VV Balakrishna
First Published : 08 Oct 2009 03:21:00 AM IST
Last Updated :
MUNAGAVANI DIBBA: For the first time in nearly a week, around 250 families in this non descript village on the banks of river Krishna who have lost everything had some reason to smile.
TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu made a visit to the hamlet and liberally donated what they badly needed. Naidu embarked on a five-day tour in the floodaffected areas. As part of it, Naidu first descended on this village and distributed 25-kg rice bag to each family, apart from towels, blankets, sarees and lungis.
Before Naidu’s convoy reached the hamlet, the material for which theflood victims were badly waiting for, reached the village. Naidu distributed the material under the aegis of NTR Memorial Trust for which he is the managing trustee.
``TDP MLA Ravula Chandrasekhara Reddy saved our lives by shifting us forcibly to a relief centre. Otherwise, there would have been loss of life in the village. And we are happy that Naidu visited our village and provided succour,’’ 55-yearold Sanjanna told Express. ``We resisted leaving the place and the MLA too said he would remain with us,’’ Sanjanna reminisced.
Finally, we agreed to move out of the houses, he recalled.
The village was completely submerged under thick sheet of Krishna water flowing 12-feet deep in the village.
Distributing essentials to victims, Naidu said he would bring pressure on the State Government for more sops to the victims.
The TDP leaderdemanded the State Government to relocate the village to a safer place and provide cash to the villagers to rebuild their lives.
Naidu then proceeded to Alampur, Gadwal and other flood-affected areas inthe district with relief material on hand.
vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com
Friday, 6 November 2009
Drill down to find a puddle of sad truth
First Published : 23 Aug 2009 12:06:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 22 Aug 2009 01:13:21 AM IST
Till early this month, Perugu Ramaiah hadn’t lost his hope. Every day, the 65-year-old farmer of Anantram village would visit his 3.5 acres of fields that raised maize and paddy, in the hope that it would rain. Finally, the crops withered (as across his district of Medak). On August 7, he collapsed in the fields due to hypertension. Four days later, he died in hospital.
Last year, Ramaiah had married off his youngest daughter, spending Rs 3 lakh. Later, he took on lease others’ lands as well, hoping to clear his debts. But, interest on borrowings and medical expenses only pushed him into a debt trap.
Rains did fall in Andhra Pradesh later, but Ramaiah was dead by then. Unofficially, over 150 farmers ended their lives in the last two months. The government, though, maintains not all deaths are drought-driven.
In the rain-fed Telangana and Rayalaseema regions or even along the canal-fed coastal belt, the fields remain parched. Of the total cropped area of 80 lakh acres, sowing during kharif season took place in only 40 lakh acres, and most of the crop is already lost. The loss per district — the state has 23 of them — is in the range of Rs 150 to Rs 200 crore.
Venkat Reddy of Vattikodu village in Nalgonda is used to growing sweet lime orchards in five acres for the last 10 years. The investment per acre comes to around Rs 1 lakh. As the monsoon failed, he dug new borewells, but they too didn’t yield water. That was when he tried to divert water from a nearby borewell, two km away from his field, by offering to pay Rs 10,000 per month. By then, the dry spell totally damaged 300 trees on three acres while 200 trees in the
remaining two acres were partially damaged. He had to cut them.
The plight of groundnut growers in Rayalaseema’s Kurnool and Anantapur districts or the cotton farmer in Karimnagar district is no better. Farmers were happy when the government announced a minimum support price of Rs 3,000 per quintal of cotton, but the entire crop of many withered. When the government announced an MSP of Rs 3,000 a quintal of cotton, Rajaiah of Nachupalli felt happy. But the entire crop of his five-acre village has withered. In Kadapa district, so disgusted was a farmer that he set fire to his banana plantation after it failed owing to poor rainfall.
Such stories abound. Not surprising, given that as many as 1,020 out of the 1,128 mandals have received scanty or deficit rainfall this season. The average rainfall received was only 163 mm as against the normal 368 mm — a 55 per cent deficit.
