Guntur: Girl Rescued, Land Settled, Civic Reforms Advance
From a cross-state rescue to a century-old land settlement and a string of civic policy milestones, Guntur's week was dense with developments spanning justice, environment, and everyday governance.
Minor Girl Rescued After 90 Days, Accused Held in Haryana
A 10th-class minor girl from Guntur who had been missing for ninety days was rescued and returned to her family after a cross-state investigation. The accused was traced and detained in Karnal, Haryana — far removed from Guntur — marking the end of a pursuit that had earlier brought investigators to Hyderabad. Deccan Chronicle's earlier report had placed both the girl and the accused in Hyderabad, and police continued their search northward before locating the suspect in Haryana. The case had gripped Guntur, with family members and community groups maintaining sustained pressure on law enforcement to pursue the matter beyond Andhra Pradesh's borders. Coordination between Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Haryana police was instrumental in reaching this outcome. The minor is now safe and receiving support from authorities. The rescue after three months in captivity reflects both the persistence of the investigation and the importance of inter-state cooperation on child safety cases. The accused faces applicable charges and is expected to be brought to Guntur for further proceedings. [10]
🗳️ Guntur Bans Single-Use Plastic, Allocates Rs 6.23 Crore for Drainage
Guntur Municipality imposed a complete ban on single-use plastic effective September 9, a significant step in the city's environmental governance after years of advocacy over canal and drain contamination from discarded plastic. The ban covers all forms of single-use plastic across markets, commercial establishments, and public spaces, with enforcement drives now under way. Simultaneously, the state government allocated Rs 6.23 crore for a comprehensive drainage system overhaul. MoS Pemmasani Chandrasekhar noted that Guntur's drainage currently exits through three discharge points — Peakalavagu, Mondigate, and a third outlet — with chronic monsoon flooding caused by choked and undersized infrastructure along these corridors. The allocated funds target structural upgrades to these drainage arteries. Together, the plastic ban and drainage investment signal a more assertive approach to Guntur's urban environment challenges. Civic groups welcomed both decisions as overdue. Officials stated that plastic inspections would be intensified across the city's major commercial zones in the coming weeks to ensure full compliance with the new ban. [5]
🏢 120-Year Land Dispute Resolved: 812 Families Receive Permanent Titles
A land ownership dispute dating back 120 years in Guntur district has been formally resolved, with the Andhra Pradesh government granting permanent property titles to 812 families across three villages — Vatticherukuru (515 families), Pulladigunta (206 families), and Etukuru (91 families) — all in the Prathipadu constituency. The disputed land spans 41.46 acres and had been entangled in conflicting revenue record classifications for generations. Families residing on this land had paid applicable taxes for decades without clear legal title, leaving them unable to leverage their properties for formal credit or transfers and exposed to ongoing disputes. The resolution involved a detailed review of historic revenue records and a government order to correct and clarify the classification of the affected parcels. The state's parallel push to strengthen digital land records is expected to prevent similar classification errors from recurring. For the hundreds of families involved, this settlement delivers long-sought legal certainty and the full exercise of property rights — a milestone that also reflects Andhra Pradesh's broader effort to modernise land administration and digitise records in Guntur district. [9]
🗳️ AP HC Directs Police to Act on Industrialist's Complaint Against Deputy Speaker
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed police to formally register and act on a complaint filed by a Guntur industrialist against Deputy Speaker Raghu Ramakrishna Raju. The businessman alleged interference in his commercial operations, and the complaint had not previously resulted in official law enforcement action despite being filed. The HC's directive now compels police to initiate a formal investigation with an accountable timeline. The case has drawn close attention in Guntur's business community, where there are broader concerns about the operating environment and political pressure on commercial interests in the district. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, a sitting legislator, faces formal scrutiny at the instance of a citizen complaint elevated through judicial intervention — underlining the courts' role in ensuring accountability in politically sensitive matters. The HC order represents a check on institutional inaction and is expected to set off a formal police response process. The development comes amid a wider pattern of legal confrontations in Andhra Pradesh politics in recent months. [8]
🗳️ MoS Calls for Guntur as Model Agriculture District; ICAR Opens Farmers' Hostel
Minister of State Pemmasani Chandrasekhar called for Guntur to be established as a model district for sustainable agriculture, emphasising the need to integrate modern farming practices, resource efficiency, and farmer outreach at the district level. Guntur's agricultural diversity — spanning chilli, cotton, and horticulture — makes it a natural candidate for this ambition, the MoS said, urging state and central agencies to coordinate their extension activities in the district. Separately, Dr Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension) at ICAR, virtually inaugurated a new Farmers' Hostel at KVK Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The hostel is designed to provide accommodation for farmers travelling to attend training programmes at the centre, reducing the practical barrier of distance for rural participants from across the district. KVK Guntur has been expanding its extension operations and this infrastructure addition marks a concrete step forward. Together, the MoS's call and the ICAR hostel inauguration reinforce Guntur's positioning as an agricultural knowledge hub in Andhra Pradesh, with both policy ambition and on-ground capacity pointing in the same direction. [2]
Sources: [10] Deccan Chronicle · [5] The Hindu · [9] grihik.com · [8] The Times of India · [2] News On AIR