1. At least twenty nine pilgrims were killed and sixty injured in a stampede during Godavari Pushkaralu in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. The tragedy occurred when a large number of pilgrims rushed towards one of the gates at Kotagummam pushkar ghat on the banks of Godavari river to take the holy dip. Read details.2. With the sanitation strike entering its fourth day in Andhra on Monday, the temple city of Tirupati turned into a garbage yard with 150 dumper bins across the town overflowing with trash. Streets that have no dumper bins were no worse than those that do. Read The Hindu's report.3. A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court dismissed a PIL as withdrawn, which questioned the constitutional validity of Section 8 of the AP Reorganization Act. Senior counsel S Ramachandra Rao, appearing for the petitioners, pointed out that the provision which empowered the Governor as authority was contrary to various aspects of the balance of powers and elected governments. The bench said there was no public interest involved in the plea and they are inclined to dismiss it. Read a report in The New Indian Express.4. Andhra Pradesh State Pollution Control Board announced an environmental public hearing on August 12, for the National Thermal Power Corporation’s 4,000-MW power plant at Pudimadaka in the district. Keeping in view the heavy demand for power in future, NTPC is setting up the plant in Atchutapuram and Rambilli mandals. Read more.5. A fake pattadar passbook scam has reportedly spread to all parts of AP, including the new capital zone as illicit realtors and land grabbers plan to occupy valuable lands. The passbook scandal involves a printing press at Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu from where a huge number of passbooks were being printed and supplied to gangs in various parts of the neighbouring state. Read Deccan Chronicle's report.