city seems to be growing with the introduction of new music and dance concepts such as B-Boying. Involving mind-boggling body movements, this form of break dancing has quite a few young takers in Vizag. B-Boying, derived from the Hip Hop culture in Europe, had made its entry into other Indian cities a few years back. Since 2010, many eager young dancers from the port city have taken it up and now there are around four major B-Boying groups in Vizag.

“The style of dancing involves the sturdy element of break dancing with power moves, in which the dancer spins on his/her head and supports the entire body on a single hand. The steps are creative and can also be risky if not done correctly. Several youths are attracted to this new concept,” informs Sohail Singh Gill of the Destiny Breakers Crew, which introduced Vizag to B-boying.

In last two years, three more B-boying groups have come up in the city – Unbreakable Knights, Break Style Wrekers and Unique Frekz, a group that practices the free style element of break dancing. Interestingly, even girls are practicing their version of the dance form known as B-girling.

“Many street children who come to watch us practice are also taught this strenuous style of dancing, as they are used to bearing physical hardships,” says dancer Akash Kohli. Destiny Breakers Crew is all set to kick start its free professional training for budding dancers on the beach road near Novatel hotel, every Monday. For those who want to turn professional or showcase their talent, cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore are a good option, according to experience

Production resumes at Vizag pharma city (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3631424.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, JULY 12:
Production resumed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City (JNPC) units at Parawada in Visakhapatnam district on Thursday after the Telugu Desam Party State Vice-President, Mr B. Satyanarayana Murthy, and others called off the hunger strike.

The strike was called off following an agreement on rehabilitation package to the project-hit people.

The TDP leader began the hunger strike on Monday, and it took a serious turn on Wednesday when the agitators stopped production at the units in the pharma city.

There was tension at the spot and an agreement was arrived with the developer of the pharma city, Ramky group, late Wednesday night (early hours of Thursday).

As sought by the public of the Tadi village in the vicinity of the pharma city, the management agreed to relocate and rehabilitate the villagers at a more congenial place.

Also, 500 jobs were promised to the fishermen of Mutyalammpalem whose livelihood had been adversely affected by the pharma city.

Mr Satyanarayana Murthy, a former Minister, and three other TDP leaders called off the fast after in-charge Joint Collector, Mr Venkat Reddy, signed an agreement with JNPC CEO, Mr Lal Krishna, and local villagers during early hours of Thursday. In the agreement, the developer also promised stringent measures to control pollution.

A meeting is to be held in Hyderabad on July 13 to decide whether Ramky, the government or both, will bear the expenses towards relocation of 500-odd pollution-affected families of Tadi village.

JNPC is a joint venture between the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and Ramky group set up after a concession agreement in 2003.

Now a days mall and multiplexes are changing the face of cities and are proving to be very good tourist attractions can some one please tell upcoming malls and multiplexes coming up in and around vizag .just for information and out of curiosity I am posting here,even smaller cities like vja , many mall are coming up new destinations are being setup but in vizag the scenario is same in the past years!

Pharma units in AP get closure notices on pollution grounds (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3634968.ece)

HYDERABAD, JULY 13:
The Andhra Pradesh Government has asked five pharma companies to close down their manufacturing units at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City, Visakhapatnam in line with pollution control norms.

The notices were served by the district administration to Mylan Laboratories, Vegesna Labs, Auctus Pharma, Vijaya Organics and Acacia Lifesciences.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board had also ordered the closure of units at Medak and Rana Reddy districts for violating norms.

“These industries are also directed to stop all industrial activities with effect from July 23, 2012 to facilitate the completion of all on-going batches,’’ the board said in a release.

The list of companies which were issued closure orders of some of their units include Aurobindo Pharma Ltd, Hetero Labs Ltd, Cirex Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Covalent Laboratories Pvt Ltd, Divis Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals Ltd, and Innogent Laboratories Pvt Ltd, the release said.

Divis Laboratories Ltd today informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that the closure notices were issued to Divi’s Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd.

“Divi’s Laboratories Ltd do not have any business dealings or transactions with Divis Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd and the business is normal as usual at Divi’s Laboratories Ltd,’’ it said.


Locals go on strike at Pharma City at Vizag in AP demanding rehabilitation (http://pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=70028&sid=1)

The local people living in the Tadi village near the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City (JNPC) in Visakhapatnam have launched an indefinite hunger strike seeking relocation of the village and save the people from being infected with the harmful pollution emanating from the pharma industries located in the Pharma City.

The which is being developed by Ramky group has entered into another controversy for being the cause of pollution in the nearby Tadi village. Earlier there were allegations against Ramky group that they had invested in Jagan group of companies for favors given to them by the then chief Minister Y S Rajashekahar Reddy.

Local leaders alleged that the Tadi village had been severely affected by pollution caused by the industries operating from JNPC, which is being developed by Ramky group. According to sources, irate villagers surrounded the Pharma City and blocked entry and exit points of the industrial park.

Though the authorities conducted two rounds of talks with the agitators, it failed as the villagers were demanding nothing less than relocation. Despite presence of a large number of police personnel, the agitators entered the JNPC premises armed with sticks and damaged windows of the office building of Glochem Industries.

It is learnt that relocating the Tadi villagers would cost around Rs.100 crore and neither Ramky, nodal agency APIIC nor the district administration is ready to spend that amount.

Ramky had already provided employment to 328 people from families displaced by the project and 507 from families affected by the project against the total of 3,822 people employed in various units at JNPC.

Giving clarifications on the pollution issue, a top executive of the Ramky Group was quoted as saying, “Our vision is that 30 per cent of pharma manufacturing and exports of the country should be done at JNPC in the coming years. Keeping this in mind, we developed JNPC with all amenities, facilities and managed to attract many pharma giants from abroad. As per the agreement signed with APIIC, Ramky’s responsibility is only to develop 2,141 acres of land and manage it efficiently. Rehabilitation, relief and relocation should be taken care of by the state government.”

Visakhapatnam is next only to Hyderabad known for pharmaceutical industrial base in the state. There are around 36 bulk drug manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies from Belgium, Japan, Germany, Spain, US, France and a few of them are also from different states that have established their manufacturing bases here in the pharma city.

The JNPC is an exclusive special economic zone (SEZ) to encourage pharma industry. Apart from the existing companies about 25 more companies are on the verge of setting up units. During the previous year the companies situated in JNPC have done a business of about Rs.5000 crore.

Asia Naphtha-India's HPCL resumes export from Vizag (http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/17/naphtha-india-hpcl-idINL4E8IH0M920120717)

(Reuters) - India's Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) sold 25,000-30,000 tonnes of August naphtha from Vizag port to Total after skipping July exports, traders said on Tuesday.

HPCL resumed exports from the port, on the southeast coast of India, as spot demand increased, helping it fetch around $26 a tonne premiums to Middle East quotes on a free-on-board (FOB) basis for the medium-range size cargo scheduled for Aug. 1-3 loading.

The premiums are about 13 to 18 percent higher compared to similar volumes sold for June 15-17 loading to Glencore previously at $22.00-$23.00 a tonne premium.

HPCL usually exports naphtha from Vizag and Mumbai ports.

It was unclear why the firm skipped exporting naphtha from Vizag this month, but traders said it could be due to refinery maintenance.

A T20 fest in Vizag (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/others/t20-fest-vizag-678)

Vizag’s picturesque Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Andhra Cricket Association Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Stadium has the distinction of having the longest name for a cricket stadium in the world. It is also a happy hunting ground for Team India.

Now, it is getting ready to host the T20 international between India and New Zealand on September 8. Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) secretary, Gokaraju Ganjaraju, has promised a run feast in the game.

ACA president, D.V. Subba Rao, said, “The stadium in Vizag is outstanding and ranks alongside the ones in Mohali and Nagpur”. He said the pitch is a “batting beauty.” The stadium, on the outskirts of the city and between two hillocks, had hosted its first match in 2005 and the first day-night one-day international (ODI) in 2010. India have won all four ODIs they played here. This year, the stadium also hosted two Indian Premier League (IPL) games. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen to slot at least one game in Vizag during India’s next home series, sources said. The city has been a happy hunting ground for Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as well. He hit his maiden ODI century here against Pakistan, amassing 148 in just 123 balls on April 5, 2005. The stadium has also been lucky for Virat Kohli, who hit two tons against Australia and West Indies here.

“The Vizag wicket is a batting paradise and considering the modern facilities at the stadium, we expect Vizag to emerge as a preferred destination for international matches as the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad has been unlucky for India. The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has hosted four ODIs and India lost three of them,” said cricket buff, Y. Sandeep.

http://epaper.eenadu.net/pdf/2012/07/21/20120721b_011106002.jpg

Hyderabadi haleem in Vizag (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/others/hyderabadi-haleem-vizag-348)

For the first time, Vizagites are relishing Hyderabad’s world famous haleem in a big way during the holy month of Ramzan. City hoteliers have specially brought in haleem masters from the state capital.

Over 10 stalls selling the delicacy have been set up at several places in the city, particularly in areas where the Muslim population is high, such as Jagadamba Junction and One Town. Even though Hyderabadi biryani has always been popular in Vizag, the city has begun to explore haleem only recently.

The owner of Grand Hyderabadi Bawarchi Haleem in the city has hired haleem master Sadiq Pasha of Bawarchi hotel in Hyderabad, which is famous for this delicacy.

Pasha says he has brought with him ingredients such as black pepper and others from Afghanistan and Iran as the secret of haleem lies in the blending of the spices. According to the master chef, “Vizagites need not travel to Hyderabad to relish the special dish that he painstakingly prepares with pure ghee and good quality red meat.”

Interestingly, most of the patrons lining up for a taste of the delicacy are non-Muslims as it’s available only during Ramzan. The owners of Grand Pista Hyderabad Haleem Centre have brought in haleem master Saleem who has years of experience preparing the delicacy at famous haleem centres in Hyderabad. A total of four haleem masters have been brought from Hyderabad to Vizag, as the demand for the delicacy has greatly increased in the city.

Vizagites who were unhappy with the local haleem are now thronging the Hyderabad haleem points in the city. Mohamud Heera says, “I had the delicacy at Pista House in Hyderabad last year, and now I can get the same taste of haleem in Vizag at the new Hyderabad-style haleem centres here.” Other haleem lovers, Althaf Hussain and Narender Kumar, also express their joy at discovering the true taste of Hyderabadi haleem right here in Vizag.

Vizag district admn gears up for APPSC exams (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/vizag-district-admn-gears-up-for-appsc-exams/1037625.html)

Visakhapatnam, Aug 7 (PTI) Arrangements for the next week Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) examinations are going on in full swing, officials said. Nearly ten lakh candidates, including over 57000 candidates in the coastal district, are appearing for the competitive examination to be held for 2,353 posts across the state on August 11 and 12. "Altogether 57,512 candidates are appearing for the examinations to be held at 181 centers in 13 mandals of the district on August 11 and 8,738 candidates in 24 centres on August 12," district Revenue Officer M Venkateswara Rao told reporters. Among the measures, section 144 of IPC will be clamped near the examination centres while xerox shops and libraries in the vicinity of the centres will remain closed for two days. "Candidates as well as supervisors will not be allowed to carry mobile phones and other electronic gadgets inside examination hall," Rao said, adding an orientation class will be held for chief superintendents and invigilators on August 9. APPSC is conducting the written examination for general recruitment under Group IV services for the posts of Junior Accountants in Andhra Pradesh treasuries and Accounts Sub-Service, and Junior Assistants in Ministerial Services.

Riding the airwaves (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/glam-sham/riding-airwaves-434)

With the wide reach of FM radio in growing two-tier cities like Vizag, RJs or radio jockeys have acquired a new-found celebrity status in recent times. More and more youngsters are taking it up as a hobby and some are even seriously considering it as a lucrative profession. Realising the commercial potential of FM radio as a viable medium of entertainment, many companies, including MNCs, have their own channels since the early 2000s.

Currently, radio stations such as Big FM, Radio Mirchi, Radio City and All India Radio’s FM Rainbow have created avenues for talented youngsters to realise their dreams, with a few professional training institutes also chipping in. Successful RJs even manage to go a few steps further and compere events such as the recent IPL T-20 and cultural shows.

“Showcasing one’s voice on popular radio channels gives us a celebrity status within our social circles without disrupting our academic careers,” say Madhulika and Prathibha, trainee RJs from Vizag who also anchor corporate events.

“At least five events take place across Vizag every day, so those who are skilled at communicating with audiences have ample opportunities to showcase their talents. Many are even finding work as copy writers,” according to Big FM’s Veeru Maama, who has set up an exclusive training institute for budding anchors, RJ and VJs, compering and copy writing. “Meeting various prominent personalities and interviewing them on the radio would bring immense pleasure and job satisfaction, something that can be achieved only through RJing,” say aspirants Pratibha and Firoz.

“Even though it’s entertaining, radio jockeying requires a lot of hard work. We have to be updated about the latest news and trends and capture the attention of the audience, who may want to spend their spare their time peacefully,” informs Veeru, who will soon be conducting ‘Anchors War’ — a competition for RJs and anchors from AP to showcase their talents.

Library digital plan in limbo (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/library-digital-plan-limbo-781)

The district central library in the Maharanipeta area in the city, the biggest library in Vizag, has more than one lakh books on various subjects and subscribes to around 30 magazines a month but the digitisation project of the library is yet to see the light of day.

Although the library gets over 200-300 readers every day, it does not have a proper catalogue of existing books and journals.

In Visakhapatnam, the Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha runs 72 libraries including five grade-1 and 51 grade-2 libraries.

Libraries in the city are not able to meet the demands of readers in providing a better environment and infrastructure facilities due to inadequate funds.

Thota Nagesh, chairman of the Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha said that they had submitted a proposal to government for digitisation work of the district central library to attract more readers in the city but the proposal has been pending for various reasons including funds crunch.

At present, classification of books according to category is done only in the registers, he added.

The library cess, the main source of income, which is collected by local bodies, including the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) at the rate of 8 per cent of property tax, is not paid by local bodies to the Samstha. Nagesh said that the GVMC alone owes around Rs.18 crore towards payment of library cess.

Sources said that government issued an order to ensure timely payment of library cess by local bodies through e-Seva centres, where the cess amount would be deducted from property tax paid by tax payers but the GVMC has not implemented the order.

Navy chief arrives at Vizag on farewell visit (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/navy-chief-arrives-at-vizagfarewell-visit/43369/)

Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma today arrived at the eastern Naval command headquarters here in Andhra Pradesh on a farewell visit.

During his three-day stay here, Verma, who retires from Navy on August 31, will interact with defence civilians, officers and other Command personnel and review the Eastern Fleet at sea.

In his career spanning over four decades, Verma had worked in various capacities that include being the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Personnel and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) and Flag-Officer-Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area and Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, a Navy release said today.

Verma, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), was commissioned in the Indian Navy in July 1970. He is a specialist in Communications and Electronic Warfare and is a graduate of the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, UK and the US Naval War College, the release stated.

Govt may start selling stakes in BHEL, SAIL to raise Rs 30k cr (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/govt-may-start-selling-stakes-in-bhel-sail-to-raise-rs-30k-cr/articleshow/15466733.cms?)

NEW DELHI: The government could resume its stalled privatisation programme by selling stakes in BHEL and SAIL, two leading public sector units, as well as launching an initial public offering (IPO) from RINL, the Vizag-based steel maker. The exercise could get underway as early as next month, government officials said.

The finance ministry will seek to price the offerings from the PSUs in a realistic and attractive manner to rekindle investor interest. The ministry, now headed by P Chidambaram, hopes to garner more than the Rs 30,000 crore projected as receipts from disinvestment in the Union Budget. The plan being prepared by the finance ministry envisages a large number of government-owned companies tapping the market in phases.

"The plan kicks off from next month," said a government official privy to the development. The list of PSUs that can hit the market is lengthy and the disinvestment department has initiated talks with administrative ministries to ensure issues are spaced out.

"In a scenario where there are no good public offers, a robust plan with attractive and competitive pricing can help revive market sentiment and also help the government collect more than its target," said Jyoti Rai, head (business development), SBISoc Gen Global Securities Services.

In the second phase, after the public offers from BHEL and SAIL, the government may sell its residual stakes in BALCO and Hindustan Zinc to the Vedanta Group, which acquired the two companies during the privatisation carried out by the NDA regime, which was in power between 1998 and 2004.

Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal, who for years has been pressing the government to sell its minority stakes, had recently written to the prime minister requesting a decision on the pending stake sale.

The government owns 29.5% stake in Hindustan Zinc and 49% in BALCO, and could collect over Rs 15,000 crore by selling its stakes. Government sources said Sterlite's earlier offer for both companies was for Rs 17,000 crore.

Sterlite had acquired 51% stake in BALCO in 2001 for Rs 551 crore while the majority stake in Hindustan Zinc had cost a little over Rs 400 crore.

Subsequent phases could see public issues from Oil India, a hydrocarbons explorer, as well as state-owned metals and mining companies NMDC, Hindustan Copper and Neyveli Lignite. The government could also sell minority stakes in Power Finance Corporation, which finances power projects, Power Grid, the operator of the national transmission grid, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers and Cochin Shipyards. Some unlisted PSUs, such as Nuclear Power Corporation, could come out with IPOs, according to the finance ministry blueprint.

Anything in excess of the Rs 30,000 crore budgeted for the current financial year will be more than welcome for the government that is struggling to contain the fiscal deficit at 5.1% of the GDP, the target set in the Union Budget.

The Reserve Bank of India has made it clear that it will consider cutting interest rates only if it sees credible steps towards fiscal consolidation. Further, a successful divestment programme would improve the overall investment climate.

SAIL and RINL already have Cabinet approval for their proposed offers, and BHEL has received the approval of an empowered panel of secretaries.

Said Aneesh Srivastava, chief investment officer, IDBI Federal Life Insurance: "The government needs to start with small tranches of share sales starting with PSUs that have a good track record and especially belonging to sectors where there is no policy overhang."

"Also, it should not be stuck with pricing and valuation issues. If it innovates a little and has some plan of action, it can revive market sentiment. Many a times, it is positive sentiment and not valuation that drives the market," added Srivastava.

The official said the government has many options to execute its plans, such as auction and offer for sale, and the mode would be finalised taking into view market conditions and the timing of the offer.

PIL over pollution threat due to port mechanisation (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3762142.ece)

The NGO, in its PIL, contended that the clearances were issued on the basis of "wrong data" in the EIA study on wind directions, status of the city in environmental pollution, and existence of old structures in the vicinity.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has asked the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the AP Pollution Control Board, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust, and others to file counters on a PIL filed by the Paryavarana Parirakshana Samithi challenging the clearances given for mechanisation in the outer harbour.

Acting Chief Justice P.C. Ghose and Justice Vilas Afzalpurkar directed the respondents to file counters within two weeks when the writ was listed for admission on August 6. The next hearing was scheduled for August 22, one of the lawyers for the petitioner Aswini Kumar said. Senior counsel D.V. Sitarama Murthy appeared for the petitioner.

The NGO, in its PIL, contended that the clearances were issued on the basis of “wrong data” in the EIA study on wind directions, status of the city in environmental pollution, and existence of old structures in the vicinity.

Mr. Kumar said “distorted” data submitted for getting consent for mechanised handling facilities in the outer harbour of Visakhapatnam Port to enhance the handling capacity from 4.58 million tonne to 10.18 million tonne would pose a “grave” danger to the city, exposing it to more pollution. Vizag General Cargo Berth Ltd, which is executing the expansion, is also one of the respondents.

PPS president T. Rajeev told The Hindu that “wrong and imaginary” figures on wind speed were shown in the EIA to get clearances to handle more cargo. He said the data procured by it from the Indian Meteorological Department did not tally with the figures cited on wind speeds.

“Black lung is a major problem in the city and no project that would cause dust pollution should be allowed,” he remarked.

Expert calls for evergreen revolution (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/expert-calls-evergreen-revolution-594)

Eminent agricultural scientist and Rajya Sabha member Prof. M.S. Swami-nathan said evergreen revolution is the only way for developing countries like India with small farms and a large number of malnourished population. Gitam Foundation honoured him with the annual award at its campus on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said two thirds of India’s population depends on agriculture for livelihood and farming activity is not just a food-producing machine but is the backbone of the livelihood security system.

He said this is why the efforts to produce more food, fodder, fibre, fuel and other farm commodities should be based upon environmentally sustainable practices. He suggested this could be achieved both by systems of organic and evergreen agriculture.

Prof. Swaminathan said Green Economy, also known as ‘Do Ecology’, which was emphasised in the recent UN Conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro, has been defined as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. He appealed to the university to promote the approach to sustainable development.

He said that food security will be in danger, if current ‘land rush’ to buy good agricultural land for biofuel production didn’t stop.

Prof. Swaminathan said the food security challenge could be related to the famine of jobs rather than the famine of food in the market. He wished Gitam University could become a pioneer in initiating University Social Responsi-bility on the lines of the Corporate Social Responsi-bility being undertaken by business and industrial organisations.

Varsity president M.V,V.S. Murthy, chancellor Prof. K. Ramakrishna Rao handed over award to Prof M.S. Swaminathan, which comprises Rs.10 lakh cash and a citation.

Boat ambulances soon, says Kondru (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/boat-ambulances-soon-says-kondru-870)

Minister for health and medical education Kondru Murali said that state government was planning to introduce boat ambulances to provide emergency medical services to residents of villages adjacent to rivers like the Godavari and islands. Besides, efforts were also made to launch two more medical colleges at Nizamabad and Kurnool in the next academic year, the minister added.

Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, Mr Murali said that the boat ambulances would come in parts of East Godavari and Khammam districts which are not accessible by road, and 70 specially built jeep ambulances would also be deployed in tribal areas by September. Seventy new 108 ambulances would be added to the existing 220 vehicles, he added.

While talking about medical education, the minister said that government was considering increasing medical seats to 150 from 100 in each medical college across the state. Besides, there were plans to implement a unique policy to fill up management quota seats in medical colleges, the minister said.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy would soon give his nod to use 104 services to check health of inmates of welfare hostels in the state, he revealed, adding that government was planning to extend Arogya Sri Scheme benefits to nearly 8 lakh pink ration car holders in the state.

Intruder held at Navy air station in Visakhapatnam (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Intruder-held-at-Navy-air-station-in-Visakhapatnam/articleshow/15484877.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: In what could be a major security breach, barely hours after Indian Navy chief Nirmal Verma landed at the INS Dega in Visakhapatnam, an unidentified intruder was nabbed in the high security zone in the late hours of Sunday. This arrest comes in the wake of a red alert by the security agencies at all the airports across the country ahead of the Independence Day.

It remains a mystery as to how the unidentified 28-year-old man gained entry into the Eastern Naval Command's air station INS Dega at a time when the entry of visitors have been barred as part of the general alert, which is secluded from the main Vizag airport premises.

The INS Dega premises was thoroughly screened and checked by the security personnel by using sniffer dogs to detect any explosives after the intruder was picked up. Though no explosive material was found, the intrusion has puzzled the security wings. His answers were vague and not cohesive during interrogation by the Naval sleuths.

Sources told TOI that the intruder was fluent in Hindi and has a tattoo of Lord Hanuman on one of his hands. "He gained entry into the air station at 11.30 pm," a source said. The operations of the civilian flights close at 8 pm at the airport, which is under the surveillance of CISF jawans.

Sources said the intruder entered the area through the taxi stand linking the air station and was noticed by the quick reaction team of the Navy when he was running towards the runway.

The security personnel detained him. Source said the intruder had good physique as the security personnel had to run hard to nab him. Highly-placed sources said the CRPF personnel had noticed him earlier moving suspiciously in the civilian airport area.

Sources said the naval authorities could not extract any information from him despite hours of grilling. He mentioned Akroor sector in Kashmir which borders Pakistan during the interrogation more than once.

"When intelligence sleuths asked him he merely said he entered the INS Dega premises for food, which is unbelievable," a senior official said. He gave out several names like Suresh, Dharmendra, Siva and others when asked about his identity. At one stage he said he was heading for Mumbai from Rajasthan. "Later, he claimed he escaped from a prison as he was jailed though he had no role in a case of car theft," the official said.

The authorities are trying to establish the identity of the intruder with the particulars of two robbers who escaped from a prison in Haryana recently. The Indian Navy chief is on a farewell visit to ENC for three days.

The intruder was handed over to the local police by the Navy. The city commissioner J Poornachandra Rao said that the interrogation has started.

India on a high (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/hyderabad/india-high-304)

Siddharth Ram is part of Team Illuminati and no, they’re not at Nasa for a quiz contest. Their Lunabot — or lunar bot — is part of Nasa’s search for a vehicle that’ll one day mine the moon for precious Regolith. This deadly uranium-rich moon soil could one day power our planet.

So, how did these kids from Gitam University in Vizag become part of mankind’s efforts to colonise the Moon?

“We hit success with the third edition of the Annual Nasa Lunabotics competition and after we sent Nasa our design, Team Illuminati was formed.” Exactly, what specifications are we talking about? “Each wheel of our Lunabot is designed to survive lunar soil. Regolith is actually deadly because at 80-60 microns, it’s small enough to enter cavities in the human body and can actually kill. This tiny dust can also cause havoc with the electronics,” team lead Siddharth says.

Also, the laws of Earth physics don’t apply to the Lunabot. “Hydraulics and pneumatics are out of the window and we had to use electricity.” But where did they exactly test this machine? Siddharth then explained how his team “replicated” Regolith using “sand and cement”. “It’s much like concrete and after our wheels survived, we took it to Nasa.”

So, what’s next for Team Illuminati? Off to the Moon? “Mankind needs ‘what is up there’ and we could soon be living on our satellite,” Siddharth claims. The team is currently encouraging students to think beyond boundaries. Because that’s why, one day, there will be a little vehicle on the Moon, with a ‘Made in Vizag’ tag.

Pointing the Agni
How do you make sure India’s flagship missile — the 50-tonne Agni V — smashES into the enemy.
Meet Satheesh Reddy, the man giving Agni probably it’s finest feature… arrow-grade accuracy. “With self-contained navigation it’s actually ‘fire and forget’,” reveals Reddy.

“The vehicle will also go through thousands of computer calculations for inertial navigation,” he says. For those of you wondering what’s that all about, the missile uses the very same technology that’s available in mobile phones — gyroscopes and accelerometers. Except your phone doesn’t pack a nuclear warhead.

Also, Reddy has worked on Agni’s grandfather — the experimental AE 01 — which screamed into the skies in 1989. Since then, India has had five versions of the missile in total. The later ones even pack a nuclear warhead. “The first one was a success. Work on the Agni-V picked up pace around 2006 and 2007 and it has been a real proud moment for me to watch her fly into the sky.” And his message for the country on I-Day?

“This year, the Agni-V missile brought us pride because we’ve now joined an exclusive club of five nations who have similar ICBM capabilities. And as long as you have focus, sincerity, dedication and hard work we can, as a country, emerge as number one.”

Vizag port handles 21 million tonnes of cargo (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3775845.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

VISAKHAPATNAM, AUG. 15:
Visakhapatnam Port handled 21 million tonnes of cargo till Wednesday as against 24 mt during the corresponding period of the previous financial year, according to Ajeya KallamPort Chairman.

He was reviewing the performance of the port on the occasion of the Independence Day after hoisting the national flag. He said the decline in import of iron ore by China and decline in transhipment cargo consequent on setting up of SPM facility at Paradip port were the reasons for the slight slump in cargo. Some of the berths were de-commissioned during the year for modernisation and that also led to fall in throughput.

“It is, however, only a passing phase,” he said.

The port had handled 67.42 mt of cargo during 2011-12 and stood second among the major ports in the country. In general, there was a decline of 2 per cent in the total volume of major ports in the country during 2011-12 due to global slowdown, he said.

The trend was continuing in the current financial year and there had been a slump of 5 per cent in cargo volumes, he added.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Kallam said the port had taken up many projects to increase its capacity and to modernise facilities. The strengthening of the general cargo berth to handle the bigger ships of 2,00,000 DWT was on fast-track and it may be completed in a month or two. The fully-mechanised coal handling facility was designed to achieve higher output rates and also to curb pollution levels in the port and surrounding areas.

Development of WQ-6 berth for handling multi cargoes and EQ-10 for handling liquid cargoes in the inner harbour were progressing according to schedule, he said. Concession agreements were signed for installation of mechanised handling facilities at EQ-7 for fertiliser handling, development of EQ-1 berth for unloading steam coal and EQ-1A for handling thermal coal and steam coal.

Approval from the Government was received last week for development of WQ-7 with mechanised handling facilities and for mechanisation of iron ore facility at WQ-1 in the inner harbour. Three more proposals — construction of WQ-8 for handling all cargoes, extension of existing container terminal and upgrading of ore handling facilities in the outer harbour — were being actively pursued, he added.

Deepening of five of the existing berths in the inner harbour had been completed and two new 50-tonne tugs had been received from the Hindusthan Shipyard Ltd recently, he said.

With the above projects, more than 85 per cent of the cargo-handling would be mechanised.

On the occasion, he presented an award to Esskay Shipping for record loading of 29,169 tonnes of iron ore pellets into m.v Malavika for Essar Steel Ltd.

HC seeks government response on Vizag steel plant (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/HC-seeks-government-response-on-Vizag-steel-plant/articleshow/15509321.cms)

HYDERABAD: Justice K C Bhanu of the AP high court has directed the state and central governments to explain the reasons for non-allotment of captive mines to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant within two weeks. The judge was responding to a petition filed by Y T Das of steel plant employees union who sought a direction to the state and Centre in this regard. Instead of allotting captive mines either at Obulapuram or Bayyaram, the government favoured some private players in this regard, he alleged.

Commissioner’s absence raises eyebrows (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3778784.ece)

Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu was conspicuous by his absence at the flag hoisting at the Municipal Corporation’s Independence Day function.

Special Officer of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation and District Collector Lav Agarwal hoisted the flag and detailed the various development and welfare initiatives taken by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation and the projects under JNNURM.

The absence of Mr. Ramanjaneyulu, however, had given room to different interpretations. When contacted, the Municipal Commissioner scotched them stating the flag-hoisting by the Special Officer was advanced from 8.30 a.m. to 7.45 a.m. and being away from the city for two days he was not aware of it.

“Mr. Agarwal called after reaching the municipal office but since he had already arrived I did not think it proper to keep him waiting and asked him to go ahead with the programme,” Mr. Ramanjaneyulu said.

There was nothing more to it since the corporation itself had invited him for the flag hoisting in his capacity as Special Officer, he added.

He later joined the official programme at the Police Barracks.

Mr. Ramanjaneyulu’s absence was viewed in the backdrop of his reported unhappiness over Mr. Lav Agarwal, of equal rank but junior to him, being made Special Officer.

However, he attended a review meeting with the Collector last month in the GVMC following initiative taken by Minister for Infrastructure and Investment Ganta Srinivasa Rao.

Explanation

During his visit to Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation on Wednesday, Mr. Agarwal had to wait for a few minutes at the Special Officer’s chambers when the keys to open it were not kept ready and directed officials to call for an explanation from the assistant engineer in charge of house-keeping.

Also irked by the lack of proper arrangement for the dance programme of the students, he called for explanation from the deputy education officer.

Earlier, the Collector garlanded the statue of Gandhi.

Denizens make the most of the mid-week holiday (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3778780.ece)

Celebrations were not limited to any age group or class of citizen
The drizzle and downpour failed to dampen the spirit of the denizens who took the streets to express their joy and celebrate Independence Day. The celebrations were not limited to any age group or class of citizens.

A group of pizza delivery boys on their delivery motorcycles rode around the town in a group waving flags at passersby.

Beach Road was the venue of the most expressive display of the celebrations by the people. At one end of the road was a temporary stall of a private bank greeting citizens on the occasion and trying to sell some of their products. A mobile phone operator launched his new ‘free’ service and put out a banner at a temporary promotional tent.

Groups of citizens organised impromptu celebrations on the roadside. Many of the walkers either pinned the tricolour onto their clothes or carried one. A mini lorry carried a tableau of people dressed as Mahatma Gandhi, Bharat mata and others and went around with speakers blaring patriotic songs.

Beach Road also saw two groups of horse riders take out a parade carrying the national flag. One group comprised members of the Visakhapatnam Horse Riders Association riding on Kathiawaris and thoroughbreds. The other group was riding thoroughbreds of the Bayfront Horse Club.

As the day progressed the clouds passed over the city and let the people come out. Making most of the occasion youth ripped on their motorcycles on Beach Road, carrying the tricolour. Then there was a rally comprising security guards, motorcycles and test cars belonging to a group of dealerships. There were also youth celebrating the holiday with an early morning football on the beach.

By evening the holidayers started trickling in and Beach Road was choc-a-bloc with citizens out to make the most of the mid-week holiday.

