BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 22: The deputy leader of the TD Legislature Party, Mr Kadiam Srihari, said on Sunday that if any ally in the Grand Alliance announced its candidates without the consent of other partners, that would not be final.He was referring to remarks made by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who has already declared his party candidates for Kukatpally and Makthal Assembly seats.“The TRS chief might have announced his party candidates. But, his decision is not final. Partners in the Grand Alliance will hold a meeting to decide sharing of seats. Only seats that are finalised during that meeting will only be official and final,” Mr Srihari said during a media conference on Sunday at the NTR Trust Bhavan.However, the joy of forging an alliance with the TRS seems to be short lived even in the TD camp.There is widespread discontent among the party leaders over the seat sharing formula. Several TD leaders from the Telangana region are not ready to give up their seats to the alliance partners.According to party sources former ministers Mr T. Srinivasa Yadav, Mr M. Narasimhulu, Ms A. Uma Madhava Reddy and Ch. Mutyam Reddy are averse at losing their seats in Secunderabad, Aleru, Bhongir and Dommat respectively to their counterparts in the TRS if the pink party wants to field its candidates from these seats.
Monday, February 23, 2009
PR questions CPM flip flop
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 23: The Praja Rajyam general secretary and brother-in-law of Chiranjeevi, Mr Allu Aravind, on Monday asked the CPI(M) state secretary, Mr B.V. Raghavulu, to publish a book on why the Left joined hands with the Telugu Desam.The Left had earlier published a booklet, Babu Jamana Avineethi Khazana on the “corrupt regime” of the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.While addressing a media conference at the PR central office on Monday, Mr Aravind wanted to know whether the CPI(M) was ready to apologise to the people for its volte-face on its allegations on the TD.He made it clear that if the CPI(M) was not ready to bring out a book as demanded by the PR, his party would publish a detailed booklet citing the allegations made by the Marxist party against Mr Naidu’s regime in a bid to expose the double standards of the Communists.Interestingly, the ruling Congress has already decided to reprint the CPI(M)’s booklet on Mr Naidu’s rule and distribute it among the people. Taking strong exception to the remarks made by Mr Raghavulu against the Yuva Rajyam president, Pavan Kalyan, Mr Aravind said since the Grand Alliance was unable to take off, the Marxist leader was getting desperate and even going to the extent of abusing PR leaders.“Despite ideological differences, the Left forged an alliance with the TD only with a vindicative agenda,” he alleged.
Hyderabad, Feb. 23: The Praja Rajyam general secretary and brother-in-law of Chiranjeevi, Mr Allu Aravind, on Monday asked the CPI(M) state secretary, Mr B.V. Raghavulu, to publish a book on why the Left joined hands with the Telugu Desam.The Left had earlier published a booklet, Babu Jamana Avineethi Khazana on the “corrupt regime” of the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.While addressing a media conference at the PR central office on Monday, Mr Aravind wanted to know whether the CPI(M) was ready to apologise to the people for its volte-face on its allegations on the TD.He made it clear that if the CPI(M) was not ready to bring out a book as demanded by the PR, his party would publish a detailed booklet citing the allegations made by the Marxist party against Mr Naidu’s regime in a bid to expose the double standards of the Communists.Interestingly, the ruling Congress has already decided to reprint the CPI(M)’s booklet on Mr Naidu’s rule and distribute it among the people. Taking strong exception to the remarks made by Mr Raghavulu against the Yuva Rajyam president, Pavan Kalyan, Mr Aravind said since the Grand Alliance was unable to take off, the Marxist leader was getting desperate and even going to the extent of abusing PR leaders.“Despite ideological differences, the Left forged an alliance with the TD only with a vindicative agenda,” he alleged.
Big talkers turn chokers on stage
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 21: Film stars who hold audiences spellbound with their thunderous dialogues on screen have turned out to be damp squibs when it comes to delivering speeches in public meetings.
Whether it is the Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi, the TD hero Balakrishna, or Dr Rajasekhar, all have been equally uninspiring.“Chiranjeevi's political speeches lack punch,” said the TD politburo member, Mr Nagam Janardhan Reddy. “There is no comparison between NTR and the PR chief.”
Though the TD criticises Chiranjeevi, its hero Balakrishna’s speeches have turned out to be flops. Many feel that the speeches lack the NTR punch.
“Neither Chiranjeevi nor Balakrishna are able to speak with clarity on the policies of their parties,” said Mr Tulasi Reddy, spokesperson of the PCC. “It is evident from their lacklustre speeches.”
Chiranjeevi has had to mouth film dialogues, twirl his moustache and slap his thighs to draw applause from the crowds.There are some actors such as Roja, the TD women’s wing head, and Chiranjeevi’s brother Pavan Kalyan, who are able to sway the audiences a bit.
However, their speeches are arousing controversy, giving enough ammunition to their political rivals. Pavan Kalyan's remarks on minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir led to protest demonstrations by Congress workers. Roja’s critical comments on Pavan triggered protests by Praja Rajyam workers.