Take Eevuri Venkatarami Reddy of Nakrekal mandal in Guntur. He borrowed Rs 20,000 at a monthly interest of four per cent. His repayment in the promised four months looks unlikely now that his paddy field has dried up. The drought has forced him to postpone his daughter’s marriage. “My last hope is the chief minister.”
The government has chosen not to declare any district drought-hit. Reason: the CM believes banks refuse funding if an official declaration of drought is made. Yet, he has urged the Centre to sanction an
additional Rs 2,000 crore under the NREGS to provide work to farmers and labourers. For now, this employment scheme and a loan waiver by the state government last year are providing some succour.
(with inputs from bureaux.
vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com,
Last Updated : 22 Aug 2009 01:13:21 AM IST
Till early this month, Perugu Ramaiah hadn’t lost his hope. Every day, the 65-year-old farmer of Anantram village would visit his 3.5 acres of fields that raised maize and paddy, in the hope that it would rain. Finally, the crops withered (as across his district of Medak). On August 7, he collapsed in the fields due to hypertension. Four days later, he died in hospital.
Last year, Ramaiah had married off his youngest daughter, spending Rs 3 lakh. Later, he took on lease others’ lands as well, hoping to clear his debts. But, interest on borrowings and medical expenses only pushed him into a debt trap.
Rains did fall in Andhra Pradesh later, but Ramaiah was dead by then. Unofficially, over 150 farmers ended their lives in the last two months. The government, though, maintains not all deaths are drought-driven.
In the rain-fed Telangana and Rayalaseema regions or even along the canal-fed coastal belt, the fields remain parched. Of the total cropped area of 80 lakh acres, sowing during kharif season took place in only 40 lakh acres, and most of the crop is already lost. The loss per district — the state has 23 of them — is in the range of Rs 150 to Rs 200 crore.
Venkat Reddy of Vattikodu village in Nalgonda is used to growing sweet lime orchards in five acres for the last 10 years. The investment per acre comes to around Rs 1 lakh. As the monsoon failed, he dug new borewells, but they too didn’t yield water. That was when he tried to divert water from a nearby borewell, two km away from his field, by offering to pay Rs 10,000 per month. By then, the dry spell totally damaged 300 trees on three acres while 200 trees in the
remaining two acres were partially damaged. He had to cut them.
The plight of groundnut growers in Rayalaseema’s Kurnool and Anantapur districts or the cotton farmer in Karimnagar district is no better. Farmers were happy when the government announced a minimum support price of Rs 3,000 per quintal of cotton, but the entire crop of many withered. When the government announced an MSP of Rs 3,000 a quintal of cotton, Rajaiah of Nachupalli felt happy. But the entire crop of his five-acre village has withered. In Kadapa district, so disgusted was a farmer that he set fire to his banana plantation after it failed owing to poor rainfall.
Such stories abound. Not surprising, given that as many as 1,020 out of the 1,128 mandals have received scanty or deficit rainfall this season. The average rainfall received was only 163 mm as against the normal 368 mm — a 55 per cent deficit.
Take Eevuri Venkatarami Reddy of Nakrekal mandal in Guntur. He borrowed Rs 20,000 at a monthly interest of four per cent. His repayment in the promised four months looks unlikely now that his paddy field has dried up. The drought has forced him to postpone his daughter’s marriage. “My last hope is the chief minister.”
The government has chosen not to declare any district drought-hit. Reason: the CM believes banks refuse funding if an official declaration of drought is made. Yet, he has urged the Centre to sanction an
additional Rs 2,000 crore under the NREGS to provide work to farmers and labourers. For now, this employment scheme and a loan waiver by the state government last year are providing some succour.
(with inputs from bureaux.
vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com,
Nature’s fury engulfs even Alampur Sakti Peetham
Lord Shiva temple under water at the Nagarjunasagar Pushkar ghat.
