A,E,I,O,U Kings 4 U

Andhra Pradesh CM Rajashekhar Reddy's chopper was declared untraceable after his chopper made an emergency landing in Atmakur area of Kurnool district on Wednesday afternoon. Officials said that the chopper had landed safely in a playground but the whereabouts of the CM are being kept under wraps as it is a naxalite-infested area and the Nallamalla forests-the stronghold of Maoists-are closeby.
The CM is on a three-district tour and was proceeding towards Chittor for an inauguration function when the chopper apparently went off the radar of air traffic control tower at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad. The Bell 430 chopper with call sign VTAPG lost contact with the ATC at 79 nautical miles from Begumpet and was in visual flying range.
Sources said that the Kurnool District Collector called up the ATC to say a chopper has landed on an open field near Bhanucharla village. However, there was no communication from the pilot or the officials accompanying the CM about their whereabouts. 

Two choppers have taken off from Hyderabad, four from Bengaluru and one Navy chopper from Chennai, to ascertain whether if it is the CM's chopper that has landed in the field.
Kurnool District officials said that the area where the chopper seems to have landed is Naxal-infested and thus the whereabouts of the CM are being kept a secret. Additional DGP, Law and Order, A K Khan said that the CM is safe.
State DGP S S P Yadav and Intelligence Chief Aravinda Rao and Chief Secretary Ramakanth Reddy are supervising the operations to trace the missing chopper. All police stations in Kurnool district were put on a high alert. 

Biographical Sketch
Member of Parliment
X Lok Sabha

REDDY, DR. Y.S. RAJASEKHAR              [yeduguri sandinti rajasekhara reddy]

Cong. (I) - Cuddapah (Andhra Pradesh)

---

Father's Name Shri Y.S. Raja Reddy

Date of Birth                               8th July, 1949
Place of Birth                             Vill. Jammalamadugu in Distt. Cuddapah
(Andhra Pradesh)
Marital Status                            Married on 9th February, 1972
Spouse's Name                            Smt. Vijaya Lakshmi
Children                                       One son and one daughter
Educational Qualifications      M.B.B.S.
                                                     Educated on HKE's Medical College, Gulbarga
                                                     (Karnataka)
Profession                                     Medical Practitioner and Industrialist
Permanent Address                     D.No. 8/176, Raja Reddy Street, Pulivendla
                                                     (Andhra Pradesh)
Present Address                          C-3, Multi Storeyed Flats, Baba Kharak Singh Marg,
                                                     New Delhi-110001. Tel. 3712808

HON'BLE CHIEF MINISTER OF ANDHRA PRADESH


Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly known as YSR, is an astute politician and a charismatic mass leader who has carved for himself a niche in state politics by his exemplary devotion and dedication to the uplift of the downtrodden and neglected segments of the society. Born on July 8, 1949, in Pulivendula in the backward Rayalaseema region, YSR has always struggled to secure the rights of the poor and the underprivileged.
Serving the Society:

YSR evinced keen interest in politics from his student days. After completing his MBBS, he served as Medical Officer at Jammalamadugu Mission Hospital for a brief period. In 1973, he established a 70-bed hospital named after his father at Pulivendula. His family established one polytechnic college and one-degree college, which were handed over to the well known educational Institution later. YSR’s business acumen, entrepreneurial skills, and above all his transparency brought him laurels in the arena.
Entering Political Arena:

Groomed by a family deeply involved in public service, YSR entered active politics in 1978 and contested elections, four times to enter the State Legislative Assembly and an equal number of times to enter the Lower House of Parliament.
On the side of the People:

During his 25-year long political career, YSR has served the people in various capacities, both in government as well as in the party. He was President of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) twice. During 1980-83 he was a minister holding the portfolios of Rural Development, Medical & Health and Education etc. From 1900 to 2004 he was the Leader of Opposition in the eleventh assembly of the state. During this period he forced the government to retrace several anti-people steps. YSR has been instrumental in orchestrating several mass struggles, while highlighting many issues facing peasants, weavers, dalits and women. His relentless fight for clearance of pending irrigation projects, particularly in the backward region of Rayalaseema, has earned him a special place in the hearts of millions of farmers. His unremitting struggle against certain anti-people measures that were sought-t-be introduced in the name of ‘reforms’, including frequent increases in power tariff and indiscriminate privatization of public sector units, exalted him far above the street-smart politicians.

Paadayaatra:

During mid summer of 2003, he led an unprecedented 1400Km Paadayaatra (walk) covering all backward areas in the state to understand the ground realities of living conditions of the common man.

