APGenco Records Highest-Ever Power Generation

 Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APgenco) has recorded its highest-ever power generation since inception, energy minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar announced on Thursday.

According to the minister, APgenco and Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Limited together generated 6,160 MW of power, with an ex-bus generation of 5,730 MW — the highest output in the corporation’s history.

Reviewing the achievement during a virtual meeting, the minister commended the efforts of the state’s power utilities and asked officials to remain prepared to meet the rising electricity demand during the summer.

The meeting was attended by APgenco in-charge managing director and APCPDCL CMD P. Pulla Reddy, APgenco directors M. Sujaya Kumar, P. Ashok Kumar Reddy and V. Usha, APPDCL director K. Srinivasa Rao, and chief engineers from major power stations.

Congratulating the utilities, Ravi Kumar said the achievement reflected the coordinated efforts and technical expertise of engineers and staff working to ensure reliable power generation across the state. He attributed the milestone to the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The minister directed utilities to monitor demand trends and fully utilise available generation capacity to meet the expected rise in electricity consumption during summer, particularly in view of possible El Niño conditions.

He said the state had successfully met record peak demand while maintaining stable transmission operations. The government is also strengthening power infrastructure by establishing new substations to ensure reliable electricity supply without increasing tariffs.

Ravi Kumar criticised the previous government, alleging that excessive power purchases from private producers weakened APgenco and led to electricity tariff hikes nine times, imposing an estimated burden of Rs 32,000 crore on consumers. In contrast, he said the present coalition government had implemented a 13-paise true-down to reduce consumer burden.

Chief engineers of the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant and Dr Narla Tata Rao Thermal Power Station, along with other senior officials of APgenco , participated in the meeting.

Two Amrit Bharat trains to pass through Andhra Pradesh

Two Amrit Bharat trains will pass through Andhra Pradesh as part of the Indian Railways’ expansion of long-distance services. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the new Amrit Bharat Express services on Friday.

Train No. 05674 Kokrajhar–Charlapalli weekly Amrit Bharat Special Express will depart from Kokrajhar on March 13 at 2.30 pm. The train will reach Srikakulam Road at 4.22 pm the next day and depart at 4.24 pm. It will arrive at Vizianagaram at 5.20 pm and leave at 5.22 pm, reach Pendurthi at 5.58 pm and depart at 6 pm, and arrive at Duvvada at 7.30 pm before departing at 7.32 pm. The train will reach Charlapalli at 8.30 am on March 15.

Another service, Train No. 16619 Podanur–Dhanbad Amrit Bharat Express, will depart from Podanur every Saturday from March 21 at 6.15 am. It will reach Duvvada at 4.43 am the next day and depart at 4.45 am, reaching Dhanbad at 4 am on Monday.

The return service, Train No. 16620 Dhanbad–Podanur Amrit Bharat Express, will depart from Dhanbad every Monday at 2 pm starting March 23. It will reach Duvvada at 1 pm the next day and depart at 1.02 pm, reaching Podanur at 11.20 am on Wednesday.

Investors eye highway wayside amenities in Nellore

Nellore district collector Himanshu Shukla informed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday that investors are showing interest in acquiring land along highways in the district to establish wayside amenities for travellers.

Shukla raised the issue during the second day of the sixth Collectors’ Conference held at the State Secretariat in Amaravati. He said investors were keen to develop facilities along national and state highways to improve travel convenience.

According to the collector, suitable locations have already been identified for the proposed projects. The facilities are expected to include food courts, petrol bunks and electric vehicle charging stations.

He also said there is a proposal to develop a fun park as part of the project to provide recreational facilities. However, the current plan does not include accommodation rooms at these locations. Shukla also sought clarity on whether the proposals should be processed through the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation or the AP Tourism Department.

During the meeting, the collector also requested an increase in funds allocated to the district under the Pasu Bima Yojana scheme. Responding to the request, the Chief Minister approved the proposal to increase the allocation from Rs 11 lakh to Rs 30 lakh and directed that the revised amount be implemented across the state.