Despite this, more film stars are set to take the stage in the upcoming campaign. Junior NTR and Taraka Ratna will campaign for the TD and Chiranjeevi’s brother Nagendrababu is all set to embark on district tours.
Hyderabad, Feb. 21: Film stars who hold audiences spellbound with their thunderous dialogues on screen have turned out to be damp squibs when it comes to delivering speeches in public meetings.
Whether it is the Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi, the TD hero Balakrishna, or Dr Rajasekhar, all have been equally uninspiring.“Chiranjeevi's political speeches lack punch,” said the TD politburo member, Mr Nagam Janardhan Reddy. “There is no comparison between NTR and the PR chief.”
Though the TD criticises Chiranjeevi, its hero Balakrishna’s speeches have turned out to be flops. Many feel that the speeches lack the NTR punch.
“Neither Chiranjeevi nor Balakrishna are able to speak with clarity on the policies of their parties,” said Mr Tulasi Reddy, spokesperson of the PCC. “It is evident from their lacklustre speeches.”
Chiranjeevi has had to mouth film dialogues, twirl his moustache and slap his thighs to draw applause from the crowds.There are some actors such as Roja, the TD women’s wing head, and Chiranjeevi’s brother Pavan Kalyan, who are able to sway the audiences a bit.
However, their speeches are arousing controversy, giving enough ammunition to their political rivals. Pavan Kalyan's remarks on minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir led to protest demonstrations by Congress workers. Roja’s critical comments on Pavan triggered protests by Praja Rajyam workers.
Despite this, more film stars are set to take the stage in the upcoming campaign. Junior NTR and Taraka Ratna will campaign for the TD and Chiranjeevi’s brother Nagendrababu is all set to embark on district tours.
Voters to get info online
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 20: Voters will soon get to know their polling station and serial number by taking a look at www.ceo.andhra.nic.in, the chief electoral officer’s website.
One need not wait till agents of political parties come knocking with polling slips and can instead take a printout of these details from the Web.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Mr I.V.Subba Rao, said that the facility would be set up in a week. “I held discussions with the officials of National Informatics Centre on this today,” he said.
The Election Commission is developing special software to enable the voter to get these details at the click of a mouse.
According to Mr Subba Rao, voter enrolment centres set up at every tahsildar office are being networked with the main server in the CEO’s office in Hyderabad to enable this facility.
Meanwhile, in a bid to keep a tab on violators of the model code of conduct, the EC is going to appoint 714 observers across the state.
“We will appoint two observers for every Assembly segment and three for every Lok Sabha constituency,” said Mr Subba Rao. “They will keenly watch the movements of the candidates during campaigning.”
The EC has also asked district collectors to prepare a list of sensitive polling stations across the state so as to appoint micro-level observers to ensure free and fair polls.
On February 21 and 22, the EC will hold final booth level meetings at every polling booth across the state, in which about 70,000 polling agents of all parties would take part and verify the veracity of the voters’ list.
“In these meetings, every citizen can walk into the polling booth and verify whether his or her name is included in the voters’ list,” said Mr Subba Rao. “If it is not there, they can submit fresh applications. This is the last chance.”
Hyderabad, Feb. 20: Voters will soon get to know their polling station and serial number by taking a look at www.ceo.andhra.nic.in, the chief electoral officer’s website.
One need not wait till agents of political parties come knocking with polling slips and can instead take a printout of these details from the Web.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Mr I.V.Subba Rao, said that the facility would be set up in a week. “I held discussions with the officials of National Informatics Centre on this today,” he said.
The Election Commission is developing special software to enable the voter to get these details at the click of a mouse.
According to Mr Subba Rao, voter enrolment centres set up at every tahsildar office are being networked with the main server in the CEO’s office in Hyderabad to enable this facility.
Meanwhile, in a bid to keep a tab on violators of the model code of conduct, the EC is going to appoint 714 observers across the state.
“We will appoint two observers for every Assembly segment and three for every Lok Sabha constituency,” said Mr Subba Rao. “They will keenly watch the movements of the candidates during campaigning.”
The EC has also asked district collectors to prepare a list of sensitive polling stations across the state so as to appoint micro-level observers to ensure free and fair polls.
On February 21 and 22, the EC will hold final booth level meetings at every polling booth across the state, in which about 70,000 polling agents of all parties would take part and verify the veracity of the voters’ list.
“In these meetings, every citizen can walk into the polling booth and verify whether his or her name is included in the voters’ list,” said Mr Subba Rao. “If it is not there, they can submit fresh applications. This is the last chance.”
Political stirs to go online
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 19: Protesters and debaters no longer take to the streets with slogans and banners. They just click the mouse.Many people have set up blogs and websites to express their anguish at various ills of the political system emulating people of the United States.They are doing this even as political parties like the Telugu Desam, the Praja Rajyam and the BJP are trying to emulate the web campaign of the US president, Mr Barack Obama.It is to be seen whether the parties evoke any response, but the sites of netizens are surely getting huge hits.For instance, www.indiademocracy.org, a political networking site launched to create awareness among people, has become very popular. This site encourages visitors to post their opinions on the present political scenario. Similarly, through www.politicsparty.com, Internet users can share their opinions on the current political system.“Public opinion is one of the most powerful tools in democracy,” said Mr Kolakaluri Sridhar, who runs a blog on the present political system. “These sites will influence the opinion of computer-literate people, who in turn can influence the common man.”
