Rajahmundry: Minister for Rural Water Supply P. Viswaroop and Panchayat Raj Minister Botcha Satyanarayana inaugurated a Rs.22-crore drinking water scheme in Bommuru which supplies water to 29 villages in the panchayat.

Rajahmundry Nov. 13: The Centre has proposed to introduce injec-table trivalent polio vaccine in the immunisation schedule of children below one year, shortly.

Rajahmundry, June 30: The people of Rajahmundry are going to get major relief from the overflowing and stinking drains and inundation of several low-lying areas during rains as the civic authorities are going to take up an underground and storm water drainage network in the municipal limits.

Kolleru lake would be developed at a cost of nearly Rs 860 crore over five years as the international non-governmental agency, Wetland International South Asia, has prepared proposals to that effect at the behest of the state government. Of the total cost proposed for development, a whopping Rs 500 crore has been allocated for water management works.

Panther scare still haunts officials in the ONGC base complex and the general public in the city. The forest officials trap-ped a panther on May 31 on the base complex after trailing it for nearly five days when it was spotted for the first time on May 27 and released it in Maredumilli forests. Some people reportedly noticed the pug marks of a panther and a cub near children's park at Kendriya Vidyala in the ONGC base complex and alerted the ONGC security staff who in turn informed the forest authorities about the development.

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.

The number of antelopes is dwindling day by day in the district, thanks to nature's fury and the laxity of authorities. Hundreds of antelopes including Chinkara, Chousinga, Spotted Deer and Sambar were living in the islands of Godavari River including Narayanalanka, Addankivarilanka, Veedhivarilanka, Kedarulanka, Sathemmalanka and Nandapallilanka.

The AP forest department has decided to create 1,000 water holes in reserve forests to ensure that thirsty panthers don't stray into human habitations and get killed. Forest officials will be particularly focusing on forests with a high population of panthers located in the fringe areas of cities. They will also create artificial waterfalls in these areas and also in the elephant sanctuary in Kuppam.