Adulterated milk toll rises to 13

The death toll in the adulterated milk incident rose to 13 after Badaru Veera Lakshmi (60) of Swaroopnagar died in the early hours of Thursday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Rajamahendravaram.

She had been admitted to the hospital on February 17 with anuria and later developed renal failure.

East Godavari district medical and health officer K. Venkateswara Rao said seven patients are still undergoing treatment in connection with the incident. Of them, three are on dialysis, while four are on ventilator support and dialysis at four different hospitals.

He said the government has instructed hospitals to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the patients.

Nine ganja smugglers get 14 years’ jail term

A court in Vizianagaram on Thursday sentenced nine persons to 14 years’ rigorous imprisonment for possession of 640 kg of ganja in August 2015. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on each of the convicts.

Vizianagaram district superintendent of police A.R. Damodhar said Gantyada police intercepted three vehicles during a routine check and seized 641 kg of dry cannabis. Ten persons were arrested in the case.

Investigations revealed that the accused had procured the ganja from tribal areas and were transporting it to another location. Police registered a case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and filed a charge sheet.

One of the accused, G. Dharmateja (21), died due to illness during the investigation. After the trial, the court convicted the remaining nine accused and sentenced them to 14 years’ imprisonment.

Juvenile gets 20 years for raping minor

A special Posco court in Vizianagaram on Thursday sentenced a juvenile to 20 years’ imprisonment for raping a minor girl. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 12,000 on the convict and directed the government to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the victim.

Police said the juvenile lured the Class X student on the pretext of love and marriage. He allegedly took her to different places and repeatedly assaulted her. The accused also recorded the acts and sent the videos to the girl through her social media account.

The incident came to light after the victim’s uncle noticed the private videos on her mobile phone.

Based on the complaint, Garividi police registered a case. Considering the seriousness of the offence, the juvenile was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. Based on the board’s report, the case was referred to the special Posco court for trial.

After hearing the case, the court sentenced the juvenile to 20 years’ imprisonment and imposed the fine.

HC exempts IPS officer Sunil Naik from inquiry till March 22

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has granted relief to Bihar cadre senior IPS officer M. Sunil Kumar Naik by exempting him from appearing before the investigation officer until March 22 in connection with a case relating to the alleged custodial torture of former MP and Assembly Deputy Speaker K. Raghurama Krishna Raju.

A single judge bench headed by Justice Venkata Jyotirmai Pratapa heard a petition seeking anticipatory bail in the case on Thursday.

Considering the petitioner’s request to visit Patna to see his ailing mother, the court allowed him to travel and granted temporary exemption from personal appearance before the investigation officer until March 22.

The court directed Naik to appear before the investigation officer on March 23 at 10 am for further inquiry.

The hearing on the maintainability of the petition seeking pre-arrest bail has been adjourned to March 18.

AP mining sector records 27% revenue growth

The Andhra Pradesh mining sector has recorded a 27 per cent growth in revenue during the current financial year, mining principal secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena said on Thursday.

He was speaking at the Collectors’ Conference chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at the Secretariat.

Meena said the government had set a target of ₹3,320 crore from major and minor minerals in the current financial year. By the end of February, ₹2,654 crore had been collected.

He added that including collections from district mineral foundations, merit amounts and security deposits, the total revenue reached ₹3,331 crore against the target of ₹4,000 crore. He urged district collectors to expedite collections to achieve the target.

The official also reviewed the auction of new mining blocks and the free sand policy implemented by the state government. He said 10 major mineral blocks were successfully auctioned during the first half of the current financial year and more auctions would be conducted by the end of March.

Meena said Andhra Pradesh had secured fourth place in the country in the auction of mining blocks.