Hyderabad, Feb. 19: Protesters and debaters no longer take to the streets with slogans and banners. They just click the mouse.Many people have set up blogs and websites to express their anguish at various ills of the political system emulating people of the United States.They are doing this even as political parties like the Telugu Desam, the Praja Rajyam and the BJP are trying to emulate the web campaign of the US president, Mr Barack Obama.It is to be seen whether the parties evoke any response, but the sites of netizens are surely getting huge hits.For instance, www.indiademocracy.org, a political networking site launched to create awareness among people, has become very popular. This site encourages visitors to post their opinions on the present political scenario. Similarly, through www.politicsparty.com, Internet users can share their opinions on the current political system.“Public opinion is one of the most powerful tools in democracy,” said Mr Kolakaluri Sridhar, who runs a blog on the present political system. “These sites will influence the opinion of computer-literate people, who in turn can influence the common man.”
PR to fight outside state too
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 17: Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi is planning to field Lok Sabha candidates in Telugu-dominated areas in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Maharashtra, where his movies draw huge crowds.His party, the Praja Rajyam, has identified 10 LS seats in Karnataka with box office collections of Chiranjeevi blockbusters as the barometer. The party is conducting surveys in the other states to locate more constituencies where it can convert the applause of audiences into votes.“Our candidates will contest from Mysore, Bengaluru South, Bijapur, Kolar, Gulbarga, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Raichur, Chikballapur and Chitradurga parliamentary seats in Karnataka,” said Mr Swami Naidu, Praja Rajyam leader. Interestingly, even while trying to spread its influence outside the state, the Praja Rajyam has scaled down its ambitions in AP. The party had claimed earlier that it would win more than 250 seats in the Assembly polls. In fact, Chiranjeevi’s brother-in-law, Mr Allu Arvind, went to the extent of saying that the party would win 292 seats, leaving Pulivendula for the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and Kuppam for the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.However, on Tuesday, the Praja Rajyam leader, Mr Parkala Prabhakar, said the party would win 205 seats in the coming polls. He cited a recent survey conducted by the party as the base for the prediction, which is modest by Praja Rajyam standards.The survey conducted in 294 constituencies revealed that the the party would win 80 seats in Telangana, 90 segments in coastal Andhra and 35 seats in Rayalaseema.
Hyderabad, Feb. 17: Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi is planning to field Lok Sabha candidates in Telugu-dominated areas in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Maharashtra, where his movies draw huge crowds.His party, the Praja Rajyam, has identified 10 LS seats in Karnataka with box office collections of Chiranjeevi blockbusters as the barometer. The party is conducting surveys in the other states to locate more constituencies where it can convert the applause of audiences into votes.“Our candidates will contest from Mysore, Bengaluru South, Bijapur, Kolar, Gulbarga, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Raichur, Chikballapur and Chitradurga parliamentary seats in Karnataka,” said Mr Swami Naidu, Praja Rajyam leader. Interestingly, even while trying to spread its influence outside the state, the Praja Rajyam has scaled down its ambitions in AP. The party had claimed earlier that it would win more than 250 seats in the Assembly polls. In fact, Chiranjeevi’s brother-in-law, Mr Allu Arvind, went to the extent of saying that the party would win 292 seats, leaving Pulivendula for the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and Kuppam for the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.However, on Tuesday, the Praja Rajyam leader, Mr Parkala Prabhakar, said the party would win 205 seats in the coming polls. He cited a recent survey conducted by the party as the base for the prediction, which is modest by Praja Rajyam standards.The survey conducted in 294 constituencies revealed that the the party would win 80 seats in Telangana, 90 segments in coastal Andhra and 35 seats in Rayalaseema.
PR seeks probe on CM, Babu
BY J.R.PRASD
Hyderabad, Feb. 15: The Praja Rajyam president, Chiranjeevi petitioned the Governor, Mr N.D.Tiwari, on Sunday to order a probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to look into the investments in Jagathi Publication Ltd., owned by Mr Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and into the scam in Heritage Foods, a firm which is partly owned by the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.Besides this, the PR chief wanted to include Satyam scandal and various projects awarded by the state government to Maytas included in the probe.He also appealed to the Governor to take all necessary steps to prosecute the Chief Minister, for allegedly abusing his position to amass wealth and resorting to nepotism.Soon after meeting, the PR chief addressed mediapersons and launched a scathing attack on both the Chief Minister and the TD chief.He alleged that neither the Chief Minister nor the Opposition leader had a clean record as far as their enormous wealth is concerned.