First Published : 05 Oct 2009 04:21:00 AM IST
HYDERABAD: Even God could not escape Nature’s fury as the gushing waters of Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers swamped several historic temples in Krishna, Nalgonda, Kurnool and Mahaboobnagar districts.With the Krishna being most furious in its 100-year history, several temples, which have a great history and religious importance, were submerged in the flood water.The Alampur Jogulamba temple in Mahaboobnagar district, one of the nation’s 18 Sakti Peethams, was submerged under Tungabhadra waters.The 7th-century Siva temple there is sacred and considered by devotees as the Dakshina Kasi (southern Kasi).The Nava Brahma temples in Alampur, believed to be built by the Badami Chalukyas, were also inundated.Krishna water entered the famous Narasimha temple at Vedadri, near jaggayyapet, in Krishna district. As the water entered Muktyala village, the historic Siva temple was closed.Another famous temple, Mattapalli Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Nalgonda district, was also submerged.Now, only a small portion of the temple’s pinnacle could be seen jutting out of water. The Prahlada Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha, the presiding deity of Mattapalli, said to be selfexistent, was founded by Machireddy Prabhu some 1,100 years ago.Another famous siva temple, `Sagar temple’ near Najagarjunasagar, was fully submerged under the flood waters.In Guntur district, the historic Buddhist site in Amaravati, 2 km away from the Siva temple, is under water. Water is flowing one foot above the platform of the historic Amaravati Siva temple. The platform was used for car parking and performing marriages.Though, flood water receded from the Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Mantralayam, the flood damaged the properties of the mutt to some extent.Around, 70 cows died there. There is no usual rush at the temple now.Krishna water has entered the Dattatreya temple in Kurgadda near Maktal in Mahaboobnagar district. There is no power supply in the temple and devotees are unable to reach the shrine.vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Left, TDP and TRS see council polls as unity test case
Joint MeetinG: CPI State secretary K Narayana and CPM State secretary B V Raghavulu sharing a lighter moment at a joint meeting of the Left parties in
V V Balakrishna
First Published : 05 Jan 2009 12:00:19 PM IST
Last Updated :
HYDERABAD: As a prelude to seat-sharing in the next Assembly elections, the Left-TDP-TRS combine is considering elections to the Legislative Council as a rehearsal for them.
All the four parties have come to a broad understanding on alliances in the Council elections, likely to be held in March.
The elections were necessitated for two Graduate seats, as TRS MLC K Dilip resigned and the term of another MLC K Nageswar would expire soon.
The four parties will support the same candidates in the elections.
At a coordination meeting held at the CPM office here today, the Left parties decided to support the two candidates.
The coordination meeting was attended by CPM State secretary BV Raghavulu and CPI state secretary K Narayana.
The Left meetings will discuss the seat-sharing issue for the Assembly elections in their next meeting, according to a CPI leader.
As the TRS has almost decided to join the TDP-Left combine, it is expected to make an announcement before the notification is issued for the Council elections. The Left parties also made it clear that they would not demand more number of seats from allies, if the TRS too joined their combine.
According to sources, the Left and the TDP would have a joint meeting after Sankranti on the seat-sharing issue. In the meantime, the Left leaders decided to launch joint agitations along with the TDP and the TRS on various issues, including `Big Fish scam’.
The Left leaders will meet TDP and TRS leaders on January 10 on Council elections.
Today’s Left meeting opined that the Government weaknesses were exposed in the recent ZPTC elections. The resignations of two ministers were indicative of the fact that Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had lost his conf idenc e to f ac e the next elections.
CPM State secretary BV Raghavulu said the Congress’ defeat was inevitable in the next elections. CPI State secretary K Narayana said countdown had started for the end of Rajasekhara Reddy’s misrule.
Banks blacklist loan waiver beneficiaries
VV Balakrishna
First Published : 13 Jul 2009 09:36:39 AM IST
Last Updated :
HYDERABAD: There is an unofficial moratorium on sanctioning of fresh crop loans to farmers who got complete loan waiver in the State last year. Bankers have blacklisted a majority of the farmers who had failed to repay loans and got relief from the government.
