Two Sentenced To 10 Years’ Imprisonment For Ganja Smuggling

Visakhapatnam:The Special NDPS Court in Srikakulam has sentenced two men to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each for illegally transporting and selling ganja.

First Additional District and Sessions (NDPS) Court Judge P. Bhaskara Rao delivered the verdict after finding the accused guilty of trafficking 200 kilograms of ganja valued at `18 lakh.

The case dates back to November 30, 2017, when police, during routine vehicle checks at the Chilakapalem Toll Plaza in Etcherla, intercepted two cars and discovered 90 packets of ganja each weighing about 2.3 kilograms concealed inside the vehicles.

Investigations revealed that the accused had procured the contraband from farmers in the forest areas of Visakhapatnam district and were transporting it to Bhubaneswar, Odisha, when they were caught.

Police seized the ganja worth `18 lakh, both vehicles and 10 mobile phones from the accused.

Ganja worth ₹49.76 lakh seized, five held in Vijayawada

Vijayawada:Ganja valued at `49.76 lakh was seized, and five men were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Kanuru in Vijayawada.

Based on specific intelligence that ganja sourced from Odisha was stored in Vijayawada for onward transport to Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, DRI officers from the Vijayawada regional unit, with support from the Andhra Pradesh Police (Eagle Team), conducted a search on November 10. They discovered 248.82 kg of ganja packed in 242 packets — some stored in a room and others concealed in a secret cavity of a truck bearing Uttar Pradesh registration. Another vehicle with Andhra Pradesh registration was also seized, which had been used to transport the contraband from Odisha to Vijayawada.

Investigations revealed that the smugglers planned to move the consignment from Odisha to Uttar Pradesh by first using an Andhra Pradesh-registered vehicle to avoid strict checking in Odisha and then transferring it to a UP-registered truck for transport via Telangana, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

Both vehicles were seized, and the five accused were booked under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.

New governing body appointed for historic Jamia Masjid in Srikakulam

Visakhapatnam:The Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board has appointed a new governing body for the historic Jamia Masjid, the largest mosque in North Andhra, located on G.T. Road in Srikakulam. Sheikh Nizamuddin has been named president and will lead an executive committee of ten members.

Addressing a press conference at the mosque, Sheikh Nizamuddin highlighted the Jamia Masjid’s rich heritage and assured that infrastructure and development initiatives would continue. He noted that, following directives from Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and Education Minister Nara Lokesh, steps would be taken to address the mosque’s needs and support new welfare programmes.

Nizamuddin expressed gratitude to Union Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, State Agriculture Minister Atchannaidu, and Srikakulam MLA Gondu Shankar for their support in his appointment. He also thanked Abdul Aziz, chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board, for the opportunity to serve.

District Waqf Board inspector Sheikh Zubair and other committee members were present at the press meet.

Schoolboy beaten by physical education teacher in Vijayawada

Vijayawada:A Class VI student at Don Bosco School in Vijayawada was allegedly beaten severely by physical education teacher Devi Priya on Wednesday for being ‘noisy’ in class.

The boy, who sustained bruises and swelling on his hands, informed his family about the incident. His parents rushed to the school and confronted the management, questioning the teacher’s conduct. However, the school authorities reportedly did not respond properly to their complaints.

NTR district education officer U.V. Subba Rao said, “We have come to know that a woman PET beat up a minor boy for being noisy at Don Bosco School on Wednesday afternoon. We have ordered an inquiry by the mandal education officer, and based on the report, necessary action will be taken against the PET.”

Distribution of TIDCO houses to begin on November 17: Commissioner

Kurnool:Kurnool municipal commissioner P. Viswanath has announced that the NTR Colony TIDCO houses on the outskirts of Kurnool city will be handed over to 187 beneficiaries on November 17.

The commissioner inspected the TIDCO houses on Wednesday and reviewed the repair works, available facilities, and construction quality. Speaking on the occasion, he said that in the first phase, 187 houses would be distributed on November 17, followed by the allocation of the remaining houses in subsequent weeks.

He stated that all essential facilities, including roads, drainage, electricity, ration distribution, pensions, and drinking water, have been completed in the TIDCO colony. He assured that necessary arrangements have been made to ensure the beneficiaries can live comfortably.

The commissioner added that officials have prepared a detailed plan for the house distribution programme. As per the decision taken during a recent review meeting chaired by ministers Dr Ponguru Narayana and T.G. Bharath, a total of 976 houses will be handed over to beneficiaries.

Municipal engineer Manohar Reddy, TIDCO executive engineer Surya Narayana, and other officials participated in the inspection.

Census 2027 pre-test must be conducted meticulously: Census op chief

Nellore:Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, J. Nivas, has instructed officials to ensure that the Census 2027 Pre-Test is conducted meticulously from November 10 to 30 in seven selected wards (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 20) of Podili Nagar Panchayat in Prakasam district. The exercise forms part of the preparatory activities jointly undertaken by the Central and State governments.

Addressing enumerators and supervisors on Wednesday, Nivas explained that the survey will collect detailed information on 34 parameters, including housing conditions, household ownership, access to drinking water, sanitation, kitchen facilities, and availability of amenities such as radio, television, smartphone, computer, bicycle, and car. He stressed the importance of accurate data entry using the mobile application designed for the census.

Nivas personally inspected the geo-tagging of buildings in Wards 18 and 20 through the mobile app and provided necessary instructions to the field staff. Later, he interacted with representatives of the print and electronic media, highlighting the significance of the pre-test and the value of census data in national planning and development.

Prakasam district joint collector R. Gopalakrishna, IAS, urged officials to complete all census activities within the stipulated timeframe and ensure error-free data entry in the mobile application.

The programme was attended by Kanigiri RDO Keshavardhan Reddy, assistant director of census operations M. Srinivasarao, Podili commissioner and charge officer K.L.N. Reddy, tahsildar Krishnareddy, and officials from the revenue and municipal departments.

YSRC stages protests across Nellore against medical college privatisation

Nellore:The YSRC staged district-wide protests against the alleged privatisation of government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh. A major rally was organised in Venkatachalam, Sarvepalli constituency, led by former minister Dr Kakani Govardhan Reddy and YSRC state women’s wing working president Kakani Poojitha. The leaders submitted a memorandum to the Venkatachalam tahsildar opposing the state government’s decision.

Participants raised slogans throughout the rally, condemning the move as “anti-people” and harmful to poor and rural students aspiring for medical education. Despite police restrictions, protesters continued their march peacefully.

Addressing the gathering, the leaders accused the TD-led coalition government of “handing over public medical colleges to private entities” and vowed to continue their agitation until the policy is withdrawn. They also highlighted the success of the one-crore signature campaign launched against the government’s decision.

Similar protests were held in Kovur, Atmakur, and Nellore under the leadership of former MLA N. Prasannakumar Reddy, MLA Mekapati Vikram Reddy and MLC P. Chandrasekhar Reddy, respectively, marking a widespread outcry against the proposed privatisation move.