Hyderabad, Feb. 15: The Praja Rajyam president, Chiranjeevi petitioned the Governor, Mr N.D.Tiwari, on Sunday to order a probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to look into the investments in Jagathi Publication Ltd., owned by Mr Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and into the scam in Heritage Foods, a firm which is partly owned by the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.Besides this, the PR chief wanted to include Satyam scandal and various projects awarded by the state government to Maytas included in the probe.He also appealed to the Governor to take all necessary steps to prosecute the Chief Minister, for allegedly abusing his position to amass wealth and resorting to nepotism.Soon after meeting, the PR chief addressed mediapersons and launched a scathing attack on both the Chief Minister and the TD chief.He alleged that neither the Chief Minister nor the Opposition leader had a clean record as far as their enormous wealth is concerned.
EC may airlift ST votes
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 13: The Election Commission, which decided to introduce Electronic Voting Machines with Braille labels for the visually challenged voters to exercise their franchise in the general elections, is all set to help tribal voters also.The EC is planning to either airlift tribal voters living in remote hamlets, hillocks and forests to the nearest polling stations or take the ballot boxes and polling officials to the voters in a helicopter.“There are several habitations in agency areas where around 10 tribal voters live. Setting up polling stations in these areas is not feasible. We are exploring options to airlift them to the nearest polling station or take the ballot boxes to them in a helicopter,” said the chief electoral officer, Mr I.V. Subba Rao.He said ST constituencies like Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district and Paderu in Visakhapatnam district fall under this category.The EC has asked the district officials to work out the number of tribal voters in remote habitations. “We will get the exact number of voters and habitations soon, which require special attention during the polls,” Mr Subba Rao said.According to him, the EC would conduct a meeting with the project officers of the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies during this week and take a decision.Later, the EC will also conduct a meeting with the collectors of Khammam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and West Godavari districts in this regard.
Hyderabad, Feb. 13: The Election Commission, which decided to introduce Electronic Voting Machines with Braille labels for the visually challenged voters to exercise their franchise in the general elections, is all set to help tribal voters also.The EC is planning to either airlift tribal voters living in remote hamlets, hillocks and forests to the nearest polling stations or take the ballot boxes and polling officials to the voters in a helicopter.“There are several habitations in agency areas where around 10 tribal voters live. Setting up polling stations in these areas is not feasible. We are exploring options to airlift them to the nearest polling station or take the ballot boxes to them in a helicopter,” said the chief electoral officer, Mr I.V. Subba Rao.He said ST constituencies like Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district and Paderu in Visakhapatnam district fall under this category.The EC has asked the district officials to work out the number of tribal voters in remote habitations. “We will get the exact number of voters and habitations soon, which require special attention during the polls,” Mr Subba Rao said.According to him, the EC would conduct a meeting with the project officers of the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies during this week and take a decision.Later, the EC will also conduct a meeting with the collectors of Khammam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and West Godavari districts in this regard.
YSR, Naidu get ‘sonstruck’
Feb. 10: Fathers will be fathers, whether they don the mantle of the Chief Minister or that of the opposition leader.The Assembly was witness to this truth on Tuesday when Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and Mr N. Chandra-babu Naidu went all wide eyed while praising the sterling characters of their sons.The sons were dragged into the debate after allegations were made about a “Satyam” hand behind the Telugu Desam chief’s son Lokesh’s overseas education and counter charges were hurled about Mr Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s business “irregularities”.Even while explaining how they took pains to bring up their sons as model citizens, the two leaders did not hesitate to take digs at each other’s sons. The filial affection and rivalry of the two leaders turned the Satyam-Maytas debate into a lecture on parenting.“Do you think I am not in a position to provide good education to my son?” asked an angry Mr Naidu. “He is my only son. Don’t forget his grandfather also served as chief minister. Also, there are many scholarships.”When Congress MLA, Ms Konda Surekha, quipped that Mr Naidu’s son was not that meritorious, she touched a raw nerve. “I have brought up my son well,” shouted Mr Naidu. “He is not like your Chief Minister’s son, who came by the return flight when sent abroad for studies.”Needless to say, this irked the other father. Rising up in defence of Jagan, Dr Reddy said he had returned as he was homesick. “I know many things about your son but I do not want to reveal it all here,” the Chief Minister told Mr Naidu, as treasury benches booed at the leader of the opposition.Dr Reddy then rummaged through his papers and commented that there was nothing wrong if some people bought shares in his son’s venture, Saakshi.Mr Naidu also evaded a specific question on whether he had taken the permission of the RBI to send thousands of dollars to his son. After all, which father keeps track of such things?
Moral cops to get lovers married
Feb. 10: Youngsters waiting to celebrate Valentines Day at public places be careful.For the moral police have announced their intent to come down heavily on youngsters found at any public place together.Not only will they single them out, they will also get them married off on the same day. To turn their plans into reality, the group will hire a purohit who will have a van with items needed in a marriage ceremony to ensure that the couple have social approval to their relationship.“We have decided to marry off people who are spotted together on the day. Not even a single person will be spared, even if he has high connections,” said Mr T. Yaman Singh, the state convenor of the Bajrang Dal, Bhagyanagar.“Our first job will be to call up parents. If the couple are underaged, we will lodge a police complaint and then handover the newly-weds to their parents,” said Mr T.N Murari, the city convenor of the outfit.
