Convert faces divorce

Hyderabad Dec. 8: Religious conversions after marriage are becoming the ground for many divorce cases in the city. A Hindu woman, for instance, has filed for divorce from her husband alleging that that he had converted to Islam so that he could marry three more women. Her petition is being heard by the Family Court in Hyderabad. In another case before the Andhra Pradesh High Court, a woman had applied for divorce saying that her husband had pretended to be a Hindu but she realised that he was a Christian after she married him. They had got married according to the Hindu Marriage Act. The man contested the case stating that his wife cannot be awarded a divorce as it was an inter-caste marriage and deserved to be governed by the Special Marriages Act and not the Hindu Marriage Act.

“All marriages solemnised under the Hindu Marriage Act stand to be judged by it at the time of resolution too, and had it been a declared inter-caste marriage, it would have been governed by the Special Marriages Act,” said Mr P. Subhash, advocate at the Andhra Pradesh High Court. According to Section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, any marriage solemnised under it may be dissolved by a decree of divorce on the ground that the other party had ceased to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion.

According to advocates, three cases of similar nature are pending at the Hyderabad Family Court and one each at the Family Court in Secunderabad and the AP High Court.
In all such cases, partners opposing the divorce argue that they should be governed by the Special Marriages Act but their claim stands nullified as they got married under a different Act.

TD pins hopes on third front

Hyderabad Dec. 8: The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, put on a brave face and said that the poll results in the five states indicated the need for a third front. In reality, the poll results have shocked the TD and other opposition parties who had misread the impact of the Mumbai terror attacks. Though rattled, Mr Naidu continued to harp on his anti-Congress theme and said it would be wiped out in the next elections.

“People did not give a clear mandate to any party,” he said. “The Congress is steeped in corruption and people rejected it. The BJP suffered for trying to play communal card. A third front would have gained in these elections.” Mr Naidu added that it would be facile to compare Rajasthan with Andhra Pradesh. “The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, is the most corrupt politician in the world,” he said.

The TD chief said the poll results indicated an anti-Congress and anti-BJP wave. When pointed out that the Congress won in Rajasthan and retained power in Delhi for the third time, the TD president ascribed the Rajasthan outcome to the Gujjar issue. He also pointed out that the BSP had done fairly well in the polls. The TD Parliamentary Party leader, Mr Yerrannaidu, echoed his leader’s sentiments and said that the poll results were against the Congress-led UPA.

“People have lost confidence in both the Congress and the BJP and a third front would emerge as an alternative,” he said. However, TD leaders said in private that voters had rejected the view that Congress alone was to be blamed for the terror attacks. “Everyone thought BJP would sweep the polls in the wake of Mumbai attack but the results are astounding,” a senior TD leader said.

Congress celebrates 3-2 winHyderabad

Dec. 8: Buoyed by the impressive show of the Congress in the polls in the northern states, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, predicted that he would win a landslide victory in the upcoming AP Assembly elections. Talking to this correspondent, a beaming Dr Reddy said that people had proved once again that the government that does good work during its tenure would be rewarded. “There was no anti-incumbency factor in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh; in fact there was a pro-incumbency factor which cannot be brushed aside,” he said. “I will again prove that if a government does good things to people, they will reciprocate it whenever opportunity comes.”“My friends Chandrababu Naidu and Chiranjeevi are day-dreaming that the Congress would lose and they will win,” he added. “I would like to tell them not to worry about the Congress. We will win hands down.” Though the Chief Minister was quite upbeat after the poll results came out, the fact remains that the Congress was resigned to the BJP sweeping the four northern states in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks. But it was pleasantly surprised by the results.

“We thought the Congress would fare badly in these elections, but people have shown their undeterred commitment to the party,” said the former PCC chief, Mr V. Hanumantha Rao.
He added that if the Congress had been defeated in the polls, things would have become more difficult for Dr Reddy in the state. As such things are looking good for the Chief Minister and this relief was evident in his reaction too. “The election results in the five states have proved beyond doubt that the Congress rule is good not only at the Centre but also for the states,” said the Chief Minister, “However, we should introspect on our failure in Madhya Pradesh.”

Meanwhile, Dr Reddy is leaving for two day trip to Delhi on Tuesday morning. He is expected to meet the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and seek approval for the Rs 7,000-crore bailout package for the state government to deal with the budget deficit for the financial year 2008-09. The Chief Minister will also meet the Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, and extend greetings on her birthday. He will be back in the state on Wednesday evening.

Misusing a political "platform"

Rjahmundry, Dec. 12: Passengers waiting to board the Gautami Express at Tadepalligudem railway station the other day were shocked to see a car being driven on to the platform. Within it was the Andhra Pradesh PCC president, Mr D. Srinivas, who had concluded his whirlwind tour of Godavari districts, and was going back to Hyderabad.

The PCC chief's schedule had apparently gone awry because the flight from Hyderabad to Rajahmundry was delayed by more than three hours. He had to rush across the East and West Godavari districts meeting party activists and attending many programmes. After winding up his programme at Bhimavaram he sped to the Tadepalligudem railway station. Party leaders said that the car had to be driven onto the platform as the PCC chief could not climb the steps because of health problems. The car was being driven by the minister for minor irrigation, Mr Maganti Venkateswara Rao.

It first entered platform No. 1 and then reached platform No. 3 by crossing the railway track in between. The PCC chief waited for more than half-an-hour in the car until the Gautami Express arrived at about 10.40 pm.

The car was parked on the platform for a long time and many Congress leaders and activists also waited nearby to see him off. Finally, the Gautami express arrived and PCC chief boarded the train and went away. Enquiries revealed that Mr Srinivas did not take prior permission from the railway authorities to drive his car onto the platform.

Railway authorities were also shocked to see the car enter the platform but they could not muster courage to force him out as he is a VVIP. "Nobody is allowed to drive a vehicle on to the platform," said a railway official. "Those who are ill can be provided with wheelchairs and stretchers."

But the PCC chief did not avail any of the facilities which were available at the railway station. Earlier, the minister for excise, Mr Jakkampudi Ramamohana Rao, had created controversy by delaying a train by a few minutes so that he could board it. Mr Srinivas’ action has evoked wide criticism since he is the president of the state unit of the ruling party and should ideally serve as a role model by showing more respect for rules

Flex boards preferred for outdoor publicity

Kakinada, Dec. 13: Gone are the days when individuals and political parties depended on banners, wall posters and pamphlets for publicity. In the techno age, flex boards have taken the place of posters and banners. Politicians, community leaders and even heads of religious organisations now prefer flex boards to old-style posters.Earlier, organisations and parties had to wait at the doors of local artists to design wall posters and banners. However, this has ended with the emergence of flex boards. It has also affected the livelihood of many local artists.

These boards are of flex sheets (thick polythene sheets), and can be readied within no time as per the liking of the advertiser. The low cost and the easy mobility have also created a craze for flex boards. Some film producers and distributors are also going for flex boards these days. For making a big banner, local artists take two days and charge Rs 10,000, whereas the flex board of the same size can be made within one hour by one person at comparatively much cheaper price.

"We used to charge Rs 4,000 for a board of the same size a year ago but because of competition, we have reduced the rate to Rs 2,000 now," said Mr V. Vasu. "This includes charges for erecting the board." Flex boards have now invaded the public space even in remote rural areas of the state.

However, the preponderance of flex boards has also become a huge public menace. Giant size flex boards at busy junctions are obstructing the view of traffic and causing accidents. Also, many local leaders have taken to erecting huge flex boards to get personal publicity since they don't cost much. This has irked fans of film stars who think that huge cut outs are a privilege reserved only to their icons.

CPM discusses seat sharing

BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Dec. 13: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary, Mr B.V. Raghavulu, said the Marxist Party would decide on its own the number of seats it will contest in the ensuing elections, even though it was a member in the TD- led alliance.The CPI(M) state committee which met here for the second day on Saturday in Hyderabad discussed the seat-sharing formula with the TD at length for the ensuing elections. According to sources, the Marxist party leaders are contemplating to ask the TD for at least 30 to 35 Assembly seats. However, this number may vary depending on the Telangana Rastra Samiti's participation in the alliance.
Mr Raghavulu spoke to mediapersons on the sidelines of the meeting. Though he agreed that the CPI(M) state committee was discussing the seat-sharing issue, he refused to divulge details. "We are identifying the potential Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies which the party can contest. As soon as we come up with a list, we will put the proposal before our alliance partners," he said.
When asked about the possible number of seats the Marxist party may demand from the TD, Mr Raghavulu replied: "It is too early to say. We contested in 80 seats earlier. Later, we fielded our candidates in 23 seats. Now-a-days we are contesting in around 20 seats." He was confident that the TRS would sail with the TD-Left alliance in the coming elections.

Parties indifferent to EC verification

BY J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad, Dec. 13: Political parties which give long speeches on the importance of "adult franchise" and always criticise the Election Commission for irregularities in electoral rolls are being indifferent to the booth-level verification of draft electoral rolls being carried out by the EC across the state.

The Central Election Commission is holding meetings at various polling booths to verify the draft electoral rolls based on the claims by the parties. It launched a two-day verification drive at around 63,000 polling booths across the state on Saturday. During this drive booth level officers are verifying the draft rolls in front of the representatives of various parties.

"We are conducting this drive to make the electoral list error free. We are taking into account the objections by representatives of the parties. Booth level officers would make the desired changes based on the veracity of the claims," the Chief Electoral Officer of the state, Mr I.V. Subba Rao, said.

According to the EC officials, even though the meetings were conducted at every polling booth across the state, the response from parties was not up to the mark. Not only the Congress but also every other political party like the TD and the BJP are reluctant to participate in this drive. The CEC has decided to give the parties another chance on December 22 and 23.

