RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: MAUD Minister and TRS working president KT Rama Rao expressed his deep shock and grief over the deaths of six students, who drowned in a check dam constructed on the Manair river. The Minister also directed the authorities concerned to increase security arrangements and erect warning boards at various points to avoid such untoward incidents in the future.
On Wednesday, Rama Rao visited Sircilla town and met the bereaved family members of the six victims. Apart from extending his condolences, the Minister assured all support to the families from the State government. The authorities have also handed over ex gratia cheques worth Rs 5 lakh to each bereaved family. The Minister also assured the parents of one of the victims, who are weavers, that the government would provide them necessary help to set up a powerloom unit.
Speaking to the media later, Rama Rao tore into the Central government for its alleged negligent attitude towards the purchase of paddy. Referring to the TRS’ major dharna to organised at the Dharna Chowk (Indira Park) in Hyderabad on Thursday, Rama Rao said that the ruling party would bring to light the deceitful tactics of the saffron party. Alleging that the Centre was taking Telangana for granted, Rama Rao requested the farmers not to believe the false propaganda being spread by the BJP leaders.
Referring to the ongoing procurement of Kharif paddy, the MAUD Minister said that the State government would purchase the entire yield from all ryots, through the 4,743 purchase centres. “The authorities have so far procured about 52,000 MTs of paddy from Rajanna-Sircilla district alone. Another three lakh MTs of the grain would be purchased in the following days,” he added.
Demanding that the Central government reconsider its decision on the procurement of Rabi crops, Rama Rao attacked the Modi government for not helping the State improve its irrigation facilities. The pink party second-in-command also demanded that BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar issue an unconditional apology for trying to misguide the ryots in Telangana.
All bodies recovered
Two days after Singam Manoj went missing, rescue workers and police officials traced the body of the sixth teenager from the Manair river, on Wednesday. The 14-year-old body was recovered from under the Manair bridge in the town. It may be recalled that while the NDRF team from Hyderabad, which has been carrying out rescue operations for the last two days, retrieved the body of 15-year-old Kolipaka Ganesh on Monday itself, the bodies of Jadala Venkata Sai, 14, Teegala Ajay, 14, Konga Rakesh, 15, and Sriram Kranthi Kumar, 14, were found only on Tuesday.
A pall of gloom descended over Manoj’s native area after his body was recovered, as everyone, including his family members, were hopeful that the teen would have managed to save himself somehow.
Minor meets watery grave in Hanamkonda
HANAMKONDA: In a tragic incident, a nine-year-old boy drowned in a lake at Rampur village under Inavolu mandal in Hanamkonda district, on Wednesday. The deceased minor has been identified as A Swarthi, a resident of the same village. Speaking to the media, Inavolu Sub-Inspector M Bharath said that the deceased went to the lake, along with his friends, for swimming. A case has been registered and the body of the nine-year-old was shifted to Wardhannapet Community Health Centre for postmortem examination