Journos run for health cover
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 9: Journalists landed in hordes at the MRO offices of the city on Sunday. They were not after any ‘breaking news’ but were throngingto get the medical insurance cards sponsored by thestate government under Arogyasri.In all, eight centres were provided exclusively for journalists working in the capital and each office had two staffers to do the necessary work.However, the officials were a bit taken aback to see the hundreds of mediapersons and their families pouring in from early morning.The ‘hardboiled’ journalists who are more prone to the health problems because of their lifestyle were the first ones to arrive. They see the Rs 2 lakh insurance scheme as a great blessing.By 10 am, the premises of all the centres were filled with mediapersons and their families. Many also brought along their elderly parents with them.After a while, many journalists, who are used to being given special treatment at government offices, started grumbling at being forced to stand in queue. At the Anandanagar MRO office, there was a wordy duel between mediapersons and officials.“My wife asked me if it is necessary for a political reporter too to stand in a queue,” said a senior journalist. “I had no answer for that.”Some flustered journalists also took out their cellphones to call up their top level contacts in the civil supplies department to see if they can jump the queue and get special treatment.“Except for the Chief Minister, all other VIPs have been contacted to get a favour,” joked one of them.There were around 300 persons in each of the centres and at least 600 in some centres.Journalists are usually lone wolves and the occasion also provided an opportunity for their family members to meet.Some reporters were seen taking a dig at their cousins in other media organisations who were in a hurry to take the insurance card after writing hard-hitting articles against the Arogyasri scheme.
Hyderabad, Feb. 9: Journalists landed in hordes at the MRO offices of the city on Sunday. They were not after any ‘breaking news’ but were throngingto get the medical insurance cards sponsored by thestate government under Arogyasri.In all, eight centres were provided exclusively for journalists working in the capital and each office had two staffers to do the necessary work.However, the officials were a bit taken aback to see the hundreds of mediapersons and their families pouring in from early morning.The ‘hardboiled’ journalists who are more prone to the health problems because of their lifestyle were the first ones to arrive. They see the Rs 2 lakh insurance scheme as a great blessing.By 10 am, the premises of all the centres were filled with mediapersons and their families. Many also brought along their elderly parents with them.After a while, many journalists, who are used to being given special treatment at government offices, started grumbling at being forced to stand in queue. At the Anandanagar MRO office, there was a wordy duel between mediapersons and officials.“My wife asked me if it is necessary for a political reporter too to stand in a queue,” said a senior journalist. “I had no answer for that.”Some flustered journalists also took out their cellphones to call up their top level contacts in the civil supplies department to see if they can jump the queue and get special treatment.“Except for the Chief Minister, all other VIPs have been contacted to get a favour,” joked one of them.There were around 300 persons in each of the centres and at least 600 in some centres.Journalists are usually lone wolves and the occasion also provided an opportunity for their family members to meet.Some reporters were seen taking a dig at their cousins in other media organisations who were in a hurry to take the insurance card after writing hard-hitting articles against the Arogyasri scheme.
Chiru dares alliance
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 9: The Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi on Monday dared the leaders of the Telugu Desam-led Mahakutami to give a joint statement on Telangana if they were really committed to the cause of a separate state.He told mediapersons that all the parties in the grand alliance including the Telangana Rashtra Samiti had joined hands only to grab power, despite their ideological differences.It was a “deceptive alliance” (Mayakutami), and people of Telangana would give it a fitting rebuff, said the Praja Rajyam chief.He further wanted to know why the TD, which earlier said the Praja Rajyam was not its rival, was running television advertisements against it.Chiranjeevi said the first list of the party candidates for the polls would be announced by the end of this month.The Praja Rajyam election planning committee chairman, Mr Ch. Harirama Jogaiah, said it would not give tickets to those with criminal record.Meanwhile, the Mahakutami has decided to organise a mammoth public meeting in the last week of February.The Opposition alliance is planning to mobilise about 20 lakh people for the grand show, where the programmes and policies will be explained.
Hyderabad, Feb. 9: The Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi on Monday dared the leaders of the Telugu Desam-led Mahakutami to give a joint statement on Telangana if they were really committed to the cause of a separate state.He told mediapersons that all the parties in the grand alliance including the Telangana Rashtra Samiti had joined hands only to grab power, despite their ideological differences.It was a “deceptive alliance” (Mayakutami), and people of Telangana would give it a fitting rebuff, said the Praja Rajyam chief.He further wanted to know why the TD, which earlier said the Praja Rajyam was not its rival, was running television advertisements against it.Chiranjeevi said the first list of the party candidates for the polls would be announced by the end of this month.The Praja Rajyam election planning committee chairman, Mr Ch. Harirama Jogaiah, said it would not give tickets to those with criminal record.Meanwhile, the Mahakutami has decided to organise a mammoth public meeting in the last week of February.The Opposition alliance is planning to mobilise about 20 lakh people for the grand show, where the programmes and policies will be explained.