VSP Q1 net profit up at Rs 150 crores (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/vsp-q1-net-profit-up-at-rs-150-crores/1045417.html)

Visakhapatnam, Aug 16 (PTI) Union Minister of Steel Beni Prasad Verma lauded the efforts of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, the holding company of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL-VSP) for achieving a Q1 profit after tax of Rs 150 crores, against Rs 74 crore last year. The company's gross profit of Rs 361 crore, was up by 56 percent over the corresponding period last year. It achieved a turnover of Rs 2976 crore during the April–June period, a growth of 15 percent, over last of Rs 2582 crores over corresponding period last year. Secretary, Ministry of Steel, DRS Chaudhary also lauded the company for significant achievements made in techno-economic parameters during the period.

Navy to get more fleet strength (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Navy-to-get-more-fleet-strength/articleshow/15509333.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Indian Navy would be a world class force with the augmentation of 46 ships and submarines to its fleet later this year, vice-admiral Anil Chopra, flag officer commanding-in-chief of Eastern Naval Command said today.

Addressing naval officers and civilians after unfurling the national flag on the 66th Independence Day, Anil Chopra said they have planned to include 46 more ships and submarines and a large number of aviation assets to the fleet.

He said the ENC added stealth frigates, a nuclear-powered submarine and an unmanned aerial vehicle squadron to its arsenal.

The vice-admiral said ENC would be home to anti-submarine corvettes, P8i long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, MiG 29K fighter jets and advanced jet trainers.

"The command has remained in the forefront with the eastern fleet leaving its footprint all across the Indian Ocean," he said.

Earlier, a ceremonial parade was also held at the ENC parade ground where the Vice-Admiral received the salute.

India's HPCL buys more (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/31/gasoline-india-hpcl-idUSL4E8IV3RQ20120731)

India's Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) has bought additional gasoline for August delivery as it may likely be trying to plug a supply gap caused by refinery maintenance, traders said on Tuesday.

HPCL bought a medium-range size cargo of 92-octane gasoline for first-half August arrival at Vizag, likely from Gunvor, at premiums slightly below $10 a barrel to Singapore quotes on a cost-and-freight (C&F) traders said.

HPCL had earlier bought about 35,000 tonnes of gasoline for early August arrival at Mundra at premiums of $7.00-$8.00 a barrel on a C&F basis.

BSNL to increase number of landline customers (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3784551.ece)

‘Cellular network also being strengthened’

The BSNL is going all out to increase the number of landline customers in the district and is offering attractive tariff plans apart from incentives like free calls, BSNL Chief General Manager AP Circle V. Srinivasan said. At the same time the cellular network was being strengthened to reduce the call drops and dark spots.

Last year the district showed a 10 per cent growth when compared to 8.9 per cent growth at the State-level, however, the landline and broadband custom showed a negative growth, he told the media here on Thursday.

The BSNL Visakhapatnam could attract 18,593 customers from other operators under the mobile number portability (MNP) scheme, with a net gain of 9,134 customers, he said. Stressing the need to build on its strengths, Mr Srinivasan said that the BSNL was setting up new towers apart from overhauling the existing base transceiver stations (BTS) or cell towers to allow it to meet the growing demand for service from customers.

The BSNL was offering flexi combo plans and had changed the tariff of its broadband unlimited plans to make it more attractive.

Additional free calls

The customers going for their own instrument and modem would be offered additional free calls, the CGM AP Circle said.

Encouraged by the growing number of customers seeking BSNL network for accessing internet and data, the PSU had slashed the installation charges on fibre to the home (FTTH) and was also offering a limited period discount on 3G data card.

The service provider was expanding its capacity by adding up another two million lines in the State at a proposed cost of Rs 600 crore.

The massive revamp would ensure that the entire mobile services in Hyderabad would be using the equipment from a single manufacturer thus reducing any chances of failure, he explained.

Senior General Manager Telecom District P Nagaraju and Senior General Manager Consumer Mobility RMM Krishna were also present.

Kailasgiri ghat road to remain closed (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Kailasgiri-ghat-road-to-remain-closed/articleshow/15523180.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vehicular traffic to Kailasagiri, a popular tourist station in Visakhapatnam, would be stopped from Friday till August 24 for road works at the gliding point curve on ghat road.

The ghat road at the curve point was widened recently and now Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (Vuda) is taking up the remaining works of strengthening the hill slope, leveling gradation and laying black top road, which will enable free and comfortable movement of vehicles.

Keeping the convenience of the vehicles traveling up and down the hill, the vice chairman of Vuda, Kona Sasidhar, took the decision to widen the curves and implemented the same

. The ghat road has three curves and widening work at the first two curves from below the hill was already completed. Widening work at the gliding point, which is most dangerous

with a hairpin curve at the upward end, was taken up during the first week of this month.

International Paper builds check dam in Mamidilova (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3785078.ece)

VISAKHAPTNAM, AUG 17:
International Paper, which bought 75 per equity in the Andhra Paper Mills Limited at Rajahmundry last year, dedicated a check dam to Mamidilova village in Visakhapatnam district on Friday. The dam was built by the company as a part of its corporate social responsibility.

Rampraveen Swaminathan, the Managing Director and CEO, said the company was encouraging farmers in the area to take up casuarina and subabul plantations and presently they were supplying 20,000 metric tonne of wood per annum to the AP Paper Mill at Rajahmundry and it would now go up to 70,000 metric tonne per annum, as the check dam would provide the irrigation facility. Roughly, 4,800 acres of land in the area in Visakhapatnam district would benefit from the dam.

He said, the company had spent Rs 30-35 lakhs, which was 90 per cent of the cost, on the check dam and the rest was borne by the villagers. "After acquiring the AP Paper Mills Limited at Rajahmundry last year, we have been focussing on improving the raw material supply to the mill by encouraging farm forestry. We are encouraging farmers in the State to take up casuarina and subabul plantations by supplying them with the seedlings, and other inputs. Later, we are buying back the wood from them. We now have forestry plantations in over 1.3 lakh hectares of land in Andhra Pradesh and we want to increase it to 1.5 lakh hectares soon," he said.

He said International Paper had two units - one at Rajahmundry and the other at Kadiam in East Godavari district - with a combined capacity of 2.5 lakh tonnes per annum. He said there was a bright future ahead for the paper industry in India, as the per-capita consumption still was very low, but there were short-term challenges to be addressed such as wood pulp shortage.

BSNL reconnection mela from Aug. 13 (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3753701.ece)

The BSNL, Visakhapatnam district, is embarking on a 20-day campaign from August 13 to reconnect with old customers who have gone out of its fixed-line network due to non-payment of dues.

Assuring the customers of providing the most reliable telecom service in the region, the PSU is willing to give them an option of clearing accumulated dues in instalments to get back into the network.

Apart from getting the landline reactivated, the customer will get a CellOne connection (Bandham) free with a bonus of 30 minutes free talktime everyday between the two numbers.

The customers whose dues are less than Rs. 3,000 can clear them in five instalments and those whose bills are more than Rs. 3,000 can repay in 10 instalments.

The campaign would begin on Monday and the customers can walk into any of the Customer Service Centre (CSCs) of the BSNL to get reconnected and get the Bandham connection free.

“Teams of staff and officers will be visiting neighbourhoods and encouraging the old customers to revive their connections,” Senior GM P. Nagaraju said. All through the campaign period, the customers can visit any of the CSCs and avail themselves of the opportunity, he added.

From Tuesday, the BSNL teams would be conducting roadshows in different areas in the city and suburbs and other parts of the district to encourage the old customers to clear their dues and revive their connections.

From Thursday, the teams would spread out and cover different parts of the district, apart from one or two neighbourhoods in the city and suburbs.

Wrapping up on September 1, the reconnection campaign would be taken up at Daba Gardens, Seethammadhara, Gopalapatnam, and Gajuwaka CSCs and at the Asilmetta Teleshoppe.

‘Destiny of a nation and navy is inextricably linked’ (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3699579.ece)

India is building a formidable naval force: Vice-Admiral Chopra

History proves that the navy has played an integral part in building a country’s power and bettering its economic prosperity, said Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra while delivering a talk organised by National Maritime Foundation’s Visakhapatnam Chapter in Visakhapatnam Public Library here on Saturday. Speaking on ‘Navies and Nations’, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command said that the destiny of a nation and navy is inextricably linked. “A strong navy is necessary to allow the nation to showcase its power in the global arena and play an active role in the regional level,” he said.

He pointed out that all economically developed nations do have the resources to build a strong navy and India is on the right track. However, he cautioned that building a strong navy could be expensive, as a single destroyer might cost around Rs.9,000 crore and an aircraft carrier would cost to the tune of Rs.20,000 crore. Going back into maritime history, he said that all great powers- be it the ancient Greece or medieval Spain or Portugal or for that matter Britain had strong navies and they ruled the world. Referring to India’s naval history, the Admiral pointed out that India was one among the foremost countries in the world to explore the might of navy. “The significance of maritime trade finds a place in the Vedas and many great kings from the Cholan or Pandian dynasties did maintain a strong and effective navy to safeguard their interests,” he said.

Indirectly referring to China’s growing naval power, he said that India is also building a formidable naval force but the funding should not stop.

Admiral Chopra pointed out that post cold war, the naval power has shifted from bi-polar to uni-polar scenario with the crumbling of the Soviet states, and this is the right time to build our navy to play a more decisive and strategic role in the interest of the country. Summarising the role of navy, he said, “It should work for total peace and at the same be ready for a nuclear war.”

Earlier, introducing Admiral Chopra, the Director of Centre of Policy Studies A. Prasanna Kumar said that eastern seaboard has gained prominence over the years and that the ENC has a major role to play for safeguarding its interests.

Decision on extension of airport watch hours brooks no delay (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3706611.ece)

Man proposes, god disposes. The proverb is true in the case of the Visakhapatnam airport. A golden opportunity has knocked at the door of the airport when the Singapore Airlines announced its decision to launch the first-ever direct international tri-weekly flight from Visakhapatnam to Singapore with effect from October 1, 2012.

The problem is that the airport, which is under the joint control of the Indian Navy and the Airports Authority of India, operates only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The airline wants to operate its flight after 10 p.m., and unless the watch hours are extended till midnight, it cannot proceed further and make arrangements for booking tickets and complete other formalities.

But, the way things are moving at the airport makes one wonder whether the government is really committed to the development of Visakhapatnam.

INDIFFERENCE ALLEGED

“Had it been some other State, they would have grabbed the opportunity with both the hands and pursued the matter to its logical end,” feel air travellers from the city. Due to the indifference of the powers that be, the second most important city in the State is being given a raw deal, be it development of the airport or the railways, they allege. “Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has been talking of industrial growth and infrastructure development as never before in the State. The government should remember that better connectivity is a must to put the city on the fast track of development and to promote tourism,” the air travellers say. Visakhapatnam has the locational advantage, besides the much-needed infrastructure, both for rail and air connectivity. The airport has the infrastructure required for 24-hour operations. The only hitch is the shortage of manpower.

RAILWAY FACILITIES

Similar is the case with regard to the lack of railway facilities. The railway station has eight platforms, but trains continue to be diverted via Duvvada, around 30 km away from the city.

There is sufficient railway land available and four more platforms can be developed so that shortage of platforms can be ruled out for the next few decades. “The highest revenue-earning division in East Coast Railway certainly deserves a fair allocation of funds.”

“A delayed decision on extension of watch hours at the airport may not only make Singapore Airlines ‘fly away’ from Visakhapatnam, but it can also send wrong signals to other international carriers planning to launch operations from Visakhapatnam,” the air travellers fear.

deficit rainfall leads to water scarcity in city (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/deficit-rainfall-leads-water-scarcity-city-789)

Vizag city received deficit rainfall during the current monsoon season between June and July, leading to water scarcity in the coming days. Even as other parts of the district received adequate rainfall during the period, the city experienced its lowest rainfall with a deficit of 124.9 mm. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), spread over 534 square kilometers, has around 1.45 lakh domestic tap connections. Corporation authorities are now supplying 50 million gallons of water per day from various water sources around the city. Each family gets around 110 litres on an average, though they require around 150 litres.

The city basically depend on water sources such as the Gostani, Yeleru, Tatipudi, Meghadrigadda, Raiwada, and Mudasarlova reservoirs. Now, water levels in the Mudasarlova, Gostani and Yeleru are said to be fast depleting and they will not meet the demand after August 10-15, according to civic officials. Water in other sources is also not sufficient for a month.

Now, with deficit rainfall, the water table is rapidly falling. Weathermen say that the monsoon will continue till September 30 in the region and expect adequate rainfall in the coming weeks.

Pictures worth a thousand words (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3794771.ece)

School and college students and regular visitors to the Visakha Museum enjoyed the exhibition of news photographs reflecting the myriad hues of life, put on display by the Vizag Photo Journalists Association at a two-day show organised on the occasion of World Photography Day.

While the students wondered at who shot the pictures and how they were taken, the regular visitors were captivated by the pictures of people going about their lives and different angles of the city landmarks.

What makes the over 190 frames on display, by 28 members of the VJPA, so important is that each one is exclusive.

CAPTIVATING

On display were some poignant frames capturing the mood of a mother trying to shield her daughter from the rain with a broken umbrella, a street-side acrobat and a starving old man trying to sit on the road divider in front of the District Collectorate.

More often than not the photojournalist does not have time to focus on the subject and has to trust the camera and shoot. But then it is not just aim and shoot, the photographer has to anticipate the opportunity and get the camera ready for capturing the frame when it happens, senior photojournalist K Bhaskara Rao explained.

For example, action photographs of a cricketer flying in the air to catch a ball, a wicketkeeper stumping a batsman scrambling to reach the crease, a boy falling off the footboard of a moving bus, or a protestor collaring a policeman, all these require the photojournalist to anticipate and have the camera focused waiting for some action and then trust the camera to capture the moment for eternity.

The news photographs showcasing the development of the city have helped promote the city among outsiders, Commissioner of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation B Ramanjaneyulu said after lighting the lamp to inaugurate the exhibition.

He was fascinated by some of the pictures of the city from a different angle and wanted to use them in the GVMC official presentations.

Such pictures speak with more clarity than any news report or a feature can, Vice Chairman of Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority K Sasidhar said.

CP’S PROMISE

The news pictures help the authorities learn about the issues and problems of the people, Commissioner of City Police J. Purnachandra Rao said. He also promised to help the photojournalists perform better by taking into account their requirements while covering events.

While applauding the photographs, we must also appreciate the hardships of the photographers behind the camera, Cheruvu Ramakotaiah of Visakha Air Travellers’ Association said. After going through the exhibition some of the students found it difficult to tell which one they liked the best. Vijay Raghunath, Ramakrishna, PN Murthy and other members of the VPJA were present.

VSP shows the way (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3794774.ece)

A Rs. 20.16 lakh solar energy project, Surya, provided by the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant under its corporate social responsibility initiative, was commissioned at the SOS Children’s Village at Nerellavalasa colony in Bheemunipatnam on Saturday.

Commissioner of GVMC B. Ramanjaneyulu, while commissioning the project appreciated the VSP for providing the facility for the children and wanted the steel plant management to take up such programmes in rural areas.

Directors of VSP Umesh Chandra and Y.R. Reddy said VSP was giving thrust to education and health care through its CSR initiative. General Manager (CSR) R. Shankar, other senior officials and representatives of trade unions, participated.

The solar energy system consists of 20 street lights and 22 home lighting kits, each costing Rs.48,000. They will function for 15 to 20 years, most eco-friendly and greatly reduce the power bill burden to the SOS Village, which houses 168 children. The other advantages are minimum maintenance, negligible operating cost, specially designed for Indian operating conditions, easy to switch over to electric back up during absolute cloudy and foggy day.

IBM to acquire HR software maker Kenexa Corp for $1.3 billion (http://www.domain-b.com/companies/companies_I/IBM/20120827_software.html)

International Business Machines (IBM) today agreed to acquire human resource management software maker Kenexa Corp, for about $1.3 billion.

IBM will pay $46 per share, representing a premium of 42.5 per cent to Kenexa's Friday closing price.

Founded in 1987 by Nooruddin Karsan, Kenexa provides employment and retention solutions to assist organisations in hiring and keeping workers using a social-networking approach to human resource.

The Wayne, Pennsylvania-based company has grown globally through acquisitions including companies like Gantz Wiley Research, Knowledge Workers Inc and Salary.com

has more than 8,900 customers in financial services, pharmaceuticals, retail and other industries about 2,800 employees and operates in 21 countries.

It also operates a state-of-the-art campus in Vizag in India, which serves as a key development center for its technological innovation.

Water crisis looms large over city (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3831233.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01191/vz28Raiwada-c_eps_1191939f.jpg

Four more industrial bore-wells proposed

With shortfall in water supply looming large, the GVMC is considering alternatives like reducing the quantum of water supply or switching to alternate day supply in parts of the city.

As of now after overcoming problems caused by a recent breach to Yeleru canal and technical problems in Tatipudi supply, the supply levels to the industry and domestic sectors hover around 56 million gallons a day (mgd).

All through the summer, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation had braced itself for a probable pumping of water from the Yeleru reservoir if it reaches the dead storage level. Though summer is behind it now, GVMC finds itself in a worse situation with no rain in the catchment areas of Yeleru, Tatipudi, Raiwada and Megadrigedda reservoirs.

Water level in Yeleru reservoir from which a 156 km canal supplies water to the city is at 73.96 m, close to the minimum water level of 68.8 m and worse than 80.51 m and 80.95 m on the corresponding days in 2010 and 2011 respectively. In the summer of 2010, water was pumped from Yeleru canal to overcome the water crisis besides imposing alternate day supply.

Lowest levels

“Between 30 and 45 days from now, if the inflows do not improve we have to resort to pumping of water from the dead storage level and arrangements are already made for it by the steel plant,” says a GVMC official indicating the gravity of the situation.

Besides, the shortage from the reservoir will be met by pumping water from the Kateru lift irrigation scheme on the Godavari near Rajahmundry.

Similarly levels in Raiwada (102.1 m), Thatipudi (274.8 ft) and Meghadrigedda (45.4 ft) are at the lowest compared to the last two years. Besides, Raiwada is meeting agricultural demand also.

In the worse case scenario, a shortfall of 10 mgd is expected.

To maintain supply to the city a 40 per cent cut in industrial supply might be necessitated. Besides, other proposals include digging four more industrial bore-wells in Madhurawada area in addition to the existing two so that supply from the Town Service Reservoir (TSR) there can be diverted to the other areas.

Alternate day supply in 10 per cent of the area and reducing supply from one hour and 45 minutes to half an hour are the other measures contemplated.

Maoist surrenders in Visakhapatnam (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/maoist-surrenders-in-visakhapatnam/1050972.html)

Visakhapatnam, Aug 27 (PTI) East Divisional Committee Maoist member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoists), Pothuru Rajarao alias Bupathi, surrendered before police here today. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Visakhapatnam region) Swathi Lakra told reporters that Rajarao surrendered because of health problems and being fed up with the ideology of the Maoists. He was involved in a number of cases including attack on police stations and the kidnapping of Malkangiri District Collector Vineel Krishna. He was in the naxalite movement from 2001 till now and carried a cash reward of Rs three lakhs on him, she added. Rajarao, 32, was first arrested in 1997 in a naxal violence case and lodged in jail from 1999-2001 and after being out on bail, he again joined the naxal movement. Meanwhile, stating that the naxal movement in the region was under control, the DIG appealed them to come into the mainstream and participate in government's developmental activities.

42 dengue cases reported in Vizag (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/42-dengue-cases-reported-in-Vizag/articleshow/15911532.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: Over forty-two cases of dengue have been reported in the plains of Visakhapatnam district and over 345 samples have been collected in barely two months of this monsoon season. Last year, the district recorded a total of 9 confirmed dengue cases. Of the forty-two cases reported so far, ten are from the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) limits including crowded areas such as Kancharapalem and Gajuwaka.

According to K Venugopal Rao, MPHEO (Multi purpose health extension officer) at the district medical health office, "The humidity factor and the accumulation of drain and rainwater in the thickly populated areas could be responsible for the outbreak." The official blamed the widespread usage of plastic bags, water pouches and non-biodegradable material for the outbreak of dengue.

The district medical health office claimed that such dumps had been on the rise and ended up as active breeding grounds for dengue-causing mosquitos.

Of the forty-two dengue cases, thirty have been reported from rural areas such as Atchyuthapuram (6), Rambilli (5), Parawada (5), Sabbavaram (3), Padmanabham (3), Makkavaripalem (2), Ravikavatham (3) and one each from Cheedikada, Koturatla and Bhimili.

The samples collected are being sent to the microbiology department in Andhra Medical College ( AMC).

The Agency areas have by and large remained immune to the epidemic partly because the water does not stagnate and because of thin population.

This year, there has not been a single case reported from the Agency area. However, the number of dengue cases in the urban, semi-urban and rural plain areas has been on the rise for the last few years.

Music, dance a la Madonna (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/glam-sham/music-dance-la-madonna-916)

A day ahead of the rocking concert by Madonna impersonator Melissa Totten, lucky Vizagities who have received invites are excited about gaining access to the two-hour show on Thursday night at Novotel Hotel. Accompanied by six European performers, Totten is expected to treat fans to a night of energetic music and mind- boggling dance.

The show at Vizag is part of the seven-city concert series in India, titled ‘Madonna Forever’. “After bhangra king Daler Mehendi’s show, this is the next big thing for music lovers to look forward to. It’s a proud moment for Vizag as we are part of the seven cities chosen for the show,” says Priyanka, a trainee radio jockey who has a much-cherished invite.

Hosted by the Black Dog company, passes for the Madonna Forever concert have been distributed by city-based pubs and restaurants. Budding model Shalini Singh says, “I’m looking forward to attending the show along with select VIPs from the city. It makes me feel proud.” City B-Boying dancer of Destiny Breakers Crew, Sohail Singh Gill and his colleagues, feel that since the show will also feature two Hindi songs by Melissa Totten, this will pep up the music and dance scene in Vizag.

Event manager Ajay Agarwal, who has also been invited for the show, says, “The selection of our city for this concert goes to show that the fashion and lifestyle scene in Vizag is gaining importance on the global map. Hoping more such events take place in future.”

Documenting people’s struggles (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3843458.ece)

India is the biggest democracy and everybody has to be well-informed on all issues concerning the public to make the right choice in elections: R.P.Amudhan

The murder of a Communist social activist Leelavathi in Madurai in 1997 was the beginning of his entry into documentary film making. “She was killed by political thugs for her battle against the water mafia, which was against water projects as they wanted to sell water,” recalls independent documentary film maker from Chennai R.P. Amudhan.

He participated in an interactive meet organised jointly by the Vizag Film Society and Movement for People Centered Development (MPCD) at the Visakhapatnam Public Library here on Thursday.

“I make documentaries on behalf of the people. India is the biggest democracy and everybody has to be well-informed on all issues concerning the public to make the right choice in elections. The governments do not give the full picture and the common man has no way of knowing the complete truth with the media also having its own limitations,” Mr. Amudhan said in a chat with The Hindu on the sidelines of the screening programme.

“We (documentary film makers) are bridging this ‘communication gap’. This is not to say I am anti-establishment. I am for ‘inclusive’ growth. You can even call my documentaries ‘one sided’ as I only portray the grievances of the affected people and do not bother about what the managements or the government have to say on those issues as it will be highly unlikely that they would come out with the truth,” he said.

“The strong anti-nuclear movement against the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam is worthy of emulation in other parts of the country. It is like a second freedom struggle in a Gandhian manner. The police, who couldn’t think of anything else as it was a non-violent protest, foisted 60,000 cases of sedition against the villagers,” he said.

On the patronage of documentaries, Mr. Amudhan said, “Apart from telecast by television channels, they are screened at documentary and short film festivals. These days all educational institutions have LCD projectors, where special screenings are done”.

Madonna impersonator belts out popular hits of pop diva (http://www.indiablooms.com/EntVideo2Details/2012/entPVVideoDetails310812s.php)

Visakhapatnam, Aug 31 (ANI): Madonna's most popular impersonator, Melissa Totten, belted out popular numbers of the pop diva, during a concert in Visakhapatnam, which is part of her seven-city tour, titled 'Madonna Forever'. She recreated the same magic on the stage with six other European artistes, making the audiences sway to her music. Dressed in a black costume, she made a dramatic entry to the venue, before her concert began. Totten said she was overwhelmed by the response, adding that the audiences especially loved the older numbers.

Flow of music (http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article3839106.ece)

Komanduri Seshadri’s performance was a rare concert of exquisite musical charms that kept the audience captive.

A five-day 67th Thyagaraja Aaradhanotsvam under aegis of Sri Vijaya Thyagaraja Sangeeta Sabha was held on an impressive note at Sankaramatam, Visakhapatnam. Scintillating vocal concert by Hyderabad-based renowned Komanduri Seshadri on the third day was the highlight of the event. Ably accompanied by Komanduri Venkata Krishna on violin and Dhanwada Dharmarao on mridangam, his concert was aglow with pure classicism.

He began it with Viriboni varnam. Raga Kambhoji for Neeve Nannu was his choice for delineation. With an accent on raga bhava, he delved deep into its depths letting its charms unfold a spectrum of myriad shades. The swaras structured with vivid imagination are reflective of his command over the idiom of music. Rooted in bhakthi bhava the way his rendition brought the lyrical nuances to fore further enhanced its emotional appeal. Another raga that twinkled in his flowing manodharma was Pantuvarali for Apparama bhakthi.

He excelled in exposition of the devotional import for Vandemataram Ambika, a paean in praise of the glory and grandeur of Goddess Rajarajeswari in raga malika. With swara shifts from Sindhubhairavi to Hamirkalyani, Dwijavanthi and Vatsa a janyam of raga Dhenuka being soft and alluring, it soaked the audience in soulful music. It was a rare concert of exquisite musical charms that kept the audience captive.

In the morning session, he gave an erudite lecture demonstration on the beauty of raga in the compositions of Thyagaraja.

The utsav commenced with a vocal concert of Tirupathi-based reputed Dwaram VJ Lakshmi. She sang with a sense of absolute involvement and that music is in her blood was evident throughout. She commenced it with popular Vaatapi of Deekshitar in raga Hamsadwani that set the tone for the session. Her raga essays were well-structured and improvisations were deft. She seems to have a penchant for exploration raga in its varied dimensions and her delineation of raga Dharmavati bore an eloquent testimony to it and adept swarakalpana attested to her grip over the matrix of notes. She chose raga Behag for RTP and laced its contours with wonderful casements of charming phrases displaying her virtuosity. Be it a Kannada composition in Mohanakalyani or a Tamil one in Kanada her ability to coalesce vocal with imagination was awesome.

Mavuduri Satyanarayana Sarma came up with sparkling phrases on violin particularly for raga Dharmavati and Behag and Mavuduri Suryaprakasa Rao on mridangam was adroit.

The second day proceedings included presentation of gold medals to young and upcoming artistes Chaganti Ramya Kiranmayi and Manda Pratusha Sruthiravali and they presented impressive concerts.

Stop water diversion: TD (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/stop-water-diversion-td-467)

The opposition Telugu Desam is gearing up for another stir after the success of its fast unto death agitation by its leader Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, demanding jobs for Pharma City affected villagers. This time, the TD is readying its strategies to oppose the diversion of wa-ter from the Yeluru canal, which supplies water to Vizag, to around 14 villages in neighbouring East Godavari district coming under Tuni.

While Vizag requires around 150 million gallons per day (MGD) of water for both industrial and domestic needs, due to water shortage, only 56 MGD is being supplied since some time.

Only 40 MGD is being supplied since two months due to which, water is being supplied only thrice a week in some areas and people are forced to wait for the water tankers of GVMC in some areas.

Water is supplied to the city from Gosthani, Thati-pudi, Raiwada, Gambhe-eram, Yeleru and Mudasarlova reservoirs of which Yeluru supplies the most water.

“Owing to pressure from the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, local irrigation officials are diverting 6 mgd of water to East Godavari district. They have also cut short supply to the Visakha Steel Plant (VSP). How can they divert water to a neighboring district when people are suffering here

” asked Telugu Desam district president Ch. Ayyanapatrudu.

Interestingly, otherwise arch rivals, Telugu Desam senior leaders from the district, Mr Ayyana Patrudu and Mr Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy are burying their differences and have came onto a common platform to fight on the issue of water diversion.

“Pipelines are also being laid for permanent diversion to Tuni. Earlier too, diversion of Raiwada water was also stopped only after the TD raised the issue. the irrigation department should immediately stop the diversion otherwise we will launch a stir,” said Mr Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy.

Southern Cities make their Realty way (http://content.magicbricks.com/southern-cities-make-their-realty-way)

Southern region witnessed more demand and value appreciation in past two quarters in comparison to northern and western regions. Tier-II cities of South India such as Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, and Mysore are seeing slow but steady escalation in real estate sector.

Visakhapatnam

According to Vishwa Rao from KV Constructions, “A number of Grade A integrated townships are springing up in the city to meet the growing demand.” Expanding IT sector along with local industries is the key economic driver of the city creating a niche segment of qualitative living space

Most of the new projects are coming up in the peripheries towards the north east localities such as Madurawada and Rishikonda. These two localities noted a significant rise of more than 30 per cent in the capital values of apartments. Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) is also contributing in the growth of realty sector. VUDA is taking many initiatives to develop city’s infrastructure, connectivity and is also constructing a 52 acre township in the northern suburban area.

Mangalore

Mangalore located near Bangalore is seeing continuous appreciation in residential sector. According to Ashwin Kopam from Rao Properties, “The city has been noticing more demand in comparison to supply during past 6-8 months.” Residential property prices too have noted more than 50 per cent appreciation in past one year, he added.

Capital values of apartments and plots witnessed an average escalation of 10 per cent across the city during past three months. Prominent developers from Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai are showcasing their new luxury projects in the city. Purvankara, Godrej and Raheja are few of the active developers who have recently launched their premium projects in the city. Affordable values and enhancing connectivity are the key drivers propelling the realty sector.

Coimbatore

Coimbatore is growing on the back of rapid commercialisation. The city is noticing immense demand and supply in the residential sector. According to Govind Shankar from Shankar Properties, “The capital values of apartment have witnessed an average hike of 15 per cent across the city in past three months. Avinashi Road and Sai Baba Colony are the most transacted localities booking an appreciation of more than 25 per cent during the same period.”

Southern cities are persistently setting new growth milestones in the realty sector and this trend is expected to continue for long now.

Ashok Leyland's light commercial vehicle dealership opened (http://zeenews.india.com/business/automobiles/auto-news/ashok-leylands-light-commercial-vehicle-dealership-opened_59428.html)

Visakhapatnam: Hinduja Group's flagship company Ashok Leyland has launched its light commercial vehicle dealership at Lakshmi Motors here, to expand its network in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing the media after inaugurating the dealership at Lakshmi Motors, Ashok Leyland Executive Director (LCV) Nitin Seth said the new sales, service and spares facility was equipped with modern tools and brand new infrastructure.

He said Ashok Leyland now had 35 LCV dealerships outlets across the country and the present dealership was the fifth in Andhra Pradesh.

He said the company's LCVs have been receiving phenomenal response, which has already made it the number two brand in its category, capturing market share of 20 percent at the all India Level.

Parody time, with Jonnavithula (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3853999.ece)

Full of wit and sarcasm, the shatakam talked of how the speakers would ignore the problems of the audience and were content with addressing their own self

‘Blade vilapam’ (the lament of a shaving blade) on the lines of Karunasri Jandhyala Papaiah Sastry’s immortal Pushpavilapam is just an example of the capability of noted lyricist and film maker Jonnavithula Ramalingeswara Rao.

In his free-wheeling commentary on life in chaste Telugu, he recited his own versions of well-known classic poetry like Pusphavilapam. He was here to address the members of the Walkers Club of Visakhapatnam at their monthly meeting. Jonnavithula touched upon every facet of life in his talk. Telugu language is musical and lends itself to lyrics, he said.

Beginning his talk with his own ‘Maikasura Shatakam’, he warned the audience that he would not stop his talk for anything. Full of wit and sarcasm, the shatakam talked of how the speakers would ignore the problems of the audience and were content with addressing their own self. It talked of how the speakers fall in love with their own voice and are unable to perceive the injury they are inflicting on the audience. In a dig at the modern world, he recalled his experience of having lunch at a friend’s place. The lady of the house serves sambar and Jonnavithula’s friend asked for a second serving at which the host looks at his wife and says: “Didn’t I tell you it would not get spoilt even after three days (in the fridge).”

He took off on Annammacharya kirtana ‘Brahmam Okkate’ and gave it his own spin and sang ‘lancham okkate’, lamenting the falling values in society, which has resulted in universal spread of corruption.

He showed off his command of the language with his poem written using sapta swaram in every word. In another poem, he used the Telugu bindu in every word, both at the beginning and the end. The resultant poetry was lyrical and also very appropriate.

He recalled the famous works of prominent writers like Devulapalli Krishna Sastry and presented his version of the well-known poems.

President of the Walkers Club G V Ratnam, secretary K V Srinivasa Rao and other members of the club were present on the occasion.

