The latest news from Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh — each story links to the report it came from.
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A bakery set up near Paibata in Kuppam town of Chittoor district was gutted by fire. The blaze broke out after midnight on Monday due to an electrical circuit fault, and the material inside the bakery was completely burnt. As no one was present at the premises at the time, a major mishap was averted. The affected persons said property loss of over Rs 25 lakh had been caused.
Mango farmers in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district are using top working, a grafting method that produces new varieties on old trees. Branches are cut at four feet, and shoots collected from a mother plant are grafted on. Fruit is harvested from the second year. In a 30-year-old orchard with 50 trees an acre, 20 grafts per tree means 1,000 grafts at Rs 5 each, or Rs 5,000. Horticulture AD Dr Koteswara Rao said ten varieties can be grown on one tree.
Chittoor district has been allocated Rs 1,529.69 crore under the Rayalaseema Integrated Horticulture Development Plan. Twenty horticulture clusters will be developed across 27 mandals over three years — five in 2026-27, eight in 2027-28 and seven in 2028-29. The largest share, Rs 620.40 crore, is earmarked for micro irrigation. Cold storages, processing units and marketing facilities are also planned. Chief Minister Chandrababu and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will launch the project at Madanapalle on Friday, Gandhi Jayanti.
Intruders who entered a house in Mangapuram village under Thalambedu panchayat of Chittoor mandal past midnight on Friday sedated the pet dogs and killed domestic help Anandarao (50) by slitting his throat, BNR Pet SI Manikanteshwar Reddy said. They then set off crude bombs to smash window panes and fled. House owner Pattabhi Naidu lives in the United States. Anandarao, from Bapatla district, had worked there for 11 years. Police seized two bombs and registered a case.
Margadarsi Chit Fund MD Sailaja Kiron performed bhoomi puja and launched development works at Reddigunta pond in Chittoor city. She said the district Collector had permitted the pond's development as part of Ramoji Foundation's social service programmes, and that a compound wall, walking track and greenery would be taken up around the pond, with works completed within a year. District Collector Sumit Kumar promised full government support. MP Dagumalla Prasada Rao and MLAs Pulivarthi Nani, Murali Mohan and Gurajala Jagan Mohan attended.
