The Hindu | July 18, 2006 | K. Venkateshwarlu

HYDERABAD: For the motley group of poor tribal youth from the remote hilltop hamlets of Visakhapatnam district who had not even seen the port city, landing straight in Stuttgart in Germany was an “unforgettable experience”.

“It was simply out of the world. The sprawling school campuses, the huge buildings, spic and span streets and vast stretches of greenery. Meeting youth from other countries besides learning creative ways of teaching children was indeed a lifetime experience,” says Gangayamma, 19-year- old teacher of a tribal school run by Samatha in Thorada. (more…)

Araku Valley -Popularly known as Andhra Ooty is famous for its scenic beauty. Gostani River with all its beauty flows down the hills towards Visakhapatnam. Borra Caves the main tourist spot is on the banks of this river with Galikonda and Rakta konda as its peripharies. People prefer to go by train which carries them through the hills and valleys, through tunnels – a feast to the eyes of the traveler.

Now- all this is going to be a thing of the past… In the name of development this area is going to be handed over to the private companies who are waiting to dig out Bauxite which is the main raw material for the aluminum companies. This would fill their coffers with millions of rupees. They are going to mine at Galikonda and Rakta konda , after which we might not see the hills again. Gostani river will not flow and Visakha will not be able to quench its parched throat since it would dry up once the mining starts. The water reservoir near Tatipudi built on the River Gostani, which is the main source of water to Visakhapatnam, would dry up. Besides this, around 15 streams and many more lakes would disappear. The beautiful waterfall “Katika” which falls from 250ft high would lose its splendour. The life of the tribal people living in this region will be destroyed. (more…)

The Hindu | June 30 2006

Visakhapatnam, June 30 (UNI): Fifteen tribal youths from East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts have been selected to participate in the UNESCO World Youth Festival 2006, scheduled to be held from July 2 to 16 in Stuttgart in Germany.

The festival is organised as part of the on-going World Cup Soccer FIFA Football championship. (more…)

The Hindu | Staff Reporter | Andhra Pradesh | Nov 16, 2005

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Forum for Better Visakha (FBV) has asked the State Government to review its decision to go ahead with the work on beach road widening between Visakhapatnam and Bheemunipatnam.

The forum has stated that it is in favour of conducting a public hearing in the fishermen’s villages all along the beach road and a joint inspection of the proposed area by all the agencies concerned, along with representatives of fishermen’s organisations. (more…)

The Hindu | Staff Reporter | Andhra Pradesh | Oct 11, 2005

• lea for transparent policy
• Rights forum for re-convening of public hearing
• Hearing only after detailed resettlement plan, says Samata activist

VISAKHAPATNAM: An hour-long public hearing conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) on Polavaram (Indira Sagar) multi-purpose project on Monday turned into a tame affair with no major objections. “As the benefits are far-reaching, I think none has any objection to make,” District Collector Praveen Prakash declared after winding up the public hearing held at the Collectorate, amid unprecedented police bandobust. (more…)