Last year, a record 63.41 lakh small and marginal farmers got complete loan waiver to the tune of Rs 11,354 crore in the State. Farmers having more than five acres got Rs 20,000 relief while the others got a waiver of 25 per cent of the loan amount.
Several bankers are not coming forward to sanction fresh loans to ‘willful defaulters’ in the kharif season as they fear that the farmers who got loan waiver may default this time too and look for government’s assistance again, admits a bank manager. However, there are no written orders to this effect.
‘‘I have cleared my Rs 30,000 due 15 days ago but the bank manager is not issuing a fresh loan,’’ complains Gouda Alivelu of Uppununthala. Several farmers who repaid loans have the same complaint with the bankers.
‘‘Earlier, whenever I approached the bank for a crop loan, they sanctioned it within two days. But this year, I have been making rounds to the bank for the past 20 days without success,’’ Ramulamma, another farmer, alleges.
‘‘We are not giving priority in sanctioning fresh loans to the farmers who got relief from the government,’’ a branch manager of AP Grameen Vikas Bank, pleading anonymity, told Express.
Issuing loans to new farmers is the government’s top priority this year.
Taking advantage of this, the bankers are looking for new loanees and avoiding those who had benefited from the loan waiver.
However, the Andhra Bank general manager, attached to State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) wing, told Express that there was no ban on issuing crop loans to farmers who got the loan waiver. However, he admitted that managers of some branches may not issue loans to ‘willful defaulters’.
Confessions of a banker
‘‘We are not giving priority to the farmers who got relief from the government,’’ a branch manager of AP Grameen Vikas Bank, pleading anonymity, told Express. An Andhra Bank general manager, attached to State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) wing, however, told Express that there was no ban on issuing crop loans to farmers who got the loan waiver. Nonetheless, he admitted that managers of some branches may not issue loans to ‘willful defaulters’
First Published : 13 Jul 2009 09:36:39 AM IST
Last Updated :
HYDERABAD: There is an unofficial moratorium on sanctioning of fresh crop loans to farmers who got complete loan waiver in the State last year. Bankers have blacklisted a majority of the farmers who had failed to repay loans and got relief from the government.
Last year, a record 63.41 lakh small and marginal farmers got complete loan waiver to the tune of Rs 11,354 crore in the State. Farmers having more than five acres got Rs 20,000 relief while the others got a waiver of 25 per cent of the loan amount.
Several bankers are not coming forward to sanction fresh loans to ‘willful defaulters’ in the kharif season as they fear that the farmers who got loan waiver may default this time too and look for government’s assistance again, admits a bank manager. However, there are no written orders to this effect.
‘‘I have cleared my Rs 30,000 due 15 days ago but the bank manager is not issuing a fresh loan,’’ complains Gouda Alivelu of Uppununthala. Several farmers who repaid loans have the same complaint with the bankers.
‘‘Earlier, whenever I approached the bank for a crop loan, they sanctioned it within two days. But this year, I have been making rounds to the bank for the past 20 days without success,’’ Ramulamma, another farmer, alleges.
‘‘We are not giving priority in sanctioning fresh loans to the farmers who got relief from the government,’’ a branch manager of AP Grameen Vikas Bank, pleading anonymity, told Express.
Issuing loans to new farmers is the government’s top priority this year.
Taking advantage of this, the bankers are looking for new loanees and avoiding those who had benefited from the loan waiver.
However, the Andhra Bank general manager, attached to State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) wing, told Express that there was no ban on issuing crop loans to farmers who got the loan waiver. However, he admitted that managers of some branches may not issue loans to ‘willful defaulters’.
