The city topped in the implementation of Jawaharlar Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). With abundant funds available the execution of the projects is going at a fast pace. According to sources, after Ahmadabad, Vijayawada stands in the best position in following the guidelines of the mission in the implementation of various projects in urban areas. The city has also received accolades as it has successfully implemented projects like e-governance, double-entry accounting, collection of more than 95 per cent of property tax and funds allocation for urban poor.

The delay in commissioning of the Kandula Obula Reddy Gundlakamma project has irked people of Prakasam district as they were hoping to get irrigation and potable water from the reservoir. It was one of the three irrigation projects started in Prakasam district under Jalayagnam and was constructed by spending Rs 453.86 crore. It is slated to give irrigation water to 80,060 acres of land.

Naxalism has become a cancer for the country now. In some districts of 7-8 states of the country their terror is prevailing. In several districts they are running parallel government. The naxals do as it pleases them in these districts. They have made the administration sick in some areas of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. According to a recent news report, Naxals turnover of recovering money has touched Rs 100 crores. And now this money is also being used in share market.

In a recent census on tiger population carried out in Papikondalu wildlife sanctuary, forest wildlife management authorities identified the presence of five tigers, including four adults and a cub and 15 leopards. With the exception of the addition of a newly born cub to the existing tiger population, forest authorities did not confirm whether the number of tigers has gone up or dwindled in the sanctuary. However, they confirm that there were no reports of poaching of tigers in the sanctuary limits.

Tobacco farmers should not cultivate tobacco over the limit for the next agricultural season due to rising prices of tobacco this year, said J. Suresh Babu, chairman of the tobacco board on Tuesday here at Tangutur. Speaking to newsmen, he said that penalty on excess tobacco was diminished but as the election code was under force, it could only be implemented from the next month. Tobacco had a vast market in south India and tobacco growers were enjoying highest prices of Rs 99 per kg which was a record, he said.

The district authorities have proposed three more sites near Kavali for the proposed airport of Nellore. The new sites were proposed after an expert committee raised some objections over two sites recommended before because of the presence of water bodies. Sources said officials have identified 2,360 acres in north Rajupalem (12 km from Nellore), 1,627 acres in Racharlapadu (23 km from Nellore) and 1,785 acres near Damavaram (30 km from Nellore) in Dagadarthi mandal. Of the three, Damavaram site said to be suitable for the airport since the government owns large tracts of land.

The minister for health and family welfare, Mr Sambhani Chandrasekhar, on Monday said the state stood first in the country in executing National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Addressing a meeting, Mr Chandrasekhar said that Khammam district achi-eved first place in the state in implementing the scheme in a successful way and about Rs 163 crore was spent for the purpose. He said that 1.5 lakh labourers have been getting wages under NREGS for the last 45 days.

Reacting to the Telugu Desam (TD) allegations over drawing water from the Somasila project to address the needs of Kadapa district, the minister for information and public relations and touri-sm, Mr Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, justified the move on the plea that it was the duty of the government to supply drinking water to people by shifting surplus water from any project, even while asserting that the government had not taken any decision to take Somasila water to Kadapa.

Minister for agriculture, Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, said the host of welfare schemes being implemented by the state government had given party leaders and even government officials boldness to face people in the month-long Praja Padam programme.

It may be just a byproduct, but the state government has earned Rs 15 crore out of it. The fly ash from the thermal power plants in the state, once a major air pollutant, has now become a gold mine as construction companies and cement manufacturers compete to take a major chunk of the byproduct. The AP Power Generation Corporation (Genco) has earned Rs 15 crore by selling this fly ash. This is usually used to make bricks or add as a mixture to cement, used for construction or laying roads. More than nine million tonnes of ash was sold this year by Genco.