Now, as Chief Minister, the crowning glory in his studded political career, he can proudly claim to the quintessence of a politician who, with vision focused on the coming generations as well, has earned the title of statesman. The lure of power and pelf could not divert him, when the party was briefly out of power, from his mission to hold the reins of power as a trusted lieutenant of the party and, more importantly, as a darling of the masses.

He was sworn in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on 14.05.2004.
Vision:

To see all regions of the state equally develop in all the sectors that ensure better living standards of the present and coming generations by creating infrastructure, providing employment opportunities, empowering marginalized sections and making the state IT Hub of the world and the Rice bowl of India.
Shaping up AP as IT Hotspot:

* The state government is developing Tier-2 cities as IT Clusters besides the capital Hyderabad, and creating infrastructure for the industry to spread IT industry across the state.

* It is providing connectivity through air with nine new airports, by road with thousands of Km of new roads, by sea with three new ports and urban infrastructure like MRTS and Outer Ring Road.

* The state is embarked on developing Human Resources through Institutions of Excellence like BITS, ITT, New Universities, Jawahar Knowledge Centers, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research to meet the requirement of the industry.

* Government of AP is setting up Public Schools with public-private partnership to meet the growing needs of the industry by bridging the urban-rural divide.

* Steps are taken by the government to double the power production capacity to ensure incessant supply for both industrial and domestic needs.

Water to Every Field:

* AP is concentration on providing irrigation facilities as more than 65% people of the state is dependent on agriculture.

* Only 40% of the available land is under assured irrigation now.

* State aimed to double it by spending over $20 billion on various irrigation projects on priority basis.

Health Care:

* The state government initiated multi pronged strategy for HIV/AIDS Control.

Arogya Sree- A health insurance scheme to facilitate major surgeries in heart diseases, cancer and kidney etc. for the poor through public-private partnership is already under way.

Accelerated Growth of Industry:

* IT exports registered a growth of 51% as against the national average of 36%.

* Steel production is doubled.

* Cement production is doubled.

* Paper production is doubled.

* Textiles and Garments is doubled.

* Footwear, Gems and Jewelry industries are coming up.

Biographical Sketch
Member of Parliment
X Lok Sabha

REDDY, DR. Y.S. RAJASEKHAR

Cong. (I) - Cuddapah (Andhra Pradesh)

---

Father's Name Shri Y.S. Raja Reddy

Date of Birth                               8th July, 1949
Place of Birth                             Vill. Jammalamadugu in Distt. Cuddapah
(Andhra Pradesh)
Marital Status                            Married on 9th February, 1972
Spouse's Name                            Smt. Vijaya Lakshmi
Children                                       One son and one daughter
Educational Qualifications      M.B.B.S.
                                                     Educated on HKE's Medical College, Gulbarga
                                                     (Karnataka)
Profession                                     Medical Practitioner and Industrialist
Permanent Address                     D.No. 8/176, Raja Reddy Street, Pulivendla
                                                     (Andhra Pradesh)
Present Address                          C-3, Multi Storeyed Flats, Baba Kharak Singh Marg,
                                                     New Delhi-110001. Tel. 3712808

Everyone is well aware that Bellamkonda Suresh is remaking a successful Tamil film ‘Nadodigal’ in Telugu under the banner of Sri Sai Ganesh Productions, with Raviteja playing the lead in association with Allari Naresh and Siva Balaji.

The director of the Tamil version Samudra Khani is being introduced to the Tollywood as director again. Presently the film is being shot at noted industrialist and MLA TG Venkatesh in Kurnool. Scenes involving Raviteja, Naresh, Sivabalaji and the second heroine Nayana are being picturised now.
Producer says, “We profusely thank TG Venkatesh, who allowed us to shoot our film in a huge building, which is like a fort. After shooting for 15 days in Kurnool, we are planning another 15 days shoot at Ahobilam. Later, we will take up shooting in Hyderabad and Rajahmundry.”
Raviteja says, “We are working hard to bring out the story and the film more impressively in Telugu, than the Tamil original.”
Priyamani is playing the heroine. Mukhesh Rushi, Roja, Suryateja, Ahuti Prasad, Chandramohan, Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani, Abhinaya and others are in the cast.
Dialogues are by K Surya, music is by Sundar C Babu, camera is by G Muthaiah, story, screenplay and direction are by P Samudra Khani, while Bellamkonda Padmavathi is the presenter.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy's helicopter, which was reported to be missing on its way from Karnool to Chitoor, landed safely at Kurnool. But there is no official confirmation on Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy's whereabouts.

There are conflicting reports on the Chief Minister's whereabouts. According to the CM office, the Chief Minister is safe and is travelling by road. The sources say, when they landed, there was a call from one of the security guards and he said that the CM was safe.