TD chief shocked as ex-MLA quits party

Hyderabad, Dec. 13: In a rude shock to the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Saturday, the former MLA from Nagari constituency, Mr N. Doraswamy Raju, resigned from the party. He accused Mr Naidu of allowing Mr G. Muddukrishnama Naidu to contest the elections after resigning from the Congress and joining the TD. He submitted his resignation when Mr Naidu had convened a meeting of party leaders to review the political situation in his native Chittoor district.

A film producer by profession, Mr Raju represented the Nagari Assembly constituency on a TD ticket in 1994. Mr Muddukrishnama Naidu, who lost his Puttur Assembly segment during delimitation of constituencies resigned from his membership in the Assembly and joined the TD after he got an assurance from Mr Naidu to accommodate him in the neighbouring Nagari segment in the coming elections.

Mr Doraswamy Raju accused Mr Naidu of hobnobbing with Mr Muddukrishnama Naidu and allowing him to interfere in the affairs of Nagari constituency. While accusing Mr Naidu he said: "You should have taken the party cadre into confidence over this issue. You should have promised him the Chandragiri segment and not Nagari. I cannot bear this humiliation."

Later Mr Raju told this newspaper: "I stopped my film business to concentrate on party affairs. Mr Naidu’s attitude is unacceptable."

Chiranjeevi kin in land row

Hyderabad, Dec. 13: The Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi's brother-in-law, Mr Allu Aravind's family, has landed in a land dispute in Narsingi on Saturday. The family lodged a complaint with the Narsingi police on Saturday alleging that around 20 persons trespassed on their land in Narsingi village and tried to put up a signboard. However, the accused, Mr Rahul Dev, a city-based advocate lodged another complaint with the Cyberabad police accusing Mr Aravind's family of trespassing on his land.

Mr Dev alleged that Mr Allu Aravind's family members abused and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not give up his land in their favour. The Narsingi police has been cautious about the issue. According to the inspector, Mr Ravi Chandan Reddy, the police received a complaint from Mr Krishna Reddy on behalf of Allu Aravind's family.

"We suggested to the parties to undertake a survey to ascertain the boundary limits," Mr Ravi Chandan Reddy told this newspaper. Mr Krishna Reddy, a close family friend of Allu Aravind said the issue is politically motivated and claimed that they were the rightful owners of the land for the past four years.

"It is to malign Chiranjeevi's name," Mr Reddy said. However Mr Rahul Dev claimed to have all the documents in his favour. According to police, Allu Aravind's family purchased 14.1 acres from one Mujtaba Khan in 2004 in the name of Allu Arjun, Allu Sirish and Vasantha Lakshmi. Rahul Dev and his bother Adresh Dev inherited 10.29 acres from their father Suresh Babu, who purchased the land from one Neelam Chukkaih in 1972. Now both the parties accuse each other of trespassing on their property.

Telugu Desam still No. 1 in hitech politics

BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Dec. 16: It was the Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, who first tried to make politics more IT-savvy through websites and online campaigns. Now even his arch rivals have picked up the cue and are trying to outdo the TD in its own game.
Parties are running colourful websites to attract voters and are also using the services of the techies to conduct campaigns in IT firms and university campuses. Of course, as an early starter, Mr Naidu still has the advantage. His party has launched a separate wing "Telugu Sanketika Nipunula Vibhagam" (Wing of Telugu technocrats) to effectively propagate its views and ideology among the elite class and techies. Besides this, the TD has also launched as many as 12 websites to muster the support of various sections of people.
The day-to-day activities of the Telugu Desam can be monitored through tdp.org. The NTR Trust is also running a web radio in this site to keep party workers abreast on the latest political happenings. Telugudesam.org is another site which more or less does the same thing.
The TD has also launched an exclusive web site, tdpmobile.com, to take up Internet campaign. Party activists and sympathisers can download ring tones, dialer tones and wallpapers from this site.

Then there is ntr.td.org which gives details about the life of the party founder N.T. Rama Rao, and cbn.td.org gives the biography of Mr Naidu. The Telugu Desam has also got an exclusive site tdpportal.com for the party's internal activities. "Our leaders have their web accounts in it and the party's routine affairs are undertaken through this," said a techie working in the NTR Trust Bhavan.

Then there is the nritdp.com and the ntrtrust.com and a separate site which details the failures of the present regime, saveandhrapradesh.com. Though megastar Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam has not launched an official website so far, close aides of Chiranjeevi and his die-hard fans are running dozens of websites in his support.

Not to be left behind, the BJP, the TRS, the Left and the Nava Telangana Party also entered the fray. But, their share is minimal. As usual, the ruling Congress stands last in using the web to further its cause.

State may go to the dogs: CM

Hyderabad, Dec. 14: While predicting a landslide victory for the Congress in the coming Assembly elections, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, said: "If the Opposition comes to power, the state will go to the dogs (kukkalu chimpina vistari)." He said this while participating in a computerisation programme in the cooperative department on Sunday.

He said that the Opposition was irresponsible and insensitive to the issues faced by the people and was only aiming to come to power, even at the cost of compromising on their principles. The Chief Minister asked the Opposition why they wanted to dislodge the Congress government and wondered if it was because the party took up unprecedented development in the state. He said that he was surprised that a party like the CPI(M) put its ideology on the back burner to work with the Opposition.

IT slowdown leads to newer offences

Hyderabad, Dec. 15: Slowdown in the IT industry is causing newer crimes to surface with a peculiar modus operandi. After fake companies duping employees the trend has now reversed.

A scamster couple, who cheated a lawyer was arrested by the Central Crime Station sleuths on Monday. The accused took huge salaries by making the complainant start an IT company and promising tie up with US-based companies. The CCS deputy commissioner of police, Mr R.S. Praveen Kumar, said: "Complaints regarding IT companies that do not exist and dupe job aspirants is increasing."

According to CCS officials, the arrested persons were identified as Kanchan Juenaja alias Nida alias Rinku and her husband Mohammed Mushtaq, residents of Kavadiguda and B. Vamshi Krishna, a resident of Sainikpuri.

Another woman involved in the case, Ayesha alias Joydunn, is absconding. Ayesha posed as the project director of Spherion Company based in the United States. She made the complainant to establish a company named Coriolis Staffing Solutions Pvt Ltd at Begumpet by making him invest Rs 40 lakh and promising to get vendorship and IT business from the Spherion Company.

The complainant rented an office premises at Begumpet for a sum of Rs 50,000 and paying Rs 3 lakhs as advance.

The accused Kanchan appointed herself as CEO of the company and claimed Rs 40,000 per month as salary. Mushtaq appointed himself as associate vice-president and claimed a salary of Rs 60,000.

The CCS DCP, Mr Praveen Kumar said: "In another case, we got complaints against a racketeer who is cheating job aspirants. The suspect advertises in newspapers giving his mobile number. When people contact him, he collects credit card information and siphons off the money from the accounts."

Congressmen stall PAC meet

Hyderabad, Dec. 15: The Public Accounts Committee was forcibly adjourned on Tuesday when several Congress members objected to the committee chairman, Mr Y. Ramakrishnudu, insisting on reopening a file pertaining to irregularities in finalising the tenders for the Yellampally Barrage.

The PAC which met on November 28 in the absence of Mr Ramakrishnudu had decided to close the file regarding audit objections raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The CAG had found fault with the overnight inclusion of Rs 391 crore more than the amount for the project. It had remarked that this was done for the benefit of contractors. And as per rules, the CAG findings are either automatically endorsed or deleted after in-depth discussion by PAC members.

Meanwhile, Mr Ramakrishnudu, had received some representations from Opposition members requesting him to re-open the file. This prompted him to convene the PAC meet on Monday.

However, when the PAC meeting began in the Assembly premises, all the Congress members objected to the move saying that the file cannot be reopened since it was discussed several times earlier and the last meeting had decided to finish the discussion as it was happy with the government’s reply on CAG’s findings.

This argument was countered by the Opposition members including Mr Ramakrishnudu, who said the rules permit reopening a file even after an issue is closed. Then, the Congress members rose from their chairs and rushed to the control room in the hall and removed mikes and power connections to prevent the Opposition members from speaking on the subject.

After that, some more Congress members rushed to the Opposition tables and removed the name plates triggering a commotion for more than half-an-hour. In the melee, Mr Ramakrishnudu adjourned the meeting to Tuesday.

Later, talking to the media, Mr Ramakrishnudu said that the file related to irregularities in Yellampally will definitely be debated again on Tuesday as he had the power to do it.

He also said committee will undertake a trip to the project area to study the issue. He condemned the behaviour of the Congress members and said he will bring it to the notice of the Speaker.

Yellampally project file to be reopened

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: Despite the controversy surrounding the reopening of the Yellampally Barriage file, the Public Action Committee has decided to reopen it. The PAC which met on Tuesday following a din created by the ruling Congress MLAs during Monday’s meeting decided to reopen the file relating to the audit objections in finalisation of excess amount of Rs 391 crore in the tender process.

Though the ruling party MLAs objected to the reopening of the file, Mr Y. Ramakrishnudu, the chairman of the committee, said that it is within his powers to reopen any file even after it has been declared closed. Mr Ramakrishnudu quoted some of the relevant rules and procedures from the Kowl and Shakder’s practice and procedure of Parliament.

After hearing the rules from the chairman, the Congress MLAs decided to cooperate with the proceedings of the committee. It was also decided during the meeting that the committee visit the Yellampally Barriage site on January 3, 2009, and then finalise its findings.

The Congress members who were present during the meeting said that they will demand a voting structure in the committee, whenever the recommendation part of proceedings will be raised during the meeting, as the Congress has a majority in the committee.

Naidu: YSR wealth illegal

Hyderabad, Dec. 15: The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, said his party would probe the illegal assets amassed by the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, since 2004 and distribute the same among the people.

He also alleged that the Chief Minister did not condemn the dastardly acid attack on two girls in Warangal and his government reacted only after he visited the hospital where the girls were undergoing treatment.