Confessions of a banker
‘‘We are not giving priority to the farmers who got relief from the government,’’ a branch manager of AP Grameen Vikas Bank, pleading anonymity, told Express. An Andhra Bank general manager, attached to State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) wing, however, told Express that there was no ban on issuing crop loans to farmers who got the loan waiver. Nonetheless, he admitted that managers of some branches may not issue loans to ‘willful defaulters’
KCR’s ‘weak’lings, Grand weak links
By VV Balakrishna
30 Mar 2009
HYDERABAD: Resentment is brewing in the TRS and the TDP camps over TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao’s choice of candidates in some Assembly and Lok Sabha segments as they are seen to be ‘‘financially sound but politically weak.’’ Sources said the TDP Telangana leaders, already frustrated with the TRS for seeking seats that are considered TDP bastions, are now furious that the pink party has fielded ‘weak’ candidates in constituencies where the TDP is quite strong.
This perception of ‘weak contestants’ has led to widespread rumours that only those, who had loads of money, were considered for party tickets by the TRS leadership.
Chandrasekhara Rao denied the same vehemently in Medak on Sunday and even went to the extent of saying that he would rather chop his head rather than bow it in shame. The suspicion that only the filthy rich were considered for party tickets gained ground after the reported confession (in a section of press) of a candidate that he had paid Rs 10 crore to secure the Secunderabad ticket. Of the 45 Assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats for which the TRS has announced candidates, it fielded ‘weak’ candidates in over 12 Assembly and four Lok Sabha seats. TRS leaders too are admitting this in private.
The ‘weak’ candidates of TRS, according to party sources, are M Sudarshana Rao (Kukatpally Assembly), K Yadagiri Reddy (Alair), R Kanakaiah (Manthani), M Yadagiri Reddy (Uppal), K Prabhakar Reddy (Maheswaram).
The TRS also fielded a weak candidate AS Posetti in Nizamabad urban. Posetti is taking on PCC chief D Srinivas. Interestingly, former minister A Chandrasekhar did not want to stand again in his home turf Vikarabad, as he is sure of losing it to the Congress.
But, the TRS leadership has forced him to.
30 Mar 2009
HYDERABAD: Resentment is brewing in the TRS and the TDP camps over TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao’s choice of candidates in some Assembly and Lok Sabha segments as they are seen to be ‘‘financially sound but politically weak.’’ Sources said the TDP Telangana leaders, already frustrated with the TRS for seeking seats that are considered TDP bastions, are now furious that the pink party has fielded ‘weak’ candidates in constituencies where the TDP is quite strong.
This perception of ‘weak contestants’ has led to widespread rumours that only those, who had loads of money, were considered for party tickets by the TRS leadership.
Chandrasekhara Rao denied the same vehemently in Medak on Sunday and even went to the extent of saying that he would rather chop his head rather than bow it in shame. The suspicion that only the filthy rich were considered for party tickets gained ground after the reported confession (in a section of press) of a candidate that he had paid Rs 10 crore to secure the Secunderabad ticket. Of the 45 Assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats for which the TRS has announced candidates, it fielded ‘weak’ candidates in over 12 Assembly and four Lok Sabha seats. TRS leaders too are admitting this in private.
The ‘weak’ candidates of TRS, according to party sources, are M Sudarshana Rao (Kukatpally Assembly), K Yadagiri Reddy (Alair), R Kanakaiah (Manthani), M Yadagiri Reddy (Uppal), K Prabhakar Reddy (Maheswaram).
The TRS also fielded a weak candidate AS Posetti in Nizamabad urban. Posetti is taking on PCC chief D Srinivas. Interestingly, former minister A Chandrasekhar did not want to stand again in his home turf Vikarabad, as he is sure of losing it to the Congress.
But, the TRS leadership has forced him to.
Will the Grand Alliance bring home the bacon?
HYDERABAD: It seems that all the figures are in favour of the recently formed Grand Alliance, whose main aim is to defeat the Congress. But, the picture is not as rosy as it appears on paper.
The ground realities are otherwise.
The fight among the four partners of Grand Alliance over the number of seats is still continuing. TDP, TRS, CPM and CPI are yet to resolve the issue of whom to contest in which seat. The Grand Alliance partners, also dropped the proposal of holding a joint public meeting due to lack of time for arrangements.
Though a TDP politburo member asserted that there would be joint-meetings in the districts, it is not clear whether the partners, especially, the TDP and TRS will share a common dais during the election campaign.
There is also a big danger of several prominent leaders from all the four parties switching loyalties to other parties in the event of their losing their own seats due to alliance among the four parties.
The new friendship is causing more despondency than delight among the leaders of the alliance. In view of all these, the Grand Alliance is yet to make an impact on the people of the State.
On the other hand, differences are cropping up in the CPM in its traditional bastion Khammam district. The other worry is whether the leadership of four parties are capable of transferring their traditional votes to others after seat-adjustment.
The elections to local bodies was a bitter experience for the TDP and the CPM. The CPM votes were transferred to the TDP, but TDP voters ditched CPM candidates in Visakhapatnam Corporation elections. At the hustings, the Alliance partners will have to face trouble from rebels and cross voting by own party leaders.
Several TDP leaders are ready to ensure the defeat of the TRS and the Left leaders in case the TDP allotted a particular seats to them.
The moot question is: Will the mixing of - yellow, pink and red - present a vibrant rainbow for the Alliance leaders or leave them red faced? However, the TDP and Left leaders have been repeatedly asserting that they would come out with flying colours in the next elections and everything would go well with the Grand Alliance.
ONE GOAL :To regain power in the State.
TWO STATES :TDP declared that it had no objection to the State’s bifurcation.
THREE STARS :Balakrishna, NTR Jr and Vijayasanti to campaign for the Grand Alliance.
FOUR PARTIES : TDP, TRS, CPM and CPI formed into Grand Alliance.
50 PER CENT :Votes the leaders are expecting to get in the polls.
200 PROMISES :Given by TDP to voters, including distribution of CTVs.
Rs 2,000 :The amount to be deposited in the bank accounts of the poor by the TDP Government through Cash Transfer Scheme.
The ground realities are otherwise.
The fight among the four partners of Grand Alliance over the number of seats is still continuing. TDP, TRS, CPM and CPI are yet to resolve the issue of whom to contest in which seat. The Grand Alliance partners, also dropped the proposal of holding a joint public meeting due to lack of time for arrangements.
Though a TDP politburo member asserted that there would be joint-meetings in the districts, it is not clear whether the partners, especially, the TDP and TRS will share a common dais during the election campaign.
There is also a big danger of several prominent leaders from all the four parties switching loyalties to other parties in the event of their losing their own seats due to alliance among the four parties.
The new friendship is causing more despondency than delight among the leaders of the alliance. In view of all these, the Grand Alliance is yet to make an impact on the people of the State.
On the other hand, differences are cropping up in the CPM in its traditional bastion Khammam district. The other worry is whether the leadership of four parties are capable of transferring their traditional votes to others after seat-adjustment.
The elections to local bodies was a bitter experience for the TDP and the CPM. The CPM votes were transferred to the TDP, but TDP voters ditched CPM candidates in Visakhapatnam Corporation elections. At the hustings, the Alliance partners will have to face trouble from rebels and cross voting by own party leaders.
Several TDP leaders are ready to ensure the defeat of the TRS and the Left leaders in case the TDP allotted a particular seats to them.
The moot question is: Will the mixing of - yellow, pink and red - present a vibrant rainbow for the Alliance leaders or leave them red faced? However, the TDP and Left leaders have been repeatedly asserting that they would come out with flying colours in the next elections and everything would go well with the Grand Alliance.
ONE GOAL :To regain power in the State.
TWO STATES :TDP declared that it had no objection to the State’s bifurcation.
THREE STARS :Balakrishna, NTR Jr and Vijayasanti to campaign for the Grand Alliance.
FOUR PARTIES : TDP, TRS, CPM and CPI formed into Grand Alliance.
50 PER CENT :Votes the leaders are expecting to get in the polls.
200 PROMISES :Given by TDP to voters, including distribution of CTVs.
Rs 2,000 :The amount to be deposited in the bank accounts of the poor by the TDP Government through Cash Transfer Scheme.
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