
Min vows to fix drain water issues in Vijayawada in six months
Blaming the YSRCP regime for halting the stormwater drain works mid-way, he said the decision had led to chronic waterlogging during rains.
'Between 2014 and 2019, Rs 500 crore was sanctioned and 55% of the drain works were completed. But the succeeding government stalled the project, aggravating the problem,' he said.
Pointing to narrowed drains and rampant encroachments, Narayana said in several places the drain width had reduced from 10 feet to as little as two feet. He instructed Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials to identify and mark all encroachments.
'If houses are affected in the process, TIDCO houses will be allotted. The intention is not to harm the poor but to resolve the root problem,' he said.
Narayana announced that drainage works would resume in September with funds from VMC and APCRDA, and would be completed within six months.

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Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Ahead of Bengal polls, Mamata govt rolls out Rs 8,000-cr neighbourhood outreach scheme
TAPAN MONDOL, 31, seated on the front bench in a classroom of Bele-Durganagar High School, Joynagar, in South 24 Parganas, while attending a meeting as part of the TMC government's 'Amader Para, Amader Samadhan' (Our Neighbourhood, Our Solution) initiative, which rolled out from August 2 at the booth level, pointed out, 'We lack drinking water sources, forcing us to travel 2.5 km for water. So, we are proposing at least four tubewells for our Bele-Durganagar area.' The move comes ahead of the Assembly elections, which is less than a year away. During the meeting, a government official on site pointed out, 'One tube well costs around Rs 2 lakh, and we only have Rs 10 lakh fund. Installing four tubewells would exceed our budget.' However, backing Mondol's proposal, another villager, 67-year-old Prafulla Sardar, responded firmly, 'We will handle other issues such as streetlights and poor roads later. Drinking water comes first. So, prioritise the tubewells, then do whatever else you want to.' After the 'success' of its 'Duare Sarkar' and 'Parai Samadhan' campaigns, the West Bengal government on Saturday launched a Rs 8,000-crore outreach programme aimed at resolving local issues such as setting up street lamps, repairing roads and ensuring water supply, across districts, at the level of 'paras' or neighbourhoods. As part of the scheme, a locality (para) is constituted with three booths. On the opening day, each centre had three dedicated rooms where villagers could submit their local demands. These were compiled by a neutral person and handed over to the administration. The proposals would then be reviewed and decisions made on which projects to implement. The administration also arranged a help desk to take individual problems and applications. Organised for Booth 181 of the Joynagar Assembly constituency, the voters of the three booths – 181, 182 and 183 – participated in the project camp. Inaugurating the camp, Sumit Gupta, District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas, said, 'We have supplied the scheme names which will be allowed in this programme. People will put forth their demands in today's meeting. These will be scrutinised and selected projects will be implemented from November. On the first day, we organised 56 camps across the district.' 'In this scheme, one para will be constituted with three booths. But in remote places, we are making para with one or two booths also,' he added. However, a controversy erupted when it surfaced that Bele-Durganagar High School had exams scheduled on Saturday, and the camps began before the exams were completed. The school head master Arijit Sarkar claimed, 'We do not have problems and students also did not face any problems.' Meanwhile, the DM said, 'I do not have any idea that examinations are going on. It is not desirable. We are investigating.' Another camp was organised at Champahati Nilmani Kar Vidyalaya, under the Baruipur-East Assembly constituency, with participants belonging under booth number 24, 25 and 26. Panchayat Development Officer of Baruipur, Sanjib Roy Chowdhury said, 'Many people are coming and expecting that they can submit their problems like OBC certificate, Lakshmir Bhandar application, widow pension like government schemes. We also arranged for them a help desk so that they can submit their demands also.' A local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, Manna Naskar, said, 'It is a new programme. But it will be useful for development as ground level general voters are participating in this programme.' 'More than 300 persons participated in the programme. They have given many proposals, mostly roads, drinking water and streetlights,' said another TMC leader and local panchayat pradhan Asit Baran Mondol. Last month, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who announced the initiative, claimed, 'First such initiative in INDIA where people can voice their opinions and mutually decide the issues they need to get it resolved in their booth using Rs 10 lakh.' After its launch on Saturday, Banerjee posted on X, 'Amader Para Amader Samadhan' (APAS) is a unique flagship initiative aimed at institutionalizing participatory governance and re-imagining grassroots service delivery through people-engagement and empowerment. APAS camp is a platform where local people shall deliberate, identify and prioritize their local level infrastructure needs.' 'Rs 8,000+ crore is the outlay for APAS with Rs 10 lakh allocated per booth and 80,000+ polling booths being covered by 27,000+ camps. Today, on the first day of 'Amader Para, Amader Samadhan' (APAS) 632 camps are being held across the State. Duare Sarkar counters have also been set up in APAS Camps.I invite the people to visit their camps and participate in the discussions to make APAS a grand success. I also thank the concerned government officials and other stakeholders for their efforts in the smooth roll out of the campaign,' she added.