Parties ready for big fight
Feb. 8: The state assembly is likely to witness noisy scenes as the controversial Satyam-Maytas issue is listed to be discussed on Monday.Both the ruling party Congress and the united Opposition led by the Telugu Desam are ready for the “big fight”, armed with enough material to expose each other.However, some leaders doubt if the debate would proceed in a constructive manner or fall victim to “match fixing”.“There were reports of frontmen in Congress and TD power centres making efforts to buy the crisis-ridden Maytas though both parties have been silent on the issue,” said a senior TD leader, known for his independent style of functioning.“This explains how parties play safe when their common interests are at stake,” he pointed out.The Congress appears to be focusing more on Heritage Foods making up profits with sale of shares and disposing of prime land for a nominal amount. Heritage Foods is owned by the family of TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.“Mr Naidu has been silent on the fraud till now,” said finance minister, Mr K. Rosaiah.“He should explain to people, if not to us, on vital questions raised by the media about the functioning of the company,” he said.The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, has already accused Mr Naidu of promoting Ramalinga Raju. The Congress has also managed to bring out new allegations on Sunday about various financial deals between Mr Naidu and the disgraced Ramalinga Raju.
Police warn youngsters about networking sites
Feb. 8: The Hyderabad police has warned youngsters against befriending strangers on the Internet, particularly on social networking sites during Valentine’s Day.“Cyber space is growing place for offenders to commit crimes,” the police said in a post on the website hyderabadpolice.gov.in.“Getting exposed to social networking sites can be as dangerous as answering the door to a stranger,” the post said.“Cyber harassment is rising fast among youngsters. False profiles are being created to harass girls without their knowledge,” said R.S. Praveen Kumar, DCP, DD, Hyderabad.The police suggested that youngsters reveal as little as possible about themselves on their profile so that they are not bothered by strangers. No one befriends a person who does not have enough contact details.Social networking sites which thrive on communication, encourage the user to provide personal information. People are guarded while revealing anything about themselves when they meet others in person. However, this caution is not exercised online as the Internet provides a false sense of security as the person remains anonymous.The website advises caution while revealing information as everyone has access to the information put up on a profile.“Even though a majority of the people are not a threat, there is always a chance that a person with a criminal mind, who wants to befriend a user accesses personal data,” Mr Praveen Kumar added.
No land for the dead
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 8: Even the dead don’t get a final resting place easily these days thanks to the real estate boom and the scramble for land in recent years.There is no space available in burial grounds and the rates of funeral rites for a single body have also gone up to around Rs 10,000 for all the communities.This has put the poor in the most distressing situation. They are not even able to give a decent burial to their family members. Nearly 90 per cent of the space in most of the Muslim graveyards and Christian cemeteries has been exhausted. And there is no other land available.“Earlier, people used to endow (wakf) large extents of land for graveyards but now no individual, family or even institution is coming forward to donate land,” said Moulana Syed Akbar Nizamuddin, an eminent Muslim scholar. “This is because of the high price of land.”So the old graves are being reopened to accommodate the new dead persons from the same family. In Hindu Smashana Vatikas like the one at Punjagutta, the management committees have stopped allotting space for construction of samadhis (permanent gravestones) because of the same reason. They are only allowing cremation. Each family has to spend a minimum of Rs 2,500 as cremation charges. Expenses go up if the family prefers a better quality wood and ghee instead of kerosene. When transportation charges are also taken into account, the amount touches Rs 10,000.“We can’t allow samadhis to come up here since there is no space,” said Mr Anil Kumar, president of the Punjagutta Hindu Smashana Vatika Association. “We have to reopen old graves,” said Mr John Kennedy, secretary of the newly formed Catholics Cemetery Development Committee. “Adding to the woes is the encroachment in cemeteries.” He added that when a grave at Mettuguda cemetery was opened to bury a nun, it was found to be oozing water. “This is because slum dwellers and washerwomen wash their clothes on the upper side of the cemetery and that water flows into the graves,” he said. “It is for the civic bodies to do something about this.”Some families were distressed to find the gravestones of their dear ones missing. To prevent this, the cemetery development committee has started numbering the graves and issuing identity cards to the families.“There are already over 3,500 graves in the Bhoiguda cemetery,” said Mr Kennedy. “On an average 15 to 20 burials are held every month. So we are identifying and reopening unknown graves.”Christians too have to spend a tidy sum to get a decent burial. Coffins cost anything from Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000. Then, they have to rent a hearse van, pay digging charges and meet other expenses. “Of course, the Church provides discount to the poor,” said Mr Kennedy.Mufti Khaleel Ahmed said that as per the Shariah, graves which are more than 30 years old can be reopened and used for the burial again. “An awareness campaign has to be launched among the Muslim community,” he said. The Mufti also expressed sadness at graveyards charging Rs 2,000 for maintenance. The 200-year-old Narayanguda Protestant Cemetery is also facing a severe space crunch. It has to conduct 25 to 30 burials a month. “The place is fully occupied, and now every burial will have to be above an existing grave,” said one of the office bearers of the cemetery. “We can no longer give vaults and tombstones to families.”And when people arrive to pray for the dead during All Souls Day, they are distressed as graves of their loved ones are missing. Those who maintain the cemeteries can just shrug their shoulders.