Taking strong exception to Dr Rajasekhar Reddy’s statement that the state would go to the dogs if the Opposition came to power, he warned the people that if the Congress returns to power, the Chief Minister would behave like a dictator and there would be anarchy in the state.

The TD, he said, would constitute a special court and also bring in new law to probe the assets of the Chief Minister if it returned to power. "People will defeat the arrogant Chief Minister. If he is voted to power again there will be no democracy. He will unleash a reign of terror," Mr Naidu said.

Touching upon almost every issue during his hour long address, Mr Naidu went wild at the charges levelled against the Opposition by the Chief Minister. He alleged that the law and order in the state had deteriorated during the Congress rule.

Mr Naidu alleged that the Chief Minister made a fortune from kickbacks given by contractors for the irrigation projects. "AP is the most corrupt state under Dr Rajasekhar Reddy’s rule and the irrigation projects are monument to corruption," he charged.

Mr Naidu alleged that the Chief Minister had turned the Jalayagnam scheme into "Dhanayagnam". "Contractors quoted 20 per cent excess and paid huge kickbacks to the rulers," he added.

"The morale of the police is at its lowest ebb. IPS officers are transferred frequently and are treated as servants. Efficient officers have been shunted. The ministers visited the acid attack victims only after I visited them. It shows how lethargic they are," he added.

Desam caught napping

Hyderabad, Dec. 15: The irrigation minister, Mr Ponnala Laxmaiah, on Monday caught the Telugu Desam napping when he pointed out that the total expenditure on the irrigation sector in the current financial year was only Rs 6,500 crore whereas the TD had alleged that an amount of Rs 10,000 crore had already changed hands.

"How can that be possible?" questioned the minister. He strongly objected to the ‘irresponsible’ criticism levelled by the TD. Speaking to mediapersons at the Secretariat, the minister said increase of area under irrigation from 12 lakh acres to 16.5 lakh acres in Pranahita-Chevella lift project and inclusion of Hyderabad water supply scheme had resulted in escalation of the project cost. "The Opposition party levelled allegations without going into the details. It seems they have some problems in thinking properly," the minister said.

He challenged the TD to clarify its stand on irrigation projects and wanted to know whether they wanted to continue with the construction of the projects. "The man who ruled for nine long years gave 10 per cent mobilisation advance to contractors. He is now objecting when the Congress limited this amount to five per cent. He should be ashamed of his behaviour," Mr Ponnala said while referring to Mr Chandrababu Naidu.

Taking strong exception to the allegations made by the TD leader, Mr K. Yerrannaidu, that the Chief Minister is collecting Rs 2 crore per hour, Mr Ponnala asked the TD leader to come out with proof or extend an apology. "Like demons who spoiled yagas, the TD leaders is trying to scuttle the Jalayagnam. But they will not succeed," the minister said.

CM’s drubbing leaves babus bewildered

Hyderabad, Dec. 15: Our politicians never miss an opportunity to curry favour with the electorate, especially when elections are around the corner. They have many tricks up their sleeves to gain applause from the populace. One of them is to pull up officials in public.

Two top IAS officials, heading two important public utilities in the city, found themselves in an embarrassing spot the other day at a public meeting. In this case, it was none other than the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, who wielded the stick on them.

The Chief Minister, upset by the delay in the completion of Musi Pollution Abatement Project, pulled up the GHMC commissioner, Mr S.P. Singh, and ordered that he should complete the project by March-end. Much to the amusement of the crowd, Dr Reddy warned the senior official of stringent action if he failed to keep the word and also said (half-jokingly) that the latter would face a cut in his salary. The other official to face the Chief Minister’s public ire was Mr Ashok Kumar of the Water Board.

Dr Reddy ordered that he should bring drinking water to municipalities surrounding the city by September 2009. The Chief Minister got both the officials to commit in public that they would stick to their word and then coolly and majestically walked away leaving the bewildered babus with their jaws open.

Obviously, the Chief Minister is also aware that the drinking water project cannot be implemented easily. Unlike in the core city, not even 50 per cent of the area in 10 of the 12 surrounding municipalities has water lines. What’s more, several lakh houses do not have even water connection.

The Musi project too has been pending for the last four years, mostly because of problems related to the removal of encroachments on the lake-bed and their subsequent rehabilitation. People who have encroached the lake-bed are not willing to shift to other places. It is to be seen how the officials tackle these knotty issues within the deadline given to them.

AP lags behind in villages

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: Around 85 per cent of the rural population in the state still defecates in the open despite efforts made to end the practice through the total sanitation campaign. Though 58 per cent of the the rural areas have toilets, their use is only around 30 per cent. The Union government had instituted the Nirmal Gram Puraskar awards for gram panchayats achieving 100 per cent sanitation.

Of the total 21,895 gram panchayats, only 813 have met NGP guidelines. None of the districts has achieved 100 per cent sanitation. On par with the NGP awards, the state government also instituted the Shubram awards from 2007-08 for the cleanest gram panchayat, mandal and district.

In all, 285 gram panchayats in the state received the awards this year from the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The rural water supply minister, Mr P. Venkateswara Rao, said that the results were far from satisfactory since given the fact that eight years had passed since the total sanitation campaign had been started out. A study revealed that rural folk had many prejudices against using toilets.

"Around 30 per cent of the people feared that it would fill up, 17 per cent said there was no water supply, 13 per cent hated the smell and eight per cent felt the toilets were inconvenient," said Mr Mritunjay Sahu, principal secretary (rural water supply and sanitation).

Citizens blue over helpline

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: The helpline number of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation “155304” has failed to solve the grievances of citizens. More than 4,000 complaints lodged during the past nine months are still pending with the call centre. The helpline was launched by the corporation in August, 2007. It promised to attend to civic-related complaints as early as possible. A year after the launch, citizens rue that the facility is not helpful.

“I lodged a complaint against an illegal construction in April this year. However, no action has been taken till date. The owner has extended the construction even in the set back area blocking our ventilation. Despite several calls to the helpline, no help has been rendered,”said Ms Nasreen from Yakutpura in the old city told this correspondent.

There are people who registered their complaints on the website of the GHMC www.ghmc.gov.in. However, a majority of the grievances have remained unsolved. The list of pendency pertaining to complaints lodged with the helpline and online grievances are increasing.

For example, as many as 215 complaints lodged in April are still pending. Likewise, 281 complaints in May, 317 in June, 429 in July, 764 in August, 667 in September, 556 in October, 522 in November and 433 in December are still pending with the GHMC. The GHMC officials in their defence said, “Why do you look only at the pending complaints. We have attended solved 4,000 complaints. In all, over 8,000 grievances were registered,” they said.

In fact, the number of complaints being lodged could have been five to six times more, if sufficient publicity had been created about the helpline number. Though 8,000 complaints were lodged since April, many citizens are not even aware that a helpline exists in the GHMC.

“In other metros, nearly 1,000 complaints are registered daily with the helpline centres. The number of registrations here is quite low. Another reason for this is that the GHMC helpline number is accessible only through BSNL phones,” admitted a senior official. Officials hope that the helpline would become one of the efficient facilities run by any corporation in the country.

AIDS quack in cop net

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: The South zone task force police on Tuesday arrested a quack who claimed to be an expert in curing AIDS. According to Mr A.S.C. Wesley, DCP (task force), the quack, Mohammad Nazir alias Hakeem Mohammad Nazeer Inqalabi, a self-styled doctor from Delhi, had been a running a hospital at Salala in Barkas for the past one-and-half month. The accused studied only up to SSC and worked with his father who is a Unani doctor.

“Nazir came to Hyderabad in 2005 and stayed at Malakpet for one-and-half years. He then opened a hospital World AIDS Organisation and treated HIV patients. He later shifted to Salala and opened another hospital Kauser Cancer Hospital and claimed to be an expert in treating HIV, cancer and TB,” the DCP said. He had also set up CCTV cameras in the ward to monitor HIV patients from his bedroom. According to the police, he charged huge amounts from patients for treatment. A case has been registered in this connection.

‘Future threat is cyber terror’

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: Cyber security expert Mr Ankit Fadia has asked all the governments across the world to take necessary and immediate steps to tackle cyber terrorism. He said cyber terrorism is posing serious threats across the world. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr Fadia said cyber terrorism will be the biggest threat to the world in the near future.

“Terrorism is the most common word in the world today. But we are ignorant about cyber terrorism. We are conveniently ignoring the fact that a single computer intrusion can cause losses worth million of dollars, Mr Fadia said. He added that there has been a ten-fold increase in cyber crimes in the last five years. Criminals are hacking into wi-fi systems of individuals to send terror mails ahead of the Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi blasts.
Mr Fadia suggested that there should be an international body to act against the cyber terrorism.

“All nations must come together to institute an expert body to counter cyber crimes. But China has a different ideological position on cyber terrorism. China and India as largest internet-using nations and both the countries should be part of any international body to counter cyber terrorism,” Mr Fadia said. He has been offering short-term diploma and one-year diploma in ethical computer hacking. The 23-year-old expressed joy over his nomination as “MTV Youth Icon 2008 Award” winner

Encounter has YSR mark: Babu

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Tuesday said the killing of the three youngsters involved in the acid attack on two engineering girls from Warangal has the typical "YSR mark".

"It holds a mirror to the mind and philosophy of the Chief Minister who sees no other way to ensure law and order in the state," he said. Mr Naidu was speaking to professionals who had joined the party. Mr Naidu said that during the nine-year TD rule, the law and order situation in the state had significantly improved.

Mr Naidu accused the YSR government of squandering the state resources through corruption and maladministration. He criticised the Congress for its conduct at the PAC meetings during the discussion on the cost escalation of Yellampally project and said that they did so only to cover up the corruption of the state government.

Violation of rules found

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: A government audit team has detected gross violation of bio-medical waste (BMW) rules during a joint inspection of hospitals across the state. The violations include lack of segregation of waste at source in many hospitals, waste collecting covers hardly used, bio-medical waste being directly thrown into bins and no colour coding system followed.