The club also celebrated the birthday of the members, who would be celebrating it this month. The club also announced its plans to go for its annual picnic to Haygreeva Resorts and asked the members to register.

10,000 tickets sold in one hour for Ind-NZ 1st Twenty20 (http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/india-vs-new-zealand-2012/10-000-tickets-sold-in-one-hour-for-ind-nz-1st-twenty20_748419.html)

Visakhapatnam: The tickets for the first Twenty20 between India and New Zealand here on Saturday are selling like hot cakes as the organisers sold 10,000 of them within an hour after opening the sales, on Tuesday.

In all, 17,000-odd tickets are available for general public at the 27,000 capacity Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ADA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in the outskirts of the coastal city.

Long queues were seen since early morning at the counters and all the lower denomination tickets were sold out. Ticket sales began at 8 am today but the cricket-crazy crowd had lined up since 4 am, M S K Prasad, Director (Operations), Andhra Cricket Association said.

"As Yuvraj Singh will make a comeback after battling cancer, the craze is huge. Tickets in the denominations of INR 300, 600 and 1,000 were sold out in first one hour," said the former India Test wicketkeeper.

Since yesterday there is bad weather with a few spells of rain but the ACA is hopeful that clouds, as a result of a depression in the Bay of Bengal, would clear up.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed. But the good sign is it`s a clear weather forecast Saturday," Prasad added.

The ACA has taken all precautionary measures and hopes to make the ground ready in two hours in case there`s a downpour.

"We have three super soppers put in place. While we have recently acquired a ground cover that can cover the entire field. We are praying to see a good match," he said.

The ACA has set up 21 eSeva kendras (centres) across the city to sell tickets.

Vizag gears up for T-20 action (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/glam-sham/vizag-gears-t-20-action-565)

The stage is all set for a gruelling encounter with the Kiwis and this time, it promises to be a run feast at the batting paradise of Vizag’s picturesque Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA- VDCA cricket stadium on September 8.

Since this will be the first international T-20 match in the city, thousands of cricket buffs not only from every nook and cranny of Vizag, but even from neighbouring areas like Vizianagaram and East Godavari have been seen enthusiastically forming long queues in front of the meen-seva counters and the stadium for tickets. “Cricket is like a religion in our country and I’m also a big cricket fan but I’ve not had the opportunity to watch an international T-20 match live at the stadium. So we have lined up at the counter since 8 am and managed to get two-tickets after waiting for an hour,” says 22-year-old Dheeraj Kumar.

Cricket lovers who thronged the meen-seva centres and stadium in morning hours on Tuesday to purchase the tickets noted that international cricket matches are rarely played in Vizag and moreover it’s a special occasion to watch sitting in the stadium, as our World Cup-2011-winning hero Yuvraj Singh will be playing his first international match in Vizag with the T-20 match since making a return after being treated for a rare germ cell cancer.

“I rushed to the ticket counter and there were already around 60 people ahead of me. Luckily, I managed to get the Rs 500 tickets. My friends and I bunked college and made a beeline for tickets,” says another cricket fan Bhanu Prakash. According to the president of the Andhra Cricket Association, D.V. Subba Rao, many youngsters are interested in watching the short form of cricket as compared to Test Matches. They’re all expecting Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Virendra Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh to hit boundaries and display stunning fielding action during the T-20 match.

Campaign against laterite mining in East Godavari (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article3859196.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, SEPT. 4:
Visakhapatnam-based NGO Samata along with other organisations in East Godavari district has taken up a campaign against the proposed laterite mining in the Nagulakonda hill ranges in the eastern ghats in the district.

It will ruin the ecology of the region and the livelihood of 2 lakh Girijans in 120 habitations.

According to R. Ravi, Executive Director of Samata, the State Government seems intent on taking up bauxite mining and also laterite mining in East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts in spite of the agitation of Girijans and other sections against the move.

“The Government is oblivious to the plight of Girijans in the Eastern ghats and the likely adverse consequences on the people in the plains, if bauxite/laterite mining is taken up.

"The water sources will be contaminated first and then they will dry up. Agriculture and other rural occupations will be adversely affected and life will become miserable for the people in the region,” he said.

He said that bauxite had been found in the Nagulakonda area and people were being misled on the mineral to be mined.

Under the garb of laterite mining, bauxite would be mined, he said and demanded that the Government and the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board make public the relevant information.

PUBLIC HEARING

“A public hearing is proposed to be held on September 20 in the area on the issue and the facts should not be concealed.

"We have appealed to the public in East Godavari to oppose such mining tooth and nail,” he said.

The Government was simply going ahead with it, without taking into account the disastrous consequences of such a move.

He said several NGOs and political parties had come forward to support the agitation against such illegal mining.

Timex outlet opened in Vizag (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/article3862743.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, SEPT. 5:
Timex Group India Ltd opened its first store at Jagadamba Junction in the city on Wednesday.

Inaugurating the new showroom, Angelique O’Brien, head (retail) of the company, told reporters that it was the company’s fourth in Andhra Pradesh and the thirty-first in South India.

Another showroom was being opened in Bangalore on Thursday, she said. Vizag market was encouraging and youth-centric products were being launched here.

Watches at the store were in the price range of Rs 1,500 to Rs 11,000 for Timex and for other brands, prices went up to Rs 25,000, she said.

She said Timex recorded 30 per cent growth last year. The number of outlets in the country had grown from 70 to 107 and 37 were added during the past seven months. The turnover of the company was Rs 350 crore in India last year and 2.5 million watches were sold during the year.

The manufacturing unit at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh produced three million watches so far this year, she added.

Yuvraj-mania grips Vizag ahead of T20 game (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/276961/yuvraj-mania-grips-vizag-ahead.html)

The first of the two T20 Internationals between 2007 World T20 champions India and New Zealand comes to the land of hills and beaches, and it is abuzz with the return of Yuvraj Singh and a few other faces who many thought were down and out.

After two thrilling Tests at Hyderabad and Bangalore – where near-full houses were witnessed for most part of eight days – the series now turns to the T20s and the drama begins come Saturday.

Two days ahead of the game the curiosity is palpable. Not over if India will or not or that this is the first T20 International to be ever held at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA stadium or if the rain gods will continue to hound the port city over the next 72 hours.

It’s about whether Yuvraj, who carried India to a memorable ODI World Cup triumph last year, is the same after winning his battle against cancer. It’s about if the stylish left-hander can take off from where he had left more than a year ago.

Nearly every street corner has a banner which reads ‘Welcome back Yuvi’ and the people who found out about the star’s arrival, braved the rain and a horde of security guards and waited in front of the hotel to catch a glimpse of the man.

It goes without saying that there is a lot riding on the 30-year-old ahead of this series.

While he chose to laugh it off and play a couple of pranks on Rohit Sharma at the hotel, the rest of the pack who are looking to make their mark, chose to keep their straight face on.

Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla have not featured for India in any format of international cricket for over a year while Lakshmipathi Balaji has not donned the country’s colours for three years now.

They have got some action under their belt but it remains to be seen if that and a couple of weeks of training at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore are enough to help them perform at the highest level.

That is the case with Yuvraj too. The Punjab middle-order batsman is not someone that the team would want to leave out to but coming as he does after what he has gone through, the air is thick with apprehension though it remains to be seen if he will feature in the playing eleven.

At the beginning of the Test series, the limelight was on the youngsters and whether they could try and fill the void left by the retirements of two greats Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. They did manage to partially fulfill that role.

Now, the question is if the ‘new’ faces can deliver in the shortest format for India and if the ones who come in from the longest form of the game can adapt quickly enough.
All these answers will be arrived upon in due time but for now, Yuvraj is the only name on everyone’s lips.

First T20 to be a run-fest (http://www.dailypioneer.com/sports/92955-first-t20-to-be-a-run-fest.html)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his arrival on big stage at this particular venue with a magnificent 148 against Pakistan back in 2005 and the pitch here again promises to be a run-fest when India take on New Zealand in the first T20 International.

“We have the best outfield in the country. The pitch is full of runs and is prepared keeping the format in mind. We expect a score of around 170,” former India stumper MSK Prasad, who is also the director of operations at Andhra Cricket Association stated.

Citing example of the last international match against Australia played here, where India had chased Australia’s 290 with seven balls to spare, Prasad said, “It’s always been batting friendly. It has nicely been rolled and the ball will come nicely on to the bat.”

“Both the teams will look to put up a good score,” Prasad said adding that dew would be there but would not make “huge difference.”

He further said there would be little for the slow bowlers and “It would be the seamers who have to do the task.”

According to ACA, the demand for tickets has been huge and even the tickets with highest denomination of `3000 have been sold out. The stadium is going to be packed with a sell-out crowd of 28,000.

Prasad is keeping his fingers crossed about forecasts of a possible thundershowers.

Rain hits operations at RINL steel plant at Visakhapatnam (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3855152.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

KOLKATA, SEPT. 3:
The rain gods have played havoc with unlisted Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) and its listed subsidiary Orissa Minerals Development Co Ltd (OMDC).

A.P. Choudhary, CMD, RINL, told Business Line that excessive rain in the past few days has caused serious problems in Vizag Steel Plant operations, forcing him to stay away from board meeting of OMDC, scheduled for Monday. OMDC informed the BSE that the board meeting, to be held on September 3, was postponed “due to some unavoidable circumstances”.

Apart from the issue of bonus shares, the board was to consider the proposed merger, with itself, of Bisra Stone Lime Co Ltd, another mining subsidiary of RINL. OMDC, a step-down mining subsidiary of RINL, has iron-ore and manganese mines in Odisha. Choudhary, who is Chairman of OMDC too, was completely preoccupied with the boiler shutdown and severe power crisis at VSP. “Coal handling in torrential rain created a crisis of sorts. To add to the woes, VSP could not draw much from the Andhra Pradesh State Electricity board, which was also reeling under shortage,” sources said.

VSP is currently running its 247 MW captive power plant at 63 per cent capacity. “Things are being sorted out on a war footing”, a RINL senior official said.

Rain throws life out of gear in Vizag (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3869766.ece)

The city received 7 cm rainfall from the early hours and the Visakhapatnam airport recorded 4 cm during the same time.

Schoolchildren and office-goers had a tough time as there was a deluge as a downpour that began around 4 a.m. lashed Visakhapatnam till around noon on Thursday.

Many of the roads in the city were flooded and of low-lying areas like Gnanapuram, KRM Colony and Old Town, the less said the better. Water entered houses at Gnanapuram and residents were seen trying to drain it out. It proved futile as the roads were full and water continued to gush in.

Traffic jam was witnessed at many places as most of the cars were out on the roads in view of the continued downpour. Water logging and inundation of some stretches of the main roads added to the woes of motorists and pedestrians alike. There was water stagnation at some places on the National Highway, particularly at Akkayyapalem and Kancharapalem, leading to disruption of traffic.

The main road at Chavulamadhum was flooded and the repair work under the rail overbridge added to the woes of motorists. The Main Road from Dondaparthy to the railway station was under a sheet of water. Rainwater from Waltair Uplands flowed on the road at Asilametta opposite the RTC Complex.

A big tree fell across the road opposite the District Court and at some places manhole covers of the underground drainage system were found missing on the same road. The rain provided welcome relief from the prolonged sultry weather and concerns over depletion of groundwater. The city received 7 cm rainfall from the early hours and the Visakhapatnam airport recorded 4 cm during the same time, said a spokesman of the CWC.

Mechanised boat operators incur losses, stay away from fishing (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/mechanised-boat-operators-incur-losses-stay-awayfishing/485578/)

Over 60 per cent of the mechanised fishing boats are lying idle in the state due to lack of catches.

The boat operators, who stated operations from June 1 after the 47-day fishing holiday, have lost about Rs 2 lakh on each boat during the last two months because of low catches, said PC Appa Rao, president, AP Mechanised Boat Operators Welfare Association.

Shrimp was the most discouraging of all and prices offered by exporters too were very less, he added.
About 650 mechanised boats operate from the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, of which about 450 are now out of business. In all, about 2,000 mechanised boats operate in Andhra Pradesh from Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam, Krishnapatnam and Vadarevu.

“Earlier we used to get 400-500 kg shrimp in 15 days and a minimum 1.5 tonne fish, but this season boat operators have got only 100-150 kg shrimp and 1-1.5 tonne fish,” he said.

Also, exporters used to pay on average Rs 200 per kg shrimp, but this year they are offering only Rs 120-130 per kg. Moreover, they are not taking products as acqua farmers are offering Vanami shrimp at a cheap price.

He said fish prices were better in June and July as Kerala traders picked up stock from the state. However, from August, fishing had started in Kerala and therefore, traders would not come here.

Pollution created by local pharma units, thermal power and other industries is affecting the marine life, he said.

However, from the last couple of days a few boat operators are again trying their luck by venturing into the sea as rains during the last few days would help increase fish reserves, Rao said.

Students told not to limit themselves to academics (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3874131.ece)

Participants let their hair down at i-genesis, a tech fest held in Visakhapatnam

Students should not limit themselves to only academics but also spend some time in other activities and sports, principal AU College of Engineering G.S.N Raju said while inaugurating the cultural events of the ongoing tech fest i-genesis in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The engineering students from different parts of the state who assembled for the festival let their hair down and exhibited their talent in music and other activities.

Nutrition Week

Two lectures were arranged by the Department of Foods, Nutrition & Dietetics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in connection with the 31 National Nutrition Week celebrations. First lecture was by scientist from National Institute of Nutrition Anil Dube on “Nutrition awareness – key to healthy nation”. This was followed by a talk by demonstration officer of the University Community Nutrition Extension Unit Venkateswarlu on balanced diet and importance of low cost nutritious recipes.

The second lecture was delivered by associate professor of Microbiology and Food Science & Technology of GITAM University L Anita on trans-fatty acids. The programme was preceded by a talk by principal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences S. Ganapathy.

Memorial Lecture

Director Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, P. Balaram delivered the Prof Suri Bhagavantham Memorial Lecture organised by the Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences. He spoke on Chemical Analysis in the age of Biology. Director National Institute of Nutrition B Sesikeran emphasised on the need for quality research in science.

Vice-president of Visakhapatnam centre of AP Akademi of Sciences KV Madhava Rao, principal AU College of Science and Technology V Veeraiah, former Rector of Andhra University P Rajendra Prasad, other professors and Fellows of the Akademi were also present.

Yoga Camp

AU Department of Yoga & Consciousness is organising a 20-day special yoga camp for diabetes mellitus through yogic technique and prayanama from September 10. The classes will be held between 3 and 4 p.m.

For details contact Department of Yoga & Consciousness, Beach Road or call: 0891-2566640, 9133752917 or 8985884890, according to head of department P Nirmala Devi.

Supplementary exams

Advanced supplementary examinations for BE/BTech first semester III year and first semester II year are scheduled to be conducted between September 10 and September 15, according to a release issued by the deputy registrar (examinations) of the Andhra University. The III year examinations are to be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and II year examinations from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Dhoni’s Vizag connection! (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/277237/dhonis-vizag-connection.html)

Back in 2004, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a little-known wicketkeeper from Jharkhand, capable of giving the ball a thwack.

In the first four ODIs, he had managed just 22 runs inlcuding a duck in his debut against Bangladesh. But all that changed on April 5, 2005.

Included in the Indian squad for the first two of the six ODIs against Pakistan, the right-hander failed in the first of the two do-or-die matches.

Another failure in the second one-dayer at the ACA-VDCA stadium could have cost his place in the squad, but with his back against the wall, the now-Indian skipper put on a remarkable show.

He put the Pakistani bowling attack to sword with a 148 at this picturesque stadium. “I never said it was my favourite ground. It surely is one of my favourites,” said Dhoni. “I started here. This is where I began. I have some fond memories at this venue.” India’s hundred per cent win record at the four-match-old stadium is quite impressive, so is the fact that their skipper takes a particular liking to this venue.

Naval flight safety review held in Visakhapatnam (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3873601.ece)

A review of aviation accidents and incidents in the recent past was conducted during the Naval Flight Safety Seminar 2012.

A review of aviation accidents and incidents in the recent past was conducted during the Naval Flight Safety Seminar 2012 held in Visakhapatnam on Friday at Maritime Warfare Center.

The annual event, held at all the three Naval Commands on a rotational basis, was conducted by INS Dega under the aegis of Eastern Naval Command here. The Seminar was inaugurated by Chief of Staff of ENC Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, and several papers on topics having a direct bearing on flight safety were presented by officers from the Navy and also by representatives from the other services. The event also provided a platform for discussing a number of strategies, concepts and procedures to enhance flight safety.

A comprehensive analysis of aviation accidents/ incidents of the preceding year were undertaken in the course of the seminar. The annual Aviation Rolling Trophies were also awarded on the occasion. INAS 336 was adjudged the Best Naval Air Squadron and INAS 318 was the runner-up.

Vice Admiral Lanba gave away the trophies to the Commanding Officers of INAS 336, Commander Rewant Kumar and Commander Rajiv Sharma of INAS 318. The Chief of Naval Staff Trophies for Flight Safety were bagged by INAS 318 for the Best Frontline Squadron, INAS 336 for the Best Training Squadron and Trishul Flight for the Best Flight.

A number of senior officers including Rear Admiral D.M Sudan, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) and Rear Admiral B.S. Parhar, Flag Officer Naval Aviation, and others attended the seminar which was preceded by a Naval Flight Safety meeting on Thursday, chaired by Rear Admiral Parhar.

Commanding Officers and Flight Safety Officers of all the Air Stations of the Navy, attended and a number of issues ranging from the analysis of aviation incidents/ accidents, precautions to prevent recurrence and other relevant matters were discussed during the meeting, according to a spokesman of the ENC.

Cops get unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) power to hunt for Maoists in Andhra-Orissa Border (AOB) (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Cops-get-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-UAV-power-to-hunt-for-Maoists-in-Andhra-Orissa-Border-AOB/articleshow/16328736.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: The hunt for Maoists will be intensified with the deployment of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which will track the Naxalites in the Vizag Agency area for the benefit of special party police who are finding it difficult to take up combing operations in the hilly terrain of Andhra-Orissa Border (AOB) during monsoon season.

Security forces tested the UAV in the AOB twice last month. The UAV scanned the extremists' hideouts and their passages in the AOB in general and Malkangiri in particular, sources said. The police operated the UAV from Hyderabad and not from Madhurapudi airport in Rajahmundry, as the requisite monitoring system has not been installed there yet, the sources said.

The police launched the drive against Maoists in the first week of August during the time when the rebels were observing the martyrs' week following inputs from intelligence sleuths about a gathering of the guerrillas. "We have decided to deploy the UAV to track Naxalites," a senior police officer told TOI. The UAV is already in use in north Telangana and Chhattisgarh border, the sources said.

With the use of the Rs 40-crore worth UAV, the security forces would be able to make further inroads into the Maoist den. "The UAV, capable of intercepting wireless messages apart from clicking aerial photographs, enhances the preparedness of the cops," a senior official involved in anti-insurgency operations said.

The UAVs also possess ground and foliage penetration radars which provide logistical support to paramilitary forces, special parties and the Greyhounds, the elite commando force of the state police. "Trial runs of UAVs were conducted during the monsoon as the combing parties were in no position to enter deep inside the jungles. Had they been stationed in Rajahmundry and operated from there, they could have surveyed a far greater area," the police officer said.

Along with the UAVs, the central government has granted a troupe carrier chopper to Visakhapatnam district which would be based at Chintapally in the Agency area. "It can help airdrop and lift security forces from one place to another, thereby avoiding mine blasts triggered by the Maoists," a senior IPS officer told TOI.

Sources said as per the tracking of UAV, Naxalites are on the move in the border areas of Bandugaon, Narayanapatna, Lakshmipur in Koraput and Malakangiri districts. It may be recalled that a decision to deploy the UAV was first taken in November 2011.

East coast special trains (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangalore/East-coast-special-trains/articleshow/16397717.cms)

MANGALORE: East Coast Railway will be running special trains between Vizag-Kollam-Vizag for clearing extra rush of passenger traffic.

Train 08569/08570 Vishakapattinam-Kollam-Vishakapattinam weekly specials will operate on Thursdays till October 25 and from Kollam on Fridays from September 14 to October 26.

Also, due to construction of Road Over-Bridge in lieu of Level Crossing No.143 at Somanur on September 17 to 19, trains will be delayed at Somanur. Train 13351 TATA-Dhanbad-Alleppey Express will be regulated for 35 min at Somanur on all the three days and train 16324 Shalimar Trivandrum Express will be regulated for 25 min at Somanur only on September 18.

Visakhapatnam remembers 'pledge' composer (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Visakhapatnam-remembers-pledge-composer/articleshow/16390278.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: "India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters..." This famous national pledge recited by schoolchildren was composed in Visakhapatnam by then district treasury officer, Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao, a native of Anneparthy village in Nalgonda, 50 years ago in 1962.

The original pledge composed in Telugu, first heard in a school in Visakhapatnam in 1963, was later translated into English, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and various other vernacular languages and incorporated as the national pledge to be recited on the Republic Day in 1965. The author was a multi-faceted personality and a polyglot having achieved mastery in Sanskrit, Telugu, English and Arabic. He wrote on various subjects, including naturopathy besides authoring many books in Telugu, including a popular novel, 'Kalabhairavudu'.

It must be noted that his efforts to popularise the pledge were encouraged by then education minister Raja Saheb of Vizianagaram, P V G Raju and nationalist Tenneti Viswanatham. Sources at the Tenneti Foundation say that Venkata Subba Rao was a frequent visitor at the residence of the late Tenneti. The duo diligently worked to ensure that the pledge was accorded constitutional recognition.

Surprised by the fact that people had remembered his father, Venkata Subba Rao's son P V Subramanyam, observed that even he did not know that his father had authored the pledge till his 20s. "I was not aware of the fact that my father authored the pledge till a year before he passed away. It is nice to know that my father is getting due recognition," Subramanyam said and requested the government to give credit to his father for the pledge.

The Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika wishes to bring to public notice the fact that the pledge was first composed in Visakhapatnam and heard in the schools of the city. Moreover, the authorities are pressuring the government to celebrate the completion of 50 years since the pledge was composed, in memory of Venkata Subba Rao who passed away in 1988. The Vedika approached the government and various bodies such as the Tenneti Foundation for details concerning the author, who had slipped into anonymity while the pledge was being taken by every school kid in the country. Schools, institutions and NGOs have been invited to participate in a mass gathering where they would take the pledge as a tribute to the author.

Rhythmic melange (http://www.thehindu.com/arts/dance/article3917349.ece)

A four-day fifth edition of Nataraja Music and Dance Academy’s Vysakhi Nrityotsav treated dance aficionados to rich fare at Kalabharati, Visakhapatnam. It was an awaited annual event in the city and the dance lovers turned out in large numbers for the inaugural session. With a spectrum of dance forms unfolding, it was like journeying across the country through the idiom of dance. Featuring Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kathak, Mohiniattam, Manipuri, Vilasini Nrityam, Ravindra Nrityam and Andhranatyam, the fete bore out the cultural grace and grandeur of different regions. While the maestros’ performances stood out for its exceptional craft; that of up and coming artistes held out rosy picture of tomorrow. With each coming out with the best of their repertoire, the fare sparkled as varyingly as the dance forms. With almost as many as four performances, each session seemed rather crowded. Particularly for dances involving exquisite group formations such as Odissi, paucity of duration looked obvious for the performers to spread out in full scale and for the viewers to take pleasure in aesthetic nuances of refined presentations. The only performance that stretched to its full was Vilasini Nrityam by renowned Swapana Sundari captivating the viewers for over a couple of hours.

The fete took off with Kuchipudi. Principal Kuchipudi Kalakshetra of Vempati China Satyam and maestro Hari Ramamurthy presented ‘Prevasa Daruvu’ of Mahishasura with aplomb that set the tone for the rest.

Bhubaneswar-based Meera Das’s Odissi on third day held the viewers spellbound. With perfect coalescence of foot work and expressional élan Meera Das and her disciples Malabika, Lopamudra, Ananya, Pushpa and Shibani made a splendid presentation of chosen items. With masterly control over intricate matrix of foot work and fluid ease in transformation from one mood to other in a jiffy; it vivified Dasavataras in the kinetic idiom of Odissi in its entire grandeur. In Nritta, her choreography weaving complex floor designs and use of bandhas – acrobatic elements — which are usually seen in Gotipua version of Odissi stood out for its exceptional precision.

Iridescent with innovative and imaginative choreography Swapana Sundari’s Vilasini Nrityam offered a sumptuous treat. Having warmed up the session with an invocatory, she delineated the Pada varnam. This relatively less known dance form in this region evoked warm response for its aesthetic appeal. Javali and Parijatham were other items that she presented in her inimitable style. Earlier, young danseuse Sai Jyothis’s Marakatha Manimayachela and Sancharadhara an asthapadi of Jayadev in Kuchipudi style stood out. Ashtapadi was reflective of her talent to lend a mobile expression to poetic nuances.

Iridescent with innovative and imaginative choreography

Swapana Sundari’s Vilasini Nrityam offered a sumptuous treat. This relatively less known dance form in this region evoked warm response for its aesthetic appeal.

Devotional rendition (http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article3917346.ece)

Parupalli Ranganath and Sunitha Balaji skilfully presented Annamayya compositions in a three-day festival.

Devotion, when expressed through music acquires a collective dimension letting the audience soak in the devotional fervour. So did a three-day Annamayya Sankeerthana Harivaram at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam. It was a marathon session with renowned exponent of Annamayya compositions Parupalli Ranganath and Sunitha Balaji ladling out about 30 compositions each day. Kamisetty Srinivasulu’s erudite commentary further enhanced its emotional appeal. The fact that Ranganath mastered the art of singing the compositions of Annamayya needs no reiteration. His in depth grasp of both musical and lyrical nuances was evident all through. He sang giving each phrase its due accent and brought out in the process its devotional spirit. A wide assortment of compositions that he sang dwelled on myriad aspects of life and its emotions. Devotional, philosophical, romantic and spiritual import of varied compositions found alluring expression in his resonant voice revealing his passion for Annamayya’s padams.

It was like flowing with notes. It was no mean endeavour to present filament of compositions each day and sustain the interest of the audience. Ranganath has done it with fluid ease. Each shade of emotion embedded in the composition softly glowed in his melodic rendition much to the delight of the audience. He commenced it with Brahmmakadigina paadamu in raga Mukhari. He sang the compositions in a candid way of expression sans frills touching a responsive chord in the hearts of audience. Laden with soft gamakas his exploration of varied hues of the chosen compositions added a measure of refinement to the presentation. A broad range of ragas like Hamsadwani, Mohana, Kalyanai, Behag, Kapi, Desh, Sindhubhairavi, Todi and Valaji glittered in consonance with lyrical charms. G Chakrapani on violin, BK Bharadwaja on keyboard, P Balasubrahmanyam on mridangam, G Vijayakumar on pads and P Pandurangarao and B Manjunath on table lent admirable support. Hyderabad-based RJ Media Works in association with Visakha Music and Dance Academy and Sri Sarada Annamayya Sangeetha Vidyalayam also featured in the concert.

Special trains to Vizag from Kollam (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/special-trains-to-vizag-from-kollam/292332-60-123.html)

A pair of special weekly trains will be pressed into service between Visakhapatnam and Kollam via Kottayam to clear the extra rush of passengers with immediate effect till October 26. Train no 08570 will leave Kollam at 9.10 p m on all Fridays till October 26 and reach Visakhapatnam at 1.25 pm on Sundays.
Train no 08569 will leave Visakhapatnam at 9 a m on all Thursdays between September 20 and October 25 to reach Kollam at 4 p m on Fridays. The train will have one each of 2AC, 3AC, eight sleeper and four general coaches. It will have stops at Kayamkulam, Chengannur, Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, Thrissur, Ottappalam, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpetta, Katpady, Tirupathi, Renigunta, Gudur, Nellore, Ongole, Chirala, Tenali, Vijayawada, Eluru, Tadepalligudem, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Annavaram, Tuni, Annakapalli and Duvvada stations.

Property tax collection in Vizag encouraging (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3910379.ece)

Number of properties increases from 3.52 lakh to 3.65 lakh

For Greater Vishakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), property tax receipts for the first half of 2012-13 are encouraging.

The number of assessments has gone up and the tax collection so far is near the halfway mark.

For the corporation caught up in tax wrangle over the quantum of increase for more than year this is encouraging, say sources.

The number of properties has increased from 3.52 lakh last year to 3.65 lakh now.

While the total demand is Rs.74 crore a part of it is termed uncollectible. That includes the Rs. 13.25 crore payable by the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

VSP is now paying only half the tax following a petition pending in the court.

There are other government departments also that generally do not pay the tax. The total uncollectible thus comes to around Rs.9 crore to Rs.9.5 crore.

“Of the demand of Rs. 64 crore for the half-year, so far Rs.28 crore has been collected,” Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) M. Viswanatham told The Hindu on Monday.

However, there is some delay in serving the demand notices.

Some ten days ago, some of the bill collectors have sought more time for serving the notices. At that time there was 10 to 15 per cent pendency in the notices. In the first and fourth zones most of the distribution has been completed.

With hardly fifteen days to go for payment of the tax, unless notices are served people will not be in a position to comply with the notices.

It is expected that the corporation will be able to collect another Rs.10 crore by then. After the end of September, penal interest is levied on the tax.

Tax payments generally pick up in March when the government announces waiver of the penal interest.

South Indian delicacies on a platter (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3900632.ece)

The traditional fare includes dishes from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
A 10-day South India food festival has started in the Offshores restaurant of Vihar Hospitality at Rushikonda from Friday.

The traditional South Indian fare from the four major states, as made at home in the villages by the grandmothers, are being dished out for the pleasure of the finicky eaters. The food is being made using homemade spices, chef Subramanyam said in Vizag on Friday. Using simplest of ingredients the chef has managed to conjure up the enticing aroma, general manager N.R. Prasad said.

The traditional fare from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh include – bisibela bath, kothimiri rice, ghee rice, coconut pulau, ulavacharu, ragi sangathi, garelu, gongura royyalu, kurnool pittamamsam koora, nellore chapala pulusu, guntur chapala pulusu, bonnidala pulusu, menu kolambo, chennaimeen curry, meenupolichettu, chicken chettinadu, peethala iguru, tomato jeedipappu curry, thalakai mamsam, stuffed karela, aratipuvvu vepudu, urlai ghee roast, corn vada, mirchi bajji, coorg chicken fry, pitta mamsam roast, rawa masala fish fry, tawakorameenu, natukodi pulusu and royyala biryani.

The food festival is open from 12 noon to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Hype over visit of foreign airline delegations irks citizens (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/article3921535.ece)

If foreign airlines are willing to fly to the Port City, it is due to the city’s merit and not their grace, former Mayor D.V. Subba Rao has said.

The city is a major industrial hub in the country, and the stage is set for it to take off to the next level. International connectivity is a natural corollary. The foreign airlines are coming only because they see business here. Visakhapatnam has traditionally been the gateway to the outer world for people of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, apart from North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, he says.While we welcome the business opportunity being provided by the air connectivity to Dubai, Singapore (in October), and Sri Lanka (in the near future), we need not bend over backwards to get a pat from them.

We are far bigger in size and opportunity, says a chief of a city-based software company.

With the Government of India’s Look East policy and focus on friendship with neighbouring countries, it is but natural for us to welcome visitors from these countries, says Director of Centre for Policy Studies A. Prasanna Kumar. “There is nothing wrong in giving their visit a little hype. However, we need not go overboard,” he adds.

With the Government looking East for trade and business, it is time we established a Gateway to India here, suggests another city-based software professional.

“If building a structure is costly, the authorities may think of setting up a virtual gateway,” he adds. The gateway will not only inform the world about the presence of Visakhapatnam but also helps promote it as a business and tourist destination, he feels.It is high time the world was made aware of the fact that for peninsular India, the city is the nearest port of call for the countries in the East. Singapore is approximately 2,918 km from Chennai and 2,900 km from Visakhapatnam.

Bangkok is 1,897 km from here and 2,199 km from Chennai, the software professional adds.

RINL declares 10% dividend (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3918909.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, SEPT. 20:
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (Visakhapatnam Steel Plant) has declared 10 per cent dividend for 2011-12 at the annual general meeting held here on Thursday, according to a press release. The Chairman and Managing Director, A. P Choudhary, presided over the AGM. Sarita Taneja, Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Steel, attended the AGM. A.P Choudhary said RINL had achieved ‘excellent’ rating for the third consecutive year. RINL earned a profit after tax of Rs 751 crore for the year, with a growth of 14 per cent. Dividend was declared at 10 per cent for shareholders and seven per cent on preference share capital with a cash outflow of Rs 218 crore. He said RINL had commenced the redemption of preference share capital with Rs 100 crore being paid on March 31, and a further redemption of cumulative amount of Rs 1,226.60 crore, amounting to Rs 1,326.60 crore.

