AIDS DAMAGES HUMAN RESOURCES

The HIV rampantly damaging the valuable Human resources of the East Godavari district as the Centuries old and the part of the culture of the Godavari districts, the prostitution still continues profusely. According to unofficial sources there was around 60 thousand HIV/AIDS patients are living in the district and adding more than 8 thousand new victims every year. As the anti AIDS campaign created lot of awareness among educated youth and men, still the number of HIV carriers increasing alarmingly. According to one Doctor number of educated teens were affecting to the HIV. The Doctor anonymously told that the 4 youth, who were under 20years old, were diagnosed lost month and he revealed that they informed him, they were frequently visiting sex workers. The Doctor also disclosed that the rural youth who does not know about the HIV were affecting severely. More than 60percent of the patients were 25-45 years age group and nearly 10percent were belongs to 19-25 years age group. Clandestinely the prostitution continues extensively in the district. In many towns like Kakinada many sex workers roams on the roads, bus stand, near cinema halls and important places in broad light to attract the paramours. One Government doctor told the HIV infected prostitutes were also continuing their profession to feed themselves. During this course many teenagers were dragged into the trap, virtually a death trap. After knowing this fact the officials were decided to vigorously campaign in schools and colleges to create awareness among students. According to official sources 95percent of the HIV/AIDS were affected due to sexual relationship with the HIV carrier. Three percent were children of the effected woman and the remaining two percent were affected through the infected needles and infected blood transfusion. But the AIDS control Nodal officer M. Pavan Kumar told that the number of the new infects were slow down slightly this year comparatively previous years in the district and there were only 25,825 HIV/AIDS patients in the District. According to him there were 14,342 patients in March 2005 (9.74 percent more than the previous year), it was raised by 9.92percet to 20,884 by March 2006 and now the figure reached to the 25,825 at the rate of 9.69 percent by the end of October 2006. Pavan Kumar told that the anti retroviral drugs were supplied to the patients by the Government general Hospital here and providing CD 4 count tests free of cost to the white ration card holders. In the meanwhile the private doctors were mercilessly looting the patients. It is learnt that a Doctor collected RS.2lakh for treatment from a affluent women recently, but recently she was diagnosed as negative by the GGH doctors here.

KAKINADA SEZ

An anti Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) agitation getting momentum after the Oil and natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and its subsidiary Mangalore refinery and petrochemicals limited (MRPL) reportedly backtracked on proposed Kakinada refinery and petrochemicals limited (KRPL). The Communist party of India (Marxist- CPM) already started campaign in affected villages to extended support to the evacuate farmers to fight against the KSEZ. The Telugu Desam and one group of the ruling Congress and other organizations are contemplating to prevent the land acquisition process as the proposed main player in the KSEZ , the KRPL, which has to be established in 2500 acres of the acquiring land, was decided to came out. MLA Mootha Gopala Krishna directly criticized the land acquisition in DRC meeting held here on Sunday. The TDP, CPM, some congress leaders it is learnt, to take up stir under the pretext of that there will no need to acquire 7956.10acres notified by the government. KSEZ, leaders alleged, might be acquiring much more land against its immediate necessity and they suspect it might be resold to the other activities. As the political parties coming to support their cause the farmers are also preparing to agitate against the acquisition. In the mean while KSPL Director KV Rao replied in writing to the question raised by the Mootha in advance through the District Collector, which was disclosed in DRC “Refinery with Petro Chemical Complex is definitely one industry that will come in the SEZ”.KV Rao also informed that the KSEZ was promoted by KSPL and associates, IL&FS and associates and Government of Andhra Pradesh, ONGC and MRPL jointly. He confidently wrote that “one should not have doubts about the projects coming at Kakinada”. The KSEZ disclosed the list of companies which were “evinced” interest to establish units and its requirement of land in the extent of acres. According to information 18 companies were including KRPL – 2500acres, TCG refinery (Mauritius) company limited - 2500, Free trade ware housing zone proposed by the SDE engineers- 1000, Surya charka power corporation's 1000MW power plant – 600, Nagarjuna fertilizers and chemicals' fertilizers and chemicals plant – 500, Suzlons Energy’s wind power generation plant 350, EID Parry’s export oriented sugar plant-175, RS energy’s Bio-diesel plant -200, Asrit Agro products Biodiesel plant 200, Natural Bio-Energy’s Bio diesel plant-60, W.S. Industries’ power plant insulators production unit 50, Thermax’s Boilers chemicals unit 50, Container fright station 20, KSR agencies’ Food park 150, the remaining four companies did not specify their requirements. The 14 Companies collectively required 8355 acres. As the Government notified for 7956.10 acres, the KSEZ directly purchased the 4359.32acre of land from the farmers, by notification kept in abeyance. According to Rao’s letter the KSEZ’ objective is “To provide their facilities to the companies which only export their products and services to the foreign companies.” But the power plants, Wind mills and bio diesel plants, those evinced interest to set-up plants, can export their products to the foreign countries, Mootha questioned in DRC meeting.

MLA EXPRESSED DOUBTS IN DRC MEET ABOUT KSEZ


The Kakinada MLA Mootha Gopala Krishna questioned the necessity of the land acquisition for Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) dropped its proposal to establish oil refinery. Gopal Krishna raised some doubts against KSEZ requirements and credibility in District Review committee meeting held here on Sunday at Bennet Club. The meeting was chaired by incharge Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy. Gopala Krishna told that the KSEZ has asked the state government that it required 8350acres of land and in turn it have been allotted 5000 acres for ONGC to set up refinery and another 2800 acres for petro-chemical project and power plants. According to SEZ norms only export oriented industries shall have been established in it, he said. But how KSEZ allowed establishing producers of non-exportable products like power and petro-Chemicals, he questioned. When it was confirmed that oil refinery does not materialized and Petro-chemical projects could not be allowed in SEZs, he questioned, how the officials acquiring land for KSEZ unnecessarily from poor farmers. But Ministers Sabitha, G.Surya Rao, Jakkampudi Ram Mohana Rao and District Collector M. Subramanyam, who occupied the dais, tight-lipped on Mootha’s questions.