It was also detected that puncture proof containers with one per cent hypo-chloride solution were not used for disposing of needles and sharp instruments. In addition, empty IVF bottles were being returned to the central store of the hospital for replacement leading to the risk of illegal recycling with hazardous consequences.

Needle burners were not kept and shredding or mutilation of syringes and needles were not being carried. Besides, needles were directly thrown into bins thus mixing it with bio-medical waste. Registers indicating the quantity of bio-medical waste generated were not being maintained and the BMW management colour code chart for disposing of waste was not pasted in the wards of some hospitals, the team found.

The Comptroller and Auditor General report, 2008 while indicating the violation of BMW management rules states that the APPCB on its part has failed to penalise the errant hospitals. Of the 76 private and government hospitals under the Health Care Establishments (HCEs) in the state which failed to tie up with the common waste treatment operator facility, 32 are in Hyderabad.

T’wood glitz devours vulnerable divas

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: Beneath the outward glitz and glamour, the lives of many Tollywood actresses have been punctuated by tears and tragedy. Those with grit and determination find the strength to go on while the vulnerable have often fallen prey to the demons unleashed by fame and fortune.

Their names are legion —Divya Bharati, Silk Smita and Pratyusha in recent times — and all of them found refuge in death. On Tuesday, another name was added to the sorry list —Bhargavi. The budding actress was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend Praveen Kumar, who then committed suicide.

"Most of the actresses enter films at a tender age and they are unable to adjust to the realities of the industry," said Dr C. Veerender, a noted psychologist. "Even relatives and close friends cannot understand the conflict in the minds of these actresses who have to grapple with the culture of tinsel world."

Divya Bharati, who started her career at 16 in a Telugu film Bobbili Raja (1990), went on to become a star in Bollywood too. She then married Sajid Nadiadwala, a Hindi film producer.

The actress slipped and fell from the window-sill of her husband’s fifth floor flat in Mumbai early on the morning of April 5, 1993. Many believed she was murdered because she knew too much about the Mumbai underworld.

Silk Smitha, who performed in more than 200 films, took her own life after personal tragedies and financial troubles proved to be too much.

But for most film lovers, Bhargavi’s tragic end has brought back memories of another Telugu actress, S. Pratyusha, who died in an uncannily similar manner in Hyderabad on February 24, 2002.

Like Bhargavi, Pratyusha was also killed by her boyfriend Siddharth Reddy who later consumed poison. However, he survived and was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.

Like Bhargavi, Pratyusha too had become popular in a short span of time. Both were fluent in Telugu and directors liked them for their "native" looks. Both had entered the film industry after a stint in television.

"Bhargavi’s death is unfortunate," said veteran actress Jayasudha. "Like Pratyusha, she was also very talented," she added.

Ms P. Sarojini Devi, Pratyusha’s mother, also said Bhargavi’s tragedy reminded her of her daughter. "When girls get fame and popularity and become busy, the boys they love mistake it for pride and take extreme steps," she said.

Parents in great shock

untur, Dec. 16: Actor Bhargavi’s parents — Mr Rajendra Prasad and Ms Bhanumathi — were shocked to hear the news of their daughter’s death on television. In fact, Bhargavi’s mother fainted soon after hearing the news. The parents have been living in Gorantla village near Guntur while Bhargavi had relocated to Hyderabad more than two years ago. Mediapersons rushed to her parents’ residence soon after the news of Bhargavi’s death broke out.

Bhargavi was a student of Stalls Girls High School in Guntur. She studied for Intermediate at a local college. Right from her school days, Bhargavi was fond of dancing and anchoring shows. To that extent, she also developed her skills to become an actress. She used to perform in school and college. She later shifted to Hyderabad. It was the movie Ashtachamma which made her famous. Her father said that Bhargavi had come to Guntur four days ago to attend a private programme. He also said that she had a quarrel with Pravin Kumar.

Killer had talked of murder

Nellore, Dec. 16: Bhargavi’s lover, 39-year-old Praveen Kumar alias Bujji, it is believed, hinted about his intention to murder the actress to close friends who did not take him seriously. They thought he was only voicing his frustration.

Friends said, Bujji had told Bhargavi to quit films after her parents started imposing restrictions on his visits to their house. According to them, Bujji had married the actress about two years ago. At that time, she was working in his Saibaba Orchestra in Nellore as an anchor.

Incidentally, Bujji was instrumental in giving a break to the actress in movies. He was responsible for her roles in Lady Bachelors, Subbu and Narasimha Naidu. She had also acted in Bangaram and Chetabadi apart from Ashtachamma.

"Bujji had very good contacts in the film industry. He knew several popular singers and music directors. He used these contacts to get Bhargavi roles. Bhargavi’s parents wanted to end their relationship as their daughter had started earning good money," one of Bujji’s friend said.

Bujji has a daughter from his first marriage with Dolly, the daughter of a retired DSP of Guntur. The marriage ran into trouble because of his extramarital affair with one Swapna Reddy, a singer in his troupe.

He then married Swapna and built a house for her in Nellore. He had another daughter from Swapna. However, even Swapna distanced herself from Bujji after she came to know of his affair with Bhargavi.

Passion murders on the rise in AP

Hyderabad, Dec. 16: Murders of young women by insecure and jealous lovers and husbands are on the rise in the state. Extra-marital affairs and sexual jealousy are the motives for many murders but nowadays, the insecurity caused by the career growth of women are also provoking lovers to kill them.

There has also been an increase in the number of men killing their wives or girlfriends and later committing suicide. Apart from dowry harassment related killings, at least 720 women are murdered in the state every year.

According to State Crime Records Bureau, around 641 suspicious deaths as well as suicide attempts of women occur every year. Most of them happen within seven years of marriage."Several such incidents have occurred in Madhapur and Rajendranagar areas where the women were earning more than their husbands or live-in partners," said an official of Cyberabad police. "In the IT sector, women are earning really well."

On February 9, 2007, TV news reader and anchor B. Lakshmi Sujatha was killed by her boyfriend Chandrashekar alias Chandu. The incident was similar to the death of Bhargavi. "In Vijayawada too a TV news reader was murdered in similar way," said Mr Umapathy, inspector-general of the CID (Women Protection Cell). "Career growth of women makes male partners jealous."

"When the woman gets recognition, new people come to their lives," said a senior police officer of DIG rank. "Their old acquaintances become burden to them. As they move up the ladder, the old male partner becomes restless and sometimes resorts to extreme steps." Murders of women are reported mostly from Guntur, Mahbubnagar, Hyderabad and Cyberabad. There are also instances where petty quarrels lead to sudden provocation and killings.

Hair dyes stain Lord’s coffers

Tirupati, Dec. 15: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) that administers the famous temple of Lord Venkateswara is facing a bit of hair trouble. The temple has an annual income of Rs 700 crore and of this, around Rs 150 crore comes through the sale of hair which is "sacrificed" by pilgrims through ritualistic tonsure.

However, of late, there has been a drastic fall in the sale of "white hair" (another name for grey hair) which is much in demand. Though the income from hair sales is expected to double next year, the TTD officials are still worried.

"There is no grey hair nowadays because of the use of hair dyes and trendy hair sprays," said a senior official. "This has brought about reduction in quality and has lowered sales." he said. Around one crore pilgrims tonsure their heads in the temple every year and revenue through its sales has increased manifold in the last one decade.

For instance, the revenue was just Rs 6.88 crore in 1998-99 and it has increased to Rs 150 crore. This is also an indication of the massive increase in pilgrim influx to Tirumala. According to the TTD marketing officer, Mr Munirathnam Reddy, hair had been classified into five varieties.

The first variety is called Remi or Black Gold, which is more than 16 inches long. The second variety is 10-15 inch long. While the third variety is between 5-10 inches, the fourth category called "Thukku" is short hair which is used to make toys. Though officials refused to divulge the rates at which they are sold, it is learnt that the first variety fetches around Rs 11,000 per kg, the second variety Rs 5,000 per kg and the third variety Rs 3,800 per kg. The fourth variety costs Rs 50 to Rs 75 per kg.

The most coveted variety is grey hair. It usually fetches Rs 10,500 per kg. There is much demand for grey hair in the global market where it is used to prepare special wigs.However, in 2007-2008, the TTD had to be satisfied by auctioning only 625 kg of grey hair at just Rs 7,100 per kg.

"Bidders are not ready to quote higher prices since use of hair dyes has affected the quality of grey hair," said a senior Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams official, who works at the Kalyana Katta Complex in Tirumala. Foreign firms also procure grey hair from their own saloons but in limited quantities. It has good market in Italy, Germany and Southeast Asian countries. There have also been complaints that the careless handling of hair at Tirumala had affected its quality.

"Pilgrims offer their hair to the Lord because of their faith," said an official. "We cannot ask them not to use hair dyes. But we can appeal and at least a section of pilgrims would respond to us."

Tonsure facilities improve

Tirupati, Dec. 15: The TTD is sprucing up tonsure facilities to meet the needs of the increasing number of pilgrims arriving at the temple for the ritual. In earlier days, there was just a Kalyana Katta (tonsuring centre) with barbers as Mirasidars. Now, there are two Kalyana Kattas and tonsure is also performed at the three pilgrim amenities complexes as well as the ANC cottage. Besides, the TTD barbers are also pressed into service at all the guest houses to perform tonsure on the pilgrims.

The deputy executive officer, Mr K. Bhaskar Reddy, who is in charge of the tonsure centres, told Deccan Chronicle that 750 barbers, including 70 women barbers, perform duties in shifts round the clock. "As and when required, we also bring private barbers," he said. On an average 30,000 male pilgrims and 10,000 female devotees offer hair to the Lord daily.

Grade I and II hair and grey hair would be preserved in the specially created godowns at the Kalyana Katta and the remaining varieties would be sent to a Tirupati godown. Based on grades, the hair would be auctioned annually by calling for open bidding. Companies who regularly take part in the tenders are from Chennai, Bengaluru and Eluru (in Andhra Pradesh). The TTD is planning to initiate global tenders from the next financial year in view of the growing demand for human hair. This will help it to double the revenue.