Hans India
4 minutes ago
- Hans India
Kishan Reddy lashes out at Cong on BC reservations
Hyderabad: Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has deposited Rs 2,000 crore into the accounts of 10 crore farmers through the PM Kisan Samman Yojana. While addressing the OBC Morcha protest programme at Dharna Chowk on Saturday, he criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for making irrelevant comments. He said the Chief Minister referred to the Prime Minister as a 'converted BC.' He questioned how the BC community, which joins the BCs, could be considered a converted BC, noting that in 1971, Lambada joined the STs. He emphasised that mere words do not equate to heroism or greatness, adding that people are not inclined to forgive those who mislead them. He stated, 'People are observing all parties and leaders. This is why you received a clear message in the last parliamentary elections; out of every 100 voters who arrived at the polling station, 37 wanted the saffron flag to fly in Telangana. Revanth Reddy needs to understand this.' Kishan Reddy criticised the Congress party for its pre-election promise during the Kamareddy Declaration to provide 42% reservation for BCs within 100 days of coming to power. He stated that even after two years, the issue of BC reservations remains unresolved, and Congress is attempting to shift the blame onto the BJP-led central government due to its incompetence. He further said that the 42% reservation proposed by the Congress party is not beneficial for BCs, but rather serves Muslim interests for political and electoral gains. He highlighted that Telangana had implemented 34% reservation in local body elections under previous BRS governance and criticised CM KCR for attempting to push for 12% religious reservations for Muslims, stating that this is not truly for their benefit. Reddy pointed out that KCR has reduced BC reservations from 34% to 23%. He asked Revanth Reddy if the 34% reservation for BCs has increased or decreased, emphasising the lack of progress. He noted that if 10% is deducted from the proposed 42% reservation for Muslims, only 32% remains for BCs. He warned that the benefits being touted are 2% less than previous reservations for BCs, that the law is detrimental, not advantageous, for them. Kishan Reddy called on the Congress party to act sincerely and implement the full 42% reservation for BCs. He warned that if there are attempts to deceive the community, they will not stay silent. On behalf of the BJP, he stated that it is unfair to allocate 32% reservation while undermining the backwards classes (BCs). 'As you have announced, 42% reservation should be granted,' he insisted. He accused Congress leaders of spreading false propaganda and attempting to gain attention by going to Delhi for protests. Reddy asserted that the BJP demands that the promised 42% reservation for BCs be implemented. He highlighted the BJP's achievements, stating that the party has had a BC as Prime Minister for 11 consecutive years since independence. He emphasised that the BJP legally granted constitutional status to the BC Commission, empowering it significantly, and has appointed 28 BCs as ministers in the central government. He challenged the Congress party, asking if it has ever appointed a BC as Prime Minister or Chief Minister while governing the country and the state since independence. He criticised their inability to elevate BCs to such positions despite numerous opportunities, stating, 'The Congress party has no moral right to criticise the BJP.' He pointed out that the British conducted a caste census before independence.


Time of India
14 minutes ago
- Time of India
Prajwal Revanna gets life imprisonment in 1st of 3 rape cases
Prajwal Revanna BENGALURU: A special court on Saturday sentenced former MP Prajwal Revanna to life imprisonment. The verdict was pronounced a day after the former parliamentarian from Hassan was found guilty of repeatedly raping his 47-year-old domestic help. Of the three rape cases and one sexual harassment case against Prajwal, this is the first to go to trial and reach a verdict. The 34-year-old grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was once seen as a rising political star of the JD(S) first family. Special Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat announced the punishment in a packed court hall around 4.30 pm. With his head down, Prajwal listened to the judge as he detailed the quantum of punishment under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was visibly shattered upon hearing the sentence. Later, he silently walked out of the court hall. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru In the first part of the day, Justice Bhat heard the arguments of the special public prosecutors as well as the counsel for Prajwal, who was found guilty under eight IPC sections. Among them, IPC 376 (2) (K) (being in a position of control or dominance over a woman, committing rape on such a woman) and 376 (2) (N) (committing rape repeatedly on the same woman) resulted in life imprisonment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Police found it difficult to escort Prajwal out of the jam-packed court hall, with advocates, mediapersons, and others present. According to special public prosecutor Ashok Nayak, Prajwal can appeal the sentence in high court. Rs 11.3 lakh will have to be paid to survivor The court also imposed a fine of ₹11.6 lakh on Prajwal, of which, ₹11.25 lakh will have to be paid to the survivor as compensation. He can make a plea for suspension of the sentence first. If the court upholds the sentence, then Prajwal can appeal for reduction in the punishment. However, if the high court rejects both, then he may knock on the doors of Supreme Court,' special public prosecutor Ashok Nayak said. Apart from IPC 376 (2) (K) and and 376 (2) (N), the other sections under which Prajwal was found guilty and punished include: IPC 354A (sexual harassment; three years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 25,000); IPC 354B (assault or use of criminal force on any woman; seven years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 50,000); IPC 354C (voyeurism; three years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 25,000); IPC 506 (criminal intimidation; two years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000); IPC 201 (tampering of evidence; three years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 25,000); Section 66 of Information Technology Act (three years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 25,000). DKS: Why BJP leaders not talking about it? Declining to comment on the conviction, deputy CM DK Shivakumar said the reactions of JD(S) and BJP functionaries were more important than his.'You should ask for the reactions of JD(S) and BJP leaders than asking for my comments. They have to tell us what is right and what is wrong. We respect the law and abide by it. Why are BJP leaders, including CT Ravi, Ashoka and Narayanaswamy, not talking about this?' Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !