Staff Reporter.  Ravi.P.Benjamin
Anantapur : The only solution to threats of desertification from adverse climatic conditions and severe drought conditions is chalking out a strategy to fill all the age old irrigation tanks build during the period of Emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya . Sri Krishna Devarayalu had given top priority to development of irrigation tanks, according to a study made by L.Hanumantha Reddy, ex-Superintendent Engineer of AP.TRANSCO (formerly APSEB), Anantapur .
In his report submitted to the State Government, Hanumantha Reddy statedthat the only way to save the district from impending desertification is by suplementing the soils with external sources of water in addition to the normal rain fall. While the entire state reels under floods during the Monsoon season, the district reels under severe dorught conditions which is viewed as a paradox.
Under the PABR and Hundri-Niva schemes the district is promised an additional quantity of 33 TMC feet of water. The best way of saving the district from drought conditions is by filling all the irrigation tanks including steam beds. By utilising the external source of 33 TMC feet and the normal rain water, every year all tanks can be filled, Hanumantha Reddy opined in an exclusive booklet prepared and submitted to the government recently.
The total capacity of all the irrigation tanks is 18.5 TMC feet and if the desiltation of all irrigation tanks is taken up the capacity of the tanks would increase. If all the tanks in the Taluks are fed the water table would increase in all the ayacut areas of the irrigation tanks .
There are roughly 600 major and medium irrigation tanks and more than 1000 minor tanks in the district and most of them had been built during the time of Sri Krishna Devarayalu .
Farmers in the district are of the opinion that the ground water would be recharged in the ayacut areas of irrigation tanks if steps are taken for the desiltation of the irrigation tanks. Many local leaders in villages are opposing desiltation of tanks by voluntary agencies as they were busy making money out of sand quarying from the silted irrigation tanks. The NREGS programme can be utilised for desilting of the tanks. Most of the irrigation tanks had been uder illegal occupation by vested interests.
In the absence of desiltation of tanks much of the rain water could not be stored and were merely wasting away. According to DWAMA Project Director Murali about 300 TMC of  rain water was wastefully flowing and could not be tapped nor used for recharging of ground water .
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Staff Reporter.  Ravi.P.Benjamin
Anantapur : District Collector B.Janardhan Reddy disbursed cheques worth Rs.32.25 lakhs to four family members of the deceased Gandla Sekhar who had gone to Kuwait in 2003 to eke out a living as a shepherd . However in  2006 he died due to a snake bite while on duty. The Kuwait government sent a cheque of Rs.32.25 lakhs as compensation to the family members of the deceased. The cheques were equally distributed to all the four family members at the collector's office on Monday as part of the Grievance Day.
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Staff Reporter.  Ravi.P.Benjamin
Anantapur : District Collector B.Janardhan Reddy disbursed cheques worth Rs.32.25 lakhs to four family members of the deceased Gandla Sekhar who had gone to Kuwait in 2003 to eke out a living as a shepherd . However in  2006 he died due to a snake bite while on duty. The Kuwait government sent a cheque of Rs.32.25 lakhs as compensation to the family members of the deceased. The cheques were equally distributed to all the four family members at the collector's office on Monday as part of the Grievance Day.
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Staff Reporter.  Ravi.P.Benjamin
Anantapur : Anantapur two town police under the guidance of DSP Harshavardhan Raju nabbed a fake Reserve Sub-Inspector and another who had been assisting in his fake operations. According to the two town police A.Sunil Kumar had been feigning as Reserve Sub-Inspector and had collected money from several people promising them jobs as constables etc. The Fake RSI dressed smartly in police uniform and with a fake pistol tied to his belt made everyone believe that he was indeed a police officer. Two town police arrested the fake RSI Sunil Kumar and his assistant Kota Somasekhar Reddy and recovered 13 tulas of gold worth Rs.20,200 from them. Police have registered a case and are investigating.
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Staff Reporter.  Ravi.P.Benjamin
Anantapur : District Seva Dal Chairman D.Ravi Sankar Reddy has in a statement welcomed the appointment of Botsa Satyanarayana as PCC President . His appointment vindicates the fact that social justice is possible only through the Congress Party. He hoped that under his able leadership the Congress Party will be renewed in strength and revitalised. He also thanked the AICC President Sonia Gandhi for choosing an an able leader as the Party leader in the State at this crucial juncture.
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