The reason why Reddy's whereabouts are not being disclosed is because the area is heavily forested and Naxal-infested. Therefore, for security concerns, the information was not being given out. It will take about 4-6 hours to come out of the area by road, there is also heavy rainfall in the district.

However, Home Ministry is yet not confirming whether CM Reddy has been traced or not. View Larger Map

According to CNN-IBN, Reddy was finally found at Kurnool guest house after a two-hour frantic search involving Army helicopters and security agencies. According to sources, Kurnool district officials traced Reddy and took him to the guest house, channel said.

However, the state police chief as well as local police have refused to go on record confirming CM's safe landing and whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Home Ministry is monitoring the situation closely. Army helicopters have been pressed into service. He was scheduled to land at 10.45 am at Chitoor, but his chopper went off radar due to bad weather.

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's fate appeared uncertain Wednesday night as the air force called off its aerial



Andhra CM's chopper mystery
search for his helicopter that went missing over 11 hours ago in a forest amid bad weather, with Home Minister P. Chidambaram saying: "Let us hope for the best. Let us pray for the best."

With daylight giving way to darkness in the sprawling Nallamalla forest range in and around Kurnool district, hopes of locating the Bell 430 chopper faded even as thousands of police and paramilitary personnel trekked towards an interior area over which the helicopter was spotted shortly before it lost contact with air controllers at 9.35 a.m.

A sombre Chidamabaram, overseeing the multi-faceted hunt for the helicopter, told reporters in New Delhi that the search by the Indian Air Force was called off late in the evening "because of the weather and failing light" but said the manual search for the chopper would go on "at least for a few hours" before resuming at first light.

Two air force helicopters from Secunderabad and three from Bangalore had searched for the American-made helicopter for several hours along with a private chopper from Andhra Pradesh.

After stating that forest and revenue department officials had conducted searches in Kurnool district, Chidambaram said: "We are keeping our fingers crossed. The police and paramilitary forces are moving towards that point... Perhaps they would be able to do a search for a couple of hours at least, then we will have to wait first light tomorrow.

Let us hope for the best. Let us pray for the best."

Even as rescuers combed the forest range, officials reluctantly admitted that the missing helicopter had not renewed its airworthiness certificate for two years. Experts denounced the shocking revelation.

Authorities said US satellites would be used to scan the dense Nallamalla forest. Simultaneously, a low flying aircraft of the National Remote Sensing Agency would search the missing helicopter throughout the night. The Indian Air Force said it would press Sukhoi aircraft for night operations.

President Pratibha Patil, now in Moscow, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the fate of YSR, as the chief minister is widely known. Congress president Sonia Gandhi prepared to travel to Hyderabad.

His disappearance while flying from Hyderabad to Chittoor, about 580 km away from here towards Tamil Nadu, has caused concern in the Congress where YSR is highly regarded both for his administrative acumen and political skills. He is also credited with crushing the Maoist movement in Andhra Pradesh, a long-time ultra-Left bastion.

In a sign of desperation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Ramakant Reddy urged anyone who gets to know anything to contact the police.

"So far we have not been able to get any confirmation (about the chief minister). It is possible that because of the strong winds and heavy rains, it may have landed in some unfamiliar area," Reddy said here. "If you land in an unfamiliar forested area, getting out will be very difficult."
He urged people living in the forested region to "kindly help us. If you get any signal, any reliable information, contact the nearest police station".

With no word on YSR's whereabouts and the helicopter more than 11 hours after it went missing at 9.35 a.m., thousands of emotive supporters gathered at the Congress office in Hyderabad. Scores prayed for his safety in temples, mosques and churches in the state.

At the state secretariat, crowds shouted "Long live YSR" and called him a friend of the poor. Security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowds.

Retired Air Marshal Denzil Keelor said the twin-engine helicopter would have faced hostile weather. "Visibility was very bad, there was no restriction on the height (the pilot) was flying. It is most dangerous to fly low level in bad weather."

A doctor by training, YSR is one of the most influential leaders in the Congress after leading the party again to a spectacular win in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in April-May this year.

Elected to the state assembly for the fifth time, YSR is also a four-time Lok Sabha MP and holds the record of never losing an election. He is the first Congress chief minister to rule Andhra Pradesh for five years and then retain to office.

Earlier Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Minister P. Subhash Chandra Bose said the chief minister was safe after the helicopter landed in Kurnool district, but police declined to back the minister's claim.

Eventually, the state government distanced itself from the minister's statement.

Nallamala Hills


The Nallamalas


Range






The Nallamalas near Bogada. The remains of the Dorabavi Viaduct are also seen.


