UNI

VIJAYAWADA: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday threatened to launch a massive agitation, including fast unto death, to protest against the alleged attempts by the upper castes and officials to evict dalits from Poromboke lands assigned to them at Penamaluru, near here.

BSP district President Kamal Kumar, along with dalit leaders B Somaraju and S Vijaybabu, told a press conference here that 52 dalits were allocated 20 cents each in 1974 by the then collector K R Venugopal.

But, in the name of fast track programmes like 'Neeru Meeru' and 'Janmabhoomi', the upper caste people, in collusion with local revenue officials, were trying to evict them from the lands, they alleged.

Asserting that the dalits would not not part with their lands, their only source of livelihood, they said it had been planned to approach the court, which had earlier dismissed a petition filed by the upper caste people challenging the allotment of 'Poromboke' lands in 1974. TIRUPATI: The Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), administering the famous Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala has decided to reduce the waiting time of pilgrims at Srivari Kalyanakatta (Tonsuring Centre) to a minimum of one hour.

Disclosing this at a joint press conference, TTD Executive Officer P Krishnaiah and Joint Executive Officer P Balasubramanyam said under a work contract, Rs two per head was being charged for tonsuring.

They said it was estimated that each barber could tonsure at least 60 pilgrims in his eight hours shift. Apart from this contract, there were about 450 permanent TTD barbers in the Kalyanakatta.

The barbers who are engaged through work contract would be subjected to a medical examination, they said and added that a monitoring committee with deputy executive officers of the Annadana scheme and Kalyanakatta would be set up.