Kakinada railway passengers seek more trains from city

With the duodecennail Godavari Pushkaralu scheduled next year in 2027, citizens of Kakinada are expecting people from all over the country to realise the city’s significance, which is already known for its offshore oil, KSEZ, port, and educational institutions.

Given its background, people of Kakinada are demanding that many more trains be run from the city to various destinations across India, so that people can arrive smoothly to Kakinada for the Godavari Pushkaralu.

At present, there is only one train from Kakinada, the fast passenger from the city to Visakhapatnam in the early hours. The same train returns to Kakinada in the night. Except for it, there are no other trains originating from Kakinada daily, though there are weekly and special express trains to Vijayawada from Kakinada. But they are not enough to clear the passenger traffic.

If passengers want to reach Visakhapatnam, they will have to first reach Samalkot to catch the connecting train.

Citizens, apart from the Godavari Districts Railway Passengers Association, are demanding that new trains be introduced from Kakinada to cities including Varanasi, New Delhi and Mumbai. Association president Gatti Satyanarayana had demanded that trains originating and terminating at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam should be extended to Kakinada, as the city is not on the trunk route.

Satyanarayana cited the example of Tirumala Express that initially ran from Visakhapatnam to Tirupati. Now, it has been extended up to Kadapa. Prashanti Express used to run from Visakhapatnam to Bengaluru. It has been extended up to Bhubaneswar. Visakha Express ran from Visakhapatnam to Secunderabad. It has now been extended to Bhubaneswar. On the same lines, the Railways should start trains from Kakinada by increasing pits for anchoring the trains at the Port Railway Station, the association president suggested.

Association secretary D.N. Ramesh pointed out that passenger traffic from Kakinada has grown dramatically, as Kakinada is the only choice to reach Yanam, an enclave of union territory Puducherry. Further, people from Konaseema wishing to reach Visakhapatnam from Kakinada have to first go to either Rajamahendravaram or Samalkot, travelling nearly 100 kilometres by bus.

Ramesh underlined that once Kakinada is made a terminus for more trains, people from across AP as well as India will get to visit more temples, beaches, and tourism spots within the Kakinada-Yanam-Konaseema belt.

Forest fire breaks out near Mahanandi in Nallamala

A forest fire broke out in the Nallamala forest area near Mahanandi on Thursday, causing concern among local residents and forest officials. The blaze reportedly started about two kilometres from the Mahanandi temple.

According to preliminary information, unidentified persons are suspected to have thrown beedi stubs in the forest, which may have triggered the fire. With large quantities of dry grass and twigs in the area, the flames spread quickly.

Officials suspect that some people who entered the forest to collect firewood might have accidentally caused the fire. The incident came to light after the flames began spreading across a dry forest patch.

Fire department personnel alerted the police about the incident. The extent of damage and the exact cause of the fire are yet to be ascertained.

No LPG shortage in East Godavari: collector

East Godavari district collector Kirthi Chekuri on Thursday said that 14,829 LPG cylinders containing about 212 metric tonnes of gas are currently available in the district and that supply is continuing as usual.

She said bottling plants supplying LPG to Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation have reserves sufficient for more than two days. Around 11,000 cylinders are being supplied daily to domestic consumers, welfare hostels and hospitals through oil marketing companies.

The collector urged consumers not to book gas cylinders beyond their actual needs and asked them not to believe rumours circulating on social media about shortages.

She said refilling operations are continuing at bottling plants and clarified that LPG supply in the district remains adequate. However, due to rumours on social media, some consumers have been making advance bookings for refills, which may cause temporary delays in delivery in certain areas.

Chekuri said the district administration is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with gas companies to ensure uninterrupted supply of cooking gas. Consumers facing any issues may contact the helpline number 8074661259.

Meanwhile, joint collector Y. Megha Swaroop held a meeting with representatives of gas agencies and officials on Thursday. He instructed agencies to display details of LPG stocks, bookings and delivery timelines at their offices.

He reiterated that adequate gas reserves are available in the district and advised consumers not to panic due to rumours on social media.