Eastern states told to emulate Gujarat in port development (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3926361.ece)

'Infrastructure development, reduction in transaction cost key to make ports competitive'

VISAKHAPATNAM, SEPT 22:
Ports on the east coast have a bright future ahead of them, as India’s trade with China and other Asian countries is increasing substantially thanks to the look-east policy of the Government, but the eastern states have to emulate Gujarat in developing ports and related infrastructure to make use of the emerging opportunities.

This was the conclusion arrived at by many speakers at the East Coast Maritime Business Summit organised here on Friday and Saturday by the Hyderabad-based magazine Maritime Gateway.

Many of the speakers pointed out that the performance of major ports on the east coast and west coast was more or less similar, but there was a vast difference in the number of non-major ports and their volumes on the east coast and the west coast.

The west coast, especially Gujarat, was far ahead of the east, and the gap should be bridged with concerted efforts by the eastern states.

Visakhapatnam Port Chairman Ajeya Kallam said the port had taken up several projects in the public-private partnership mode, currently being executed at a cost of more than Rs 3,000 crore.

In the next two phases, an additional Rs 10,000 crore would be invested for taking the capacity of the port to 130 million tonnes per annum by 2016-17 from the present 70 mt. He said Visakhapatnam would also be developed as a container hub.

Shipping Corporation of India CMD Sabyasachi Hajara said he also agreed that the future of eastern ports was very bright, but infrastructure should be developed and the transaction cost should be brought down substantially for the Indian ports to be competitive.

He exhorted other states to follow Gujarat. He also expressed the need for the formulation of a national integrated logistics policy and added that “many policy interventions are needed to develop inland waterways and coastal shipping.’’

As the number one carrier, he said SCI would play its part in the development of eastern ports.

Krishna B. Kotak, Chairman of J.M Baxi & Co, said the Union Government had invited private investment in port development after the liberalisation in the nineties, but it had not kept many of the promises and developed the port-related infrastructure. As a result, many of the investors had lost heavily and they are now wary of investing in Indian ports.

He said the cost factor was crucial and the Government should formulate the right kind of policies and keep its promises. Otherwise, the massive investments needed for port development may not be so readily available.

Former Union Shipping Secretary K. Mohan Das said funds would not be a problem for the port projects, if the projects were viable. “There may be some temporary difficulties now because of the global recession. But things will improve and I am confident of a great future for the eastern ports,’’ he added.

VSP unions campaign against disinvestment in Hyderabad (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/vsp-unions-campaign-against-disinvestment-in-hyderabad/article3938221.ece)

They seek intervention of Deputy CM and Chandrababu Naidu

Taking their campaign to the State Capital, leaders of various unions of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on Tuesday sought the support of Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, Leader of Opposition in Assembly N. Chandrababu Naidu and others to put pressure on the Centre to drop disinvestment of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL).

The leaders said the Deputy Chief Minister promised to write a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and stop RINL issue hitting the Dalal Street on October 16.

IPO

Most of the leaders whom the all-union delegation met agreed to their demand to drop the Rs.2, 500-IPO which was being pursued by the Department of Disinvestment.

The union leaders also met Congress MP K. Chiranjeevi, YSR Congress Party working president Vijayamma, BJP State president G. Kishan Reddy, CPI State secretary K. Narayana and CPI (M) secretary B.V. Raghavulu and Tribal Welfare Minister P. Balaraju.

Mr. Naidu reportedly directed Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader Nama Nageswara Rao to lead a team of MPs to represent to the Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister to stop disinvestment of RINL, the corporate entity of VSP.

The union leaders gave detailed presentation on how VSP was established at Visakhapatnam after the ‘Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku’ agitation.

The delegation consisted of D. Adinarayana (AITUC), N. Rama Rao (CITU), Mantri Rajasekhar, Gandham Venkata Rao (Steel INTUC), Varasala Srinivasa Rao (Janshakti Mazdoor Sabha), Rammohan Kumar, Pydiraju (TNTUC), G.R.K. Raju (Visakha Steel Employees’ Union), Polayya (HMS) and T. Jagadish (VSMS).

“It’s the pride of Andhra Pradesh and under no circumstances it should be allowed to go to private hands,” Mr. Adinarayana said.

The union leaders said diluting 10 per cent of equity was only a beginning and it would subsequently lead to handing over VSP on a golden platter to private parties.

Vizag seeks Test status (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/vizag-seeks-test-status/article3941648.ece)

ACA president D.V. Subba Rao meets BCCI president N. Srinivasan

The Andhra Cricket Association has appealed to the BCCI to accord Test status to Visakhapatnam, which boasts of an ultra-modern ACA-VDCA stadium where some ODIs have already been held and the infrastructure, pitch, billiards table-top like outfield, air connectivity, star hotel accommodation that suits the foreign teams and the disciplined and sportive local cricket fans, won appreciation from every foreign team that played here, the media representatives and every leading lights of the games of India and abroad who visited the stadium.

President of ACA D.V. Subba Rao met president of BCCI N. Srinivasan during the ongoing working committee meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday and renewed the claim of the stadium as Test match venue which has fulfilled all the requirements.

He also pointed out that Dr. Patel, the architect of the DYL stadium in Mumbai, who came here as an observer on behalf of the ill-fated September 8 Twenty20 match between India and New Zealand was effusive in his praise about the stadium and also make a strong plea that it was time that Test cricket shifted to smaller centres as it was found increasingly difficult for the administrators to sustain spectator interest in five-day Tests in metro venues.

The ACA president also mentioned that in spite of the match having been washed out, local spectators who packed the stadium quietly accepted the nature’s verdict and there was no trouble at all.

He wanted the BCCI to take this aspect of the spectator interest in the game.

The administration must take positive steps to make the Test cricket survive in the country, said Mr. Subba Rao who had witnessed Tests as spectator and as an administrator at different big cities during the last forty years.

The ACA president requested the BCCI to allot another match to the city in view of the September 8 Twenty20 match abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain causing huge disappointment to the local cricket lovers. One of the Twenty20 matches during the forthcoming tour by Pakistan could be allotted to Visakhapatnam, he said.

Coringa ecosystem comes alive (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/coringa-ecosystem-comes-alive/article3945078.ece)

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Life in the bionetwork vividly captured in murals and 3D model

Fisherfolk living in the Coringa mangrove ecosystem in the Godavari estuary blend with nature. Their habitations are simple structures that are in tune with the surroundings. Interestingly, they cook food on boats itself while using traditional nets for fishing.

UNDP project

The Coringa is home to many endangered species, including fishing cats. A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded project has helped the fisherfolk improve their lives and standards of living without damaging the ecosystem, explains city-based sculptor G.V. Ramana Murthy.

Ramana Murthy is involved in developing three lifelike murals and a 3D model to explain the nuances of the Coringa ecosystem, and this tableau would be part of the UNDP projects being put on display at the Conference of Parties on Conservation of Biodiversity scheduled to be held in Hyderabad from October 1 to 19.

The UNDP-funded project is on Mainstreaming of Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation in Estuary of Godavari in East Godavari. The project has also trained the fisherfolk to adopt some of the newer and eco-friendly technologies such as using a special oven for drying fish rather than in sun and also some alternative livelihoods.

Ramana Murthy visited the Coringa and studied the life of the fisherfolk to understand and present it in his murals. He is also creating a lifelike 3D model of the ecosystem, including fisherfolk at the market, the flora and fauna, and the fishing boats that would effectively narrate the change in ground realities.

Using fibreglass and plaster of Paris, he and his team of 15 Bengali artists have been working day and night to get the murals and the models ready. The murals are ready and are being given finishing touches, and they hope to ship them to Hyderabad by Friday evening.

In view of the urgency, we have not been able to take a more detailed work, the sculptor explains.

Vizag at risk from ammonium nitrate imports (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vizag-at-risk-from-ammonium-nitrate-imports/295906-60-114.html)

Last Saturday, a ship from Russia docked at the Vizag port and delivered a cargo of 25,000 tons of ammonium nitrate. Three more ships are still lolling at sea, waiting to berth. Their cargo? Some 67,000 tons of the same substance.
Ammonium nitrate is used in the making of fertiliser. It’s also used in the making of explosives, mainly by mining companies and quarries. It’s also used by terrorists to make improvised explosive devices. less than half a kg of it is sufficient to make a bomb that can create mayhem.
So where does the shipment go after the stevedores have unloaded it? Given the lack of secure storate space, the deadly material is despatched to warehouses in the industrial area of Mindi in Vizag.
Mindi is home to major industries like the HPCLVisakha refinery, Hindustan Zinc Limited, and Bharat Heavy Plates and Vessels (BHPV).
Residential areas like VUDA Colony, Janata Colony, Labour Colony and the employees’ quarters of BHPV and Hindustan Zinc lie within a radius of 2 km.
Storing vast quantities of ammonium nitrate in the heart of Mindi puts the lives of lakhs of people at risk. Vizag citizen activists say that officials are, shockingly, turning a blind eye to this even as shipping agents violate norms relating to the handling of the deadly shipments. Import of the ammonium nitrate has been increasing at the Vizag port.
IDL, Special Blast Pvt Ltd, Project Equipment and Consultancy Ltd and Solar Explosives Ltd import it mainly from the former Soviet countries and Sravan Shipping Private Ltd is the shipping agent for the cargo.
The Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) allows these imports but storage in bulk within the port premises is not allowed. This followed new norms brought in by the Union government after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
Importers are therefore required to handle the substance in small quantities and only in bagged form. While issuing the stringent norms, the government allowed a one-year timeframe to develop storage facilities and safety precautions ports.
Presently, only one sole agent is unloading the chemical in bulk at the Vizag port and shifting it to godowns in Mindi, 20 km away.
As per storage rules, no more than 3 tons of ammonium nitrate can be stored in any port facility in India, maintaining a minimum distance of 8 m from the compound wall. Outside of the ports, a maximum of 5000 tons is permitted per godown. But at Mindi, storage exceeds that limit.
Forum for A Better Visakha convener E A S Sarma, a former Union energy secretary, says numerous complaints about the import, storage and sale of ammonium nitrate have been submitted to the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Union home minister, Union home secretary, the state’s DGP and other top officials.
Sarma says handling, storage and transportation of ammonium nitrate ought to be checked at all corners but no such protocol is followed in the port city.
“I did try to highlight in New Delhi the illegal storage and unsafe transport of ammonium nitrate in Visakhapatnam, but the issue still needs to be taken up at the top level,” Sarma said. Of particular concern, citizen activists say, there are transit losses of ammonium nitrate from the VPT to Mindi.
A lot of the substance comes loose while being unloaded and this is by an large unaccounted, they say.

Helicopter sightseeing rides in the offing: Minister (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/helicopter-sightseeing-rides-in-the-offing-minister/article3945110.ece)

A high-level meeting is to be conducted next week to review the state of tourism in the district, Minister for Infrastructure, Investment and Ports Ganta Srinivasa Rao said.

Addressing the media after inaugurating a photo exhibition on tourism organised by the Department of Tourism to mark the World Tourism Day at the Visakha Museum in Vizag on Thursday, he said the meeting would look at the follow up on the various proposals put up to the Centre and the State Government on promotion of tourism.

The Centre accepting State Government’s request is appointing a senior officer to head the tourism operations in the region following the State to give a fillip to the sector, he said.

The department is also planning to introduce helicopter tours to different tourist locations in the district, he added. An eco-tourism project would be taken up at the Erramatti Dibbalu to prevent its encroachment and also protect the unique natural formation, the Minister said.

Glass bogies

Two all glass bogies are to be added to the train to Araku to help the tourists watch the nature’s splendour during the train journey, he said and added that a special train may not be possible but two coaches are being attached to the existing train.

Novotel opens rooftop restaurant ‘Infinity’ (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/novotel-opens-rooftop-restaurant-infinity/article3951210.ece)

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Novotel Varun Beach opened its rooftop restaurant on Saturday. Open for lunch and dinner, it has 36 seats inside the air-conditioned restaurant and another 36 outside to savour the natural environs overlooking the sea from close quarters. “We have also a near half-km. walking and jogging track on the roof-top—only one of its kind in India and perhaps in the world.

The location is sure to take one’s breath away. A rooftop open air restobar coupled with an amazing view of the ocean,” said Managing Director of Varun Group V. Prabhu Kishsore.

Talking about the Infinity Bar and Kitchen, General Manager of Novotel Varun beach Mohd Shoeb said that it was a highest open air rooftop restaurant in the country. “In about ten days’ time, we have two Filipino singers from Manila to entertain with music every day. Call it a lounge bar, a pub, a sizzler restaurant or just a place to relax. Infinity is all this and more. Simply put, it’s the most rocking place to be seen in Vizag,” he stated.

Executive Chef Janardhan Kasa displayed the sizzlers and even the dessert came from the kitchen sizzling. Directors Varsha, Jayadev Datta, and Siddhartha Umashanker were present.

Mechanised handling of coal ready for trial run at VPT (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/mechanised-handling-of-coal-ready-for-trial-run-at-vpt/article3954330.ece)

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Commercial launch likely in a month, says Chairman

The Rs.675-crore mechanisation of coal handling facilities and upgrading of General Cargo Berth (GCB) in the outer harbour of Visakhapatnam Port is ready for trial.

“The trial run will be made within a week. We are waiting for certain clearances. In all likelihood, it will wrap up all works for commercial launch in a month,” Visakhapatnam Port Chairman Ajeya Kallam told The Hindu.

As per the directive of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), which manages the country’s second largest port, the Vizag General Cargo Berth Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle, has advanced the construction work by a few months.

The project is highly challenging for the VPT as it is aimed at drastically reducing coal dust pollution, for which it faces a lot of criticism from various quarters.

The project is being executed by Leighton Welspun and Vedanta Resources belonging to Sterlite Industries under Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) basis under a 30-year concession agreement. Once fully commissioned, GCB will handle 2,00,000 DWT vessels.

The newly developed facility is expected to handle 10.2 million tonnes per annum with a provision to expand it to 12.5 million tonnes in future.

As per the concession agreement, a state-of-the-art system is installed to handle 70,000 tonnes per day through ship loaders.

A 2.5-km-long conveyer system is now in place connecting to the mechanised stack yard, a port official has said. The 356-metre berth has been widened by 21 metres.

Grandiose plan

As part of its ambitious plan, the VPT will be spending nearly Rs.14,000 crore by 2020 to expand its capacity. It is engaging a reputed consultant to develop a satellite port near Bhimunipatnam.

National Shipping Board Chairman P.V.K. Mohan said that Visakhapatnam Port would be one of the investors in the major port coming in the public sector at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district. The Union Cabinet is expected to give its nod shortly.

Of the total investment finalised for 2020, Rs.9,803 crore is being spent on construction and modernisation of berths, and Rs.2,112 crore on deepening of channels/berths to make Visakhapatnam as the most preferred gateway port of South Asia. The remaining amount will be invested in equipment and logistics.

Long wait list for Araku train ride (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/long-wait-list-for-araku-train-ride/article3957983.ece)

The picturesque Araku valley, popularly known as "Ooty of Andhra Pradesh’, draws a large number of tourists not only from AP but also from West Bengal and other States of the country every year

Contrary to the assurances given to people’s representatives from time to time, the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway continues to get a raw deal be it in the allotment of rakes, provision of additional coaches, launch of new trains or even ‘regularisation’ of special trains that were already announced in the budget.

The picturesque Araku valley, popularly known as “Ooty of Andhra Pradesh’, draws a large number of tourists not only from AP but also from West Bengal and other States of the country every year. The former Railway Minister Mukul Roy had responded ‘positively’ when the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone Sadhana Samithi leaders met him in New Delhi more than a month ago and sought operation of an additional train to Araku to cater to the huge demand from tourists. The former Railway Minister had said that the East Coast Railway General Manager would be directed to meet Union Minister of State for HRD D. Purandeswari to discuss various problems of Waltair Division, according to Samithi convener J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy. He had even assured the Union HRD Minister that pending introduction of the new train to Araku, two additional tourist coaches could be attached to the existing train during the present tourist season.

Holiday season

There is a huge waiting list for the ‘Araku passenger’ (Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Passenger) ahead of the Dasara festival. The tourist rush continues till Pongal. The waiting list in the Sleeper Class starts with 49 on October 13 and peaks at 300 on October 22. There is no vacancy on all the days in October during the festival season and almost on all days in November and for 15 days in December. The First Class coach is also fully booked on almost all the days during the same period. There will hardly any space to sit or even stand in the general coaches during the tourist season.

With hardly two weeks to go for the tourist rush to begin, no arrangements seem to have been made to attach additional coaches as announced.

“We have sent the proposal to the Research and Development Wing in Lucknow for augmenting of additional coaches but we haven’t received any communication in this regard,” Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kumar said when the issue was brought to his notice. Those who have decided to visit Araku should better forget the breathtaking journey by train, passing through tunnels, and think of alternative plans.

‘Teachings of Gandhi are still relevant’ (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/teachings-of-gandhi-are-still-relevant/article3957966.ece)

A team of engineering students informed that it had developed a Swadeshi technology to help farmers in Srikakulam districts, inspired by Gandhiji

Participants at a seminar for students on Gandhiji, organised by GITAM Centre for Gandhian Studies at GTIM Institute of Management came to the conclusion that the Father of the Nation is still relevant and a guiding force for youngsters.

The seminar was organised on Monday on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti with the focus on using Gandhian principles to solve contemporary issues in the society.

A team of engineering students informed that it had developed a Swadeshi technology to help farmers in Srikakulam districts, inspired by Gandhiji. The team of students visited the district designed a water lifting equipment to provide water to 100 acres of agriculture land. The District Administration appreciated the method.

Another group of engineering students helped Girijans of Visakha Agency with drinking water facility.

Toy-making

The management students explained how they trained some persons in remote villages in Narsipatnam area. At Anuku village they trained locals in toy-making and conducted literary programmes and distributed solar lamps. The students presented a paper on Gandhi and rural employment during the seminar.

Campaign

Members of GITAM Rotaract Club conducted women literacy campaign at Yendada and child education programmes in Visakhapatnam city. The School of Law students also presented papers at the seminars.

Director of Center for Gandhian Studies B. Sambasiva Prasad spoke on Gandhian philosophy and appreciated the students for their concern towards poor and village people.

Affiliation of Naval ships with Army regiments held in Vizag (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/affiliationnaval-shipsarmy-regiments%C2%A0held-in-vizag/64859/)

An affiliation ceremony of two of the newest Navy frigates, INS Shivalik and INS Satpura, with two of the oldest and gallant regiments of the Army, the Scinde Horse and the 7th Cavalry, was held here today.

Addressing a gathering after the ceremony at the Naval Dockyard, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command, Lt Gen A K Singh, said the affiliation between the Navy and Army regiments would help enhance the capabilities of both forces to safeguard the country's security needs.

Inter-service affiliation between the best outfits of the Army and Navy will help both forces to exchange their view and experience in performing their responsibilities, he said.

He said the Southern Army would be intimately involved in all joint operations with the Navy in the future and the two regiments were taking the lead in this direction.
"The inter-service affiliation between the regiments and the ships is a reflection of the commitment of both the services towards progress on this path."

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra said the emerging nature of warfare demands synergy in combat through joint initiatives and integration of minds.

Affiliation between units of the Indian armed forces would most certainly promote jointmanship, he said.

Later talking to the media, Vice-Admiral Chopra said importance of the Indian navy has enhanced over the last ten years due to the Government's 'look east policy'.

The Navy has been maintaining cordial relations with friendly South Eastern countries by deploying ships and submarines for exercises, he said.

The Scinde Horse, with a fixed class composition of two Sikh and one Dogra Squadrons, was raised in 1838. The 7th Cavalry was raised in 1784. INS Satpura was commissioned last year and INS Shivalik in 2010. The ships are armed with latest missiles.

Additional coaches in six trains (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Additional-coaches-in-six-trains/articleshow/16676519.cms)

BHUBANESWAR: The railway has decided to add more coaches to six selected long distance trains to avoid the rush. Those trains are Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Bhubaneswar-Pondicherry-Bhubaneswar Express, Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram-Bhubaneswar Express, Bhubaneswar-Secunderabad-Bhubaneswar Visakha Express, Puri-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT)-Puri Express and Visakhapatnam-Nanded-Visakhapatnam Express, according to a release from the East Coast Railways. Of those trains Bhubaneswar-Rameswaram Express will be augmented with one sleeper class coach from October 5 from Bhubaneswar and from October 7 from Rameswaram.

Similarly, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express is being augmented with One AC-III tier coach with effect from October 3 from Bhubaneswar and with effect from October 4 from New Delhi for three months from October 1 to December 31, 2012.

Resurvey of civic land to check encroachments (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/visakhapatnam/resurvey-civic-land-check-encroachments-402)

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is forming a five-member team to conduct a fresh survey with latest equipment on vacant civic properties to check land encroachments, the GVMC commissioner, Mr M.V Satyanarayana, said.

Nearly 700 vacant layouts are existed in the city covering approximately 700 acres. Based on the fresh survey report, the corporation will identify the illegal properties and encroachments.

Interacting with media persons here on Wednesday, the civic chief said that the encroachments of civic properties had posed a threat to the corporation. He said that he already brought the matter to the notice of the state government and requested it to appoint sincere and talented officers to take up the resurvey in the city spreading across 530 square kilometres.

“The team will be formed with an assistant director cadre officer and four surveyors. The survey will be completed within six to seven months. The surveyed work will later be digitalised,” Mr Satyana-rayana added.

Talking about the progress of various works, the commissioner said that all steps were being taken to complete seven pending projects including flyover and the BRTS under the JNNURM by March, 2013. The corporation proceeded on the Hinduja power project as per rules and regulations. The NoC report was already handed over to the collector.

Replying to a query, he said that construction works of project were going on. They were searching for alternative ways to collect pending tax dues worth more than Rs.100 crore from defaulters. The corporation had so far sanctioned 15,000 houses to slum dwellers.

Torrential rain brings relief to GVMC (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/torrential-rain-brings-relief-to-gvmc/article3971612.ece)

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Torrential rain in September has brought water into the major reservoirs that cater to the city providing more than a breather to the corporation

GVMC is back from the brink condition it faced in August on water supply. In a complete change of scenario, it is now comfortably placed to face the next summer.

Torrential rain in September has brought water into the major reservoirs that cater to the city providing more than a breather to the corporation.

All through the summer of 2012 and even up to September the supply position was stretched with corporation ready to pump water from the Yeleru reservoir’s dead storage level, if situation deteriorated.

It also prepared itself for options such as alternate day supply in some areas or reducing the time of supply.

“Now the position is quite comfortable. Water in Raiwada and Tatipudi reservoirs will see us through for one-and-a-half years. In Yeleru also, against the full reservoir capacity of 24 tmc ft, the level is 15 tmc ft,” said an official.

The Meghadrigedda reservoir that GVMC uses more for storage, the level is 59 ft against 61 of FRL.

Overflowing

The four infiltration wells of Gosthani River are yielding well as the river is overflowing.

Yeleru reservoir has a level of 80.75 m, a considerable improvement from the 72.12 m in the last week of June. It, however, is much below the FRL of 86.4 m.

Raiwada also improved from 103.78 m on the day to the present 109.6 m against a maximum of 114 m. Tatipudi has gone up from 279.6 m to 284.7 m though well below its FRL of 297 m.

Meghadrigedda has gone up from 48.4 ft to 59 ft against minimum level of 44 ft. The water level in heavily silted Mudasarlova reservoir, close to the city, has also gone up from 159.2 feet in June to the present 165 feet.

Two armoured corps regiments bond with Navy stealth frigates (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/two-armoured-corps-regiments-bond-with-navy-stealth-frigates/article3971491.ece)

Two dull grey state-of-the-art stealth frigates of the Shivalik Class of the Indian Navy – INS Shivalik and INS Satpura – glowed on the Naval Dockyard here on Friday.

Adding colour to the Naval personnel of the two ships who turned out in their ceremonial best were the personnel from two highly decorated Indian cavalry regiments Scinde Horse in blues with red sashes and 7th Cavalry in traditional khaki. The occasion was the ceremony for affiliation of INS Shivalik with 7th Cavalry Regiment and INS Satpura with Scinde Horse Regiment.

Presiding over the occasion was Colonel Commandant of the two Armoured Corps regiments Lt. Gen. A. K. Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Army Command. Commissioned in 7th Cavalry, Lt. Gen. Singh commanded both 7th Cavalry Regiment as well as Scinde Horse. While the 7th Cavalry has a 228-year history of gallantry, the Scinde Horse is the only 175-year-old regiment to carry the name of a province in Pakistan.

Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra played the host. Interestingly, Vice Admiral Chopra was commanding INS Rajput when it became the first ship to be affiliated to an Indian Army regiment when in 1990 it was affiliated to the Rajput Regiment. He was also the Commanding Officer of INS Viraat when it was affiliated to the Garwhal Regiment.

Affiliation is a lifelong association generating a sense of brotherhood, loyalty and belonging. It provides an opportunity to understand each other’s capabilities and limitations. It is a symbol of inter-services camaraderie that goes a long way in execution of combined operations and interdependence in modern warfare, Gen. Singh explained.

“Each of the Naval frigates are worth some Rs.2,500 crore, whereas all the equipment of the armoured regiment would amount to Rs.100 crore. Don’t worry, we will make up for the balance amount with our bravery,” he said. The bonhomie and synergy was visible in the unique combined Ceremonial Guard of 24 men on each ship -- comprising 16 from Navy and eight from Army -- their movements were well synchronised. This perhaps is the only time that a combined ceremonial honour guard assembled outside of New Delhi.

The ceremony began with the inspection of the combined Army-Navy Ceremonial Guard onboard the two ships, first by Lt. Gen. A.K. Singh and later by Vice Admiral Anil Chopra. The formal Charters of Affiliation were exchanged between Commanding Officer of INS Shivalik Captain Rajesh Pendharkar and Commanding Officer of 7th Cavalry Colonel Sumit Rana and CO of INS Satpura Captain Sharat Mohan and CO of Scinde Horse Colonel Ranvijay Singh. Rear Admiral Ajit Kumar P and a large number of officers of the Army and Navy were also present.

Study the cause of fall in cashew exports, IIFT students told (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/study-the-cause-of-fall-in-cashew-exports-iift-students-told/article3971605.ece)

India had a share of 92 per cent in the world cashew exports

There is a need for students of Foreign Trade to study the reasons behind the decline in cashew exports from India and suggest remedial measures, Director of the Integral Institute of Advanced Management (IIAM) B. Parvathiswara Rao has said.

Addressing a group of students from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) at a meeting organised by the Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) here on Friday, he said that India had a share of 92 per cent in the world cashew exports. Though the share has come down to 39 per cent, India continues to have monopoly in cashew exports.

Prof. Parvathiswara Rao said that there around 350 cashew export units in Srikakulam district alone and a majority of them were concentrated in Palasa. Srikakulam accounts for 60 per cent of the total cashew exports from India. But, for the last few decades exports from Palasa have stopped and students could study the reasons for the same. Though China and Vietnam were emerging as competitors in cashew export trade, India has the highly skilled labour for processing the cashew nuts. Cashew industry was highly labour-intensive and each small company was employing around 800 to 1000 workers. Only India was able to export the nut as a whole after processing. This was because skilled labour was required to extract the nut as a whole without splitting. Prof. Parvathiswara Rao underlined the need to develop agro-based industries to prevent migration of villagers to the urban areas. CEO of Symbiosys Technologies O. Naresh Kumar inspired the students to inculcate discipline, work with commitment and remain loyal to their organisation to attain their goals in life.

VCCI honorary secretary M.V. Narayana Rao said that 30 IIFT students, 15 from the main campus in Delhi and the rest from the Kolkata campus, have come to the city on a study tour.

Vuda issues notices to realty firms (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Vuda-issues-notices-to-realty-firms/articleshow/16693382.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (Vuda) issued notices to four firms here on Friday for violating the rules. Vuda issued notices to Bommarillu Farms and Villas India Limited for development and marketing a layout of 15 acres without necessary permission in the name of Kotha Bangaru Lokam in Kumarm village in S Kota mandal of Vizianagaram and imposed a penalty of Rs 6.21 lakh.

Vuda has issued a similar notice to Grandeur City (building blocks) coming up in survey numbers 204, 205, 206, 213 and 216 of Dallipeta of Gudupuvalasa revenue village in Bhogapuram mandal. Vasupalli Nagaraju was also issued notice under these provisions for developing layout by name "Alakananda" at Chintalavalasa village on Vizianagaram-Kothavalasa Road near Bhadradri temple.

Another layout " Sai Satya Township" was issued similar notice for developing layout in survey numbers 111 of Savaravilli village and 52 of Polipilli village in Bhogapuram mandal. The Vuda VC said transactions in unauthorised layouts will have no legality and permissions will not be given by either Vuda or the local bodies for constructions of further developments. No bank or financial institution will sanction loans.

However, the general public is informed to insist for LP number and layout plans issued by Vuda from those proposed sale of plots.

Vizag Agency may lose tribal varsity (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Vizag-Agency-may-lose-tribal-varsity/articleshow/16693485.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: The much-touted tribal university will not be coming up after all in Vizag Agency's Chintapalli. With intelligence agencies and state police expressing serious apprehensions that the varsity could prove to be a hotbed for recruitment of cadre for the Maoist party and its frontal organisations, the Centre has dropped its plans to go ahead with the project.

It is learnt from reliable sources that the central government has now started scouting for land in Vizianagaram district for the new university. Highly-placed sources told TOI that the home department had ruled out Chintapalli, a Maoist stronghold, for the proposed university, noting in a recent report that it would only help revive naxalite movement in the area. Sources said that the Union minister for tribal welfare, Kishore Chandra Deo, was sounded out about alternative sites in Vizianagaram following the intelligence agencies' red flagging of Chintapalli, which falls in his Araku parliamentary constituency.

Viziangaram district authorities have already swung into action for identifying the land for the proposed varsity.

"We have the required land in the district and are preparing a feasibility report for the proposed tribal university," Parvathipuram Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) project officer, BR Ambedkar, told TOI.

Enquiries made about the land donated some time back by the erstwhile Vizianagaram kings have revealed that the roughly 200 acre plot donated by the rajahs at Musuri village in Pachipenta mandal has been encroached upon, forcing the government to look for likely sites at Adarigedda village in Makkuva mandal where up to 400 acres may be made available for the university.

But sources said that even this plan could hit a roadblock. "Makkuva mandal was a naxal-infested area and there are traces of militant presence in the region. The government should weigh the pros and cons before finalising the location for the new university," said Adivasi Samkshema Parishad leader S Venkata Ramana.

The proposal has been mired in problems right from the time it was mooted with leaders of various parties in Telangana and coastal Andhra competing amongst themselves to have the university come up in their area. Apart from Chintapalli, Charla in Bhadrachalam division in Khammam district and Musuri in Vizianagaram were also considered.

The Khammam administration had two years back identified 250 acres at Charla for the university with pro-Telangana leaders insisting that the district should be the automatic choice for the proposed university since it had the highest tribal population of more than 6.6 lakhs in the state. But Charla, too, lost out as it had been a maoist stronghold area.

Vizag needs de-addiction centre (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Vizag-needs-de-addiction-centre/articleshow/16716843.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Government Hospital for Mental Care (GHMC) here is getting considerable cases related to alcohol and drug addiction. With the excise policy becoming stringent, many of them are being admitted with withdrawal symptoms of alcohol addiction.

However, drug adherence and follow-up treatment among the patients are poor. There are also no de-addiction centres in the government set-up and the addicted are kept along with other mentally ill patients.

M Vijaya Gopal, superintendent of GHMC, said that most of the cases are related to schizophrenia, psychosis, bi-polarism and mania. "Nowadays, we also find around 30% cases of alcohol and drug abuse victims. Many of these cases, when left untreated, take a severe form of subsequent psychotic illness including delusions and hallucinations," he said. The patients are mainly men aged between 20 and 40 years.

Of the 300-odd out patients frequenting the hospital per day, 20 are new cases, at least five to six come with alcohol-related problems. Patients are mainly from coastal districts of AP besides a certain percentage from rural and tribal areas of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Earlier, alcohol was mixed with certain chemicals that gave the patients a greater kick. They used to consume this adulterated alcohol as a treatment for sleeplessness or as painkillers.

But after stringent excise policy came into offing to check adulteration, the habitual drinkers are not able to get the kick and hence show withdrawal symptoms marked by violent or aggressive behaviour or fear, explained Vijaya Gopal.

"Even after we treat the patients and discharge them, they often don't come for follow-ups, nor adhere to the medicines and periodical counselling, which causes a relapse. There are no separate de-addiction centres," stated the superintendent.

Won't allow bauxite mining in Vizag agency area: Jairam Ramesh (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods/svs/metals-mining/wont-allow-bauxite-mining-in-vizag-agency-area-jairam-ramesh/articleshow/16716653.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday night said bauxite mining would not be allowed at any cost in the Visakhapatnam agency area to protect the interests of tribals.

