Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh V. Hanumantha Rao has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order a detailed review of utilisation of prime land allotted to industries under the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) as there are complaints of misuse of such land for real estate purposes.

In a letter to Dr. Singh, Mr. Rao wanted stringent action against the defaulting companies, and firms which failed to set up the SEZ should return the land to the government so that it could be given back to the original farmer-owners.

The Industrial sector in the state seems to be quite upset with industries minister Geeta Reddy and the power utilities. They say AP is emerging as one of the most unfriendly states for the industrial sector.

Despite assurances, there has been no headway regar-ding solving the continuing power crisis since the last six months. Meanwhile, officials say that short-term arrangements can be made for the small and medium industries by arranging for the costly RLNG (Re-Liquefied Natural Gas).

Groundwater levels plummet; dried up wells, boreswells and tanks a common sight

A drinking water crisis looms large over Anantapur district. With the monsoon playing truant and the water from the Tungabhadra High Level canal mismanaged, groundwater levels around the district have plummeted to depths unheard of before. Dried up bores, wells and tanks are the order of the day in the district.

A standing committee of the Legislature comprising members from the Assembly and the Council will oversee the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and other rural development schemes to put an end to embezzlement of its funds.

Responding to a demand made by the Opposition in the Assembly on Friday for constitution of a House Committee to go into the irregularities in implementation of the scheme, Speaker Nadendla Manohar announced that departmental standing committees would be formed soon with legislators from both Houses.

With Lambapur-Peddagattu uranium mines in Nalgonda district next in line for excavation, nuclear physicists from Osmania University, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Chaitanya Bharati Institute of

With the water situation getting worse, citizens are reduced to guessing on which day they will get water and at what time. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board stops the water supply or delays releasing it as per its whims and fancies.

As it is, some colonies and gated communities in peripheral areas get municipal water just once a week. If that day is given a miss in the supply schedule, the colonies go without water for eight to 10 days or more.

The AP High Court on Tuesday upheld the decision of the AP Pollution Control Board to close down 19 rice mills located at Karmanghat area of the city and the decision of the Appellate Authority in securing `1 lakh as performance guarantee on each of the rice mills for shifting from the area.

While dismissing the pleas by the rice mills' owners, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar ruled that the pollution caused by the rice mills, whether it was in terms of air pollution or noise pollution, infringes on the fundamental rights of the nearby residents to a clean environment.

The AP government is in principle against interlinking peninsular rivers as it fears that it might lose its quota of “assured waters” to other states and would have to depend on “unpredictable” surplus waters from others. The state is, however, working towards linking rivers flowing within AP.

Major irrigation minister P. Sudarshen Reddy said on Monday following the Supreme Court ordering interlinking of rivers: “We’ve already started projects like Polavaram and Dummugudem for linking major rivers such as Godavari, Krishna within the state to meet irrigation needs.

A division bench comprising Justice V.V.S. Rao and Justice G. Krishna Mohan Reddy of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Saturday directed the Karimnagar district collector to convene a public hearing on the 500 MW gas-based combined cycle power plant in Guggilla village of Bajjanki mandal of the district by March 3. The bench passed the interim order while dealing with a plea by M/s Elgen (India) Ltd., urging the court to declare as illegal the delay in conducting the public hearing despite issuing a notification on Janaury 23, 2012.

With the resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) package for the locals displaced by the proposed nuclear power plant at Kovvada in its final stages, officials indicate that the final package will have best features of the latest Land Acquisition Act.

The ministry of environment has directed the Nuclear Power Corpora-tion of India Limited to conduct fresh R&R surveys in the wake of opposition by locals after the survey report was submitted in July last year.