Country

India


Provinces/States

Andhra Pradesh






Highest point

Bhairani Konda (Sikhareswaram)


- elevation

3,047 ft (929 m)


- coordinates

15°40′41″N 78°47′10″E / 15.67806°N 78.78611°E / 15.67806; 78.78611






Length

90 mi (144.84 km), north-south






Period

Proterozoic






The Nallamalas (lit."Black Hills") (also called the Nallamalla Range) are a section of the Eastern Ghats which stretch primarily over Kurnool, Prakasam and Kadapa districts of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. They run in a nearly north-south alignment for close to 150 km between the rivers, Krishna and Pennar. An extremely old system, the hills have been extensively weathered and eroded over the years. The average elevation today is about 520 m which reaches 929 m at Bhairani Konda and 903 m at Gundla Brahmeswara.[1]. Both of these peaks are in a north westerly direction from the town of Cumbum. There are also many other peaks above 800 m[2].




Population




The uneven terrain and the scarcity of water has prevented the growth of any large cities in this region. Cumbum is the largest town in this area and the city of Nandyal is close by. The indigenous population consists of the Chenchus, a forest dwelling tribe who have remained cut off from the modern world even today. Farming is the primary occupation of the people in the plateaus while the Chenchus are still hunter gatherers. The hills were a hotbed of Naxal activities until recently. While police action has significantly reduced the violence, Naxalites still infest the forests.


Transport



The railway curves into the Nallamalas at the Nandikamma Pass, Cumbum



A view of the Cumbum Lake

A state highway and the Vijayawada-Guntakal line of the South Central Railway pass through the hills. The railway was first built by the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway and is a feat of engineering, having 2 tunnels at Bogada and Chelama and a few viaducts, the most famous being the now abandoned Dorabavi Viaduct. The railway enters the hills at the Nandikama Pass near Cumbum Lake. The highway follows a zig zag alignment and thus avoids any tunnels. The primary exports of this region are forest produce like timber waste, honey and molasses.

missing for several hours in his choopper giving anxious moments to the state administeration.

Breaking News

Just a short while ago (3.10pm), Karnool SP B L Meena, had told The Times of India that the chief minister’s chopper had been located and a police team was going to escort him back to Hyderabad. The chopper had landed in Pamalupudu village in Karnool district, the SP said.

The CM is said to be safe, but the police is not yet declaring his exact whereabouts. This to prevent giving ideas to Naxalites on whose hit list, the chief minister is.



A massive operation involving 7 air force choppers has been launched to locate the aircraft.

The govt chopper carrying the Andhra C M took off at 8.45 AM and was scheduled to land at Chitoor at 10.40 AM. but, it soon lost radio contact and has been untraceble.

Reddy had left Hyderabad on a chopper at 8.30am for Tirupati accompanied by his secretary and chief security officer but after 9.25am radio contact was lost. This was when the chopper entered the thickly forested, Naxalite-infested Nallamalla hill range.

“We hope that he would be safe but we could not establish any contacts as the forest is dense and heavy rains are continuing in the area,” state Finance Minister K Roshaiah said.

AP CM is missing!!! IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, September 02, 2009]

In what is being seen as a rather shocking development, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Y S Rajasekhar Reddy has been missing since the past few hours. As per the latest news, special CRPF battalions and other wings of the Congress party have now begun a massive hunt for the helicopter of YS in the dense forests of Nallamala. It is also said that the forest officials have roped in the ‘Chunchu’ tribes in the local forests and they have given them BSNL sim cards, mobiles and special searchlights so that they can give details from time to time. The operation is said to be on in the night as well as two special aircrafts from Bangalore that can fly at a low range have been summoned. All are hoping that YSR is safe and his whereabouts will be known soon.

2009-09-02 16:43:24

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) Wednesday afternoon joined the search for a missing helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, pressing four choppers into service, an official said.

`We have deployed four helicopters for the rescue mission. They include two Chetaks, besides one Mi-8 and one ALH (advanced light helicopter),` an IAF spokesman here said.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Ramakant Reddy said the chief minister remains untraced after his helicopter went missing amid bad weather on Wednesday morning.

He said the government had not been in touch with the chief minister since 9.45 a.m.

`So far we have not been able to get any confirmation about the chief minister,` he said.

`It is possible that because of the strong winds and heavy rains, it may have landed in some unfamiliar area,` he said.

`If you land in an unfamiliar forest area, getting out will be very difficult,` he added.

YSR, as the chief minister is known, on Wednesday morning took off in the helicopter from Hyderabad. It went off the radar amid inclement weather.