He said this following reports that some private companies had shown interest in mining bauxite there. However, local villagers and tribals are opposing the proposed move.

While talking to reporters at Paderu village here, Ramesh said along with the local tribals, he and Union Minister for Tribal and Panchayat Raj Kishore Chandra Deo had been against mining in the tribal areas since long.

"We are also articulating the opinion of local tribes for the last four years. Kishore Chandra Deo also wrote a letter to the state government on the decision of the Ministry. As long as we are in power, we don't allow mining in the agency areas," he said.

The minister also appealed to Maoists to join the mainstream and participate in the development activities being carried out by the government.

Clarifying that the government was ready for a dialogue with them, Ramesh said the ultras should win the hearts of the people by following a democratic approach.

'Ocean probe' stowaway handed over to Vizag police (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/ocean-probe-stowaway-handed-over-to-vizag-police/65636/)

A 15-year-old boy found hiding on Hong Kong-flagged cargo 'MV Ocean Probe' was today sent to juvenile home in the city, police said.

The teenager, identified as Safayat Choudhary, hails from 24 Parganas district of West Bengal and boarded the ship at Haldia following a tiff with his grandparents before he was found by the crew members on Saturday, they said.

Safayat was first handed over to the Customs officials at Visakha Container Terminal today morning who in turn gave his custody to One Town police station after taking down his details.

"The boy is the native of Kasimpur village under Bhalgore police station limits of West Bengal. He boarded the ship out of curiosity," police inspector Mahmoud Illiyas said, adding a case of trespassing was registered against Safayat.
MV Ocean Probe set sails from Haldia on October 4 for Columbia via Visakhapatnam Port.

Pop is paap now: Baba Sehgal (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/glam-sham/pop-paap-now-baba-sehgal-186)

Visakhapatnam had one big party at the Port Stadium on Saturday night — the opening night of One Nation One Card. Singer Baba Sehgal, who performed at the event, said he is a big fan of Pawan Kalyan.

“Pawan Kalyan has been an inspiration to many of his fans. On the eve of his birthday, it is my pleasure to dedicate Pawanism song to his upcoming movie Cameraman Ganga Tho Ramabu,” said Baba, who worked with Pawan in Jalsa. Having sung more than 59 songs in Telugu, Baba Sehgal has created an image for himself in T-town. “God has given me positive energy and the strength to keep going even though pop music is deteriorating, which is really sad. And according to me, pop has become paap these days.”

The Aaja Meri Gaadi Mein Baith Jaa singer loves to visit Vizag as he gets the feel of Goa here and that gets him into a mood to party. “I love this city and I even have a fan club in Vizag. That’s an absolute feel-good factor,” he said. Baba had a crazy fan experience in Kakinada. “Kakinada has been a memorable experience as I saw people shave their heads and wear jackets. It gave me a bit of a shock. It’s been quite an amazing journey in Tollywood since 1999 with the release of Rishavodu. Roop Tera Mastana song gave me an entry pass into T-town,” he said.

“I have started learning Telugu and next time I will be all set to give my interview in Telugu,” said the rapper. “Youngsters should not leave the zeal and passion for singing. These days if you want to become a singer, dancer or director, you should not look for money. It’s just mere passion and dedication that leads you to betterment of life.”

Visakhapatnam Port Trust looks to Konecranes for equipment upgrade (http://www.porttechnology.org/news/visakhapatnam_port_trust_looks_to_konecranes_for_equipment_upgrade/)

Visakhapatnam Port Trust to order two Super post-Panamax cranes and four RTGs from Konecranes as part of equipment upgrade at VTC
The expansion of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust’s container terminal will include the purchase of two Super post-Panamax quay cranes and four RTGs from Finish crane manufacturer Konecranes.

Visakhapatnam Port Trust will award a US$110.5 million contract to extend the quayside of its Visakha Container Terminal (VCT) from its current 450 meters to 850 meters before the end of the year.

The project is expected to take around two years to complete, according to Hoist Magazine.

When fully completed, VCT will have a total of six RTGs, four ship-to-shore gantry cranes, one mobile harbor crane and a further six reach stackers in operation.

Bank of Baroda expects to set up 100th overseas branch soon (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/article3961481.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, OCT 3:
Bank of Baroda, with 96 branches abroad, will soon take the number to 100 in the near future, according to Executive Director P. Srinivas.

He was addressing customers here on Wednesday after inaugurating a regional office of the bank, the second in the State after Hyderabad. He said 60 branches in coastal districts from Srikakulam to Nellore would be under the jurisdiction of the regional office. The branches in the Telangana and Rayalaseema regions would be under the Hyderabad office.

He said the bank runs 3,988 branches in the country and its total business had touched the Rs 7,00,000-crore mark. He said the bank was expanding its branch network and had recruited 3,000 employees last year. Before April 1, 2013, 2,500 officers and 3,500 clerks would be recruited by the bank, he added.

Srinivas said global business accounted for 28 per cent of the total, which he expects to increase in the coming years. General Manager M.M. Reddy, in charge of the Karnakata-AP zone, said the Visakhapatnam regional office would play a vital role in the bank’s growth.

The coastal AP branches of the bank accounted for Rs 3,856.61 crore, with deposits being Rs 1497.83 crore and the rest advances. The bank had opened 10 branches last year in the region and ten more would be added this year. It had set up 29 ATMs in the region.

He said the bank is planning a regional office in Vijayawada.

Novotel opens rooftop restaurant ‘Infinity’ (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/novotel-opens-rooftop-restaurant-infinity/article3951210.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01223/30VZVISKREG1RESTAU_1223083f.jpg

Fantastic, How costly is it bro? :D Well definitely love to spend on the roof top during a full moon day

Fantastic, How costly is it bro? :D Well definitely love to spend on the roof top during a full moon day

Me too :D

Not sure how costly it is, but it must be heck expensive!

Me too :D

Not sure how costly it is, but it must be heck expensive!

:cheers: same pinch

Never been to vizag would like to make a trip one day but that hotel you said is expensive :( Anyway a beach road ride on way to the hill can give me the same view i suppose :)

:cheers: same pinch

Never been to vizag would like to make a trip one day but that hotel you said is expensive :( Anyway a beach road ride on way to the hill can give me the same view i suppose :)

I have visited only once!

Too bad we could only stay there for 3 days. Spent a day at Borra caves ( 1hr drive from city), this is quite close to Araku I believe. I heard that Vizag-Araku travel by train would be exciting. :cheers:

Spent the other 2 days at beach & kailasagiri and Simhachalam temple. :)

I will definetely visit Vizag again when I go back to India.

Steel unions’ delegation to meet PM, Steel Minister (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=91991)

Visakhapatnam: A delegation of all trade unions functioning in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) which already reached New Delhi on Sunday will meet the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the Steel Minister on Monday, appealing them to stop going for Initial Public Offer.

The delegation includes Adinarayana (AITUC), J Ayodhyaram (Citu), Mantri Rajasekhar (Intuc), Ganapathi Reddy (HMS) and Varasala Srinivasa Rao (JMS) and Gajuwaka MLA Chintalapudi Venkatramaiah.
Informing this from New Delhi over phone, the JMS founder president Varasala told The Hans India on Sunday that the delegation would meet the VIPs led by the Union Minister of State for HRD Dr D Purandeswari.

It may be recalled here that all Steel trade unions are vehemently opposing the Central government’s move of going for IPO and already met the Deputy CM, other Ministers and MPs in the State requesting them to intervene and stop the IPO step as Andhra Pride Vizag Steels has been getting profits regularly. Mr Varasala said that the on-going hunger strike at the Steel Plant is going on as per the original schedule till they get a positive assurance from the government.

VUDA officials given target for Land Regularisation (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=91999)

Visakhapatnam: Vice-Chairman of Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority VUDA Kona Sasidhar has given targets to the planning staff for clearing applications received under Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS) for regularisation of plots in unauthorised layouts. Keeping the repeated appeals and anxieties of the applicants in view, the vice-chairman asked the officials to consolidate data pertaining to all applications received so far and submit immediately.

The officials were asked to state the reasons for delay in attending or issuing final permissions.The VUDA has received as many as 19,148 applications from all areas, including the newly added regions, under LRS and of them 6,624 have been disposed off. Around 3,967 applications were rejected on the grounds of violations.

The highest number of applications is pending with Madhurawada at 4,155 and the vice-chairman divided the zone in to two areas for a quick disposal. Pendurthy and Gajuwaka come next.

Rains bring big relief to Vizag city (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92005)

Water enough for next summer

“Now we have enough water in the reservoirs that can be stretched till the next Southwest monsoon,’’ said superintending engineer of the Water Works Department of GVMC V Chandraiah

KMP Patnaik

Visakhapatnam: The fag end of the Southwest monsoon has brought immense relief to the city, assuring enough water for next summer. The region received 15 cm of excess rain during the last fortnight, filling the reservoirs and hastening the agriculture process in the district.

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) was craving for water in July and August when the monsoon failed to provide enough rains to meet the minimum requirement of domestic and industrial needs.

The officials of the Water Works Department were chalking out contingency plans when the skies smiled on the coast.The entire summer, up to September this year, passed in a critical condition and water tankers were honking all around supplying water. Even the Corporation officials were getting ready to draw water from the dead storage level of Yeleru Reservoir.

“Now we have enough water in the reservoirs that can be stretched till the next Southwest monsoon,’’ said superintending engineer of the Water Works Department of GVMC V Chandraiah.

Talking to this correspondent here on Sunday, the SE said the city required 70 million gallons per day. But the current supply was hovering around 56 mgd, of which 14 mgd was being allocated to industrial sector and other bulk consumers.

He said the four infiltration wells of Gosthani River were yielding well and also the river has been overflowing.The water level in Mudasarlova is 157 feet against the full reservoir level of 169 ft-a remarkable improvement since the onset of the monsoon in the State in June.

Gosthani has 33 ft against the FRL of 36 ft; Gambhiram 122 ft against 126 ft, Megadrigdda 47 ft against 61 ft, Tadipudi 279 ft against 297 ft and Raiwada 105 meters against the full level of 114 mt. Yeleru Reservoir has a level of 80.75 mt against full level of 86.4 m.

International chess tourney in Vizag from October 25 (http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/international-chess-tourney-in-vizagoctober-25/66463/)

Around 16 countries will take part in the 2nd Vizag Grand Masters International Open Chess Championship, commencing here from October 25.

Addressing a press conference here today, Organising Committee Chairman and Andhra Pradesh Minister for Investments and Infrastructure, Ganta Srinivasa Rao said 100 GMs and International Masters will take part in the 11-day event, to be played as per the Swiss League method.

Chess masters from USA, Russia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Armenia and Georgia have confirmed their participation, he added.

All Vizag District Chess Association, in association with Andhra Pradesh Chess Association, is conducting the championship under the aegis of All India Chess Federation and the World Chess Federation.

Focus on maritime interests: ex-Navy chief (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/focus-on-maritime-interests-exnavy-chief/article3981034.ece)

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‘90 per cent of world trade is being done on sea routes’

No nation that aspires for greatness can ignore its maritime interests, Chairman National Maritime Foundation and former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta said.

Delivering the keynote address at the one-day seminar on “Maritime Developments to India’s East” organised by the NMF and the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on Monday, he said that it was imperative that India shed its sea blindness and step out of its continental focus.

With 90 per cent of world trade being on the sea routes maritime focus is essential for energy security and protecting the economic interests of the nation that is fast emerging as a global power, the former Naval Chief said.

The seminar aimed at increasing the awareness on important maritime considerations developing on India’s Eastern horizons that would ultimately have a bearing upon the future of maritime security and stability in the region.

The NMF was contributing to policy studies and highlighting and promoting awareness on our maritime heritage, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra said welcoming the delegates, including eminent personalities and experienced speakers from strategic think tanks in the country and officers of the ENC and students from the GITAM University. He spoke on the capabilities of the ENC in line with India’s Look East policy and pointed out that the ENC was the largest geographical command in the Indian Armed Forces and the only one with nuclear powered platforms.

This is the first time that India is participating in the changes in the world geo-political scenario, director of NMF and Vice Admiral (retd) Pradeep Kaushiva said. In these changing times the challenge is not only from adversaries but also allies, he added.

Regional director NMF and former Rector of Andhra University A Prasanna Kumar was given a memento on the occasion of his demitting office as the head of the NMF Visakhapatnam Chapter. A large number of dignitaries, including former Indian ambassador to Japan H K Singh and Rear Admiral (retd) Raja Menon, attended the seminar.

Clear civic workers’ wages by Dasara: Commissioner (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/clear-civic-workers-wages-by-dasara-commissioner/article3981033.ece)

An estimated 7,000 workers have not been getting paid for months together

There has been a constant demand for improvement of civic services. Bad roads, poor sanitation and streetlights not functioning are nagging complaints that pop up quite regularly. Complaints of drains not being cleaned, garbage heaps lying for days together or lanes being steeped in darkness are quite common.

But for an estimated 7,000 workers that keep the city going by providing all these services, it has been an ordeal to work without wages for months together. Ironically, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, though weighed down by the number of projects it has taken up, has the money but is not in a position to pay the wages because of a cumbersome procedure.

Sending proposals from the zone offices, approving, releasing wages in several procedures for packages that completed their term and through the umbrella organisation etc are causing the delay. Estimates show that the workers, most of them in sanitation, have been going without wages for months together. For some, the wages have been due from April. Their number is said to be little. However, for a large number of workers wages are due for two to three months.

A worker gets a gross wage of Rs.7,931 a month and after deduction of PF and ESI the net wage is Rs.5,700.

During his night visits Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana was shocked to find that workers had not got wages for seven months. The problem is not new.

As early as in May, former commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu told officials to first prepare the wage bills of sanitation workers and then only draw salaries for themselves. Four months down the line, there hardly has been any improvement in the condition of the workers. “Even the contractor is not getting the amount. It has been tied up in such a procedural tangle that the movement of bills is taking a pretty long time,” Mr. Satyanarayana said on Monday.

The problem cropped up again when he visited Zone I at Madhurawada for his weekly grievance redress. This resulted in his issuing instructions to officials to clear the wages by Dasara. Any failure, he warned, would lead to fixing accountability and action against such officials. He held a meeting with officials in the evening to pave way for up-to-date payment of wages to the workers.

Andhra University strike called off (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Andhra-University-strike-called-off/articleshow/16745477.cms)

The protesting hostellers of Andhra University called off their strike in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, after the in-charge registrar and other officials of the varsity promised the hostellers that the mess charge hike would be put on hold till 12th of September. They said that there would be a review meet regarding it after that. Earlier in the day, the students mounted pressure by not just refusing to hold talks with the university authorities but also approached minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who immediately brought the issue to the state's notice. tnn

The students who had been demanding a reversion of the mess charge to the old rates, improvement in quality of food being served, reduction in power rates had continued with the blockade of the main gate just as on Monday. When the In-Charge Registrar, Dr Swarajyalakshmi and Principal Arts College Professor K Srirammurthy approached the students to talk to them the striking hostellers refused flat out to talk to the authorities and seemed to be in no mood to relent.

However, with Ganta Srinivasa Rao taking it to the notice of the State Government the students sensed a change in the stand of the authorities. Later the University authorities informed the elated students that the mess hike would be put on hold till the 12th of October after which there would be a review. Furthermore the authorities noted that the extra load of Rs 20 per daily wage worker would be totally borne by the University. More importantly they informed the students thatstudent committees would be formed to maintain and run the messes in the various hostels. On the power front the authorities said that they would approach APEPDCL for a subsidy.

While the hostellers strike was on the Andhra University M Sc (Tech) ( a self-financed course with no UGC recognition) students had approached Vizag MP and Union Minister of State for HR Dr D Purendereshwari elaborating on their recognition problem. Responding to their pleas, the Visakhapatnam MP held a meet with Professor Ved Prakash, Chairman UGC and S S Mantha Chairman AICTE and Professor George Victor, In-Charge VC of Andhra University and directed them to sort out the issue at the earliest, keeping in view the urgency of the issue.

Mishap in sinter plant disrupts RINL production (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3981155.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, OCT 9:
An accident in the sinter plant of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd) here on Tuesday around 6 a.m hit steel production badly, as supply of sinter to three blast furnaces was disrupted, and it may take two or three days to restore full production, according to sources.

The sources said the accident occurred in the sinter plant, as the structure supporting conveyor belts carrying sinter to the three blast furnaces failed due to overload. Sinter — a mixture of iron ore, coking coal and limestone — is screened in the plant and carried to the blast furnaces where the hot metal is produced.

There is no official communication from the management on the accident, but management sources said it was only a minor mishap and it could be rectified within a short time.

But the union leaders gave a different version, saying that it could take at least two or three days to restore production to normal levels. They also alleged that there was no proper maintenance in the sinter plant, resulting in the accident.

They said the top brass in the RINL were paying more attention to the coming IPO than to the operation of the plant.

Union leader P. Trinadha Rao alleged that such mishaps were occurring far too frequently in the plant and he urged the management to take proper remedial measures after identifying the causes.

It may be noted that the RINL is going for the IPO on October 16 to mobilise Rs 2,500 crore, amid stiff opposition from the unions to the move. The unions have called for a two-day strike on October 12 & 13.

FORCE to hold orphans’ meet (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92225)

Visakhapatnam: FORCE will hold orphans’ meet at AU Ambedkar Assembly Hall seeking rights and empowerment of orphans on October 19 for which over 1,000 people would attend.Talking to reporters here on Monday, FORCE national convenor G Inna Reddy observed that a majority of children abandoned and deserted by family members and relatives were suffering from social stigma and they “need care, protection and social security”.

Such children were in a dilemma when questioned about their date of birth, caste, address of their parents and surname. Even after attaining the age of majority, the officials were not issuing voter identity, ration cards, residential or caste certificates due to lack of address proof. Bankers, too, were rejecting opening of bank accounts for orphans due to lack of address proof. As such, nearly eight crore orphans were suffering in the country, he said.

Mr Inna Reddy alleged that though there were many GOs and Acts, officials were not implementing them and most of the orphan candidates were not being given scholarships despite the officials being aware of the fact that such persons have no proofs. He said they were holding the meet here to create awareness among such children in the district. He demanded that such abandoned kids should not be called ‘orphans’ but ‘socially challenged’ and ‘orphanage homes’ be called ‘parent homes’ to avoid social stigma.

The government, which has been providing free bus and train passes to physically challenged, was completely neglecting such deserted children, he lamented. He demanded the government to provide all facilities to these children as per the Act. He appealed to the local public representatives, NGOs, child welfare committees and parents to attend the meet.

FORCE representatives Anitha, Venkata Ramana and Bobbili Suresh were also present.

TK Chand for ‘customer delight’ (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92226)

Visakhapatnam: RINL director (commercial) TK Chand on Monday inaugurated Key User Training Programme on ERP Sales and Marketing Module and stressed the need for achieving ‘customer delight’ through anticipating and fulfilling their needs beforehand.

This can be possible only when the organisation can implement necessary tools and equip the marketing field personnel to fulfil those needs, he said and emphasised the need for marketing executives to get effectively trained for successful implementation of ERP Sales and Marketing module.

DGM (HRD) Jagannadhan, head ERP Dr SN Rao, project manager of Wipro Bhanu Kishore and DGM (ERP) K Satyanarayana, ERP marketing lead, were present on the occasion.

Spot admissions in Gitam (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92227)

Visakhapatnam: Gitam University is conducting spot admissions for admissions into engineering and MBA programme at Bengaluru campus. Gitam Bengaluru campus is offering MBA programme and BTech in ECE, EEE, CSE branches. The university received good response from Andhra Pradesh students.

While issuing the first admission letter to a candidate in Visakhapatnam on Monday, university Vice-Chancellor Prof. G Subrahmanyam assured that the university will maintain international standards in technical education.

Admissions director Prof. K Narendra said the university is considering EAMCET-2012 ranks and KCET-2012 to admit the candidates. He suggested that the interested candidates could take the admission in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad as part of spot admissions. He said that the Bengaluru campus received tremendous response from the students and seats will be allotted on first come first served basis.

MP’s plea on RINL IPO (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92230)

Visakhapatnam: Minister of State for HRD and local MP Dr D Purandeswari, along with a delegation of trade union leaders of VSP and accompanied by Gajuwaka MLA Chintapapudi Venkatramaiah, met Minister for Steel Beni Prasad Varma in New Delhi on Monday and requested him to stop the proposed disinvestment in VSP.

She conveyed the feelings of thousands of employees and requested the minister to stop the disinvestment process immediately. The Steel Minister assured her and the delegation members that he would look into the issue.

She had earlier written to the Steel Minister, Finance Minister and the Prime Minister in this regard. She would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday.

VITS to organise mega blood donation camp (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92231)

Visakhapatnam: A mega blood donation camp would be organised on the occasion of Foundation Day celebrations of Visakha Institute of Technology and Science (VITS), located at Sontyam in Andapuram mandal, on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, college principal Dr K Satyanarayana said the institution was set up in 2008 under Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Educational Society, which produced the first batch of engineering students this year. He said the institution was named for its campus discipline and was better equipped with infrastructural facilities, including hostels and library.

Having student strength of over 1,300, the institution was providing guest lectures by experienced faculty from outside, besides organising technical seminars and workshops to help students update their knowledge. “This year, we thought it fit to hold the Foundation Day on a grand scale besides organising a mega blood donation camp as per the corporate social responsibility,” he added.

College secretary and correspondent N Prasada Raju said two toppers from each department would be given academic cash prizes, altogether worth Rs 1 lakh, to encourage the students.
HR manager of Mahindra Satyam Satya Thopalli would be the chief guest. D Ranga Raju, chairman and managing director of Vijayanagar Biotech Limited would attend.

Special trains for Dasara (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92232)

Visakhapatnam: For clearing extra rush of passengers during the ensuing Dasara festival, the Railways has decided to run a pair of weekly special express train services between Guwahati and Kochuveli with effect from October 11.

Train No. 06337 Guwahati-Kochuveli Express will leave Guwahati on Thursdays from October 11 at 12.15 pm, arrive in Visakhapatnam on Saturday at 1.30 a.m and leave at 01.50 am and reach Kochuveli at 6.50 am on Sundays.

In the reverse direction, Train No. 06336 Kochuveli-Guwahati Express will leave Kochuveli at 5 pm on Sundays from October 14 till October 28 and arrive in Visakhapatnam at 12.10 am and leave at 12.30 am on Tuesday and reach Guwahati at 2 pm on Wednesday.

In both directions, the trains will halt at Kollam, Kayamkulam, Chengannur, Tiruvalla, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Katpadi, Arakkonam, Chennai Central, Gudur, Nellore, Ongole, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam Road, Palasa, Brahmapur, Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Asansol, Durgapur, Malda Town, Kishanganj, New Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar Jn., Kokrajhar, New Bongaigaon and Goalpara Town.

Civil defence training from Nov. 14 (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92233)

Visakhapatnam: The Civil Defence organisation will impart training in warden service, first aid, communication and fire fighting to citizens in the age group of 18-46 years from November 14 to December 6, said deputy controller N Satyanarayana. He asked the interested citizens with SSC or its equivalent qualification to contact the organisers at Door No. 50-94-141, Santhipuram Community Hall near Gurdwara Junction for submission of applications.

He said certificates would be issued after successful training for which priority would be given for Group C and D posts to be taken by the Central government. The trainees would be given Rs 14 per day towards out-of-pocket allowance soon after the release of funds from the government. Soon after training, the candidates would be considered as ‘public servants’, he added. Details can be had over phone number 0891-2760490.

AU Arts College principal backs mess charge hike (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92234)

Visakhapatnam: Andhra University Arts College principal Prof. T Srirama Murty, while substantiating the recent hike in mess charges due to abnormal increase in the prices of LPG, power tariff, rice, eggs, milk and other ingredients, has appealed to the agitating student community to resolve the issue through dialogue.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Prof. Srirama Murty said that the recent hike in mess charges was a result of steep increase in the prices of related products adding that the oil companies and the APTransco had decided to supply LPG and power on commercial basis. “Still, our AU mess charges are very low when compared with those in other varsities, which should be understood by the students, instead of without wasting their valuable time and energy in the name of agitations since semester exams are round the corner,” he maintained.

He said that in-charge Vice-Chancellor Prof. George Victor convened a meeting with in-charge Registrar, principals, deans, chief wardens and student representatives on Monday before leaving for New Delhi following a directive of the HRD Ministry. At the meeting, Prof. George Victor asked the authorities to ensure that the hike should be less than Rs 60, he said.

Prof. Srirama Murty said that the participants discussed the issue of bringing down the mess charges to the lowest minimum possible by resolving to represent the matter to the oil companies, urge the Transco officials to supply power under domestic category, request the government to increase the social welfare scholarship amounts and also include two student representatives in the mess committee to prepare menu.

He said the women boarders’ and the Science College students’ hostel menu issue was already resolved while the student boarders of Arts College began the agitation demanding a roll-back of hike in menu charges on Monday. “Today we asked the student leaders to come for a dialogue, which they rejected and asked the varsity authorities to come to the agitation venue for talks,” he pointed out.

To a question, he said a high-level delegation would apprise the government of all issues soon after the return of the in-charge Vice-Chancellor from New Delhi. When asked about the rumours doing the rounds that Dean of Student Affairs Prof. Nimma Venkata Rao has quit the post, he replied in the negative stating that he has no such information. However, sources said that Prof. Venkata Rao, who was supposed to coordinate between the students and the varsity as Dean, was not invited either to the ongoing talks or to the press conference.

In-charge Registrar Prof. K Samrajyalakshmi, principals, deans and chief wardens were also present at the press conference.

2 patrolling vehicles launched (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92472)

Vizianagaram: Visakhapatnam range DIG Swathi Lacra inaugurated two patrolling vehicles that will be used on the national highways 16 and 26 in the district, on Tuesday. Whenever there is an accident, the vehicles will be rushed to the spot to rescue the victims as well as maintain regular traffic. Efforts are being made to keep the staff available for 24 hours a day, she said. Later, the DIG inaugurated the new office of the Parvathipuram OSD Srinivas Rao.

She also gifted a cash voucher to Vizianagaram help desk constable D Lakshmana Murthy for his efforts in restoring a missing four-year-old boy from Behrampur in Odisha State, to his parents with the help of Nature voluntary organisation, at the district police office and congratulated him. Vizianagaram SP Kartikeyan, ASP T Mohana Rao, OSD DV Srinivas Rao, and other officials were present.

Stir intensifies against RINL disinvestment (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92476)

Visakhapatnam: The agitation against the disinvestment in RINL is intensifying with all trade unions gearing up for total shutdown of steel plant on October 12 and October 13 and Gajuwaka bandh during the two days.

The trade unions, backed by the Left parties, have blamed Union Minister D Purandeswari and State Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao for offering meek resistance to the government’s move. “Purandeswari is giving lip service and issuing press statements only to mislead the public,” said CPI (M) district secretary Ch. Narsinga Rao.

He said the UPA-II government was going ahead with listing ignoring growing public protest against disinvestment. Recalling how VSP was established after the ‘Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku’ agitation led by Tenneti Viswanatham, Mr Rao said the people of Andhra Pradesh had an emotional attachment to the steel plant. The Left leader feared that this was only the beginning and it might be handed over to private hands after sale of equity of RINL in phases.

The CPI organised a protest rally in Old Central Jail Road in protest against the government move on Tuesday. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, CPI State secretary K Narayana sought his intervention to stop the disinvestment process.

Sensing the people’s mood, Minister for Infrastructure Ganta Srinivasa Rao told reporters in the morning that he had written to Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma appealing him to withhold the disinvestment process respecting the sentiments of the north coastal Andhra Pradesh. He told in the letter that people had sacrificed their lives for establishment of the plant. “I asked him to continue the plant under the government sector,” he told the reporters.

The Contract Workers’ Union held a meeting at Appikonda and demanded the government to cancel the IPO proposals. They said the disinvestment would lead to privatisation and over 40,000 contract workers would lose their livelihood.

Some of the union leaders were camping in New Delhi making last-minute efforts to convince the government. Led by Union Minister D Purandeswari, they tried to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday but the appointment was cancelled in the last minute.

Steel workers to get Rs 18,200 bonus (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92478)

Visakhapatnam: The National Joint Committee for Steel, which met in Mumbai on Tuesday, agreed to pay Rs 18,200 to each worker (non-executive employees only) as annual bonus for the 2011-12 fiscal, said deputy general secretary of Vizag Steel Plant recognised union (CITU) J Simhachalam. Mr Simhachalam told The Hans India that as per the committee’s decision, about 1.15 lakh workers would get the bonus of whom 13,000 belong to RINL and about one lakh of SAIL. He said the steel management would pay the amount well before Dasara.

More special trains introduced to clear festival rush (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92480)

Visakhapatnam: The Railways has introduced more special trains to clear the rush for the ensuing Dasara festival. A new service between Santragachi and Yeswantpur and Shalimar and Chennai were announced on Tuesday. A release said Train No. 08003 Santragachi-Yeswantpur Superfast Express will leave Santragachi on October 13 (Saturday) at 8.45 am, arrive in Visakhapatnam the same day at 10.35 pm and leave at 10.55 pm and reach Yeswantpur at 6 pm on Sunday.

In the other direction, Train No. 08004 Yeswantpur-Santragachi Superfast Express will leave Yeswantpur at 8.20 pm on Monday (October 15), arrive in Visakhapatnam at 10.20 pm on Tuesday and leave at 10.40 pm and reach Santragachi at 12.10 pm on Wednesday.

Similarly, Train No. 06029 Chennai Central-Shalimar Superfast Express will leave Chennai Central on Mondays from October 15 and continue till October 29. The train will leave Chennai at 00.30 am (midnight), arrive in Visakhapatnam the same day at 02.15 pm and leave at 02.35 pm and reach Shalimar at 7 am on Tuesday.

In the reverse direction, Train No. 06030 Shalimar-Chennai Central Superfast Express will leave Shalimar at 3.00 pm on Tuesday (October 16) and arrive in Visakhapatnam at 4.45 am on Wednesday and leave at 05.10 am and reach Shalimar at 6.05 pm on Wednesday.

Coaches of Duronto Express in a bad shape (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/coaches-of-duronto-express-in-a-bad-shape/article3987497.ece)

In contrast, Shalimar Express, to be introduced soon, gets a better deal

Even as the prestigious Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Duronto AC Express is running with over a decade old overused Rajdhani rakes, the Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, has released LHB coaches for use on the Secunderabad – Shalimar (Kolkata) ordinary AC express train, which is likely to be introduced soon. There is another weekly ordinary express train running on the same route.

The RCF has allotted 20 LHB coaches in its order issued on Monday. While the train would have 14 or 15 coaches, the remaining would be maintained as ‘spare coaches’ by SCR.

It may be recalled that the Railway Board had announced in the past and is also allocating rakes directly from the coach factory to various zones with first preference in the allotment of LHB coaches given to Rajdhani Express trains followed by Duronto trains.

The South Central Railway (SCR) should use the LHB rakes for the Duronto and the old Rajadhani rake to the Shalimar Express, feel those who have been watching the developments.

It may be recalled that the prestigious Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Duronto Express, operated by South Central Railway, has been allotted old rake of the Bengaluru – Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express.

COMPLAINTS GALORE

The non-stop AC Duronto, which runs at high speed, requires better coaches which can withstand the heat generated. It isn’t surprising that there are complaints of AC failure on the Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Duronto apart from wobbling at higher speeds.

The Shalimar Express has several stops and there is no reason why it should be given preferential treatment in the allotment of LHB rakes while ignoring the Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Duronto Express.

The allocation of the LHB rake to a weekly train would mean that the coaches would remain ‘idle’ for three days in a week at the Secunderabad coaching complex. The rake would be sufficient to run the tri-weekly Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Duronto.

The AC 3-tier and AC 2-tier berths on Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Duronto and on the return trip are booked on all days of its operation and for the ensuing Dasara vacation there is a huge ‘waiting list’ before and after the festival.

It’s high time our MPs exerted pressure on the SCR and the Railway Board officials and saw that the LHB coaches allotted to Shaliamar ordinary AC Express were swapped with the Duronto.

‘PM has promised that RINL will not be privatised’ (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/pm-has-promised-that-rinl-will-not-be-privatised/article3987507.ece)

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari, Gajuwaka MLA Ch. Venkataramaiah, and local trade union leaders have met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and urged him to reconsider the decision on disinvestment in the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL).

During the meeting in Delhi, the Prime Minister gave a patient hearing and promised that RINL would not be privatised, the union leaders who arrived here said.

They said that the Prime Minister told them that the Congress had strongly opposed privatisation when the proposal was mooted during the BJP-led NDA government.

Union leaders D. Adinarayana (AITUC), Mantri Rajasekhar (INTUC), J. Ayodhyaram (CITU), and Varasala Srinivasa Rao (Janshakti Mazdoor Sangh) said the Prime Minister advised them to interact with Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to discuss their viewpoint.

The union leaders told the Prime Minister that RINL, the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, was set up after a Statewide agitation and it was being held as “Pride of Andhra Pradesh.”