Devotees only paying off debt

Tirupati, Dec. 15: Pilgrims offering their hair to the deity as a token of devotion has been a common ritual in Hinduism for centuries. Available records show that the tonsure at Tirumala dates back to the 9th century AD.

There are several legends attached to the ritual. One legend says that it originated in connection with the wedding of Lord Venkateswara with princess Padmavathi (the daughter of King Akasaraju). The story goes that the Lord was in dire need of money for the marriage expenses. So he approached Kubera, the god of wealth.

Kubera agreed to provide a loan but wanted to know how the Lord would repay it. Lord Venkateswara then said that he would incarnate on the Seshashaila (the mountain on which the temple stands now in Tirumala) and devotees coming there to have darshan during Kali yuga would offer him gold and money and he would use this to repay the loan. However, Kubera wanted more.

The Lord then said that the devotees would also offer their hair and this could be used to pay back the interest of the loan. Another legend says that there was a bald spot on Lord Venkateswara’s head and devotees were offering their hair to fill it. A widespread belief among the Maharashtrians is that the Lord himself asked his devotees to offer their hair to him by tonsure. According to them, the directive, "Bal Lao Ji" later changed into Balaji.

TD plays musical chairs with new entry

BY J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad, Dec. 14: The former Congress MLA, Mr Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu’s entry into the Telugu Desam is causing more problems to the party president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu. Mr Muddukrishnama Naidu’s re-entry into the TD has pushed Ms Roja, the TD Mahila president, and Mr Naidu’s brother, Mr Ramamurthy Naidu, to fight for the Chandragiri Assembly constituency. Mr Muddukrishnama Naidu crossed over to the TD as the Puttur Assembly constituency ceased to exist in the delimitation of constituencies. According to party sources, the TD chief had promised Mr Muddukrishnama Naidu the Nagiri constituency in the ensuing elections.

However, Ms Roja and the former MLA, Mr N. Doraswamy Raju, were aspiring for this seat. Mr Doraswamy Raju resigned from the TD on Saturday in protest against the TD chief’s reported promise to Mr Muddukrishnama Naidu. Meanwhile, Ms Roja has shifted her focus to Chandragiri where Mr Ramamurthy Naidu is planning to contest from.

Apart from this, after the delimitation, Ms Roja’s native mandal Chinnakattigallu was transferred from Nagiri to Chandragiri segment. This is another reason for her to set her sights on Chandragiri. In the wake of delimitation, apart from the geographical area of Chandragiri, the population ratio has changed in favour of the Reddys.

They have now emerged as the dominant caste over Kammas. It may be recalled here that Ms Roja is from the Reddy community whereas Mr Naidu is a Kamma. According to the party sources, Kamma leaders in the constituency are backing Mr Ramamurthy Naidu’s candidature, whereas Reddy leaders are supporting Ms Roja. This has led to a catch-22 situation for the Telugu Desam president. When asked about on going war between Ms Roja and the TD president’s brother, the TD Parliamentary party leader, Mr K. Yerrannaidu, dismissed any differences.

Tollywood in crisis as producers fight

Hyderabad, Dec. 14: The row between low-budget filmmakers and big producers like Mr Allu Arvind, Mr Suresh Babu, Mr Dasari Narayana Rao, and Mr Dil Raju is pushing Tollywood into a deep crisis. The low-budget film makers are alleging that monopoly of the four influential producers over 700 of the 2,000 theatres in the state is ruining the industry.

The low-budget filmmakers like Mr Vijaychander, Mr R. Narayana Murthy and Mr Chadalavada Srinivasa Rao, alleged that the Big Four had introduced the rental system in place of the percentage system after taking the theatres on lease.

Under the rental system, the producers have to pay a monthly rent of Rs 2 lakh as against the percentage system.

Earlier, the monthly rent was betwen Rs 35,000 and Rs 50,000 a month on average. This hike has dealt a big blow to low-budget filmmakers. The Producers’ Council has demanded implementing the percentage system, which ensures reasonable returns to low-budget film producers. They alleged that the lobby of major producers was not allowing screening of films of others by increasing the rents.

"There is no guarantee that we will get even 10 per cent of the total investment made on a film. We request representatives of the Film Chamber of Commerce and others to introduce percentage system," said Mr Vijay Chander. "Otherwise we have to stop making films completely." He was participating in an agitation. along with the other low-budget producers on Sunday.

The influential producers are tight-lipped over the controversy. According to sources, they argued that small-time producers can exhibit films in theatres which are not under the lease system. The low budget producers said these theatres are dilapidated.

The Movie Artistes’ Association has extended support to Producers’ Council. "The percentage system is good for the industry," said Mr Murali Mohan, president of MAA. "So, we decided to support the small time producers." "We hope that the problem would be resolved," said Mr M. Vijeyender Reddy, secretary of the AP Film Chamber of Commerce.

No takers for B.Ed courses

Hyderabad, Dec. 14: Several B.Ed colleges are facing closure due to poor enrolment. Neither the mega recruitment of the District Selection Committee nor the relaxation of norms for admissions, have succeeded in attracting the students to take up the B.Ed course.

More than 10,000 seats in over 550 B.Ed colleges in the convener’s quota are vacant, not to mention the management seats for which there are no takers. A dozen B.Ed colleges in the city and its suburbs have been put for sale.

Keeping in view the plight of the colleges, the government has exempted students from appearing for Edcet entrance examination, which is mandatory for admission into B.Ed. The government had issued four GOs on December 12, allowing 20 colleges to accept students irrespective of whether or not they had appeared for the Edcet.

Though the situation is better in the Osmania University region, colleges under the Andhra and Sri Venkateshwara universities are reeling from the crisis. "We expected good res-ponse from the students this year following the announcement of the DSC to fill up over 54,000 posts," said Mr K. Shamsunder Rao, principal, S.V.R. B.Ed college. "Moreover, the IT and ITES sectors, which attract most of the candidates, have been going through a lean patch. None of these worked for us."

"Colleges located in major cities are also facing crisis. Colleges in the rural areas are the worst hit and are set for closure," said Mr G. Kripakar, correspondent of a city-based college.

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: Legal experts feel that any more delay in hanging Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru or changing his death penalty to life term

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: Legal experts feel that any more delay in hanging Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru or changing his death penalty to life term would send out wrong signals to the world.

The Supreme Court had pronounced death sentence on Afzal. However, the decision to execute him has been pending for three years because of a major political row. Afzal has been lodged in Tihar jail since September, 2005, after the SC dismissed petitions seeking review of its judgment.

The execution was scheduled for October 20, 2006, but his family filed a clemency plea with then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and he referred it to Union home ministry. The home ministry sought the opinion of Delhi government as the crime occurred there. But the Sheila Dikshit government is yet to take a decision. "Any more delay would cause problems," said Mr Madabhushi Sridhar, a professor at Nalsar.

"If the terrorists who attacked Mumbai demanded the release of Afzal, what would the government have done? These issues cannot be kept pending for a long time." "This case is not fit for clemency," said the former advocate-general, Mr S. Ramachandra Rao. "Terrorists who attack the country may feel that nothing will happen to them even if they are caught."

Lessons not learnt from Parliament attack

The Big Story

Despite successive governments promising to deal with terrorism firmly, India continues to be an easy target for terror outfits. Seven years after Indian Parliament was attacked on December 13, 2001, the counter-terror measures have not improved much.

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: Seven years ago, on this day, the Indian Parliament was attacked by a group of terrorists. On December 17, 2001, after a heated discussion in the Lok Sabha, the then home minister, Mr L.K. Advani, had dramatically declared that the fight against terrorism had entered a decisive phase.

But seven years down the line, India is still being bled by terrorists. Homegrown terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) as well as operatives from Pakistan and Bangladesh are carrying out strikes again and again.

And, as the Mumbai incidents proved, terrorists are also creeping into the country’s shores from the sea to carry out brazen attacks.

The Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) involved in the Parliament attack and Mumbai attacks are still thriving.

And creating a sense of déjà vu, Parliament has once more debated the menace of terrorism and has vowed to end it. In an unprecedented manner, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, apologised to the nation for failing to protect it.

But experts say that if the leaders want to move beyond rhetoric and keep their promise, they have to start doing the essential spadework.

For one, they have to totally revamp the intelligence system in the country. Terrorists continue to strike at the great symbols of India. After Parliament was attacked, they targeted the Indian Institute of Science and then they hit the 400-year-old Macca Masjid in Hyderabad.

In several of these cases, "actionable" intelligence was not available. In Mumbai, the sleuths had intelligence, but did not act on it. There are severe lacunae in the whole intelligence network.

"Every day intelligence officials send alarming reports and they are taken as routine affair," said Dr S. Subramanian, former director-general of the National Security Guards (NSG) and founder of the Special Protection Group (SPG). "There is no accountability."

The Border Security Force, Director General, Mr M.L. Kumawat, who also served as Union home secretary, said there was urgent need to upgrade and augment the intelligence network.

"We have busted at least 182 terror modules this year," he said. "But we should have busted more. For this, the intelligence network should become more modern."

Experts feel that even after the Mumbai blasts, there is no concerted attempt to enquire into the deficiencies of intelligence gathering.

"Removal of ministers was the easiest part of the post- mortem," said Mr B. Raman, former additional secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). "But there seems to be an attempt to avoid a detailed study of the deficiencies in our intelligence and counter-terrorism apparatus. Public pressure should be kept up on the government to hold such an inquiry."

One major flaw has been the lack of coordination among the various intelligence agencies and the absence of mechanisms to share information.

"After 9/11, we have been holding joint counter-terrorism exercises with agencies of many countries," said Mr Raman. "But there is no coordination between various agencies within the country."

"The responsibility of an intelligence officer does not stop with his sending a memo or a note; there should be follow-up action," said the South Asian Analysis group director, Dr S. Chandrashekaran.

The next most important aspect is real-time physical security.

"Terrorists can strike anywhere. They should be denied opportunities to cause damage," said Dr Subramanian.

It is commonplace to say that suicide attacks cannot be prevented since the perpetrator is not afraid to die. But experts disagree. They say that strong preventive measures as adopted by Israel can deter suicide attacks too. "Israel is surrounded by 13 enemy countries but it is still surviving," said a senior police officer. "The modus operandi of suicide attacks in the sub-continent is also similar. They can be nipped in the preparatory stage."

The role of "non-state players" is also important. For instance, fishermen in Mumbai informed the police about the landing of a suspicious group, but the cops did not act on it. Similarly, hotels and lodges can inform the police about suspicious characters.

"The preparedness of police and security agencies must be on a war scale as the terrorists are waging a war against the country," said Mr Kamal Kumar, former director of the SVP National Police Academy.

Further, there is urgent need to improve security along the border as well as the coast.

The Indo-Nepal border is also porous and the ISI is sending in operators via Kathmandu.

After securing the fortress, India should launch a major diplomatic initiative to prevent Pakistan and Bangladesh from allowing terror groups to flourish.

"We have to stop the flow of funds and weapons to terror groups," said an officer of the counter intelligence cell of the AP Police.

Many states including AP have decided to set up special units to fight terrorists after the Mumbai attacks. "There is also an urgent need for a new Central agency," said retired director-general (security), Mr R. Swaminathan.

And experts say in one voice that the terrorists who are arrested should be given exemplary punishment. "The law should be a deterrent and we should make it certain that the perpetrators are punished," said Dr Subramanian. "In many cases, they are acquitted. In others, the trial goes on for years. This cannot be allowed

Vedic chants echo in Naxal hotbed

Adilabad, Dec. 14: Vedic chants now fill the air in the Naxal bastion of Allampalli in the district which once reverberated with revolutionary slogans. Hundreds of tribal and non-tribal children start their day by chanting slokas from the Vedas in the Chinna Jeeyar Swamy Gurukulam in the jungles of Allampalli.

It was in the same area that the Naxalites triggered the first landmine blast in the country on August 16, 1987, killing 10 policemen. Ironically, the Jeeyar Educational Trust selected the same area for establishing its gurukulam on January 26, 2004.

Tridandi Chinna Srimannarayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swamy set up the gurukulam with the purported aim of serving the tribals and other people. The trust is also running a gurukulam in Bheersaipet village. Thanks to the influence of the trust and Vedic education, the tribals and non tribals of Allampalli now greet each other by chanting Jai Srimannarayana.

It was the landmine blast which brought the hamlet to national attention and forced the state government to focus on it. The then Chief Minister, N.T. Ramarao, visited the interior Allampalli village located in the dense forest and hills in Kadam mandal. After noticing the abject poverty there, his government decided to "adopt" the district to make it a model one. NTR promised to create 1,000 teacher posts for tribal youth with basic educational qualifications and also announced a special package of Rs 100 crore for the welfare of the tribal populations. He also promised to curb the migrations of Banjaras to the district from the bordering Maharashtra.

Allampalli was literally ruled by Naxalites in those days. They enjoyed the total support of the tribal population. Top Naxalite leaders used to take shelter there and marriages of Naxalite activists were also held here. The area is totally transformed now. At present, 320 students are studying in the Jeeyar gurukulam in Allampalli and majority of them are from the Lambada and Gonds communities.

"We teach Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavatham and other scriptures and epics to the students," said Ms Ajjarapu Ushasriraju, caretaker of the gurukulam. "Students recite slokas every morning before going to class. We are planning to establish five more gurukulams in the district."

She added that the study of Vedas would help the students become more disciplined and virtuous. The Jeeyar Educational Trust is also running single teacher schools in tribal villages in Chittaguda, Dattajipet, Mangalsingh Thanda, Gangapur and Pareguda. However, Mr Lingampalli Srihari of Allampalli said one should not undermine the contribution of Naxalites, who ended exploitation of tribals and the menace of liquor in the area.

"Earlier, the government used to blame Naxals for acting as a hurdle to development but even after the Naxals influence abated, the government is not taking up development works," he added. "This shows the government has no sincerity."

"We ourselves have seen no Naxals in the area and have never faced problems from them though local people say that this was once a hotbed of Naxal activity," said Mr Srinivasa Ramanujam, correspondent of the gurukulam. "It is possible that peace has come to the area at last." Most tribals are illiterate don’t know even in which class their children are studying. But they do know the value of education. "We don’t know what they are learning it is a joy to see them going to school wearing uniforms," said Karipetha Lakku of Allampalli.

Dissent is the mood

Adilabad, Dec. 14: The attempt to change the name of the Allampalli village to "Chinna Narayana Puram" by enthusiastic disciples of Chinna Jeeyar Swamy had created much controversy in the recent past.

Tribal leaders strongly opposed changing the name of the "historical village" and establishing a signboard at the entrance with the changed name.

But one can still find a small sign-board of "Chinna Narayanapuram" under the big board showing a direction to the Jeeyar Gurukulam in Allampalli.

Mr Sidam Shambu, president of the Komarambheem Ikya Porata Committee, and former district president of the Tribal "Rai" Centres, strongly opposed the rechristening of the village.

"Allampalli village has its own history and the attempt to change its name is an attempt to wipe out its history," he said. "It is high time that we try to preserve our own Gondwana culture. Tribals are not Hindus."

Similarly, though the Chinna Jeeyar Trust claims to have "reformed" the village, one can still find many sympathisers of Naxalites in the Allampalli village though they don’t come out to the open.

Interestingly, it is the aged who are more in support of the Naxals since they spent close to three decades under their "protection".

The young are not so familiar with the ideology of the extremist movement.

Because of the Naxal tag, the government never sanctioned development schemes to the village. Non-tribals were especially perturbed by this.

It was they who offered support to the religious organisations with the hope that their lives will be changed positively. The government machinery and police are also supporting the activities taken up by the Jeeyar Educational Trust.

"I am happy that our children are learning about Indian culture and are developing good qualities," said Mr M. Rajanna, of Allampalli who has become disciple of Chinna Jeeyer Swamy.

However, Mr Shambu pointed out that hundreds of tribals including children were dying every year because of malnutrition, malaria and diarrhoea caused by lack of medical facilities in the interior tribal areas.

"We want the state government to create basic amenities including safe drinking water, medical facilities and educational institutions for children," he said.

Yashoda Hospital turns into a VIP hub

Hyderabad, Dec. 14: Patients at the Yashoda Hospital have been going through a harrowing time, thanks to the VIPs crowding to visit the victim of the "sensational" acid attack, Swapnika, who is admitted there. Big shots in the political world were thronging the hospital in the last two days to give support to the family. The hospital premises looked more like the precincts of the Assembly or Secretariat with several VIP vehicles and OB Vans of the electronic media being parked there.

The BJP state president, Mr Bandaru Dattatreya, was one prominent leader to visit the hospital on Saturday. He offered support to Swapnika’s family but looked more eager to speak to the array of TV journalists gathered outside the room.

Minutes after he left, Roja, actress and president of the Mahila wing of the Telugu Desam, walked in to express her sympathies. On Friday, The TD supremo, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Home Minister, Mr K. Jana Reddy, the Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi and many other top political leaders visited the hospital.

"With all these VIPs walking in to offer support, other patients are definitely getting disturbed, but there is little that can be done," said a helpless staffer at the hospital reception desk. Passers-by and bystanders are also lingering to see all the VIPs who walk in. The hospital staff was struggling to run things as usual notwithstanding the VIP paraphernalia.

"It is indeed a big day for the hospital, with so many people coming in to extend sympathy," said another amused reception staffer. The encounter killings of the three attackers further aroused the curiosity of onlookers.

While some of them supported the police action, others felt that cops had killed the youth to cover up their inefficiency. Swapnika’s relatives and parents, though still shocked at her condition, seemed relieved at the way her attackers had ended up.

MVI gives ACB the slip

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: The Anti-Corruption Bureau has decided to alert registration authorities not to entertain any transaction pertaining to the assets of Solipuram Narayana Reddy, the motor vehicle inspector (MVI), who is facing graft charges. The ACB will also inform the stamps and registration department and the collectors of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. "The agency will inform the authorities and give them the property details with survey numbers," sources said.

Though the transport department initially permitted the ACB to initiate the process of attaching the Narayana Reddy’s properties worth Rs 1.53 crore, the latter managed to stall the process. Based on the instructions from Chief Minister’s office, the transport department kept the orders in abeyance. The ACB officials have been trying to get permission in Narayana Reddy’s case from the transport department for more than one-and-a-half years.

"The ACB wrote a letter seeking permission way back on July 31, 2007. But the official facing graft charges managed to keep the issue under carpet," sources added. Transport officials were hand-in-glove with Narayana Reddy that they uploaded on the official website only the abstract of the second order (GO Ms No. 340) and kept mum on the earlier order.

After the government made it mandatory for all the departments to host the GOs on the official site, the many department officials keep these GOs under the "confidential" category.But in case of GO Ms No. 340, the transport department chose to give the abstract, which only indicated that the previous order was kept in abeyance. The operative portion explaining the circumstances that led to the issue of second order is missing on the website.

Babus helped guilty engineer

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: All the bureaucrats who helped Mr V. Suryanarayana, who was arrested with Rs 23 crore assets by the ACB on Friday, violated a ban on the engineer. The animal husbandry department, under whose control the fisheries commissioner functions, had issued orders prohibiting Mr Suryanarayana from executing civil works and had withdrawn his financial powers because of alleged irregularities in previous works that he executed in the parent department.

