Colony up in arms against Maytas

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: Residents of Rama Raja Nagar Colony near Suchitra have alleged that the Maytas Housing Pvt. Limited undertook illegal constructions in the area against rules. According to them, Maytas has constructed apartments in the common area, including the public road, in Rama Raja Nagar and in the area meant for public amenities in the residential colony. Though complaints were lodged with the Pet Basheerabad police station, the Qutubullapur municipality, and the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda), none of the authorities reacted, alleged the Rama Raja Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association. The Pet Basheerabad police station, which was constructed with the help of Satyam, did not even entertain the complaint, the residents alleged. The residents’ association has led a legal battle against Qutubullapur municipality and Maytas Housing which was formerly known as Satyam Homes Pvt. Limited, represented by its managing director, Mr R.V. Vijaya Rama Raju, Mr B. Ramalinga Raju and his mother, Ms B. Appala Narasamma. "They have violated the Huda directives of 1989 and the fire services department also issued notices for non-compliance," said Mr M. Sriram, president of the association. Ms Narasamma and Mr Ramalinga Raju purchased land measuring eight acres and 29 guntas in 1970 in the survey numbers 73 and 75 in Jeedimetla village in Qutubullapur. "They obtained permission for housing projects but later constructed commercial complexes," said Mr Sriram. "New blocks were constructed in the area earmarked for public amenities against the will of the residents," he said. The group obtained permission to construct 535 flats in 36 blocks but constructed only 23 blocks. "The municipal authorities remain mute spectators despite our complaints," alleged the association secretary, Mr Murthy. According to local residents, the developers encroached upon the internal roads and also constructed shops and parking sheds in the area belonging to the colony.

Satyam staff asked to seek relief from banks

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: Legal experts have advised employees of Satyam Computers who have to repay loans and credit card transactions to write to the concerned banks directly to seek more time.This is in view of the indications that the 53,000-odd Satyam employees would not get their salaries for the month of January. The normal procedure of the banks is to charge a penalty of Rs 500 along with an interest of 3 to 3.5 per cent on the principal amount on credit card holders who fail to pay back on time. "Interest rates may vary but if the account holder does not inform the banks, they are likely to take action according to the procedure," said an advocate of the High Court. It is likely that a large chunk of Satyam employees would not be able to repay their credit transactions, vehicle and home loans on time. If banks follow strict procedure, they can file recovery suit against such customers. If employees approach the concerned bank directly for relaxation, they might be able to get temporary relief by paying a minimum amount. Meanwhile, the banks where Satyam employees have their salary accounts say that they will turn down applications for loans from them. "We cannot entertain such applications when the company is facing liquidity problem and is in a deep financial mess," said an official of a leading bank in the city. A senior official of the HDFC bank said that the recovery of credit card transactions would be done as per procedure.

Chiru attacks Congress

Ongole, Jan. 9: The Praja Rajyam president, K. Chiranjeevi, alleged that the state government failed to make “women lakhiers” as part of the women empowerment scheme. He was speaking at Darsi on the third day of the Praja Ankita Yatra here on Friday. The PR chief also alleged that the government failed to uplift women from financial difficulties. He said that no woman earned Rs 1 lakh during the Congress rule in the state and said that corruption has spread throughout the government. The PR chief alleged that majority of the villages in the state were barred from graveyards as some people from the Congress occupied them as the government snatched poor people’s lands under the guise of Special Economic Zones. The PR founder clarified that he will never practice dirty politics as he doesn’t hold a political background.

4-lane highway to be delayed

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: The Union government on Friday said the four-lane road between Hyderabad and Vijayawada will not become a reality in the near future unless cases in court were resolved. The Union minister of state for highways, Mr K.H. Muniyappa, said the government was trying to vacate the stay in apex court so that works could be taken up. He said the Centre was also keen to construct the 4 lane road to reduce traffic congestion on the national highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

Naidu sure Left pact will work

Tirupati, Jan. 9: The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday reiterated that the TD-Left combine will come to power in the state. “Our prime objective is to herald a society without poverty,” he said. Addressing a press conference at Tirupati, Mr Naidu said that the Maoists had adopted a social approach and promised to follow the concept to help the poor live a decent life. “In the past, we treated Naxalism as a law and order problem. But, we realised that it is a socio-economic problem.” The TD chief also claimed credit for development in the state and said: “I am responsible for the economic boom in the state. The annual budget jumped from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore now. There is nothing new that the Congress government has done.”