Ms. Purandeswari, in a representation submitted to the Prime Minister, said the Congress had strongly opposed when the NDA government tried to privatise RINL at a time when it suffered losses to the tune of Rs.10,000 crore.

“Now the company is earning profits regularly and the credit goes to the UPA government.” She said still the disinvestment process had been initiated and pointed out that RINL could save Rs.6,000 crore if it was allotted captive mines.

Exploring the nuances (http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/exploring-the-nuances/article3987872.ece)

AIR Visakhapatnam presented impressive Carnatic and Hindustani music concerts.

All India Radio Visakhapatnam as part of its Sangeetha Sammelan conducted a couple of impressive music concerts in Visakhapatnam. While S. Sundar presented a veena concert in Carnatic style, Ustad Iqbal Ahamed Khan ladled out a vocal concert in the Hindusthani idiom.

Ably accompanied by K.R. Ganesh on mridangam and Vaikum Goplakrishna on ghatam, Sundar commenced with Pranamamyaham in raga Goula. Prefixed with a brief ragaalapana, he strummed raga Anandabhairavi and proceeded to Brovabharama of Thyagaraja in raga Bahudari. He took up raga Pantuvarali for Ennaganu of Ramadasu and presented it at a leisurely pace. He capped the concert with a Tulasidas bhajan.

Later, Ustad Ahamed Khan’s Hindustani vocal concert captivated the audience. His explorative forays into the well of the chosen ragas unfolded their varied dimensions of melodic grace and cadence. Laden with subtle gamakas and detailed improvisation his presentation was classy in his distinct way reflecting his enviable command over the intricate aspects of Hindusthani idiom. His aayee madhuban sundar naari captured the exquisite beauty of a belle in the pleasant frames of the musical spectrum of rag Ragesri, set to jap tal. In a way his concert was filled with charms and serenity of a majestic presentation. His soft negotiation of intricate phrases with a fluid ease heightened its musical appeal, thus reflecting his artistic acumen. He commenced it with rag Lankeswari in vilambit ek tal that set the tone for the rest. Raga Pilu was another piece that cascaded in all its richness.

Anees Ahamed Khan’s vocal support, Rasheed Jaffer on table, Munni Khan on sarangi and Kulkarni on harmonium lent creditable support.

Mellifluous sammelan (http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/mellifluous-sammelan/article3987875.ece)

The two-day fete offering both Carnatic and film music numbers made audience nostalgic.

New Delhi-based Andhra Cultural and Welfare Society conducted a two-day Sangeetha Sammelan on an impressive note at Swarna Bharati indoor stadium, Visakhapatnam. The annual fete, on the first day, featured a musical nite of Telugu film songs by noted Telugu film playback singer V Ramakrishna and his team. On the second day a classical music programme delighted the audience. For the classical music programme with MLN Raju on mridangam, MSP Rao on kanjira, Hari Babu on ghatam and D Sarma playing morisng, MSN Sarma rendered chosen krithis on the violin. He began it with ‘Maha Ganapathim’ in raga Nata. ‘Samajavaragamana’ in Hindolam was the main item of the session. The other notables of the session included ‘Tandanana ahi’, ‘Pidikita talalmbralu’, ‘Govinda ani kolavare’ of Annamayya and a Tillana of Swathi Tirunal in raga Dhanasri.

On the first day, playback singer V Ramakrishna and his troupe belted out golden oldies that turned the audience nostalgic. It began with an invocatory song and what followed was a treat in golden oldies. ‘Siva Siva Sankara’, ‘Osey vayyari Rangi’, ‘Sarada nanucheraga’ and many a chartbuster of yesteryears brought back the memories of melody. The haunting tunes of greats like Adinarayana Rao, Satyam, KV Mahadevan, V. Kumar and others came alive much to the delight of audience.

M Saikumar and Somesh on keyboard, Vellanki Kurmanadham on flute, Bandaru Ramana Murthy and Chakrapani on tabla and M Pavanakumar on pads lent good orchestral support. Later, ‘Srinivasa Kalyanam’, the celestial wedding of Lord Srinivasa was performed on a Vedic note in a grand manner.

Kuchipudi exponent passes away (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92676)

Visakhapatnam: Well-known Kuchpudi exponent Mohanty Venkateswara Rao passed away following a prolonged illness at his residence at Kanithi hamlet of Gajuwaka manda near here on Wednesday.

Mr Rao had participated in Salt Satyagraha movement. He was born in 1935 in Kanithi hamlet and left for Madras to learn the Indian classical dance form Kuchipudi at the age of 16. He started the Visakha Dance Academy in 1955 and produced scores of classical dancers of Kuchipudi. He also introduced Kuchipudi to his six children, including one daughter, who won laurels from the critics.

City-based cultural associations and representatives of Visakha Music and Dance Academy paid tributes to the maestro and recalled his services to the performing arts.

Polytechnic course in AVN College launched (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92675)

Visakhapatnam: Government Whip and MLA Dronamraju Srinivas launched Polytechnic Course in the Mrs AVN College at a brief function held on Wednesday.Launching the technical course in the age-old prestigious college that is situated in his Assembly segment, the Government Whip opined that the technical course would help local students aspiring technical jobs without going to far-off places. He called upon the college management and the faculty to guide and teach the students by maintaining the same tempo and spirit to help promote technical education.

He appealed to the students to make use of the mechanical and electrical courses that were introduced in the first phase, which have many opportunities.Presiding over the function, college correspondent Indrani Jagga Rao said in the first phase they introduced only two courses – Mechanical and Electrical – with an initial strength of 50 students in each branch. The rest of the branches would be introduced latter.

Earlier, college principal Dr R Kanna Rao welcomed the gathering. College vice-president Dr E Annapurna, faculty members Dr K Parameswara Rao, DS Venugopal and NCC Officer Captain Ramakrishna were present on the occasion.

Research should help society, says expert (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92677)

Visakhapatnam: Advisor to Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr M Sudhakar said the fundamental research should deal with the real problems of society to enhance quality of living.Addressing a national seminar organised by the Department of Chemistry in Gitam University on ‘Chemistry for Sustainable Development’ here on Wednesday, he said issues related to energy shortage, food security and health problems should be solved through a strong research commitment.

He said new ideas can be generated through Centres of Excellence. He appreciated Gitam University for initiating to start a major research centre in Karnataka.Vice-Chancellor Prof. G Subrahmanyam said that health and environment should be a part in scientific research. He stressed the need of sustainable development with biodiversity conservation. He announced that the university is planning to invest Rs 1,000 crore on research and development in a phased manner.

Institute of Science principal Prof. N Lakshmanadas said that sustainable development is intended to improve the quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.Department of Chemistry head Prof. M Sarath Chandra Babu, UGC Affairs director Prof. Ch. Ramakrishna participated in the inaugural function.

New health insurance product (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92679)

Visakhapatnam: Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Company Limited has launched a new health insurance plan ‘Master Product - Total Health Plus’, with an innovative feature of ‘Indexation Benefit’. Company business head K Srividya said the unique indexation benefit has been introduced for the first time by an insurance company in the country. It assures automatic gradual increase of the sum assured at every renewal up to cent per cent irrespective of claim made or not.

The company has designed this new product to offer quality health insurance with more additional benefits. She said it would also offer accident hospitalisation benefit like longer stay, multiple visits to hospital for treatment and high critical care in case of accidents. Company managing director Ajay Bimbhet said the new product offers lifetime renewal and they were focusing on tapping massive potential in the rapidly developing business centre of Vizag.

Steel plant TUs urge PM to shelve IPO move (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92682)

Visakhapatnam: A delegation of trade union leaders of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) comprising D Adinarayana (AITUC), Rajasekhar Mantri (INTUC), Varasala Srinivasa Rao and J Ayodhyaram (Janashakti Mazdoor Sangh), led by Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr D Purandeswari and Gajuwaka MLA Chintalapudi Venkatramaiah, met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday to apprise him of the ongoing Initial Public Offer (IPO) controversy.

Mr Rajasekhar Mantri and Mr Varasala, who returned from New Delhi, told The Hans India that Dr Purandeswari, while briefing the Prime Minister about the present state of affairs of Hindustan Zinc Limited after privatisation, has earnestly appealed to Dr Singh to ensure that the ‘Andhra Pride’ Visakhapatnam Steel Plant does not go for IPO.

They said the Union minister told the Prime Minister that the plant had been achieved under the sentiment factor as nearly 30 persons had sacrificed their lives. Later, the union leaders said that the steel plant has been regularly making huge profits despite having insufficient captive iron ore mines. While the Vizag Steel has been spending about 72 per cent on raw material, other steel plants in the country were spending only 32 per cent, they told the Prime Minister.

Responding to their pleas to protect the steel industry, the Prime Minister complimented the Union minister, the MLA and the delegation for their commitment in protecting the industry. Mr Rajasekhar said Dr Manmohan Singh had assured the delegation members that the ‘Navaratna’ Vizag Steel Plant would not be privatised at any point of time adding that he would speak to Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on this.

The minister and the delegation members had requested the Prime Minister to dedicate the ongoing expansion work in the steel plant to the nation, which would be completed in six months. The trade unions’ delegation thanked Dr Purandeswari and Mr Chintalapudi for their initiative to convey the agony of the steel workers with regard to the IPO to the Central government.

Infinity Pool

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8316/8070474030_41e8d110ea_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27555986@N03/8070474030/)
#infinitypool #beach #vizag (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27555986@N03/8070474030/) by KalidasG (http://www.flickr.com/people/27555986@N03/), on Flickr

Community guards gearing up for challenges (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/community-guards-gearing-up-for-challenges/article3990719.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01235/12VZVISKCITYREG2PO_1235413f.jpg

First batch will complete training in the next few days, says Police Commissioner

A meeting of all the stakeholders in the Community Guards Voluntary Organisation (CGVO) was held at the Police Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

Police Commissioner J. Purnachandra Rao chaired the meeting in which officials of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA), Simchachalam Devasthanam, HPCL, representative of CMR group and other private organisations attended.

Advisors to the CGVO Kasim S. Mehdi and Prof. A. Prasanna Kumar underlined the importance of mutual cooperation and trust between the police and the public. They commended the city police for training the community guards and giving them a livelihood apart from providing the services of trained and reliable security personnel to the enlisted companies and other organisations.

Mr. Purnachandra Rao said that the first batch would be completing their training in the next few days. The organisation was registered on May Day this year. The trainees would be given two pairs of uniforms and have been equipped to meet various security needs. He commended the trainees for doing extremely well during the training course, which would conclude on October 16.

The services of trainees from the fishermen community would be utilised by HPCL to work onboard ships. The enlisted companies could requisition the services of the trainees as per their requirements. In all, 25 persons were trained in the first batch and in the next batch, which was planned to be started by October 20, 75 to 150 persons would be selected for training.

Mr. Purnachandra Rao said that the selection criteria was ‘fitness’ and the other parameters would be on the lines of the police recruitment. The recruiting companies could be rest assured as the antecedents of the trainees would be checked before selection. The community guard would be entitled for a honorarium of Rs.250 a day or Rs.7,500 a month on par with home guards.

The enlisted companies have to pay a membership fee and bear the training cost.

Indian Rock Python creates a buzz (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/indian-rock-python-creates-a-buzz/article3990710.ece)

The 10-foot-long reptile was found at the house of a retired employee at Purushottapuram

“I saw a number of snakes in our area before. But, this is the longest one I have ever seen in my life,” said T. Srinivasa Rao, a retired government official.

He had constructed a house after retirement and has been living with his family members near the HB Colony at Purushottapuram. The colony doesn’t have pucca roads and proper drains, and many plots are still vacant and there is growth of shrubs all around. It was around 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Srinivasa Rao and his family members had the shock of their lives when they saw a huge python lay in a coil in a corner of their compound. “It was dark and there was every danger of our family members going that way without noticing the reptile. We are grateful to our dog, which alerted us by continuously barking at the snake,” said Mr. Srinivasa Rao. They began shouting and people gathered around their compound, but no one dared approach the huge snake, which seemed to be resting after a heavy meal, probably it had swallowed some animal.

“I suddenly remembered that I had noted down the phone number of a snake catcher in my phone book, when it appeared in a newspaper five years ago. I immediately called him and he arrived in less than an hour and caught the snake, relieving us of our tension,” he said expressing his gratitude.

“I caught the snake and took it to my home last night to hand it over to the zoo today. The authorities asked me to leave it in the wild as the zoo already has a number of pythons. The 10-foot-long reptile is an Indian Rock Python,” snake catcher U. Kiran, who has been catching snakes since 2004, told The Hindu on Thursday.

“I have made an entry into the Limca Book of Records this year for catching over 10,000 snakes. I am grateful to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant management for allotting me a quarter free of cost in recognition of my services in catching snakes in the plant and residential areas. Their gesture helped me in gaining an entry into the Limca Book, as I caught the maximum number of snakes in the steel plant area,” he said and was optimistic that the plant management would show him a livelihood. He can be reached on mobile No. 9849140500.

Pydah College students enter Guinness Records (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=1&subCategory=2&ContentId=92792)

Visakhapatnam: Three students studying MCA final year in the Pydah College of Engineering and Technology-D Narasimha Murty, S Vinodh Kumar and A Rosary Divya Ayswarya, have entered Guinness Book of World Records for their outstanding performance in Windows-8 App Fest, conducted by Microsoft in Benguluru recently.

This is the first time that city students have won such an honour. As many as 2,800 application developers from all over the world had attended the Windows-8 App Fest of whom these three bagged the record, out of 30 toppers. The participants were expected to complete coding in 18 hours. The trio employed their whole concept of Windows-8 App development within a span of 18 hours and were shortlisted by the Board members of Microsoft.

AP Natya Dinotsav on October 15 (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92930)

Visakhapatnam: The Nataraj Music and Dance Akademy will organise Andhra Pradesh Natya Dinotsav on October 15 at the Ramakrishna Beach as a tribute to renowned Kuchipudi exponent, Padmabhushan Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam on his 83rd birth anniversary.

Akademy founder and International Dance Congress Excellence awardee Battina Vikram Goud said that programmes in the name of ‘Kuchipudi-Mabadi’ would be organised in 83 select schools in the city to educate the future generations about the greatness of Guru Vempati. He said a 30-ft sand statue of Guru Vempati would be made on the beach opposite Kalimata Temple where hundreds of Vempati disciples would perform Brahmanjali and Tillana events.

Those who are interested in participating in the performance, can register their names.

AU teacher allays fears on recognition of MSc (Tech) (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92932)

Visakhapatnam: Head of the Department of Systems Design, Andhra University Prof M Purnachandra Rao allayed fears about the UGC and the AICTE recognition for the MSc (Tech) course that was introduced by the varsity.

It may be recalled here that the students undergoing the course recently staged protests demanding recognition of both UGC and the AICTE as the first batch students who had already left the university failed to get jobs outside because the course was not recognised. They further alleged that the university authorities had misled them in opting the technical course without having due recognition.

Prof Purnachandra Rao clarified that the courses are identified under the ‘Specified Degrees’ by the UGC as Master of Science in Technology and however, it was requested to include the three MSc (Tech) degrees in the ‘Specified Degrees’ with specialisation. He said the students of the three courses are eligible to write UGC NET. About the AICTE recognition, he said it is a known that AICTE is not a body to supervise or control UGC recognised universities and still, to benefit the students, AICTE is being approached for listing of these three courses.

Referring to the GATE eligibility, the AU teacher said MSC (Tech) students are eligible and already some of them got ranks and keeping the student interest in view, GATE chairmen are urged to include the course in the notification. They are further eligible to write PGCET under equivalent criterion and a few students got admission.

However, APSCHE was appealed to include the three degrees in the list of eligible degrees. About admission into M Tech course in AU, he said students of the first batch were already admitted and the change of admission criterion made some of the students ineligible.

So, the university authorities are re-examining the admission process and the authorities concerned are approached for restoration of admission into M Tech course. With regard to the jobs in government sector and in PSUs, he said some are already working and a rigorous exercise to include MSc (Tech) course in the job advertisements was launched.

DHPS district meet on Oct. 13 (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92931)

Visakhapatnam: Dalita Hakkula Porata Samiti (DHPS) will organise the third district-level convention here on October 13 to chalk out its future plan of action to demand the government for protection of Dalit rights.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Samiti district general secretary B Venkata Rao alleged that the setting up of SC, ST Sub-Plan was still in the formation stage itself.

While the UPA government had failed in providing reservations even in the private sector, the State government had not even distributed a single acre of land to Dalits during its five rounds of the much publicised land distribution programme, he charged.

Mr Venkata Rao said a huge rally would be taken out from the Collectorate on October 13, which would culminate in a public meeting near the Ambedkar statue.

At the public meeting, while condemning the attack on Lakshmipet villagers of Srikakulam district, the Samiti would also demand that all the 250 acres of land be distributed only to the Dalits.
Among others, RS member JD Seelam, G Mallesh, MLC MVS Sarma, former MLA G Demudu, CPI district secretary JV Satyanarayana Murty, TDP leader Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu, MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishnababu and Payakaraopet MLA Golla Babu Rao would address the meeting, he said.

The DHPS district general secretary said that the members of the Samiti from all 14 rural mandals would assemble at NAD on October 14 to review whether earlier agitations yielded results and to chalk out future course of action to fight for protection of Dalit rights.

Children’s Day fete from Nov. 7 (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92933)

Visakhapatnam: School children from music and dance institutions, from Itchapuram to Rajahmundry, will participate in the week-long Children’s festival beginning from November 7. Classical, folk and western dances, group singing, dance ballets and fancy dress parades will impress the huge gatherings during the event.

Announcing the schedule of competitions, Vice Chairman of VUDA Kona Sasidhar said all the cultural competitions will be conducted as public shows at Gurajada Kalakshetram, enabling the general public to witness and appreciate the talented children.

Children from private and government schools and dance and music institutions are invited to participate in the State-level competitions conducted as part of the VUDA Children’s Day celebrations being organised by VUDA Children’s Club. As many as 5,000 children are expected to take part in the programme.
Winners in all the events will be given individual prizes along with memento and certificate on November 14. The children should enroll their names before November 5.

AU school ties up with Reddy’s lab (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92935)

Visakhapatnam: The Andhra University (AU) School of Distance Education has entered into MoU with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. Srikakulam to offer B.Sc. (MPC) programme for its employees from the current academic year, a release said here on Thursday. In the first batch to be admitted shortly under MoU around 100 employees will benefit with this arrangement. The employees have to attend the classes on Saturdays and Sundays for a period of 42 days.

Examinations will be held separately for them on week-ends only. Mr Kaushik Ray, vice-president (HR) and Prof. Visweswara Rao K, Registrar in-charge AU signed the MoU on behalf of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and AU respectively.

Prof. P George Victor, Vice-Chancellor, AU and N Tayagarajan, senior director, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. Principals, Deans, Director, SDE, and other officials were present.

KGH to beef up security, 20 guards to be deployed (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=92937)

Visakhapatnam: The security at the north coastal Andhra’s biggest health facility King George Hospital will be beefed up following a recent attack on a woman junior doctor by a drunken man. Around 20 unemployed youth who would be trained as community guards would be deployed at various strategic points for the safety of the doctors.

Superintendent of King George Hospital Dr M Madhusudhan Babu on Thursday discussed with Commissioner of Police J Purnachandra Rao in this regard. He told reporters that these guards would protect the junior doctors and duty doctors round the clock.

Madhusudhan Babu said Junior Doctors Association of KGH demanded to appoint special protection forces in the hospital premises for their security. He said the commissioner responded positively and assured that the police would select some of the unemployed youth in the city and provide training them for a couple of weeks.

The community guards will provide security of medicos, working at various government hospitals in Vizag. It may be recalled that a few days back junior doctor Nivedita was attacked by the relative of a 18-month-old P Hemanth, who was undergoing treatment at Children’s Ward at KGH. The drunken man was later taken into custody.

The doctors, nurses and employees went on a strike seeking the arrest of those who attacked and injured Casualty Medical Officer Dr K Bangaraiah on August 22, 2008. As result of the strike, four patients, including a two-month-old infant died. Director of Medical Education IV Rao had to rush to Visakhapatnam to sort out the issue.

Municipal Commissioner ‘in the dark’ (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/municipal-commissioner-in-the-dark/article3994081.ece)

Satyanarayana finds non-functioning of streetlights at many places

During his midnight inspection of Visakhapatnam on Thursday, Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana found to his dismay that at many places streetlights were not functioning.

At Jagadamaba Junction the high mast lights were not burning as were the lights on the District Court Road. From Satyam Junction to Tatichetlapalem, from the Railway Station to the DRM’s Office, Convent Junction to Jnanapuram, Poorna Market to Town Kotta Road at many places streetlights were not functioning.

Mr. Satyanarayana began his visit around 10.30 p.m. and continued till 1 a.m. seeing for himself the condition of roads, the repairs going on, the condition of streetlights and inquiring from workers their wage payment.

On being told by workers at Relliveedhi that they had not been paid wages for seven months, the Commissioner instructed that the contractor be removed.

At VIP Road, workers told him that they were being paid only Rs.5,000 a month as wages. At Poorna Market too, workers said they were being paid Rs.5,000 but the contractor maintained that he was paying Rs.5,600.

The Commissioner also inspected the road repairs going on after the damage caused by the recent rains. He expressed satisfaction at the Siripuram-Peda Waltair road work going on.

He was accompanied by Superintendent Engineer (Water Supply) V.Chandraiah and Senior Medical Officer Srinivasa Rao.

UCD Project Director M.N.A. Patrudu, Examiner of Accounts G. Satyanaryana, Zone Commissioner P. Durga Prasad and deputy executive engineer Bhaskara Rao supervised night sanitation at various places.

Ramineni Foundation awards presented (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/ramineni-foundation-awards-presented/article3994087.ece)

Tamil Nadu Governor felicitates recipients of ‘puraskarams’

Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah has described the ‘puraskarams’ being given by Dr. Ramineni Foundation for over a decade to eminent people in various fields as prestigious and highly valued.

Participating in the Guru Puraskarams and Guru Sanmaanam Pratibha Puraskarams-2012 in Visakhapatnam on Friday, he said the awards have gained significance at a time when people have a cloud of suspicion on various puraskarams that they were managed or purchased by the awardees themselves.

He said the track record of Ramineni Foundation reflected on their integrity, purpose and the noble objective of recognising eminent people in different walks of life and paying true and rich tributes to them.

He said he was happy to come to the city which was ever expanding on the industrial front and having many feathers on its cap. Andhra University at one time catered to all the coastal districts and beyond and the city was known to be an educational centre but with the passage of time many players entered the field and took education to multiple shores, he said.

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Daggubati Purandeswari lauded the Dr. Ramineni Ayyanna Choudhary and the foundation set up by him and being carried forward by his offspring the ideals of their late father in preserving the Indian culture and ethos and promoting education in rural areas.

Minister for Infrastructure Development Ganta Srinivasa Rao said he was impressed with the image of Ramineni Foundation and the academic value it had carved for itself and invited the foundation to have their puraskaram in the city. Mr. Rosaiah felicitated the recipients of puraskarams, including social worker P.D. Kameswara Rao, librarian Velaga Venkatappaiah, educationist Alladi Uma and cine actor Ravi Kondala Rao.

The awards selection committee consisted of founder director of L.V. Prasad Eye Institute G.N. Rao, HMTV Editor-in-Chief K. Ramachandra Murthy, and psychologist B.V. Pattabhiram.

MLAs Tynala Vijaya Kumar and Dronamraju Sreenivasa Rao and spoke. GVMC Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana was present.

‘No provision in law to hold officials accountable for delays’ (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/no-provision-in-law-to-hold-officials-accountable-for-delays/article3994100.ece)

Accountability of officials is essential to strengthen the implementation of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, senior officials said at the district consultation on the strengthening of the Act.

Participating in the third district consultation, part of the State-wide consultation, held here on Friday, Superintendent of Police Visakhapatnam Rural G Srinivas and Joint Director Social Welfare Department Srinivasan pointed out that there were no provisions in the law to hold the officials accountable for the delays.

The entire police force is normally pressed into maintaining law and order and the department does not have enough resources or time for seriously investigating the SC, ST (PoA) complaints, SP Rural said and suggested that two DSPs be appointed only to handle the cases.

He urged that special courts be set up to clear the cases on a fast track. Pointing out that the Social Welfare Department has a major role in providing relief to the victim, JD Social Welfare said that the Department was supporting the move to bring in amendments in the Act.

Convenor for the State Coalition for Strengthening of SC, ST (PoA) Act and president Dalit Stree Shakti G Jhansi, Professor of law in Damodaram Sanjeevaiah National Law University K. Sudha, and State programme manager Dalit Stree Shakti Daniel Prakash also spoke.

South Zone favourites against defending champions East (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/domestic-cricket/duleep-trophy/South-Zone-favourites-against-defending-champions-East/articleshow/16798544.cms)

VISAKHAPATNAM: A formidable South Zone team will start as clear favourites against defending champions East Zone in the semifinal of the Duleep Trophy starting from Sunday at the VDCA ground.

The 22-yard-strip at the Visakhapatnam Stadium has always assisted the batsmen and it won't be any different this time round.

South Zone with likes of domestic heavyweights in skipper Abhinav Mukund, swashbuckling opener Robin Uthappa and the enormously talented Manish Pandey will like to indulge in a run-feast against a weak East Zone bowling attack which depends a lot of last season's top wicket-taker Ashok Dinda.

With Shami Ahmed not unavailable due to side strain sustained during A team's tour of New Zealand, Dinda will have Orissa seamer Basant Mohanty and all-rounder Biplab Samantray for support. South's bowling attack will have the experienced Ranganath Vinay Kumar supported by his statemate Abhimanyu Mithun and left-arm spinner KP Appanna.

Both teams will however be missing a few key players due to the ongoing Champions League T20 tournament in South Africa.

South Zone will miss their experienced run-machine Subramanium Badrinath, opener Murali Vijay who scored a brilliant double hundred in Irani Cup, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin --- all playing for Chennai Super Kings while glovesman Dinesh Karthik is doing duty for Mumbai Indians.

Similarly East Zone batting looks thin on experience as Bengal's Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha are also in South Africa for the CLT20. Manoj is playing for Kolkata Knight Riders while Wriddhiman who played a major role in East's triumph last time scoring back-toback 100's semifinal and final is representing Chennai Super Kings.

A lot will now depend on skipper Nataraj behera and his deputy Anushtup Majumdar. Anushtup had a good 'A' team tour of New Zealand where he scored two half centuries in the unofficial 'Test' matches.

Public sector refineries to raise imports of heavy crude oil (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/public-sector-refineries-to-raise-importsheavy-crude-oil/489492/)

Public sector oil refining companies would soon import and refine more heavy crude oil, or Dubai crude oil, procured from West Asian countries.

According to official sources, many refineries would introduce the 'bottom upgrade’ technology in refineries, through which they would be able process more heavy crude oil. Currently, most refineries use the coker, slurry or delayed coker technologies to process heavy crude, which has a high amount of sulphur.

The officials added the bottom-upgrade technology would help Indian companies procure less soft crude oil. Heavy crude oil is cheaper compared to soft crude oil procured at the benchmark Brent crude rate. Through the past one year, the difference between Brent crude oil and the Dubai variety has narrowed from $6 a barrel to $2.32 a barrel.

About 60 per cent of crude oil required for domestic demand is imported. Currently, the industry average ratio of procurement of heavy crude oil to soft crude oil is 47:63, with Brent crude oil accounting for the rest. Soft crude is easier to process, since it has low sulphur.

According to officials, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation has started upgrading its Visakhapatnam and Rajasthan refineries. Currently, it is examining the slurry technology for bottom upgrade, said official sources. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals has also started upgrading its 3.3-mt Mangalore refinery, where coker technology would be operational by the year-end. Bharat Petroleum Corporation has also started upgrading its refineries with coker technology. Officials said in the medium term, procurement of heavy crude oil would be more than imports of Brent crude oil.

The proportion of imports of Dubai variety to low-sulphur crude oil (Brent) may rise from the current 33:67 to 50-50. Indian Oil Corporation has already completed the revamp of its refinery and is procuring more heavy crude.

Dasara Sambaralu on Oct. 21 (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93120)

Visakhapatnam: The city unit of AP Working Journalists’ Federation will organise Dasara Sambaralu fete on October 21 at Vaisakhi Jala Udyanavanam, said city president P Narayan. He said cultural programmes and a lucky dip would be held on the occasion in which members will participate with families.

Ministers Balaraju, Ganta, Collector V Seshadri, MLAs Malla, Tynala, Chintalapudi, Government Whip Dronamraju and Federation State vice president Gantla Sreenubabu would participate.

Paints expo in memory of student (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93117)

Visakhapatnam: Department of Fine Arts, Andhra University, here on Friday held an exhibition of sketches, drawings, paintings, sculptures and prints in memory of final year student Limmala Satya Suman who passed away on October 2.

All the sketches, drawings and paintings displayed in the exhibition were drawn by late Satya Suman. The exhibition would remain open till October 14. Half of the revenue collected from the sale of his works would be given to the bereaved family members and the remaining kept as a fund to give annual scholarship to a skilled painting student in memory of Satya Suman.

Appointments at AU (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93121)

Visakhapatnam: Andhra University in-charge Vice-Chancellor Prof. P George Victor has appointed Prof. Umamaheswara Rao of Applied Mathematics as Registrar replacing Dr K Samrajyalakshmi after completion of her period as in-charge Registrar, Prof. AV Prasada Rao of Chemistry Department as Rector in the post which was vacant after Prof. PVGD Prasad Reddy completed his tenure as Rector in July, and Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Prof. DVR Murty, as Media Cell Coordinator in place of Prof. P Bobby Vardhan here on Friday.

The new appointments made by Prof. Victor were hailed by all teachers. They opined that the varsity would develop further under the able guidance of the in-charge Vice-Chancellor. Prof. Murty is still to assume office.

Rosaiah lauds Ramineni Foundation (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93128)

Visakhapatnam: Former Chief Minister and Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah lauded the services of US-based Ramineni Foundation in recognising outstanding personalities of the State.He was the chief guest at a function organised in connection with Ramineni Foundation awards which he gave away to four personalities here on Friday.

Foundation chairman Ramineni Dharmapracharak and Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said that social activist and Shodhana Trust founder Dr PD Kameswara Rao has been selected for Ramineni Visishta Puraskaram, while writers Dr Velaga Venkatappaiah, Dr Alladi Uma and film actor and writer Ravi Kondala Rao were selected for Ramineni Visesha award.

The prize amount for Visishta award is Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000 for Visesha award. Mr Dharmapracharak said that they organised the programme for the first time in Visakhapatnam. The foundation was established in the United States in 1995 to preserve Indian culture and since 1999 it has been giving away awards to noted persons in memory of his father Ramineni Annaya Chowdary, he said.

Chief Editor of HMTV and The Hans India K Ramachandra Murty was also present.

Compensate complainants, Forum tells advocate (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93136)

The Visakhapatnam District Consumers’ Forum-1 has asked the opposite party – advocate Panchali Uppala of CBM Compound area in the city – to pay compensation of Rs 7,500 to complainants Subhasish Basak, Asish Kumar Basak and Sunita Basak within 30 days failing which to pay the same with nine per cent interest from the date of order till the date of payment, besides costs of Rs 3,500 for deficiency in service.

As per the facts of the petition, Asish Kumar Basak and Ms Sunita Basak are the parents of Subhasish Basak, residents of Visakhapatnam, and later by virtue of Subhasish Basak’s employment, they are currently residing in Kolkata. When they were in Vizag, the trio had approached the opposite party in December 2009 seeking legal advice with regard to marital discord between Subhasish Basak and his wife.

They engaged her to file a petition seeking anticipatory bail in the Metropolitan Sessions Court, Vizag, in an unregistered case on December 22, 2009, and were granted anticipatory bail with a condition that they should not leave the court jurisdiction.

Later, they also filed for judicial separation in the Family Court, Vizag, under Section 10 of the Hindu Marriage Act in March 2010 and the conditional order granted earlier to the complainant was relaxed basing on a separate application filed by the opposite party. When the opposite party (advocate) demanded Rs 30,000 towards legal expenses, reposing faith the complainants gave the amount on December 15, 2009.

The petitioners complained that the opposite party did not furnish any receipt for the payment and they further paid Rs 37,800 in two phases – Rs 20,000 on February 1, 2010, and Rs 17,800 on February 2, 2010 – through SBI as she had insisted stating that the Sessions Judge, while granting the bail, had directed to deposit the amount to fulfil the conditions imposed in the anticipatory bail. An amount of Rs 2,000 was also deposited in her account towards legal expenses. Whenever they asked for a receipt, she used to threaten them that she would implicate them in false cases. Ultimately, the matrimonial OP has been transferred from the local Family Court to the District Judge Court, Alipore, Kolkata.