In one case, the registrar of cooperative societies, issued orders (GO Ms No. 89) on November 1, 2007, appointing Mr Suryanarayana as execution authority and wrote to the fisheries commissioner, Mr Arvind Kumar, on December 19, 2007, informing him about the development. Though the commissioner opposed the move, the animal husbandry department on the instructions from the minister, Mr Buddhaprasad, issued orders permitting Mr Suryanarayana to continue with the execution of the work.

A chief engineer of the roads and buildings volunteered to work in supervisory cadre over Mr Suryanarayana, based on which the minister directed officials to issue orders in favour of Mr Suryanarayana. In another case, the chief secretary noted in the file that work could be entrusted to Mr Suryanarayana while the minorities welfare principal secretary, directly issued orders appointing the official as execution authority. The AP Residential Schools Society also awarded construction of school buildings to Mr Suryanarayana.

Sources said Mr Suryanarayana submitted false declarations to his higher officials that he was not executing any work outside. In 1989, the ACB had registered a disproportionate assets against the official. The trial is still pending in the special court, Vijayawada. Assets worth Rs 18.14 lakh were found in that search.

Other assets unearthed on Friday included four buildings in Kakinada, two 3-bedroom flats in Singapore City on the city outskirts. Also unearthed were assets like five bank accounts and fixed deposits worth Rs 3.5 lakh, 450 grams of gold, 8 kg silver, Rs 1 lakh cash, household articles worth Rs 8 lakh, insurance policies Rs 2 lakh, a Scorpio and a Indigo car.

"The total immovable assets so far detected are worth Rs 22.85 crore and movable assets Rs 33 lakh," said the ACB additional director, Dr Ravisankar Ayyannar. The ACB is yet to open Mr Suryanarayana’s bank lockers in Kakinada, his native place, and obtain details from the savings bank accounts.

The chinks in AP’s armour

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: There is no comprehensive security plan to protect key installations of the state such as the Assembly, Legislative Council and the Secretariat. The Secretariat, which employs nearly 5,000 people and also houses the Chief Minister, ministers and IAS officers, has only 90 security personnel, who undertake duty in three shifts.

The government is yet to clear the proposal to erect an additional 12-foot brick wall and to install CC cameras and scanners in the Secretariat. The Special Protection Force, which guards the Secretariat, has also asked the government to sanction 245 personnel.

At present, the security wing is finding it difficult to check every person and vehicle entering the Secretariat. On busy days, around 2,000 vehicles enter the premises. “We have armed guards at entry points but we need to do more in the wake of increased threats,” agreed Mr Anwar Basha, the Chief Security Officer. When the Assembly is in session, around 1,400 security personnel are deputed to guard it.

But on regular days, there are less than 100 people guarding the Assembly and Legislative Council buildings. “There were no CCTV cameras to observe what happens in the premises,” said a senior security official.

Misusing a political ‘platform’

Rjahmundry, Dec. 12: Passengers waiting to board the Gautami Express at Tadepalligudem railway station the other day were shocked to see a car being driven on to the platform. Within it was the Andhra Pradesh PCC president, Mr D. Srinivas, who had concluded his whirlwind tour of Godavari districts, and was going back to Hyderabad.

The PCC chief’s schedule had apparently gone awry because the flight from Hyderabad to Rajahmundry was delayed by more than three hours. He had to rush across the East and West Godavari districts meeting party activists and attending many programmes. After winding up his programme at Bhimavaram he sped to the Tadepalligudem railway station. Party leaders said that the car had to be driven onto the platform as the PCC chief could not climb the steps because of health problems. The car was being driven by the minister for minor irrigation, Mr Maganti Venkateswara Rao.

It first entered platform No. 1 and then reached platform No. 3 by crossing the railway track in between. The PCC chief waited for more than half-an-hour in the car until the Gautami Express arrived at about 10.40 pm.

The car was parked on the platform for a long time and many Congress leaders and activists also waited nearby to see him off. Finally, the Gautami express arrived and PCC chief boarded the train and went away. Enquiries revealed that Mr Srinivas did not take prior permission from the railway authorities to drive his car onto the platform.

Railway authorities were also shocked to see the car enter the platform but they could not muster courage to force him out as he is a VVIP. "Nobody is allowed to drive a vehicle on to the platform," said a railway official. "Those who are ill can be provided with wheelchairs and stretchers."

But the PCC chief did not avail any of the facilities which were available at the railway station. Earlier, the minister for excise, Mr Jakkampudi Ramamohana Rao, had created controversy by delaying a train by a few minutes so that he could board it. Mr Srinivas’ action has evoked wide criticism since he is the president of the state unit of the ruling party and should ideally serve as a role model by showing more respect for rules

Tension after temple row

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: Thousands were put to inconvenience as lumpens rocked Koti after a temple was demolished by the civic authorities on Friday. A mob attacked indiscriminately, the affected people ran for safety fearing the violence. The situation was worse at the busy bus bays at Koti Women’s College and Osmania Medical College. The mob forced passengers to get down as they attacked buses and deflated tyres. As many as 22 buses were damaged in violence.

The stranded passengers could not even find autorickshaws since the drivers left from Koti fearing the agitators would damage the vehicles. Several people were injured in the police lathi charge. “Politicians are trying to play up even trivial issues to get mileage in the ensuing elections. But they indulge in such activities at the cost of the public,” said Mr Sandeep Kumar, an engineering student.

“The government should take stern action against the agitators who are creating unnecessary tension,” said Ms R. Santoshini, a housewife who was forced to get down a bus due to the agitation. Traders feared the tension would affect business in Koti, which has already lost its importance with the development of new business centres in the city. “Only a few buyers visit Koti now. These incidents will prevent the visitors further,” Mr P. M. Irafanullah, a textile shop owner here said.

Staff desert college girls

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: The students of Koti Women’s College had a tough time following the temple demolition row on Friday. Students who came to the college early, were allowed to enter the campus. However, the main gate was closed as the violence escalated. Classes went on as usual till the afternoon but the girls were soon left at the mercy of the lone security guard in the college.

“I sent a word to my parents. They came and picked me up,” said a student. She said the teachers were more concerned about their own safety and were among the first to leave the campus. The guard at the college said the principal was not in the college. The administrative staff also left the college following the incident.

Movies blamed for acid attacks

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: Women activists on Friday criticised Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi and his brother Pawan Kalyan saying that irresponsible popular films were inspiring youth to harass and attack girls.

The actor brothers faced the ire of women activists when they visited engineering students Swapnika and Praneeta who were injured in an acid attack in Warangal on Wednesday.

Ms Sandhya, leader of the Progressive United Democratic Women’s Organisation, and her fellow activists said that in many films, heroes were shown to indulge in attacks against girls when they spurn their love. "Such cinemas are polluting young minds," she said. "Teasing girls is projected as heroism. The so-called heroes are constantly shown to harass the heroines."

The PDWA leader said that teasing and harassment of girls was a constant fixture in Ravi Teja’s films.

"The hero does not want the consent of the girl but always forces her to accept his love," Ms Sandhya said while confronting Chiranjeevi and his brother. "What kind of message does it give to the public?"

Chiranjeevi, however, did not give a direct reply when the women activists drew his attention to many such films. Instead, the Praja Rajyam leaders said the government was primarily responsible for such incidents. "Parents are scared because of such incidents," said Chiranjeevi. "So the government should give free hand to the police. Stringent action should be taken against the culprits involved in the acid attack on these students."

It may be recalled that Ms K. Swapnika and Ms Praneeta, both B. Tech final year students in the Kakatiya Institute of Technology and Sciences in Warangal, suffered burn injuries after the attacker, Srinivas, threw acid on them on Wednesday.

PR man files case on bureaucrat

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: The Praja Rajyam leader and former IAS officer, Mr Thota Chandrasekhar, filed a criminal defamation suit against the former finance secretary of the state, Mr D.C. Rosaiah, in the court of the third metropolitan magistrate, city criminal courts, Hyderabad on Wednesday alleging that the latter made sweeping allegations against him.

In his complaint, Mr Chadrasekhar, said that he had an unblemished record in his career as an IAS officer. He also added that he had earned a reputation for his honesty and integrity. Mr Chandrasekhar mentioned that he got recognition for his impeccable record as an efficient IAS officer from the Maharashtra state government and Central government.

Naidu to keep CM on toes

Hyderabad, Dec. 12: The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, plans to keep the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, on his toes.After successfully taking the issue of Babli and other irrigation projects to New Delhi, Mr Naidu is now planning to focus on other major issues like failure of law and order, spiralling prices of essential commodities, sale of government lands, corruption in irrigation projects and other major schemes, encroachment of wakf properties, erratic power supply and other burning issues in a phased manner.

Sources in the party said that the party leadership was extremely happy for successfully highlighting the Babli issue. "The Telugu Desam has forced the Chief Minister to take up damage control exercise by rushing to New Delhi and talking to the Prime Minister a day before the maha dharna. This is only the beginning. More such agitations are on the cards," a senior Telugu Desam leader said.

Ex-Army men falter in ‘race’ for police posts

Hyderabad Dec. 11: The physical test for recruitment of constables proved to be too tough for ex-servicemen who had applied for the post. Most of the ex-Army personnel were 35 to 40 years old and could not compete with youth in their early 20s in the mandatory five-km race. They faltered before reaching the finishing line. Enquiries revealed that not a single ex-serviceman was selected for the constable post in the state. “The age gap affected their chances,” said Mr N. Sreenesh Kumar, zilla sainik welfare officer. “A 40-plus ex-serviceman cannot be as agile as a 20-year-old youth. It is difficult to cover five km in 25 minutes.”

Mr Sreenesh Kumar said the government had also turned down his demand to give some relaxation for ex-servicemen. “They are trained people and have worked in different terrains,” he said. “I feel they should be given relaxation in the race. Or they can be considered for desk job in police stations.” He requested the government to provide two per cent reservations for former military personnel in police recruitment. However, a senior police officer said that only a common test could be held for constables and a separate selection cannot be made for “desk jobs”.