KCR banks on yagam for polls

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: After all political attempts proved futile, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti president, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, is now banking on Vishwashanti yagam for world peace and victory of the TRS in the elections and for separate Telangana here on Friday. Mr Rao, accompanied by his wife Sobha performed rituals for the yagam under the supervision of Mr Ramana Rao from Bhimavaram and other Vedic pundits. The 27-day yagam will be conducted by 100 priests from January 21to February 16. Mr Rao and his wife conducted the rituals, including bhoomi puja, homams and other related rituals. Ashwamedha Puja was also performed and a horse was brought for the occasion. “The yagam serves three purposes,” said Mr Jagadeeshwar Reddy, the party spokesperson. Later addressing a meeting of Girijans, Mr Rao recalled the injustice was done to Telangana, the flouting of Gentleman’s agreement, lack of irrigation facilities, jobs for locals among others. The TRS chief asked Girijans to shout the slogan Apna Telangana, Apna Raj in all thandas and villages of the region. He said if Telangana was carved out 12 per cent Girijans would get reservations in all sectors. Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, he said Dr Reddy took away Krishna waters to Kadapa instead of tapping Penna waters. He promised three acres of land to girijans if Telangana was carved out.

Police attacks village for ransacking station

Adoni (Kurnool), Jan. 9: Policemen from Madhavaram police station attacked a village on Friday in retaliation to an attack one their office on Thursday night. The police suspected that 20 persons, who had attacked the police station, were in the village and tried to apprehend them. Villagers alleged that one Veeresh, 21, died while fleeing from the police. The police attacked some houses in the village and ransacked various household goods. Two persons Talari Narasimhulu and Timmappa fought in the village during Moharrum on Thursday. The police detained Timmappa while releasing Narasimhulu. Villagers argued with the sub-inspector, Mr Bhaskar Rao, over this and attacked the police station on Thursday night. The special party police resorted to lathicharge to disperse people. The police attacked the houses of Veeresh, Navakoti Narayana, Rahimtullah, Ramzansab, Narasamma and others in the village. They smashed TVs and household goods during the attack. The police also attacked the hotel and shop of Rabibia and damaged goods. Victims alleged that the police had taken away about Rs 1.5 lakh in cash from the houses of Narasamma, Ramzan Mabusab and Saradamma. The police also assaulted the youth in the village. Section 144 was imposed to prevent people from coming out of their houses. The deputy superintendent of police, Mr Krishnamurthy, and the circle inspector, Mr Tippeswami reviewed the situation in the village. Meanwhile, Mr Tippeswami said Veeresh died due to consumption of toddy and not due to police action. The DSP reportedly moved in the streets of the village daring the attackers of the police station to come out.

PR tastes ire of MRPS activists

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: The Praja Rajyam got a taste of the wrath of MRPS activists on Friday over the categorisation of Scheduled Castes. Some of the MRPS activists disrupted the speech of the PR leaders demanding the party’s stand on categorisation of SCs during a meeting on “Social Telangana” at the Arts College grounds in Osmania University on Friday evening. The meeting was jointly organised by the Nava Telangana Party and the Praja Rajyam. The NTP president, Mr T. Devender Goud and balladeer Gaddar participated in the meeting. Mr Devender Goud dared the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, to come with him to visit rural areas in Telangana to understand the sufferings of the people. Meanwhile, Mr Gaddar felt that the formation of social Telangana should begin with distribution of the land which was in the hands of rich people to the landless.

Satyam US accounting firms in a jittery state

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: Accounting firms associated with Satyam Computers in the United States are a worried lot now. Top accounting firm Arthur Andersen had lost its licence after cooking books for Enron and a similar prospect terrifies them. Mr Russell Stamets, an expert in US securities and corporate laws, said the US approach to Satyam kind of scams was summed up in the way the Enron scandal was handled. Severe penalties were imposed on the company and advisers involved, executives were tried and convicted for securities law violations, and the accounting firm that facilitated the fraud was dissolved. After the Enron episode, there is increased regulation and reporting requirements for all US corporations. Mr Russell, who is associated with CassinLaw LLC, a law firm based in Washington DC, told this correspondent that the American laws related to accounting firms are stringent when compared with Indian laws. Shareholders and investors in India are planning to take Satyam’s auditors, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, to court. However, Indian legal experts point out that the firm is not likely to suffer much damage. At the most, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India may blacklist it. But in the US, collusion with such falsification will literally spell doom for an accounting firm. Answering a question about the possible punishments for corporate wrongdoers, Mr Russell said that the Enron CEO Jeff Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in prison and had to pay a $45-million fine. He added that the cases launched against Satyam in the US at present involved only civil action .