Though the complainants addressed two letters demanding account for the amount given along with receipts, she neither furnished the same nor gave a reply. Irked by her negligence, they filed a petition seeking refund of the amount along with compensation.

The opposite party filed a counter stating that she filed the anticipatory bail application and submitted the order dated January 22, 2010, to the complainants as they were under the threat of arrest. She said considering the request of the complainants, she filed another application for relaxation of condition imposed in the order, which was also allowed.

The counter said that later, an application for judicial separation on the file of Family Court was also filed and the opposite party appeared in the matter till the case was transferred to Kolkata. “The opposite party never demanded the payment of Rs 30,000 and they paid Rs 37,800 only for application for relaxation of conditions and for filing of application for judicial separation. Fixation of legal fee is not within the ambit of Consumer Protection Act and the complainants had availed the legal service,” it added.

After perusing the case record and the evidence affidavits, Forum president N Jagannadha Rao and woman member KVR Maheswari observed that the opposite party claimed that she did not demand any fee earlier as the complainants are also Bengalis. “The contention that without collecting any fee, moving an application for anticipatory bail in our view is unbelievable. The general practice of any advocate would be to collect fee or at least expenses to move the court,” it felt.

The Forum president said had it been a case of false claim made by the complainants that they have paid Rs 30,000, normally an immediate reply denying the charge was expected from the opposite party, which was not done. In these circumstances, it is quite evident that only after the receipt of Rs 30,000, the opposite party moved the court, the judgement added.

The payment of Rs 37,800 was not disputed by both parties. “An advocate has got legal obligation to explain to the clients about the litigation and the expenditure involved and further he has to account for the amounts received from the clients. In this case, the opposite party failed in her duties, which amounted to deficiency in service and hence the judgement,” it pointed out.

Steel plant trade unions thank Purandeswari (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93130)

Visakhapatnam: Reciprocating its gratitude on behalf of all steel workers, the delegation of all steel trade unions comprising D Adinarayana and J Ramakrishna (AITUC), Mantri Rajasekhar (INTUC), Varasala Srinivasa Rao (JMS), Ayodhyaram (CITU) and D Suresh (DITU) called on Minister of State for HRD Dr D Purandeswari at her camp office here on Friday and thanked her for her initiative in taking the all steel union delegation to the Steel Minister and the Prime Minister to apprise them of the IPO issue.

The leaders thanked the Union Minister for her attempts in making the Central government to take a positive decision with regard to the IPO taking the sentiment factor and the welfare of all steel workers, including SC, ST and BCs, into consideration.

The delegation requested her to arrange another appointment with Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram to apprise him of the issue. She assured the delegation members of looking into the issue.Mr Varasala specially conveyed his gratitude to the minister on behalf of all SC, ST, BC and minorities working in the steel plant and urged her to put continuous efforts in safeguarding the interests of steel workers. Dr Purandeswari assured him of all help in this regard.

Later, Mr Mantri Rajasekhar met Tribal Welfare Minister P Balaraju and Minister of Ports and Investments Ganta Srinivasa Rao and thanked them for their support for the just cause of steel workers opposing the IPO. He also thanked Government Whip Dronamraju Srinivas and local MLAs for their interest in protecting the PSU.

Vizag GM international open tournament from October 25 (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/vizag-gm-international-open-tournament-from-october-25/article3996638.ece)

It is holding a series of tournaments for different sections of players and the winner of each category will be given an entry to the GMs tournament.

Another major chess tournament will be held in the city and the organisers are making efforts to give much publicity to the tournament to attract more players and spectators to it.

The All Vizag Chess Association, under the auspices of the AP Chess Association and the All India Chess Federation, is organising the Vizag GM international open tournament from October 25 to November 4, in which some top players are expected to participate.

The tournament will provide an opportunity for the local players and sports lovers to witness good quality chess. In addition to that, the organising committee has decided to present an opportunity for the unrated players from different categories to compete with the GMs and other top players, according to K.V.S. Sarma and P.V. Vijaya Bhaskar Kumar of the organising committee.

It is holding a series of tournaments for different sections of players and the winner of each category will be given an entry to the GMs tournament.

Schedule

The following is the schedule of the tournaments:

For professionals, doctors, engineers, media, advocates, builders and others — October 16; for employees of Central and State governments, banks, insurance companies and private sector organisations — October 17; for women — October 18; for college and university students — October 21 (all at port indoor stadium); for pupils of Government and GVMC schools — October 19, and for pupils of private schools — October 20 (at the Swarna Bharati indoor stadium).

The association has also decided to distribute copies of a book containing basics of chess to pupils of GVMC and government schools. Playing and following chess will help improve the intellect of a student and this was is reason for distributing the book, they said. CDs of the book would be distributed to the private schools.

Earlier, Government Whip Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao inaugurated the organising committee’s room at the port stadium and released the schedule of the promotional tournaments.

He and MD of CMR group M.V. Ramana hoped the tournament would provide good quality chess.

In charge of SAI’s STC T. Kishor Kumar, former Olympian M.V. Manikayalu, and Dronacharya awardee I. Venkateswara Rao participated.

Interested players can contact Cheela Ramesh (93939 90909 or 94408 57717) for registration or at their respective venues directly. Only unrated players are eligible to participate in the tournaments.

‘Hasten registration of tutorials’ (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93343)

Visakhapatnam: State general secretary of Andhra Pradesh Private Tutorial Schools’ Association S Suryanarayana, while ruling out the applicability of RTE Act to tutorial institutions imparting education up to secondary level, appealed to the Department of Education to expedite registration of such institutions to help eradicate illiteracy among the disadvantaged and weaker sections.

In a release here on Saturday, he clarified that the RTE Act applies only to schools as defined in Section 2(n) of the Act and the ‘school’ was defined as any recognised school imparting elementary education, including government, local authority, government-aided schools, schools of specified category and an unaided school not receiving any grant from the local body or the government.

Mr Suryanarayana said that an unaided school is a private institution imparting education or training, established and administered or maintained by a registered body of persons and recognised as educational institution by the government prior to its establishment.

Voter revision till October 31 (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93346)

Visakhapatnam: The voter list would be revised till the end of the month, the Joint Collector said at a press conference here on Saturday. He said the revision process began on October 1, the day on which the draft voter list of 15 Assembly constituencies of the district was released. The list has been placed in all the municipal, RDO and Tahsildar offices.

He said the draft voter list has been prepared with 28,59,848 voters of 3,462 polling centres. Those intending to change their names or enrol fresh names should fill in Forms 6, 7, 8 and 8a and submit the same at the Tahsildar or municipal offices. Those who attain 18 years on December 31, 2013, were eligible to enrol their names.

The agents of various political parties would also receive the filled in forms at the polling booths from 10 am to 5 pm on October 14 and October 21, he added.

Agrimart launches weed cutters (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93355)

Visakhapatnam: Weeds are a perennial threat for farmers and every year they are forced to incur huge expenditure on de-weeding operations. Over the years, this expenditure had spiralled owing to high labour cost and was even threatening the viability of agricultural operations.

Launching a new range of Oleo-Mac weed cutters, Ratnagiri Impex managing director SA Vasudeva Murty and marketing director SA Chandramohan said that the weed cutters are available at all the 102 Agrimart farm-equipment outlets in the country.

They said the Oleo-Mac range of cutters was introduced in India to help improve farm management practice as it not only improves efficiency by saving time but also lowers the labour cost. At present, the weed cutters are available at Agrimart Stores and Naaz Centre in Guntur.

Samkalpa to felicitate Ganta (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93354)

Visakhapatnam: Samkalpa Seva Samithi, a voluntary organisation promoting spiritual, social and cultural activities, will felicitate Minister for Ports and Investments Ganta Srinivasa Rao at Ramanaidu Studios on the Beach Road near Rushikonda on Sunday, Samithi president NSR Anjaneyulu said.

Among others, AP State Kapunadu chairman Miriyala Venkata Rao, MLAs Panchakarla Rameshbabu, Avanthi Srinivasa Rao and Chintalapudi Venkatramaiah will attend the event. Samithi secretary Dr Satyanarayana said they were doing Naryana Seva, Arogya Seva, spiritual and community service as part of their social responsibility.

All like-minded people are the members of the Samithi, which proposed to increase its service to the poor and the needy. “We have many able, skilled and active office-bearers and our services could also be utilised politically,” he pointed out. Samithi vice-president Goka Ranga Rao and committee member K Raghavulu were also present.

Huge response to sale of TTD laddus (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93356)

Visakhapatnam: The long-pending desire of Vizag residents was fulfilled with the launch of sale of Lord Venkateswara Swami laddus by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) here at the TTD Kalyana Mandapam on Saturday by Government Whip Dronamraju Srinivas.
Already, counters for sale of laddus were opened in Bangalore and Hyderabad and there was a demand to open a counter here also.

Thousands of people thronged the counter since early hours for taking prasadam. TTD manager Subrahmanyam said that the Devasthanams had sent 5,000 laddus for sale at Rs 25 each and four for each devotee. This would continue on every second Saturday from 8 am onwards. The police monitored the queue lines and the distribution was completed without any disturbance.

Launching the sale, Mr Dronamraju thanked TTD executive officer Subrahmanyam and other officials for sending the Lord’s prasadam to the city in the interest of devotees.

Transparency in LDC exam sought (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=93358)

Visakhapatnam: Majority of the parents of those candidates who are attending the Lower Division Clerk (LDC) written test to be held by the Naval Base officials on Sunday between 9 am and 10.30 am have appealed to the naval officials to hold the exam transparently in view of alleged rumours of leakage of paper doing the rounds here on Saturday.

According to information, about 60,000 persons wrote the preliminary exam out of which 2,500 candidates were selected for the written test to fill the 280 vacant posts. The parents appealed to the naval officials to see that real skilled candidates should not be affected.

Staff strike hits tourism in Vizag district (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/travel/staff-strike-hits-tourism-in-vizag-district/article3999798.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, OCT. 15:
The strike by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) staff for the past five days has hit tourism in the Araku Valley region of Visakhapatnam district badly.

Araku Utsav, scheduled to start from Monday, was postponed. On Monday, APTDC staff in Visakhapatnam city also went on strike at Rushikonda Resort, Yatri Nivas and Haritha Resort in solidarity with their Araku colleagues.

The corporation has suspended its services at the famous Borra caves in the eastern ghats of Visakhapatnam district and also cancelled its bookings at Araku resorts.

Several rounds of talks with the striking workers have failed. The staff are demanding regularisation of services of contract workers working for several years and the implementation of “same work, same pay” principle.

The striking workers allege that APTDC is resorting to outsourcing and employing workers through private agencies on a contract basis even for jobs of a regular nature.

State Tribal Welfare Minister P. Balaraju has appealed to the striking workers to give up the agitation, as it will have an adverse bearing on the inflow of tourists.

nice thread btw plz vote for bandra worli sea link
http://xl.skyscrapercity.com/?page=oneonone&otherday=20121013

US now targets tourists from Vizag (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/us-now-targets-tourists-from-vizag/article4002059.ece)

Brand USA is now targeting Vizag and other tier-II and III cities to lure prospective tourists.

After seeing emerging markets in India, tourist operators and owners of chain of hotels are promoting Brand USA so as to attract more Indian tourists.

With Indian youngsters capturing a large share in the USA job market, operators expect that parents of those working there and the affluent professionals from tier-II and III cities should avail various attractive holiday packages apart from visiting their near and dear in the USA.

Advait Naik of Global Destinations, an Indian-owned company manned by all Indians, told The Hindu on Monday that being a service provider they are showcasing the USA as a destination. With booming economy, now they have shifted their attention to Vizag, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and other cities.

He says being one of the leading tourist operators they could handle $1 to 1.5 million worth business from Indian tourists last year. This is expected to go up to $2 to 2.2 million this year.

There seems to be lot of demand for leisure tourism in the West Coast of the USA with little bit of travel to Canada. “Most travellers do not come on first time trips. We are aware that India is a price-sensitive market. Accordingly we offer packages to suit the budget of every segment,” says Vartika Chaturvedi, business development manager (South India) of Globus family of brands.

Being the world’s largest escorted travel company, they are offering 80 plus vacations for group departures at pre-fixed price. The firm, she says offers business-to-business through travel agents.

“Tourist arrivals from India are on the rise. We have wide bouquet of offers – whether it is New York, Niagara Falls, Las Vegas and Alaska. Some even prefer self-driven trips in popular travel destinations,” she says. “After West India, we are getting more visitors from South India,” she discloses.

Even Choice Hotels International -- a chain of hotels was part of the roadshow held in Visakhapatnam on Monday under the aegis of the USA Consulate General, Hyderabad and Vizagapatnam Chamber of Commerce & Industries.

“Business travel from South India is growing with more IT, pharma, petroleum and shipping company executives evincing interest to have vacation in the USA,” says Pananisamy, director (sales & marketing) of Outbound Marketing. Every year they are registering a growth in number of tourists by 27 to 33 per cent.

APTDC workers launch strike in Vizag, Chandana Khan to hold talks (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/aptdc-workers-launch-strike-in-vizag-chandana-khan-to-hold-talks/article4002039.ece)

Strike will continue till our genuine demands are conceded, says union leder

With contract employees and daily wage workers of AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) in the city launching an indefinite strike on Monday, Special Chief Secretary, Tourism and Culture Chandana Khan will hold talks with the union leaders on Tuesday to hammer out a solution.

The 300-odd workers of APTDC, which includes those engaged for boating in the city and operating guided trips in the corporation’s own vehicles, began the strike in response to the call by CITU-affiliated APTDC Contract Daily Wage Manpower Workers’ Union. This came as a setback when the employees and contract workers of the corporation in the Agency area continuing their strike for fifth consecutive day.

Their demands, inter alia, include regularisation of contract employees as per agreement signed with the management in 2010, stoppage of outsourcing and spending of part of income on development of Borra and other areas. “We will continue the strike till our genuine demands are conceded. Social security matters a lot for all the workers – both taken on contract and daily wage payment,” G. Koteswara Rao, honorary president of the union said.

Immediately after arrival from Hyderabad, Ms. Khan will rush to Araku. After finishing the talks there, she will meet District Collector V. Seshadri. “We are expecting a solution soon,” APTDC General Manager Umamaheswara Rao said.

Due to the strike by the employees and tribal guides, APTDC cancelled bookings at its resorts at Araku, Anantagiri and Tyda. It also closed Borra caves for the visitors. With the employees launching a strike in the city on Monday, guests staying at Harita Resorts, Rushikonda and Yatri Nivas had a difficult time.

Boating and bus/taxi service to Araku valley, being operated by APTDC, were suspended due to the strike launched on Monday.

Small units in Vizag asked to explore biz opportunities in Australia (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/small-units-in-vizag-asked-to-explore-biz-opportunities-in-australia/article4009858.ece)

VISAKHAPATNAM, OCT. 18:
Bilateral trade between India and Australia is likely to be doubled by 2015 and all efforts are being made to achieve the target, according to Consul (Commercial) and Trade Commissioner for South India Michael Carter.

He was interacting with members of the Confederation of Indian Industry here on Thursday evening. He said bilateral trade, at present amounting to $21 billion, may touch or cross $40 billion mark by 2015. “It will be our earnest endeavour to double the trade by 2015. We have 11 offices in India, but we still rely heavily on the CII for reaching out to the industry and trade in all parts of the country, especially tier-two cities,” he said.

He said infrastructure development, mining, bio-tech, IT, power, water management, agri-processing, tourism and education were some of the potential and promising areas of collaboration between the two countries. “It is not that we are looking at big industries only, we focus on the SMEs as well. We want SMEs in Visakhapatnam and other cities to explore business opportunities in our country and to make use of our expertise in certain areas, such as fisheries, to their advantage,” he said.

Carter expressed happiness that Vizag will be connected soon with Singapore as it would open up many avenues for cargo export as well besides giving a great boost to tourism. “Indian tourists are visiting Australia in greater numbers in recent times and they are spending a lot. We want Indian hoteliers to explore the possibility of setting up hotels in our country,” he said.

He said there was also acute shortage of skilled labour in Australia in the mining sector and India could meet part of the demand at least. He said an Australia-India Research Fund had been set up and “currently 75 projects are in the pipeline.” He spoke about co-operation in the defence sector.

Carter said education was one area of great importance to both countries and there should be greater collaboration between universities in both the countries. Indian students were welcome in Australia, he said.

Safe beaches – a far cry (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/safe-beaches-a-far-cry/article4008648.ece)

The drowning of six students of GITAM University at a beach close to Rushikonda on Wednesday has once again brought to the fore need to initiate urgent measures to ban swimming at the beaches which show strong sea currents.

The first attraction for any visitor to the city from landlocked states is the beach. Unfortunately, most of the beaches in the city have been identified as ‘dangerous’ for swimming. Scores of deaths are reported every year at the beaches but ‘fatal attraction’ continues.

The National Institute of Oceanography has conducted a study on the reasons for the strong currents (rip currents) in some stretches of the Visakhapatnam coastline. “Rip current zones have been identified along Visakhapatnam coast at the beaches south of Bheemunipatnam, Erramatti Dibbalu, INS Kalinga, Rushikonda, Sagar Nagar, Tenneti Park, Old Light House area, INS Kursura Museum, Opposite Police Mess, R.K. Beach, Naval Coast Battery and Yarada,” NSN Raju, a retired Senior Technical Officer and consultant at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) told The Hindu. The currents are so strong that they flush away sand, silt and even human beings towards the open sea, he added.

Vizag is one of the major tourist attractions in the State. The beaches and hills draw visitors from far off places and the unprotected beaches turn ‘death traps’ for these ignorant tourists who enter the sea, president of the Rushikonda Information Technology Parks Association P. Vishnu Kumar Raju said and expressed anguish over the growing instances of drowning at the beach.

It was unfortunate that none of the government departments appeared to own up responsibility for ensuring the safety of tourists, he said. “I plan to file a PIL in the High Court to force the government to set up the machinery to ensure safety of tourists,” he added.

The NIO consultant suggested that the authorities prohibit swimming between June and September at the beaches identified as dangerous. He wanted more life guards be appointed during October and November which is not only a tourist season but also the period where the seas currents would be most dangerous.

Mylan buys Indian production unit from SMS Pharma for $33 million (http://www.thepharmaletter.com/file/117318/mylan-buys-indian-production-unit-from-sms-pharma-for-33-million.html)

Following speculation that started last month, India’s SMS Pharmaceuticals this week confirmed that it has sold its manufacturing units in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, to US generic drugmaker Mylan Laboratories (Nasdaq: MYL) for 1.73 billion rupees ($33 million), said the company in a filing, reported by VCCircle. The unit is involved in manufacturing bulk drugs and formulations in the oncology segment.

The deal is second Indian acquisition by Mylan maker after it acquired 71.5 % stake in Matrix Laboratories, one of the world's largest suppliers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), in 2006 for $736 million and was rebranded under the Mylan name last year to launch the US firm’s generic drugs onto the Indian market.

SMS Pharma is focused on API manufacturing and claims to be the single largest producer of anti-ulcer products. The firm has also expanded into CRAMS and set up an oncology API and formulations manufacturing facility. The funds from sale will help SMS Pharma strengthen its existing facilities, cut interest costs and overheads, as well as improving working capital.

Facility not yet US FDA-approved

According to VCCircle, the Visakhapatnam facility bought by Mylan is yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. SMS Pharma said that the sale will not have much impact on its revenues and "will create a path for strategic alliances with the multinational as well as business development by way of getting multiple products. SMS Pharma has seven manufacturing facilities and two R&D centers. Two manufacturing facilities, (in Hyderabad and Vijayanagarm districts) are approved by the US FDA.

Earlier this year, US injectable generic drugs specialist Hospira (NYSE: HSP) reached an agreement to acquire an active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing facility, together with an associated R&D facility from India’s Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (BSE: 524372), for around $200 million (The Pharma Letter August 30). Acquisition of the modern, US FDA-approved facility is expected to reduce Hospira's costs, support continuity of supply of key antibiotic products and pave the way for future API development.

Vizag is gearing up for a turnaround in realty (http://content.magicbricks.com/vizag-is-gearing-up-for-a-turnaround-in-realty/)

Visakhapatnam or ‘Vizag’ as it is popularly known, is considered as one of the most prominent port cities in eastern India. In its extensive survey on next generation of top ten business destinations across the country, Cushman & Wakefield has discovered Vizag as one of the ideal business destinations.

With a population of over 1.7 million and the formation of ‘Greater Visakhapatnam’ in 2005, the city’s development is set for a quantum leap. Some of the major industries operating out the Visakhapatnam are shipyards, fisheries, and steel works which have made it an economic powerhouse within the region.

The city is emerging as the second-most important investment destination after Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The city has attracted large public and private sector industries related to shipping, steel and heavy manufacturing.

Major companies such as Hindustan Zinc, GAIL, Indian Oil Company (IOC) Bottling Unit, BPCL Bottling Unit, Synergies Castings, Coromandel Fertilizers, Hindustan Ship Yard, Bharat Heavy Plate and Vessels Limited are located in the city.

The city is also emerging as a viable alternative to Hyderabad for the IT/ITeS sector. This is mainly on account of talent pool, infrastructure and comparatively cost-effective real estate in the city. It has many small and medium IT/ITeS companies apart from a few blue chip companies such as IBM, TCS, Wipro, Sutherland and Mahindra Satyam Services that have their presence in the city. Other major industries are telecom, fisheries & marine foods, apparel & textile, food processing, general engineering, refineries, bio-tech, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.

The city currently has 13 operational and 9 notified SEZs which cater to the IT/ITeS, apparels, pharmaceutical and multi-product manufacturing.

The residential realty market of the city is undergoing significant development. The city has experienced a change in mindset from preference from traditional independent houses to high rise apartments. The key residential areas in the city are primarily Beach Road, MVP colony, Lawsons Bay, Waltair, Old town, Seetamdhara, Siripuram etc. Commercial centers such as Dwaraka Nagar, Dhaba Gardens have a mix of apartments and independent houses. Areas such as Madhurawada and Rishikonda have witnessed large residential projects catering to the housing requirements of IT/ITeS employees. Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) has developed multiple residential projects through public-private partnership models with prominent local developers.

Visakh Refinery to produce Euro-IV-compliant diesel by year-end (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/visakh-refinery-to-produce-euroivcompliant-diesel-by-yearend/article4034029.ece)

"We are in a position to supply to Vizag market earlier than the deadline if the authorities permit us to do so," HPCL Executive Director and in-charge of Visakh Refinery P.A.B. Raju told The Hindu.

The Visakh Refinery of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) will supply Euro-IV-compliant high-speed diesel (HSD) on a regular basis from April 1, 2013 with the mechanical completion of facilities by the year-end.

The Diesel Hydro-Treating (DHT) Project being implemented by the refinery at a cost of Rs.2,730 crore is in an advanced stage of completion with officials of the HPCL working on a war-footing to commission various facilities.

The DHT project is part of the HPCL’s endeavour to supply Euro-IV-compliant diesel. At present, it is being supplied to 13 metros. It will be available in Visakhapatnam in 2015. The city at present is getting Euro-III-compliant diesel. Euro-IV diesel contains less sulphur compared to Euro-III diesel.

“We are in a position to supply to Vizag market earlier than the deadline if the authorities permit us to do so,” HPCL Executive Director and in-charge of Visakh Refinery P.A.B. Raju told The Hindu.

At present by getting Euro-IV diesel from other organisations, the refinery is supplying it to Hyderabad region. The Euro-IV diesel would be produced with suitable technological upgradation and prudent environment management, Mr. Raju said.

Visakh Refinery had already commissioned MS (motor spirit) block units (petrol) at a cost of Rs.2,205 crore meeting Euro-III and IV specifications. The cleaner and greener fuels will certainly improve the ambient air quality in line with international standards.

The refinery as a safety measure for storage of LPG and propylene, commissioned seven mounded storage bullets with an investment of Rs.125 crore disbanding the old spheres.

Mr. Raju said they would be in a position to undertake trial run of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) each with 2,00,000 to 3,00,000 DWT capacity.

The Single Point Mooring facility was commissioned last year.

The facility is created to save freight cost and improve refinery economics.

As part of clean fuel project, Rs.100 crore is being invested on the Fuel Gas Desulphurisation facility. It is expected to be completed by December.

Mr. Raju hoped that the refinery, which has a capacity of 8.3 million tonnes, could meet energy demand better by expanding the capacity to 15 million tonne subject to environmental and other clearances.

Visakhapatnam police to get tough with beach visitors (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/visakhapatnam-police-to-get-tough-with-beach-visitors/article4034028.ece)

‘They will be arrested, If they insist on getting into the water’

“If the tourists are not heeding the advice and caution given by the police and the community guards we might even take them into custody,” Commissioner of Police J Purnachandra Rao said.

With an aim to ensure that there are no fatalities by drowning off the city beaches, the city police, in association with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), is deploying six trained Community Guards each on RK Beach, Yarada Beach and Rushikonda Beach, he said. The city police allotted the 18 Community Guards drawn from fishermen community to the GVMC for being deployed on the beaches for the safety of the visitors.

These personnel are being trained by the Coast Guard in search, rescue, resuscitation and first aid, the Police Commissioner told the media.

The Police Commissioner along with GVMC Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana and Commandant Coast Guard A.K.S. Srimannarayana launched the training programme for the Community Guards being deployed at the Rushikonda Beach. In view of the recent death by drowning of six GITAM engineering students at Rushikonda, the city police sought the help of the GVMC and the Municipal Commissioner immediately decided to hire expert swimmers and deploy them on the beaches, the city police chief said.

The Community Guards will be deployed in shifts on the beaches, with two in the morning shift from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and four in the second shift from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. They along with police personnel deployed on the beaches will be responsible to caution, warn and stop the visitors from entering the sea in dangerous places. The police are also proposing to set up more watch towers on the three important beaches, he added.

“Even though we are expert swimmers we wear lifeguards when we enter water. We should not be feel shy or fashion conscious especially when it concerns our own safety,” the Coast Guard Commandant said.

He supervised the training of the Community Guards in various aspects of rescue operations being conducted by Navy diver and medical aid specialist.

Rushikonda IT Park Association president P. Vishnu Kumar Raju and CEO of Symbiosys Technologies O. Naresh Kumar offered to bear the cost of installing hoardings at the Rushikona Beach while the GITAM University representative shied away from giving any commitment on the university participation in the programme for safety of visitors to the beach.

Streamline govt. programmes in 100 days: Visakhapatnam Collector (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/streamline-govt-programmes-in-100-days-visakhapatnam-collector/article4034030.ece)

Aiming at a massive revamp of implementation of Government programmes, District Collector V Seshadri set a target of 100 days, starting November 1, for different departments to review and revamp the systems.

As the Centre proposed to take broadband to all villages, the Education, Health and Medical, Social Welfare, Housing and Rural Water Supply departments should set up web-based monitoring of the operations of the field units, he told the officials at a review meeting here on Thursday.

He asked the Education Department officials to set up web-cameras in all the high schools in Pendurthy mandal, which would be the first to get all broadband connectivity, to monitor the attendance and performance of the teachers.

He directed the Education Department to ensure that there was no shortage of furniture in the schools and also introduce spoken English classes for students.

He asked the officials to utilise the funds from CSR and Rajiv Vidya Mission for providing and improving facilities in the Government schools.

The Collector directed the officials of the Medical and Health Department to install webcameras in all the primary health centres to monitor their functioning.

He directed the officials to review the system every fortnight and ensure that by the end of 100 days there is a significant change in the implementation of Government welfare schemes. Additional Joint Collector Y Narasimha Rao, Project Officer Paderu Integrated Tribal Developmnet Agnecy Srikant Prabhakar, Project Director DRDA Maheshwar Reddy, DRO Venkateswara Rao, District Medical and Health Officer G Savitri, DEO K Krishnaveni, Project Officer RVM Venkateswara Rao, CPO Sudhakar and other officials were present.

https://www.facebook.com/SilkAir

Silk Air and Changi airport are actively promoting vizag in thier facebook pages, vizagites should elevate this by providing info about vizag to the potential tourists.

Corporation Bank's loan mela at Vizag (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/corporation-banks-loan-mela-at-vizag/article4058626.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home)

VISAKHAPATNAM, NOV. 2:
Corporation Bank is conducting a two-day loan mela here on Saturday and Sunday in the YMCA hall on the beach road, according to zonal manager K. Ramanjaneyulu.

He said at a press meet here that loans would be offered at concessional rates during the mela. Housing loans can be taken at 10.5 per cent and vehicle loans at 11.25 per cent. Doctors can get loans at 12.10 per cent and businessmen at 12.50 per cent. There would be no processing fees, he added.

He said reputed real estate firms, builders, and vehicle companies would participate in the mela to showcase their products.

The bank had set up three zonal offices in Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Nellore.

The Vijayawada zonal office was covering Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari, West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.

As on Sept. 30, the business in the zone amounted to Rs 2,725 crore, with the deposits accounting for Rs 1,390 crore.

The zone has posted gross profit of Rs 26.46 crore at the end of September, with its 54 branches.

Vizag shows off its artsy avatar (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-31/people/34818021_1_vizag-art-lovers-avatar)

Art lovers in Vizag are in for a treat. Walk into the CSN Patnaik Art Gallery and you can check out the works of 11 well-known artists including K Laxma Goud, K Ravi, G Ravinder Reddy, V Ramesh and CSN Patnaik, among others, which are on display.

The collection is eclectic with everything from sketches of a man by Laxma Goud, a oil painting of a woman and a family in a village by CSN Patnaik and a fibreglass sculpture by Venkat Bothsa to a bronze sculpture by Manmath Rao and K Ravi's depiction of a woman.

The exhibition, which is open to all, had visitors walking in to the gallery all day. A few aspiring artists were also present at the gallery who were seen interacting with senior artists — CSN Patnaik and C Ravi Shankar Patnaik.

Visakhapatnam: The city of destiny (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-02/travel/34877504_1_vizag-destiny-port-city)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo/17059722.cms

We talk to a few popular denizens of the Port City to find out why Visakhapatnam is called 'the City of Destiny'

Vizag's tryst with destiny precedes the formation of India by over 100 years, going back to 1844! Sir Arthur Cotton, the legendary British general and engineer spent two years in Waltair, recovering from a 'jungle fever' that haunted him throughout his stay in the tropics. Even in his illness, he developed the Groynes in the sea, which helped break the waves and control erosion. He also redesigned and rebuilt St John's Church and drew plans for a port in the city.

It was the iconic former Vice Chancellor of Andhra University, Dr CR Reddy who is credited with coining the phrase 'City of Destiny' in the 1930s. He was instrumental in relocating the Andhra University, which was located in Bejawada to the port city which was then a little known fisherman's village — Waltair. Old towns like Ananthapur, Bejawada, Guntur, Machilipatnam, and Rajamundry, had greater credentials at that time since they were much more accomplished educational, cultural and business centers.

"Dr CR Reddy took the bold decision because he believed this was the city of the future. However, his vision of the city was very different from the burgeoning industrial hub and megapolis that it is on course to become. He envisaged that this fisherman's village would become the intellectual capital of the state," says A Prasanna Kumar, director, Centre for Policy Studies. But then destiny as they say, has its own plans and the Port city today is ranked among the fastest growing cities in the world.

Later on, it was Dr Abid Hussain, the legendary district collector and former ambassador to the USA who popularised the phrase, for he rightly believed that it was only a matter of time before Vizag realised its destiny of becoming one of the greatest cities in India, says A Prasanna Kumar, who has been living here for the last 58 years.

"I moved to Vizag in 1954 from Machilipatnam. The city was then called 'India in a Microcosm'. It is perhaps, the only city in the country which has had no history of communal clashes or caste conflicts. There is no narrowness of thinking. It allows outsiders to come and merge seamlessly with the human chain. The city is blessed with tremendous natural splendor and resources," he adds.

Legendary chief Justice, late PV Rajamannar's description of Vizag captures the essence of the city. "Nestled between the sea on one side and a mountain on the other, the city is unlike any other. The sea stands for dynamism, change and adventure and the mountain stands for permanence, tradition and values. A dialectical process is taking place in this beautiful city, shaping its destiny over the years."

Ever since, in various amounts, little bits of recognition have come in to the city through various forms — be it education, music, acting, art and sculpture. Some of these popular faces from Vizag who've made it big, share their thoughts about this City of Destiny has in store for the world.

Allu Arjun regards Vizag as his lucky charm. "All my films that were shot in Vizag (Arya, Bunny, Desamuduru, Julayi, Parugu, etc.) were superhits. Vizag is my lucky mascot. I shot for Arya at Kailasagri, the hilltop park with panoramic sea view. The whole unit enjoyed shooting in the serene atmosphere with greenery, fresh breeze and beautiful hills all around. We also shot the film in the adjacent picturesque valleys, which boast of beautiful flora, laterite hillocks and a pleasing landscape. Parugu, Bunny, Desamuduru and Julayi were also shot on the long and vast stretches of the seashore ( beach road) in Vizag. This is a popular spot for filmmakers as one can see the sprawling beaches, splendid monuments, ancient shrines, all along the road," shares Allu Arjun.