“We do not segregate,” he said. “It all depends on the requirement. A constable selected for policing may have to do a desk job too.” The Hyderabad district collector, Mr Navin Mittal, said instead of relaxing rules, the ex-military personnel could be given a crash course in physical exercise, general knowledge and other subjects. Mr Mittal added that there were 3,000-odd constable posts in Hyderabad district and the number of applicants was limited. “I am sure given proper training every applicant will qualify,” he said.

Minister chides servants over pay

Hyderabad Dec. 11: The revenue minister, Mr D. Prasada Rao, on Thursday, took a delegation of village servants to task and called their demand for salary hike unjust. The delegation of AP Grama Seavakula Sangham (village servants association) went to the minister’s chamber to submit a memorandum seeking increase in their salary from Rs 1,835 to Rs 3,000 and filling up of vacancies. The association had already served a strike notice. As soon as the delegation entered his chambers, the minister shouted at them for serving the strike notice. The minister wondered why the association remained silent when the previous Telugu Desam government did not increase salary by a single rupee. “On the contrary we effected hike thrice in four years,” he pointed out.

Mr Prasada Rao said it was for the first time that the Congress government recognised village servants as revenue employees and extended several facilities. Never in the past these village servants got promotions. The government will go to people to explain the facts and expose the double standards of the association. The minister accused the association of catering to the Left parties’ interests. “You are being used as pawns,” he said adding that the sole aim of the Left was to defeat the Congress and help the TD.

Shocked at the minister’s reaction, the delegation assured that they would not participate in the strike but the government should be sympathetic to their demand. “After all a daily labourer earns more than us,” said association president, Mr K. Gopala Rao. The minister, however, made it clear that any proposal for hike would be considered only in the next financial year.

Mountain high boosts confidence

Big Story

Celebrated each year on December 11, International Mountain Day reminds us all of the magic of the mountains. Though governments refuse to acknowledge the spirit of adventure, the lure of the mountains cannot be ignored

Hyderabad, Dec. 10: Mountains have always lured men. The slow climb to the top and the precarious search for balance on rocky ledges gives an adrenaline rush which no other experience can match.

But apart from a few adventurous souls, not many sports enthusiasts have actively taken to mountaineering in the state.

Even as the world observes the International Mountain Day on December 11, a few autonomous organisations in the state are trying to keep the spirit of the sport alive.

The first such organisation in the state, the Adventure Club of AP (Acap), began offering training courses in mountaineering, rock climbing, and rappelling in 1992.

"The basic mountaineering course is 28 days long and those who clear it with an A grade are eligible for the advanced course," said the Acap founder director, Mr K. Ranga Rao.

Beyond the obvious thrill, adventure sports also boost the confidence levels.

R. Swathi, an NCC air-wing cadet, said, "It gives courage to face any daunting task in life." M.B. Sudheer, a B.Tech graduate said, "The mountaineering training helped me gain a lot of confidence."

R. Naveen Kumar is another adventure enthusiast who trains youngsters. "Climbing demands fitness and mental strength," he said.

Many youngsters are also showing interest in mountaineering and adventure sports. The Adventure Tourism Activity Promoters Club, led by Hari Charan and Rishi Charan Singh, organises adventure trips for school and college students.

In 2005, the duo launched an organisation called Wild Woods, which offers trekking and rock climbing packages during weekends for corporates.

Around seven adventure events are be clubbed in a two day package.

Other tour operators also provide adventure tour packages, but most of them seek the support of the Acap or Wild Woods.

Though autonomous organisations are trying to keep the spirit alive, the state government has done nothing to encourage adventure sports.

A proposal for setting up a State Academy of Adventure was mooted in 1992. It was sanctioned in 1997, but nothing happened after that.

In fact, the the Union minister of youth affairs released Rs 7.5 lakh to the state for the initiative, but now the state government is tight-lipped as to where the money went.

Finally, in 2000, a namesake Academy of Adventure was registered but it remained non-functional.

Later, in August, 2004, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, unveiled a youth policy, which envisaged the setting up of a State Academy of Adventure to promote adventure sports. This project too was a non-starter.

Surveys galore for elections

Hyderabad, Dec. 10: This is the season of surveys in the state. Almost all the political parties are trying to assess the mood of the people in the run up to the Assembly elections.

The Congress is one step ahead of its rivals and is doing almost one survey every month.

It was the habit of the "hitech" Telugu Desam to conduct surveys and studies but the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekar Reddy, has beaten the main Opposition party in its own game.

The Chief Minister’s camp, led by his Officer on Special Duty, Mr Ravichand, is leaving no stone unturned to get maximum feedback ahead of the elections.

In the last one year, Dr Reddy’s team has conducted more than half-a-dozen surveys to find out the region-wise perception of the people.

One survey was conducted before Chiranjeevi’s entry into politics and another after his tour in North Coastal Andhra and Telangana. A third survey was conducted after the TD and the Left parties cemented an alliance.

Apart from this, the Chief Minister’s team also conducted surveys to assess the impact of irrigation projects, Indiramma Housing programme, Arogyasri and fee waiver for backward class students.

And the all the surveys conducted by Dr Reddy’s team predicted that people will give him a second term.

Students of the Nagarjuna, Sri Venkateswara and Sri Krishnadeveraya Universities are being roped in for these surveys.

Not to be left behind, the TD has also conducted surveys with the help of the Narayana Educational Institutions whose management is close to the party chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam party has conducted two surveys and the Telangana Rastra Samiti has also conducted one to assess the popular mood. Needless to say, both the surveys predict victory for the respective parties.

The TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, is now planning to conduct one more survey to find out which party would be its best partner.

Interestingly, a leading Telugu newspaper also undertook a survey but did not publish the results since the feedback was in favour of the party it opposes.

Since there are 294 Assembly constituencies in the state, each survey costs around Rs 1 crore. But parties are not bothered as long as the survey results are inspiring.

Focus shifts to environment

Hyderabad, Dec. 10: Though tour operators offer various adventure tourism packages including visits to rocky terrains and hills, there are complaints that such initiatives are also spoiling the environment.

Many tourists litter such areas with polythene covers, plates and glasses and this has sparked rows between tourism promoters and environmental activists. The AP tourism department, which has launched a responsible tourism initiative, is now looking into the issue seriously.

“We are insisting on eco-friendly stuff such as paper plates and paper cups,” said the APTDC managing director, Mr Jayesh Ranjan. “There should also be proper solid waste management initiatives.” The initiative is part of the safe garbage disposal mechanism proposed by the World Wild Life Fund Board, he said.

APTDC offers adventure sports such as rock climbing, rappelling and trekking in the Horsley Hills near Tirupathi in Chittoor district. Moreover, four routes have been identified for eco-trekking including Mamanthur in Tirumala. Treks to the Nallamala Hills and forests in Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam and Guntur are also popular.

Welfare hostels become hellholes

Hyderabad Dec. 11: The state government prides itself for opening thousands of hostels across the state for backward class, scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students, but most of them are in a pitiable condition. Lack of funds and absence of supervision by higher officials are the main reasons for the dismal state of hostels. Conditions in welfare hostels at Amberpet, Madannapet, Malakpet are so abysmal and parents are deeply worried about the safety of their children living in these hostels. Basic facilities including drinking water, electricity, clean toilets, chairs and tables are lacking in these hostels.

Moreover, girls hostels also have security problem. Because the boundary walls are not maintained properly and security guards are not provided, miscreants throw stones at the students and try to peep in when the girls are in the shower. Students of the Amberpet welfare hostel complain about the poor quality of food and lack of sanitation in their hostels.
“There are not enough toilets and bathrooms,” said K. Bhaskar, a BC student. “We have to wait in long queues in the morning to use them and we miss classes .” “We haven’t got blankets and bedsheets, though winter is here and nights are very chilly,” says Sai Kishore, who stays in Malakpet welfare hostel. “We have to use old and torn bedsheets.”

Meanwhile, the students at Madannapet welfare hostel are denied power because the hostel authorities have not paid the mounting bills worth Rs 1 lakh. “APTransco officials have visited our hostel thrice and have disconnected the power supply,” says J. Mahesh Kumar, an SC student. “We were forced to spend several nights without power.” In fact, all the city hostels together owe Rs 8 lakh as power bill arrears to APTransco. Several students were also falling prey to diseases which arise out of the unhygienic conditions. Many hostels do not get water supply in the toilets. Often, drains are blocked and sewer water spills out.

Says Mr China Bhumanna, a farmer, whose son Ashok Kumar is a boarder at Domalguda hostel, “I was delighted when my son secured an engineering seat as well as hostel accommodation for free,” he says. “But I was shocked to find out that he was staying with 10 other students in one room.” Mr Bhumanna then hurriedly moved his son to a rented room with three students. While in 2006-07, about 140 students died, in 2007-08 the figure was 158 and in the current academic year, 76 students have died of malaria, diarrhoea and anaemia.

Meanwhile, the hostels complain that they have not received government funds for the second quarter of the year. “We got Rs 1.09 lakh for the first quarter but we are yet to get the funds for the second quarter,” says an official of the Malakpet welfare hostel. The indifferent attitude of the government in maintaining the hostels can be guessed from the fact that while it allots funds with one hand, it imposes cuts on spending with the other.
The director of treasuries and accounts department has recently imposed a cut of Rs 88.35 crore on mess charges for BC/SC/ST students citing “financial crisis”. Similarly, while the social welfare department has cleared Rs 16.21 crore for SC hostels, the finance department has not release the amount.

Though, the state government had been indicted by the National Human Rights Commission and the Lok Ayukta for the poor condition of the hostels, it still lacks an action plan to improve the conditions. Even the AP High Court, while hearing a complaint,
had given a directive to improve the conditions in the hostels. There are 2,356 welfare hostels in the state in which 2,48,024 students are staying. Of these, 1,640 are boys hostels and 716 are girls hostels. Nearly 80 per cent of them are being run in rented premises.