Probe sought into freebies

Visakhapatnam, Jan. 9: The former union energy secretary, Mr E.A.S. Sharma, has demanded an inquiry into the concessions given to Satyam Computers, NCC, Maytas and other MNCs in the wake of the accounting scam. In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Mr Sharma reminded that he had sent two letters to the CMO last December questioning the legality and propriety of assigning 50 acres in Kapulauppada village near Visakhapatnam to Satyam Computers. The former bureaucrat said he was sure that Maytas group too must have provided false financial information to the state government in order to procure major projects such as Hyderabad metro, Masula port, and Polavaram project. In all these deals, the role of the State government had come under suspicion, said Mr Sharma in his letter, copies of which were provided to the media. He sought an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into all the 10 per cent land allotments made by the State government and its agencies to Satyam Computers, Maytas and other private firms during the last four years. Mr Sharma also demanded that the 50 acres allotted to Satyam in Kapulauppada be restored to Vuda. The government should suspend allotment of land to private companies till the inquiry is complete, he said.

CM tries to distance himself

Chennai, Jan. 9: After three days, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, on Friday accepted that the Satyam fiasco that has unfolded in the past one week, owing to Mr Ramalinga Raju’s shocking confessions of manipulating the balance sheets for years together, is going to have ripple effects on investments in the state and dampen the investor sentiments. “Any incident like this definitely is going to have an adverse impact on investments. Let’s look into it and hope that we can control the damage,” he said while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here in Chennai on Friday. On being asked how he felt about the incident, having known Mr Raju for many years, Mr Reddy said, “It was unfortunate. None of us expected that this kind of thing would happen,” and appeared visibly disturbed. Regarding questions as to how his government would deal with the situation, Mr Reddy said that CB-CID is looking into the matter and would appraise him on his return to Andhra Pradesh.

Maytas not paid for port

Vijayawada, Jan. 9: The State government has not made any advance payment to the Maytas Infra promoted by the family members of Ramalinga Raju for executing the irrigation projects, Hyderabad Metro Railway and the Machilipatnam port projects, said the finance minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, here on Friday. He denied the charges made by the Opposition parties that the state government was involved in the Satyam Computers scam. "The state government has nothing to do with the Satyam issue. The central government will look into the irregularities in the company," he told mediapersons at the state guest house. Mr Rosaiah said, "Instead of giving suggestions to revive Satyam and save the jobs of 53,000 employees in the company, the Opposition parties are making baseless allegations against the government." "It is very unfortunate that even the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, who elevated Mr Ramalinga Raju at every opportunity, is also making allegations on the involvement of the Congress government," Mr Rosaiah said. Clarifying doubts about the fate of ‘108’ emergency services maintained by the EMRI, a Satyam group trust, the finance minister, Mr Rosaiah, said it would not be affected at any cost

Ramalinga owns lot of land

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: The former Satyam chairman, Mr B. Ramalinga Raju, had purchased huge tracts of lands across the state and country, particularly in and around the city. The true extent of his landholdings could be known only after a thorough investigation, but sources said that it could run into hundreds of acres. Satyam Group has bought much land in Medchal Assembly constituency. "He seems to have a penchant for land," said Mr T. Devender Goud, the local MLA and Nava Telangana Party president. "He has bought land in my constituency and Ranga Reddy district too." Sources said Mr Raju had also purchased lands in other parts of state and also in Nagpur, Pune, Chennai, Noida and Jaipur. It was for the sake of lands that he floated Maytas Properties run by his sons Rama Raju and Teja Raju. The firm runs Maytas Hill County, spread over an expanse of more than 300 acres with state-of-the-art facilities and amenities. The township at Bachupally comprises independent houses and apartments. The company also launched Jubilee Hills Landmark project in joint venture with NCC and ICICI Bank. It is spread over 5.7 acres of premier land adjacent to KBR Park. Another notable project is the 75-acre Maytas Hill Country IT/ITES Special Economic Zone, which will give residents the facility of walk-to-work, a concept pioneered by Maytas Properties in Hyderabad. The company’s LEED Gold certified SEZs are located at Maytas Hill County, Gopannapally and Gundlapochampally. Their master plans were drawn up by SOM, the world’s leading architectural firm. Maytas Properties, which was founded in 2005, is also the first property development company to have been certified as per four international standards - ISO 9001 - 2000, ISO 14001 – 2004, OHSAS 18001 – 1999 and SA 8000 – 2001. It has been involved in infrastructure development for the past 20 years and is now busy with residential, commercial, retail and hospitality projects apart from SEZs and townships. Maytas’ proclaimed vision is to be one among the three most admired property development companies in India by March 2010. However, the Satyam scam may spoil this dream. "The Congress government, thanks to interests of some leaders, is backing the company to the hilt," said the TRS MLA, Mr Harish Rao. "A CBI inquiry will reveal the company’s activities."