Renowned acting teacher Satyanand, who set up his acting school in Vizag as suggested by Megastar Chiranjeevi, found his calling in this port city. "I used to work as a character artiste and assistant director in Hyderabad. But I found my true calling only after moving to this beautiful city," he says.

"The tranquil atmosphere in Vizag gives you the right fillip to excel in your career. I enjoy a great freedom in my profession if I'm in this city and my institute is the first acting school in Vizag. Think it has something to do with the air in the city," says Satyanand. Tollywood superstars like Pawan Kalyan, Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Ravi Teja, etc have all learnt their first lessons in acting at his acting school.

Music director and entrepreneur Ramana Gogula says it's the diversity that sets the city apart. "For me, the city is about the ocean and it has sown all the seeds of my creativity and it has taught me to dare to be different. There is so much diversity in the city that it allows people to be themselves. I remember many afternoons when I was down and out I would go and sit on the beach for a couple of hours and life would be okay again," he says.

Venkat Bothsa, an artist from the city says, "There's not a very big art scene in Vizag. But even if you drive for ten minutes in any direction, you come across such scenic beauty, that it gives you a beautiful background for your work.' He further speaks about the scope of art. "There's a lot of scope. The government has also allotted the Nandagiri Kala Gramam, which is a 5-acre land which has residential studios for various artists to work in."

Pop singer Smitha of Hairabba Hai fame, who recently opened a spa in the city talks about the scope of fashion and beauty in the city. She says, "People of Vizag have developed a taste for fashion. The last time when I came down, I saw that especially women are into affordable fashion and it immediately struck my mind that I have to give them something from my end and I opened up my spa here."

Police crack the whip on use of tinted film on cars in Vizag (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/police-crack-the-whip-on-use-of-tinted-film-on-cars-in-vizag/article4050570.ece)

Though the Supreme Court order banning the use of sun control (black) films on the windscreens and windows of cars has come into effect nearly six months ago, there still seems to be confusion among car owners on it.

The manufacturer can use tinted glass that allows visual light transmission (VLT) up to 70 per cent on the front and rear screens and up to 50 per cent on the side windows, according to the existing Motor Vehicle Rules.

In the past, this rule was not being implemented strictly and car owners were using dark sun control films to reduce the heat and intensity of sunlight.

The Apex Court order allows vehicle manufacturers to fix tinted glass in the factory, in accordance with the prescribed norms but the owners can no longer get the film (irrespective of the VLT) affixed at car accessory dealers or on their own.

The city police have begun cracking the whip on violators of this rule two months ago.

The drive is yet to produce the desired result with not only personal cars but also taxicabs continuing to use sun control films.

The court had passed the order on a Public Interest Litigation that cars with black film on window panes were being increasingly used to commit crimes like kidnapping and sexual assault on women.

The dark glass helps the offenders to escape without being noticed after committing crime.

“We are not getting new customers for sun control filming during the past few weeks. Some are coming for getting the old film peeled off to avoid the prospect of being fined by the traffic police as the fine could go up to Rs.2000,” said Krishna, a car AC mechanic, who has his workshop at Asilametta.

Police appeal

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) V. Suresh Babu appealed to the four-wheeler owners to get the black film removed immediately and abide by the court order.

The owners are not allowed to use any film, irrespective of the VLT, on the front and rear screens and windows.

The cars which come with a tint on their glasses from the factory would be allowed as per the court order.

“The minimum fine being imposed for violation of this rule is Rs.500. We have booked over 400 cases during the last two months. More and more owners are complying with the new rule and getting the sun control film removed on their own,” said Mr. Suresh Babu.

Top 5 things Vizagites love doing in the rain (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/home-garden/Top-5-things-Vizagites-love-doing-in-the-rain/articleshow/17063519.cms)

The sudden downpour that Vizag witnessed recently came as a pleasant respite to the city dwellers from the soaring temperatures of the last few weeks.

Monsoon fever made a comeback in the city, with Vizagites celebrating the great weather in different ways. While some headed to the beach to get drenched and others were spotted sipping hot chai and munching hot jalebis, many decided to spend the evening curled up cosyily indoors.

The cosy indoors

What better way to enjoy the rains than to spend some quiet time indoors as you watch the downpour outside. And that's exactly what Vizagites did when the rains lashed the city on Wednesday. Amber Sarin, a youngster, says, "The rains came as such relief in Vizag, considering the past few days have been so hot. The weather has cooled down now and everyone is enjoying the pleasant climate. We missed out on our early morning cricket sessions, but we are now enjoying the rainy weather indoors."

Drenched on the beach

A favourite during all seasons, the Beach Road lay empty, thanks to the sudden downpour. While the unsuspecting people who were strolling down the beach ran for shelter when they were caught in the rain, there were quite an adventurous few, who stepped out and decided to enjoy it. They stepped out to get drenched on the beach and have a good time.

Gorge on hot treats

Enjoying their samosas, bondas and steaming cuppas of chai, many office-goers were spotted at various street-side bandis and eateries. city. Arpita Mishra, a Vizagite who loves the rains, was busy cooking hot jalebis at home. "I love it when it rains. I usually take a walk on the terrace to enjoy the drizzle. Rain puts me in a happy mood. It's the best time to enjoy some piping hot treats," she says.

Time to hit the road

It's common for several people in the city to head to far off locations. Chaitanya Lova, a student at Andhra University was on his way to Rushikonda when the rains came down. He says, "I love to go on long drives when it rains since the weather becomes cool. I'm sure everbody goes on long drives!"

Bunk classes

Young students from various universities and colleges were all spotted bunking classes under the noses of their professors. Madhavi, a student, says, "We managed to escape the eyes of our alert watchman and take our bikes out and drive away into the rains. Another student, Devraj, adds, "We bunk classes, give proxy attendance and go play cricket in the rains!"

Broken grating hinders traffic in Vizag (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/broken-grating-hinders-traffic-in-vizag/article4050607.ece)

A broken grating over a drain near the SFS School compound wall is creating problems hindering smooth flow of traffic.

As it is a junction leading to Seethammadhara from Ryot Bazar and from HB Colony, drivers have to carefully manoeuvre their vehicles to avoid the pitfall. For two-wheeler drivers it is particularly a close call. A

few days ago, a motorcyclist whose light had failed fell after driving into the broken grating. He suffered minor injuries. “People, particularly those driving two-wheelers, are finding it difficult at night and it has been like that for the past three weeks,” says Ramaiah, a shop-keeper nearby. It makes things difficult for pedestrians as vehicles try to avoid the broken grating and swerve at the last minute.

The busy junction bustling with traffic and vendors becomes all the more crowded in the mornings and evenings with two schools located nearby and the broken grating needed to be replaced before more accidents occur.

Visakhapatnam gives realty a booster shot (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-01/hyderabad/34856444_1_mvp-colony-vizag-port-city)

VISAKHAPATNAM: The ailing real estate story of Andhra Pradesh is finally on its way to recovery. And giving it the much-needed 'booster shots' is the port city of Visakhapatnam that's selling an astounding 2,000 homes every month. Also on its way to completion here, are as many as 20,000 apartment units that are expected to be ready to occupy over the next few years. Not surprising then that property prices in this fast emerging investment hub are now on a par with the hi-tech pockets of Hyderabad such as Madhapur and Gachibowli.

After a rocky recessionary patch, rates in the central business district of Vizag have touched a high Rs 4,500-5,000 per square feet (sft), while the peripheral zone now flaunts a price tag of anywhere between Rs 2,000-2,500 per sft. This, when the average going rate in the capital city, doubly struck first by the meltdown and then by the `T' agitation, is still struggling to cross the Rs 3,000 per sft mark.

Queuing up to buy cozy homes in the port city are not just locals (salaried class and mid-sized businessmen) but also `migrants' and NRIs, most of them with an Andhra connect. And apart from the picturesque landscape, what seems to be drawing them to invest in Vizag is the promise of better connectivity -- thanks to the recent international status of its airport -- and hope of IT companies/industries expanding their bases in the city soon.

"Post-recession, Vizag was one of the earliest markets to recover. While others took two-three years, this city bounced back in a year. The going rates here are better than the 2005-06 boom period," said Raja Srinivas, president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India ( CREDAI), Visakhapatnam chapter.

While the demand, according to Srinivas, is the highest in core city areas comprising MVP Colony, Pandurangapuram, Chinna Waltair, among others, pockets on the outskirts such as Madhurawada, Gajuwaka and Gopalapatnam too have been witnessing a decent footfall.

Alongside mid-sized apartments, even sprawling villas priced at anywhere over Rs 1 crore are expected to spring up in the port city soon. "There is a growing demand for premium properties here. NRIs, doctors, businessmen are all eager to invest in this city, which has come to become an ideal 'second home' destination for buyers," said M V V Satyanarayana, managing partner of M V V Builders, one of the prominent construction companies operating in the city.

But while the 500 and odd local developers seem content with the pace of realty growth in Vizag, industry biggies from Hyderabad confess that they are still apprehensive about its future. And at the root of their concern is the failed prediction about Vizag turning into a real estate hub overnight __ even over-taking the capital city __ after the Telangana crisis hit AP. While the 2009 episode had markets thick with speculation about prices in the city doubling or even tripling with a multi-fold rise in demand, that has clearly not been the case. Even assumptions about professionals (largely with IT companies) moving away from trouble-struck Hyderabad to settle in Vizag have not come true.

Mounting property tax dues cripple Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-31/hyderabad/34836488_1_tax-dues-greater-visakhapatnam-municipal-corporation-property-tax)

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) may have drawn up grandiose plans to develop the city but it has to first tackle the major hurdle of mounting debts caused mainly due to government departments defaulting on payment of property tax. Some 30 government wings owe property tax dues of Rs 4.18 crore to the civic body with the APTransco leading the defaulters' list. It owes Rs 80.03 lakh to the GVMC. Apart from this, the house owners' property tax dues alone stand at a whopping amount of Rs 75 crore.

The corporation is in the red with its debts swelling to Rs 270 crore. The pending dues to the GVMC stand at Rs 170 crore, including vacant land tax dues of Rs 77 crore. That the mess in the corporation is deep-rooted can be gauged from the fact that it has not paid wages to its sanitation workers for over six months.

Slamming the GVMC for its poor handling of the finances, CPI floor leader in the previous GVMC council AJ Stalin told TOI that this was a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. "They do not take any action against big tax defaulters and erring government departments but harass ordinary citizens if they fail to pay the dues, which is very little when compared to the amounts the big guns owe," he said. He alleged that several commercial establishments, shopping complexes, private hospitals and star hotels were among the defaulters' list.

Senior GVMC officials blame former district collector Luv Agarwal, who was officiating as special officer of the civic body after the term of the council ended in February last, for the present mess. "The special officer never held any meetings on the mounting property tax dues. He did not initiate any concrete measures to address the problem," a senior official told TOI. Another official was more acerbic. Training guns on former commissioner B Ramanjaneyulu, he said: "Ramanjaneyulu paid much attention to cycling on the beach road instead of devising ways to mop up the resources and collecting the tax dues."

Among the culprits who defaulted on the tax payments are the endowments department (Rs 49.10 lakh) and police department (Rs 9.69 lakh). Government Mental Hospital superintendent Vijay Gopal expressed his helplessness to clear the dues. "We are ready to clear the pending dues once we receive funds from the government," he told TOI. The hospital has dues of Rs 43.07 lakh to the GVMC.

Asked as to how they plan to collect the dues, GVMC commissioner M V Satyanarayana said they had served notices on the defaulters. "We are setting up a task force to oversee the collection of dues. We are hoping to garner all the dues by the end of this financial year," he added.

Special counters for fresh passport seekers in Visakhapatnam (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/special-counters-for-fresh-passport-seekers-in-visakhapatnam/article4061733.ece)

The candidates have to go in person and third party applications would not be accepted, special counters would be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both the days

There is good news for fresh passport applicants who have failed to get slots online. Special counters are being opened at Passport Office at Marripalem VUDA Colony here on November 7 and 8 for applicants to directly walk in on those two days.

Applicants from East and West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Regional Passport Office have to visit the website www.passportindia.gov.in and download the printed form from the link “view/print submitted form” (two pages with provision for photo and signature/thumb impression) on applicant’s home page after selecting the ARN (Application Reference Number) for which the form has been submitted.

The applicant has to bring the two pages (printed form) affixing the photograph and signature/thumb impression in the space provided. The applicant should affix a recent colour photograph (4.5 cm X 3.5 cm) against a white background. They should also take a self-attested copy of each of the required documents and the application fee of Rs.1,500, which will be accepted in cash.

Original certificates would be verified at the time of submission. The candidates have to go in person and third party applications would not be accepted. The special counters would be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both the days. “The application forms will be sent online to the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) at Muralinagar, where the processing would be done and sent to the police for verification. The special drive will be particularly useful to students appearing for TOEFL, GRE and other examinations and require passports urgently but fail to get slots online,” Passport Officer A.T. Murthy told newsmen who met him on Friday.

Iconic beacon of harbour set to be restored (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/iconic-beacon-of-harbour-set-to-be-restored/article4050562.ece)

http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01253/31VZVISKCITYFRONTP_1253681f.jpg

Mumbai’s restoration architect to oversee the project

The iconic beacon of the Visakhapatnam harbour, which went dark in the 1960s, is all set to be restored and revived.

The 59-ft round tower with gallery and lantern, which was a transit line lighthouse directing ships into the harbour channel, went out of service in 1962. The Visakhapatnam Port Trust had the structure plastered and doors and windows installed to protect it.

With the Ore Conveyor Belt and the new slum clearance project buildings coming up in the neighbourhood, it became a garbage yard, and the lighthouse that was visible 12 nautical miles into the sea on a clear day went into disrepair. Unwilling to see the beacon of hope for seafarers go to seed, Chief Operating Officer of Visakha Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd. Capt. Sriram Ravi Chander persuaded VPT Chairman Ajeya Kallam to hand it over to them to have it restored and revived.

With the support of the Chairman of VCTPL and Chairman of JM Bakshi Group of Companies Krishna Bhai Kotak, an ardent restorationist, the VCTPL appointed Mumbai’s restoration architect Vikas Dilawari to oversee the project.

The lantern of the gas-fired lighthouse with white dioptre light of the fourth order that flashed every 20 seconds was originally set up in Santilly (Chintapalli) in 1847 to mark the dangerous rocks there. The reefs off Santilly were one of the most dreaded on the eastern seaboard.

In 1902, the authorities decided to set up a more powerful lighthouse there and shifted the lantern to its present location, Capt. Ravi Chander said.

“In the first phase, the plaster is being removed and the inside staircase and platform for the light being repaired. The restoration work would recommence once the rainy season is over,” he added.

Upon becoming fully functional, it would be restored to its original glory as the icon of the Visakhapatnam harbour and the city, the master Mariner said.

Phoenix IT Solutions bags award (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/phoenix-it-solutions-bags-award/article4041024.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy)

VISAKHAPATNAM, OCT. 28:
Phoenix IT Solutions based at Visakhapatnam has won the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 prize for 2012, according to a press release.

Deloitte Tech Fast 50 annually recognises 50 fastest growing technology companies in the country based on percentage revenue growth over the past three years. Krishna Mohan G, Chief Operating Officer, received the prize recently in Bangalore.

“The award reinforces our position in the industry as a niche solution provider in the energy and utilities domain. Our innovative solutions and products helped us to be one among the 50 companies,” said Murali Krishna Gannamaneni, CEO.

It was the third major award won by Phoenix, the other two being IBM Beacon Award for Energy and Utilities and ITsAP Product Award, adds the release.

Vizag reeling under wet weather (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/vizag-reeling-under-wet-weather/article4064426.ece)

Causeway washed away; 450 families shifted to four relief camps in Chodavaram

From moderate showers to heavy spells of rain, the district is experiencing wet weather for the last 24 hours. Agriculture fields were inundated at many places, the damage caused by it is to be assessed later, and water entered into houses in some places forcing the people to shift to temporary camps being set up by the District Administration.

No report of damage to houses and other structures or loss of human life was reported till late in the night. The causeway between Chodavaram and Madugula was washed away.

Water levels in the seven medium irrigation reservoirs were on the rise due to the inflows received and as they started overflowing, the gates were lifted to release water after taking precautions like alerting people living downstream.

Collector V. Sheshadri said a constant watch is being kept all over the district and special attention was on Chodavaram and Butchiapeta mandals and on the Pedderu, Konam and Raiwada reservoirs.

By late in the evening, authorities have shifted 450 families of Dwaraka Nagar, Relliveedhi colony, Bhanoji Nagar and P.S. Peta in Chodavaram to four relief camps set up in Kalyanamandapam, a college and ZP High School.

Water level at Raiwada touched 113.70 feet at 6 p.m., just short of its FRL OF 114 feet. But the farmers were not happy with the rains. Two young farmers, Mahadeva Naidu and K. Raju who were walking on the bund of the reservoir along with others to have a look at the water level, said rain during the July-end and August season would have helped a lot when sowing was done. There were no rains then. Rain due to cyclone during September revived the drying paddy crop but rain due to this cyclone would damage the crop on the field.

Tanks overflowing

At several places water from the overflowing tanks, which received inflows from the nearby hills, was flowing across the road. Farmers turned to fishing for a brief time as the fish in the tanks were carried along the flow into the fields.

Meanwhile, according to reports, Sarada river had breached near Ganaparthy in Munagapaka mandal while the Mudiraja colony in Anakapalli is facing threat of inundation. The Vedullagedda had breached between Kunchangi and Vegullagedda. Visakha Agency is also receiving heavy rains and paddy crop was reportedly damaged in some places. A control room was established in the Collectorate with a toll free number 1800 4250 0002 or 984991 3705.

GM Razib emerges unbeaten champion (http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/index.php?ref=MjBfMTFfMDRfMTJfMV8xNl8xNDg4MjQ=)

GM Enamul Hossain Razib emerged unbeaten champion in the Vizag Grandmasters International Open Chess Tournament held in the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam, India Saturday, reports BSS.

Razib earned 8.5 points to clinch the Vizag GM's chess title. Razib, GM Adhiban of India and GM Davit Petrosian of Armenia earned same points after 11th and last round matches.

In the tie-breaking system, Razib became champion with 73.5 Buchholz score, Adhiban became runner-up with 73 Buchholz and Petrosian became 3rd with 68 Buchholz score.

This was second historical success of two Bangladeshi grandmasters in two consecutive Grandmasters events held in India.

Earlier, Zia won NIT Nagpur Grandmasters Chess Tournament earlier last month and finally Razib won the Vizag GM's event.

In the 11th or last round matches, Razib drew with IM GA Stany of India. GM Ziaur Rahman became 10th with 8 points, GM Niaz Murshed became 22nd, FM Debaraj Chatterjee became 29th and IM Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar became 31st with 7 points each.

GM Abdullah Al Rakib became 34th with 6.5 points, WIM Shamima Akter Liza became 61st and FM Sk. Nasir Ahmed became 67th with 6 points, IM Abu Sufian Shakil became 75th, FM Taibur Rahman 76th and FM Mehdi Hasan Parag became 78th with 5r points each. Tahsin Tajwar Zia became 146th with 3 points.

In the last round games Zia beat IM Shivanandan of India, Niaz lost to Andrei Deviatkin of Russia, Sagar beat Utkal Ranjan Sahoo of India, Debaraj beat Krishna Thapa of Nepal and Rakib drew with Raghunandan of India.

Champion Razib received 0.2 million Indian rupees as prize money.

Commerce Minister Golam Mohammad Quader, also president of Bangladesh Chess Federation, Gazi Shayiful Tarique General Secretary of Bangladesh Chess Federation and all officials and members of the executive committee of Bangladesh Chess Federation hailed GM Ziaur Rahman and GM Enamul Hossain Razib for their success in the tournament.

Trains cancelled, many areas in Visakhapatnam inundated (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/andhra-pradesh/trains-cancelled-many-areas-in-visakhapatnam-inundated/article4064355.ece)

Incessant rains over last 36 hours have thrown normal life out of gear in the Port City and, streams are in spate, most reservoirs around the city and in the district are overflowing and parts of the city are flooded and at some places the National Highway has got damaged causing massive traffic logjam.

Many trains have been cancelled. Ratnachal, Janmabhoomi, Simhadri, Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada passenger, Visakhapatnam Rajahmundry passenger, Visakhapatnam Kirandol passenger, have been cancelled and Coromandal Express, East Coast Express, Dibrugarh-Chennai Express have been controlled in ECoR. Many trains coming towards the city have been halted at Rajahmundry as the water is flowing over the tracks near Tuni.

National Highway 5 has got damaged near Goggulapadu and there is a 25km long traffic logjam near Annavaram. The trains coming from Vijayawada have stopped at Annavaram as the Thandava river near Tuni is in spate and the waters are flowing over the railway track. A bus coming to the city from Guntur carrying 26 passengers was washed away by the flashfloods near Dharamavaram village near Yelamanchili. The driver of the bus escaped unhurt and the police and locals are rescuing the stranded passengers.

The district administration has so far shifted 4,000 families to 19 relief camps in the district and 2200 families were shifted to six relief camps in the city. Relief and rehabilitation activities have been taken up on a war footing. All the special officers, revenue, panchayati raj, police, fire and irrigation are on the alert and working round-the-clock.

With the lifting of the gates of the Meghadrigedda reservoir at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday flood waters reached flooded areas like Sheela Nagar and Kapujaggarajupeta. From around 5 a.m. when the waters reached the area the Navy, police and community guard teams have rescued old and infirm persons from Sheela Nagar and Kapujaggarajupeta and ferried them to a temporary relief camp organised by the district administration at Vikas College.

Once the rains stop the waters in these areas would flow into the sea, officials said.

Late on Saturday night a Navy team rescued a group of 20 ryots stranded in flood waters near Vijayaramaraju peta in Buchayyapeta Mandal and ferried them to safety.

The incessant rains have disrupted communications. Phone lines got cut and some mobile phone services are not functional in some of the areas.

The low pressure is continuing over the Bay of Bengal and isolated heavy rainfalls are likely to lash North Coastal Andhra districts in the next 24 hours, according to Director Cyclone Warning Centre Ramachandra Rao.

G V Prasada Sarma reports:

Sarada in spate, Anakapalli on alert

The river Sarada is flowing to the brim and touching the old bridge and the new bridge under construction is stemming the flow of the river.

The district administration is strengthening the river bund with sandbags. Residents of Sriramnagar, Leprosy Colony, FC Colony, NGOs colony have been evacuated. Two parks in the town are under water.

The fire brigade and the police personnel are working overtime to stop the waters from entering the town. The residents of the town have been put on alert.

A career in Vizag (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-opportunities/a-career-in-vizag/article4072336.ece)

Visakhapatnam, popularly known as Vizag, is a port city located in the state of Andhra Pradesh and is situated on the southeast coast of India. It is the second-largest city in the state after Hyderabad. The city has many state-owned heavy industries and a steel plant.

It has one of India's largest seaports and the country's oldest shipyard. Visakhapatnam also has the only natural harbour on the east coast of the country.

Visakhapatnam is located 625 kilometres to the east of the state capital, Hyderabad. The city is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. Visakhapatnam is also known as the ‘Goa of the east coast’. This is because like Goa on the west coast, it has attractive beaches, hillocks and a beautiful landscape.

Visakhapatnam is recognised as one of the fastest growing cities in India both demographically and economically. Several factors have contributed to its economic growth, including the natural harbour, its location on the east coast, access to NH5 and a developed network of railways.

The city has also transformed into a hub for heavy industry. Visakhapatnam Port, which is the largest in the country, is the key factor for the development of petroleum, steel and fertiliser industries in the city. The major names here are Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and Hindustan Petroleum; these two multi-billion-dollar industries have put the city on India’s industrial map. The city has two N.T.P.C. power plants and is also the headquarters of Dredging Corporation of India.

The city is a centre for iron ore and other mineral exports; ore from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh is transported here by rail and road. From the port, minerals are exported by ship to other countries. The city is also becoming a hub for ITES owing to the availability of English-speaking workforce. Companies in the ITES space that have a presence here include Encore India HSBC, IBM Daksh, Sutherland and Acclaris. The city has over a hundred small and medium software and call-centre companies.

National and international IT and banking firms like IBM, Mahindra Satyam, Kenexa, Infotech, Softsol, etc. have set up their offices in the city. The government has helped to establish an IT special economic zone (SEZ) in Rushikonda Hills in Visakhapatnam.

Visakhapatnam has the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) special economic zone.

The major industries here are WS Industries, Pokarna Limited, Uniparts, Confidence Petroleum, Southern Online Bio, Nagarjuna AgriChem, Anjaney Alloys and Maithon Alloys etc.

A railway line is being laid to connect the industrial zone with Gangavaram Port.

Outer Harbour Brandix Apparel City operating at Atchutapuram in the city is a textile-based SEZ that is projected to provide 60,000 jobs. Pilkington (an automotive-glass manufacturer) and Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City (JNPC) are also in Visakhapatnam. JNPC is the only pharmaceutical SEZ in India, with 38 pharmaceutical companies.

Aluminium refineries are developing here because of the bauxite reserves around the city. Other industries include Hindustan Zinc, GAIL, IOC Bottling Unit, BPCL Bottling Unit, Synergies Castings, Rain Calcining Limited, Coromandel Fertilisers, Hindustan Ship Yard, Bharat Heavy Plate and Vessels Limited (BHPV), Visakha Dairy, Essar Pellet Plant, Andhra Polymers (now LG Polymers), Andhra Cement, Andhra Petrochemicals and Andhra Ferroalloys.

The city’s significance in shipbuilding was demonstrated when India's first ship (Jala Usha) was launched here. Visakhapatnam is one of India's largest fishing ports and has a dedicated harbour for the fishing industry and handles a large percentage of India's seafood exports.

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has a centre here. Visakhapatnam also has offices of the National Institute of Oceanography and the Indian Meteorological Department. Due to the varied industries and businesses present in the city, people from all over the country have settled down here, giving the city a cosmopolitan outlook. The city is well connected to other parts of the country by rail, road and air.

The city’s rapid development has seen a boom in real estate in both residential and commercial sectors. The city offers career options in various areas and the cost of living here is reasonable. Entertainment options are plenty in the numerous malls and multiplexes located here.

Education options include reputed primary and high schools and colleges in the city. Visakhapatnam has the National Institute of Oceanography.

The city is also home to Andhra University which offers postgraduate and graduate courses in arts, commerce, science and technology, engineering, IT, business management, law and pharmacy. Also, there are reputed engineering and medical colleges in the city.

Visakhapatnam is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and a career here will provide you the right opportunities.

Tri-Service Commanders' conference to be held in Vizag (http://zeenews.india.com/news/andhra-pradesh/tri-service-commanders-conference-to-be-held-in-vizag_809865.html)

Visakhapatnam: A Tri-Service (East) Commanders' Conference to be held here on November 9 will discuss ways to enhance professional skills of the service personnel and promote better coordination.



The annual conference is conducted at the headquarters of all three commands in the eastern region in rotation and was held at Shillong last year under the aegis of Eastern Air Command.

The event, to be held onboard the Landing Platform Dock, INS Jalashwa, will be preceded by a working-level meeting of the staff officers from the three commands to be presided over by the Chief of Staff (Eastern Naval Command) Vice Admiral BK Verma tomorrow, a navy release said Wednesday

. The three commanders-in-chief will review the progress made on various operational and logistic issues since the last meeting and on trilateral interaction and coordination among the three-service organisations, it said.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Eastern Command) Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh and ADC Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Eastern Air Command) Air Marshal S Varthaman will arrive here tomorrow for attending the conference to be chaired by Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, (Eastern Naval Command) Vice Admiral Anil Chopra.

Vizag is game for trekking adventures (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-07/travel/34947957_1_adventure-vizagites-city-trekkers)

The Port City is all set for some outdoor fun with trekking on the wish list of the city's adventure lovers

Extreme sports lovers in mana city are waking up to a new trend that is fast becoming a rage. A bunch of adventure-lovers from Vizag have come together to go on trekking boot camps in and around the city for their dose of adrenaline rush.

The team is spearheaded by Imraan Khan, a young entrepreneur who wanted to give Vizagites a new taste for adventure. "The main aim of arranging these camps is to bring out the adventurous side of Vizag. Vizagites can be quite laidback and we want to shake them out of their comfort zone. So, we decided to spread the word through Facebook and other social networking sites and now, the response is amazing. Our first adventure was on Saturday and we had quite a few participants for the trekking boot camp. Age is no bar. Anyone who has an intrepid spirit can participate."

First-time trekkers are thrilled with this trend. Adithya Banerjee, a bank employee, says, "It is my first tryst at this kind of an outdoor activity and I want to experience the adrenaline rush that trekking offers. Just the fact that I have never done anything like this before, makes this so much more exciting. This is a great way to spend the weekend."

The health benefits of outdoor activities like rock climbing and trekking is not lost on Vizagites. "Trekking is great for anyone who wants to be physically and mentally fit," says Harshad Naidu, a retail professional. "Plus, it's a refreshing sport that teaches you a lot. Teamwork is important too, as you need to maintain constant communication with fellow trekkers. This sport really builds up your confidence levels," he says. Nazneen Ahmed, a trekking enthusiast, adds, "I was always interested in this outdoor sport and I'm glad Vizag is opening up to this trend."

Safety, of course, is utmost on the city trekkers' minds. Priyesh Khara, an event management professional, says, "Apart from paragliding, trekking is one adventurous sport that has caught my fancy. All the measures have to be in place to ensure that the whole trekking session goes smoothly. Since the trekking sessions go on for as long as six hours, a backpack with water, chocolates, energy bars and glucose is a must for everyone to avoid dehydration and depletion of energy levels."

Every team also travels with a first aid kid and other safety measures.

Nilam hits export-import of cargo at Vizag ports (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/nilam-hits-exportimport-of-cargo-at-vizag-ports/article4070503.ece)

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Export and import of cargo from Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports was badly hit due to serious dislocation caused by rain under the impact of Cyclone Nilam.

Seventeen merchant vessels, which were supposed to call at the Visakhapatnam Port, are waiting ‘on the road’ as a number of ships are still at the harbour. The wait for clearance for berth will lead to slapping of heavy demurrages.

Spate of landslides led to complete stoppage of goods traffic on the Kothavalasa-Kirandul section of East Coast Railway. Known as lifeline of ECoR, the railway line having several tunnels transports iron ore from Bailladilla mines in Chattisgarh.

On an average 10 to 12 rakes (each comprising nearly 4,000 tonne) come to Visakhapatnam daily from Bailladilla. Due to rains, the railway authorities are diverting one-third of total cargo to the city via Koraput-Rayagada section.

Coal transport from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd, Talcher has been hit severely due to ‘low level of extraction’ from the open cast mines. The rains further led to slowdown in loading into wagons. Instead of 30 rakes a day (each with 59 wagons), 24 are being sent daily to Waltair division.

Slowdown in handling

Cargo handling has been slowed down significantly at Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports due to heavy rains for past three days. “With respite from rain on Wednesday, we hope to limp back to normalcy,” a senior official of Visakhapatnam Port told The Hindu.

Of 23 berths in inner and outer harbour, four have been decommissioned. The modernisation work now in progress has further reduced the handling capacity by 40 per cent

According to Janardhan Rao, Senior Vice President (Operations), Gangavaram Port Ltd, the cyclone did affect the port functioning. “We had to halt port activities to ensure safety of our people and cargo. We have begun the basic road and rail operations on Sunday evening. We expect to resume normal activities at the earliest,” he said.

Handling of fertilizer, maize, ammonia nitrate and other cargoes was nil. Coal handling fell by 60 to 70 per cent. Visakhapatnam Port handled 35.48 million tonne as on Monday during current fiscal as against 43.22 million tonne during corresponding period last year.

“Rains have caused extensive damage to movement of cargo bringing the loading and unloading of perishable commodities to a standstill,” said G. Sambasiva Rao, Managing Director of Sravan Shipping Services Ltd.

Said J.K. Nayak, General Manager of Orissa Stevedores Ltd they were keeping their fingers crossed due to rains and hoped the situation would subside soon.

VUDA Children’s Day competitions from today (http://www.thehansindia.info/News/Article.asp?category=5&subCategory=2&ContentId=98506)

Visakhapatnam: The week-long competitions of VUDA Children’s Day celebrations are taking off from Wednesday at Gurajada Kalakshetram. Essay writing and Western dance events will be conducted on the first day. Essay writing competition will be held from 9 am on Wednesday. Children can participate directly. Topic for essay writing is ‘Corruption in Public Administration - My suggestions to eradicate it’.
Participants have to write in two pages.

White papers will be given by the organisers. Essay can be written in either Telugu or English.

Western dance group and solo competitions will be held at Gurajada Kalakshetram from 5 pm onwards. One group with 5-12 participants from each school/institution is permitted to take part with one song. Participants are allowed to arrange musical instruments also.