This is Bhaskar's Pen: October 2015

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Another Buddhist site found - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu

The Archaeological Survey of India has discovered another Buddhist site on the hillocks of Ayyapparaju Kothapalli village in Tondangi Mandal in East Godavari district. Only last week a similar site was discovered near Kummarilova in neighbouring Tuni mandal.

A Buddhist Maha Stupa and other votive stupa foundations, a number of Vihara cells, Brahmi inscription with 11 letters and an important relic receptacle were found on the hillock.

Satavahana period

The site – Pedda dibba – is four km away from Annavaram Mahastupa and 8 km from the Bay of Bengal. The 100-acre Buddhist complex belongs to the early Satavahana period.

Disturbed

The Buddhist stupa complex was badly disturbed as villagers raised cashew and mango trees on it. Also, villagers removed stupa bricks for construction of houses. According to local farmers, when they removed the stone receptacle, they found that a capstone was fixed on it. When the capstone was broken three crystal relic caskets were found.

They contain a small flower, a small human bone relic, beads and precious and semi-precious stones. But, at present only the base of the stone receptacle is seen near the Maha Stupa.

S. Bangaraiah, Assistant Director, ASI, and Kadiyala Venkateswara Rao, freelance archaeologist of Tenali who spent four to five days in the village, said the Kummarilova site and A. Kothapalli are completely different and the excavations have revealed interesting things. There is strong evidence

that the stupa is provided with stone railing around it like the one at Amaravati and Bhattiprolu in the State.

There are evidences that some viharas and congregation halls were constructed on this site. Roof tile pieces, called Satavahana tiles, found on the south-eastern side and on the western side of the hill slopes and on the top of the hill add strength to this argument.

Water tank

A number of pottery pieces of conical bowls, black and red polished wares, black polished ware and red slippery wares are found mixed with white clay. Half moon stones are also found on the site. A small water tank covering an area of 0.75 cents was found on the eastern side of the hillock.

Recent excavations reveal that this Buddhist site belongs to 2 and 1 B.C. - 1 A.D. The Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana sects flourished on this site.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Akhanda Godavari, RUDA may take time - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu

Rajahmundry takes back seat again - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu

After three months of the Godavari Pushkaram, Rajahmundry has once again taken the backseat, except with regard to the change of name from Rajahmundry to Rajamahendravaram.

There are no financial statements available either with the government or Pushkaram officials who received funds to the tune of around Rs. 1,680 crore for the mega event. Except roads and ghats, no other work has been done in East and West Godavari district.

According to Rajahmundry City MLA and BJP leader Akula Satyanarayana, the Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation received Rs. 240 crore, including the 13th Finance Commission funds, during the Pushkarams, and it laid roads and took up drainage works. “Except for one drainage in the city and another on the outskirts, no permanent work was taken up during Pushkarams Phase-I. Moreover, preference was given to roads during the event, but they are all in a bad shape now,” he said. He added that no contractor was keen on completing pending works and those to be taken up under Phase-II.

Senior TDP leader and Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary also expressed anguish over the R&B Department for not accepting his drainage plan connecting Ava channel and Nalla channel with the underground drainage system. “Roads in my constituency were laid in a hurried manner, and the one from Hukumpeta to East Railway Station and those in several places between the main railway station and Dowleswaram have been damaged,” he said.

Ghats ignored

“The Irrigation Department has failed to maintain as many as 267 bathing ghats along the Godavari in both East and West Godavari districts. On the 1.2-km-long Kotilingala Ghat, washermen have been drying clothes, and as a result, tiles have been damaged,” said Kantipudi Sarvarayudu, secretary of Goutami Ghat Spiritual Seva Sangh. Except Goshpadala Revu, maintenance of other ghats in West Godavari has also been poor. Moreover, Gammon India Private Limited, which has taken up the construction of the fourth bridge across the Godavari, has failed to meet the deadline several times, and it has not completed the job of strengthening the box-type bridges near Mahurapudi Airport

Saturday, October 24, 2015

New facilities to make Godavari the go-to place - The Hindu

Friday, October 16, 2015

Farmers seek higher MSP - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Govt. hospitals record 300 dog bites a month - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu

Monday, October 5, 2015

Laurus Labs, IICT ink MoAs with ANUR - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Adikavi Nannaya University (ANUR) on Monday signed separate Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) with Laurus Labs and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) on Monday.

On the request of in-charge Vice-Chancellor Prof. E.N. Dhanamjaya Rao, Laurus Labs CEO Satyanarayana Chava has announced that his company would start M.Sc., (Pharmacy) course and 20 students who are selected on merit in the course would be given scholarships every year. He also promised that the pass-outs would be given employment in Laurus Labs and also other pharmaceutical or chemical Industries in Hyderabad or Visakhapatnam. He said that they have already designed such course for 60 students in Krishna University and providing employment to 20 students. Dr. Satyanarayana and Prof. Dhanamjaya Rao had entered into an MoA to this effect. The Vice-Chancellor and IICT Director Dr. Chandrasekhar have signed another MoA. According to it, Nannaya University chemistry students will be granted internships and training programmes in CISR-IICT and in turn university will give an opportunity to the faculty members of CISR-IICT to do Ph.D., under extra-mural category.

Friday, October 2, 2015

TDP State panel triggers dissent in Rajahmundry - ANDHRA PRADESH - The Hindu

B.V.S. BHASKAR

The constitution of a separate state committee of the TDP for Andhra Pradesh has triggered dissent within the party in East Godavari district. Ganni Krishna, an official spokesperson, has dashed off a dissent note to party president Chandrababu Naidu signalling his dissatisfaction that he has been given less than his due.

Mr. Krishna told The Hindu on Friday that when he saw on TV that he was named to the committee as a mere organising secretary, he sent off an SMS and an email to the party requesting that his name be deleted from the list. He said he felt insulted and was happy to continue as an ordinary worker without any party post.

Mr. Krishna, a close associate of Finance Minister Y. Ramakrishnudu, was also peeved that his arch rival in the TDP in East Godavari, the Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary has been elevated as a general secretary in the party committee.Mr. Krishna and his party associate Koneru Vivek have been in competition with Mr. Gorantla for influence in Rajahmundry and its rural hinterland. Mr. Gorantla had to fight the last election, which he won, from Rajahmundry Rural constituency as the city seat was left to the BJP, the TDP’s ally. Deputy mayor Vasireddy Rambabu, who is the TDP’s man in charge of Rajahmundry City, Mr. Krishna’s group were behind that decision to give Mr Gorantla a difficult seat.

During the last municipal elections, Mr. Krishna’s group opposed the party’s mayoral candidate initially but supported him in the last minute after a diktat from the party’s central office.

Mr. Krishna is also peeved that although he has been in the party since its inception, he has not been given any seat of importance, except the RTC zonal chairman’s post, a very long time ago.