Promotion schedule postponed

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: In a setback to lakhs of teachers, the state government has indefinitely postponed the schedule for promotions and transfers. The process was to begin from January 10 according to the schedule of department of school education. It was mired in controversy since the department took a decision in December. The transfers and promotions were held up for nearly four years due to legal problems on the issue of unified service rules for panchayat raj teachers and government teachers.

Traffic woes to go on

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: As the ambitious integrated bus terminus project to decongest traffic is still in its conceptual stage, Secunderabad is likely to remain congested for at least two more years. According to experts, even if the project takes off in the next few months, it will not be ready for at least two years. The delay is reportedly due to the contractors’ demand for a 60-year lease. The government wants to give the project to them for only 33 years. Initially, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) had decided to start the project under an engineering procurement and construction contract, but as the project cost is about Rs 450 crore, it opted for a public-private partnership (PPP). “Once the tenders are finalised, the area around the Secunderabad Railway Station would be cleared. The vendors would be relocated,” said Mr Vivek Deshmukh, the chief executive engineer of HMDA. The terminus-cum-business centre with twin towers will be designed to handle 30 lakh passengers and would accommodate 1,200 cars and 9,000 two-wheelers.

Vain bid to rob Andhra Bank

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: Unidentified persons broke into the Uppal branch of Andhra Bank during the early hours of Friday by breaking the cement ventilator. They attempted to open a locker, and failed, before leaving the premises. The Uppal police said the bank officials found the cement ventilator broken when they came in for work on Friday. The robbers left behind a rod, a hammer and a few other equipment they had used to break into the bank. They reportedly fled from the site when they accidentally touched a wire that sounded an alarm. The investigating officials found some marks on the locker suggesting that an attempt was made to break it. The police is still investigating the case and do not know how many persons were involved in the failed bank robbery attempt.

Traffic curbs till February 15

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: In order to facilitate proper control and regulation of traffic for the All- India Industrial Exhibition to be held at the Exhibition Grounds, Nampally, the following traffic restrictions will be imposed from January 10 to February 15. The RTC district buses, private buses and heavy vehicles heading towards the MJ Market from SA Bazaar and Jambagh Road intending to go towards Nampally will be diverted towards Abids at MJ Market junction from 4 pm to midnight daily until the last day of the fair. RTC buses, private buses and heavy vehicles coming from the police control room at Fateh Maidan to go towards Nampally and MJ Market will be diverted at the AR petrol pump towards the BJR statue from 4 pm to midnight. Heavy and light-goods vehicles coming from the Begum Bazaar Chatri headed towards Malakunta will be diverted at the Alaska Junction towards Darussalam from 4 pm to midnight. In a release issued by the police commissioner’s office, commuters have been requested to co-operate with traffic cops on duty.

AP lets Maytas continue works

Hyderabad, Jan. 9: The government will not press the panic button vis-a-vis works being executed by Maytas Infra. However, it is in a dilemma about whether to pay the firm the Rs 100 crore due for the Polavaram works (November-December). The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, asked the chief secretary, Mr P. Ramakanth Reddy, to "evaluate the risks for successful completion of the projects under execution by Maytas" and submit a report. The CS was briefed that in majority of the works, Maytas was not the lead partner of the consortium. The company along with nine other firms is either executing, or has entered into agreements, for works of Rs 19,000 crore. "There are no complaints on quality aspect. So far, there is no reason why we should cancel works," said major irrigation minister Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah.