The principal secretary of the medical and health department has issued memos to several government hospital superintendents following unsatisfactory performance in public healthcare services. Superintendents of RIMS hospitals in Kurnool, Nandyal and Kadapa are among those who received the notices.
The action comes in the wake of feedback collected through an IVRS system by the state government to assess the quality of services being delivered to patients. The findings revealed that districts such as Kurnool, Nandyal, Kadapa, Nellore and Ongole recorded only around 70 per cent positive responses, falling short of expectations.
Expressing serious concern over the poor feedback, the health minister directed the concerned superintendents to appear before him at his office in Amaravati on Wednesday.
The issue of declining standards in government hospitals was also discussed extensively during a recent collectors’ conference. It was noted that public satisfaction levels remain low, with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reportedly directing officials to ensure that positive feedback does not fall below 80 per cent.
However, none of the hospitals in Rayalaseema districts managed to cross even the 75 per cent mark, prompting the issuance of memos.
In a related development, a memo was also served to the in-charge director of the Drugs Control Administration, Panduranga Prasad, citing poor performance of the department.
Srikakulam cops recover 518 lost mobile phones
In a major citizen service initiative, Srikakulam district police recovered and handed back 518 lost and stolen mobile phones worth nearly `1 crore to their rightful owners.
Addressing a press conference at the district police office on Tuesday, superintendent of police K.V. Maheswara Reddy said the recovery was carried out through coordinated efforts of the Cyber Crime and IT Cell using advanced technological tools and digital tracking mechanisms.
The SP handed back the recovered mobile phones to the victims and said the department had been giving top priority to protecting citizens’ mobile devices and preventing their misuse.
According to official data, since assuming charge, the district police have recovered a total of 2,200 mobile phones—622 in 2024, 1,060 in 2025, and 518 in 2026—with an estimated combined value of `3.70 crore. Police teams successfully traced devices not only within the district but also across other districts and states.
The SP urged the public to immediately report lost or stolen phones at the nearest police station and register complaints through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal to block devices and prevent misuse.
3 burglars held with `12.05-lakh haul
Markapuram district police on Tuesday arrested three persons involved in a series of house burglaries and recovered stolen gold ornaments and cash worth about ₹12.05 lakh.
The arrests were made in connection with three theft cases registered at Ardhaveedu, Peddaraveedu and Markapur Town police stations under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The accused have been identified as Dudekula Khaseem Vali alias Chinna Khaseem Vali of Peddaraveedu, Eerla Ankamaraju of Markapuram and Kandula Shadrak alias Ashok of Tarlupadu mandal.
Police said the trio broke into a house at Gannepalli village in Ardhaveedu mandal after the family had gone to Srisailam for a housewarming function, and stole about 120 grams of gold ornaments and ₹50,000 cash.
Investigations also linked the main accused to two other burglary cases in Peddaraveedu and Markapur Town limits.
Acting on the directions of Markapuram SP V. Harshavardhan Raju, special teams arrested the trio near Sri Anjaneya Swamy temple at Nagulavaram village on May 25.
2 dredging boats seized for illegal sand mining
Officials of the mines and geology, revenue and irrigation departments jointly conducted raids on sand reaches near Katheru in Rajamahendravaram Rural mandal on Tuesday and seized two dredging boats engaged in illegal sand mining activities.
District mines and geology officer D. Phani Bhushan Reddy said the boats were found upstream, about 1.5 km from Gammon Bridge and near Gandiposamma temple.
During the inquiry, the boats were identified as belonging to Karri Venkata Ratnam of Velpuru village in Tanuku mandal of West Godavari district and K. Ganga Jalam of P. Gannavaram.
The officer said the boats were seized for violating provisions of the New Sand Policy-2024. He noted that, as per Supreme Court guidelines, the use of dredging boats for sand mining is prohibited.
The seized boats were handed over to the irrigation department for further action.
Phani Bhushan Reddy warned that stringent action would be taken against illegal sand mining within a 500-metre radius of bridges.
ONUDA removes 25 illegal layouts in Prakasam district
Special inspection teams of the Ongole Urban Development Authority (ONUDA) on Tuesday identified and removed 25 unauthorised layouts spread across 101.59 acres in various parts of Prakasam district.
The inspections were carried out under the directions of Andhra Pradesh Town and Country Planning Department officials and ONUDA Vice-Chairperson Kalpana Kumari as part of a crackdown on illegal layouts.
Ten teams inspected areas in Kothapatnam, Ongole, Singarayakonda, Kanigiri, Darsi, Vetapalem and Martur mandals. Officials said the layouts were removed under provisions of the APMRUDA Act, 2016.
Kalpana Kumari cautioned the public against purchasing plots in unapproved layouts, stating that building permissions, bank loans and infrastructure facilities would not be provided for such properties.
She also warned that illegal constructions in unauthorised layouts would invite legal action under the APMR&UDA Act, 2016, and advised people to buy plots only in government-approved and APRERA-registered layouts.
The Vice-Chairperson noted that many plot owners had failed to utilise the Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS) despite the government extending the opportunity till April 23, 2026.
AP extends IPS officer’s suspension by 6 months
The state government has extended the suspension of senior IPS officer N. Sanjay by another 180 days in connection with an ongoing Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) probe into alleged financial irregularities and misuse of public funds.
According to G.O.Rt.No.1066 issued by the General Administration Department on Tuesday, the suspension will remain in force till November 22, 2026, or until further orders.
The 1996-batch IPS officer was initially suspended in December 2024 under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969. The allegations relate to his tenure as Director General of AP State Disaster Response and Fire Services and as Additional Director General of Police in AP CID.
The charges pertain to alleged irregularities in the development and maintenance of the AGNI web portal and misuse of funds sanctioned for awareness programmes under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A state-level review committee that met on May 20 noted that the ACB investigation was still in progress, with witness examination and forensic reports on electronic devices and documents still pending.
Life convict escapes from Sattenapalli open prison
A convict serving life sentence escaped from the open prison facility at Sattenapalli Sub-Jail in Palnadu district, prompting police to launch a search operation.
The prisoner, Srinivasa Rao, was serving a lifer in a murder case registered in Guntur district. He had been shifted from Nellore Central Jail to the Sattenapalli open jail around three months ago.
Officials said Srinivasa Rao, who was working at a petrol bunk under the open jail rehabilitation programme, fled from the workplace on Monday evening and failed to return.
Following a complaint by jail superintendent Venkataratnam, police intensified searches and issued alerts in nearby areas.
Police arrest former YSRC MLA Topudurthi’s brother
Anantapur Rural police arrested Topudurthi Raja Reddy, brother of former Rapthadu MLA T. Prakash Reddy of YSRC on Tuesday based on a complaint over the suspicious death of a man from the Topudurthi village one year ago.
Sources said 28-year-old T. Maheswar Reddy of Topudurthi village in Atmakur mandal had been found dead on a railway track one year ago. Malla Reddy, father of the deceased, lodged a complaint that his son had been killed by Topudurthi Raja Reddy and Topudurthi Chandrasekhar Reddy, both brothers of the former YSRC MLA.
As there had been no progress in the case, Malla Reddy made a representation to Anantapur SP P. Jagadeesh seeking proper investigation. He explained to the SP that the YSRC leaders could not tolerate that his son had met TD leader Paritala Sriram.
Malla Reddy alleged that the former YSRC legislator’s brothers threatened his son Maheswar Reddy of dire consequences. They subsequently murdered Maheswar Reddy and threw his body on the railway track one year ago, the father charged in his complaint.
Anantapur Rural police reportedly collected scientific evidence about the alleged role of former YSRC MLA’s brothers in the incident during investigation. On Tuesday, they arrested Raja Reddy along with the latter’s close aide Jaipal Reddy. Both the two have been produced before the court and sent to judicial custody.
Anantapur Rural DSP Srinivasulu said their investigations revealed that Maheshwar Reddy had committed suicide after being threatened by Raja Reddy. Police teams have collected audio and video files of Raja Reddy threatening Maheswar Reddy. The phone of Raja Reddy had been seized and sent for forensic analysis.
YSRC leaders have condemned the arrest of Raja Reddy and criticised the NDA alliance government for misusing police to meet its political ends.
CSMRS team conducts quality tests at Polavaram project
A team from the Central Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS) on Tuesday conducted technical tests at the Polavaram Irrigation Project site as part of ongoing quality assessment and monitoring works.
The team, comprising Siddharth P. Hedavu, Sri Hari T. Nair and Gaurav Pandey, carried out seven tests in the Gap-I area to assess the quality of soil, rocks and construction materials used in the project.
Officials said the tests confirmed that the materials being used met the required quality standards. Each test takes nearly seven hours to complete, reflecting the detailed nature of the assessment process.
The team will continue testing in the Gap-2 area on Wednesday.
water resources department deputy engineers Srikanth and Vijay Kumar, along with representatives of the contracting agency, were present during the inspection.
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