Hyderabad, Feb. 8: Even the dead don’t get a final resting place easily these days thanks to the real estate boom and the scramble for land in recent years.There is no space available in burial grounds and the rates of funeral rites for a single body have also gone up to around Rs 10,000 for all the communities.This has put the poor in the most distressing situation. They are not even able to give a decent burial to their family members. Nearly 90 per cent of the space in most of the Muslim graveyards and Christian cemeteries has been exhausted. And there is no other land available.“Earlier, people used to endow (wakf) large extents of land for graveyards but now no individual, family or even institution is coming forward to donate land,” said Moulana Syed Akbar Nizamuddin, an eminent Muslim scholar. “This is because of the high price of land.”So the old graves are being reopened to accommodate the new dead persons from the same family. In Hindu Smashana Vatikas like the one at Punjagutta, the management committees have stopped allotting space for construction of samadhis (permanent gravestones) because of the same reason. They are only allowing cremation. Each family has to spend a minimum of Rs 2,500 as cremation charges. Expenses go up if the family prefers a better quality wood and ghee instead of kerosene. When transportation charges are also taken into account, the amount touches Rs 10,000.“We can’t allow samadhis to come up here since there is no space,” said Mr Anil Kumar, president of the Punjagutta Hindu Smashana Vatika Association. “We have to reopen old graves,” said Mr John Kennedy, secretary of the newly formed Catholics Cemetery Development Committee. “Adding to the woes is the encroachment in cemeteries.” He added that when a grave at Mettuguda cemetery was opened to bury a nun, it was found to be oozing water. “This is because slum dwellers and washerwomen wash their clothes on the upper side of the cemetery and that water flows into the graves,” he said. “It is for the civic bodies to do something about this.”Some families were distressed to find the gravestones of their dear ones missing. To prevent this, the cemetery development committee has started numbering the graves and issuing identity cards to the families.“There are already over 3,500 graves in the Bhoiguda cemetery,” said Mr Kennedy. “On an average 15 to 20 burials are held every month. So we are identifying and reopening unknown graves.”Christians too have to spend a tidy sum to get a decent burial. Coffins cost anything from Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000. Then, they have to rent a hearse van, pay digging charges and meet other expenses. “Of course, the Church provides discount to the poor,” said Mr Kennedy.Mufti Khaleel Ahmed said that as per the Shariah, graves which are more than 30 years old can be reopened and used for the burial again. “An awareness campaign has to be launched among the Muslim community,” he said. The Mufti also expressed sadness at graveyards charging Rs 2,000 for maintenance. The 200-year-old Narayanguda Protestant Cemetery is also facing a severe space crunch. It has to conduct 25 to 30 burials a month. “The place is fully occupied, and now every burial will have to be above an existing grave,” said one of the office bearers of the cemetery. “We can no longer give vaults and tombstones to families.”And when people arrive to pray for the dead during All Souls Day, they are distressed as graves of their loved ones are missing. Those who maintain the cemeteries can just shrug their shoulders.
Biryani spices for Rs 50 at FP shops
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 8: Making biryani will not be a costly affair anymore as the state government has decided to make condiments required to make the dish available for Rs 50 per packet at Fair Price shops.Each packet will contain powders of chilli, turmeric, dhania, mustard, black pepper and other spices.In the open market, a packet of biryani spices weighing 660 grams will cost about Rs 150.The civil supplies department has issued orders to sell these packets in five districts: Guntur, Nellore Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool.The scheme will be extended to other districts if consumers in the above districts respond well to the scheme.The civil supplies commissioner, Mr Sanjay Jaju, issued orders to launch the scheme after Griha Mitra organisations of Tirupati approached the department with the proposal, explaining advantages of the scheme.Fair price shop dealers will get Re 1 as commission when they sell one spice packet.Meanwhile, the civil supplies department has made arrangements to convert pink cards to ration cards in the state as the annual income limit has been enhanced to Rs 75,000 for each family. It is learnt that over 12 lakh cards will be converted within two months.The civil supplies department has established additional centres to facilitate the conversion of cards.The cardholders can also change their addresses and avail the ration facility at their new residential areas.
Hyderabad, Feb. 8: Making biryani will not be a costly affair anymore as the state government has decided to make condiments required to make the dish available for Rs 50 per packet at Fair Price shops.Each packet will contain powders of chilli, turmeric, dhania, mustard, black pepper and other spices.In the open market, a packet of biryani spices weighing 660 grams will cost about Rs 150.The civil supplies department has issued orders to sell these packets in five districts: Guntur, Nellore Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool.The scheme will be extended to other districts if consumers in the above districts respond well to the scheme.The civil supplies commissioner, Mr Sanjay Jaju, issued orders to launch the scheme after Griha Mitra organisations of Tirupati approached the department with the proposal, explaining advantages of the scheme.Fair price shop dealers will get Re 1 as commission when they sell one spice packet.Meanwhile, the civil supplies department has made arrangements to convert pink cards to ration cards in the state as the annual income limit has been enhanced to Rs 75,000 for each family. It is learnt that over 12 lakh cards will be converted within two months.The civil supplies department has established additional centres to facilitate the conversion of cards.The cardholders can also change their addresses and avail the ration facility at their new residential areas.
EC chooses to pass blame on voters’ list
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 7: Political parties and voters cannot blame the Election Commission for errors in the voters list.In a move to pre-empt criticism, the EC has decided to involve political parties and voters in spotting errors in the electoral rolls.The EC will hold two booth-level meetings across the state on February 14, 15 and again on February21, 22. About 70,000 polling agents are expected to take part and vet the voters list.“Anyone can walk in and verify whether his or her name is included in the voters list or not,” the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr I.V. Subba Rao, said. “If the name is not there, eligible voters can submit applications and get themselves registered.”Mr Rao, on Saturday briefed representatives of political parties on the preparedness of the Election Commission for the forthcoming polls.Mr Rao also said the Election Commission would hold a drive from February 18 to 28 across the state to create awareness among new voters on the process of voting through Electronic Voting Machines.An EVM will be kept in every village and poll officials will demonstrate functioning of the machine. “Any voter can operate the machine,” Mr Rao said.For the convenience of voters, the Election Commission will set up another 10,000 polling stations in addition to the existing 56,000 for the polls.
Hyderabad, Feb. 7: Political parties and voters cannot blame the Election Commission for errors in the voters list.In a move to pre-empt criticism, the EC has decided to involve political parties and voters in spotting errors in the electoral rolls.The EC will hold two booth-level meetings across the state on February 14, 15 and again on February21, 22. About 70,000 polling agents are expected to take part and vet the voters list.“Anyone can walk in and verify whether his or her name is included in the voters list or not,” the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr I.V. Subba Rao, said. “If the name is not there, eligible voters can submit applications and get themselves registered.”Mr Rao, on Saturday briefed representatives of political parties on the preparedness of the Election Commission for the forthcoming polls.Mr Rao also said the Election Commission would hold a drive from February 18 to 28 across the state to create awareness among new voters on the process of voting through Electronic Voting Machines.An EVM will be kept in every village and poll officials will demonstrate functioning of the machine. “Any voter can operate the machine,” Mr Rao said.For the convenience of voters, the Election Commission will set up another 10,000 polling stations in addition to the existing 56,000 for the polls.
Kesineni quits PR, faults Chiru
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: Alleging that the Praja Rajyam was being run according to Chiranjeevi’s wishes, the party’s Vijayawada urban wing convenor, Mr Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani, resigned from the party on Monday along with his followers. “Chiranjeevi is a big actor even in real life. He has no commitment to serve the poor. His only aim is to earn Rs 2,500 crore through politics,” he alleged.Even though Chiranjeevi repeatedly denied a possible truck between the PR and the BJP, he is considering that, Mr Nani said. “Moreover, the PR leaders are planning to sell its MPs to the BJP after the polls. I observed this, when the BJP leader, Shatrughan Sinha met Chiranjeevi,” he added.
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: Alleging that the Praja Rajyam was being run according to Chiranjeevi’s wishes, the party’s Vijayawada urban wing convenor, Mr Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani, resigned from the party on Monday along with his followers. “Chiranjeevi is a big actor even in real life. He has no commitment to serve the poor. His only aim is to earn Rs 2,500 crore through politics,” he alleged.Even though Chiranjeevi repeatedly denied a possible truck between the PR and the BJP, he is considering that, Mr Nani said. “Moreover, the PR leaders are planning to sell its MPs to the BJP after the polls. I observed this, when the BJP leader, Shatrughan Sinha met Chiranjeevi,” he added.
Chiru acts out poll promises
Feb.1: The Praja Rajyam president, Chiranjeevi promised to serve the people round the clock if his party was voted to power.“Till now I entertained you through my films for two-and-a-half hours. In my new role as a servant of the people, I will serve you round the clock. As it is the people who have given me this stature, I will be happy to serve them,” he said.The Praja Rajyam president made this promise while starting his four-day Praja Ankitha yatra in Nizamabad district on Sunday.In order to attract people to his road shows, the actor-turned-politician narrated a few movie dialogues. He thanked the people, particularly his fans, for making his movies a big success even in rural areas like the Lingampe mandal headquarter town. “I know the collections for my movies even in rural areas,” he said. Several youth, children and women awaited along the road to catch a glimpse of the actor. He addressed public meetings and road shows in Kamareddy, Yellareddy and Jukkal Assembly constituencies. He entered the district at Bhiknoor and passed through Kamareddy, Tadwai, Lingampet, Yellareddy, Nizamsagar mandals and halted at Bichkunda for the night.Chiranjeevi called on the people to change the political scenario and encourage new faces in the elections. He alleged that political leaders made money by cheating the public. “They never catch big shots because they get a share in the illegal earnings,” he said.Chiranjeevi promised that the PR will strive to give a quality life to the common man and create a better society. He claimed that his scheme of rice, dal, oil and tamarind for Rs 100 would help poor families.
Naidu trust got Rs 1cr Raju cash
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Jan. 26: Three front companies of Satyam’s fraud-hit founder, Mr B. Ramalinga Raju, paid Rs 1 crore to a trust run by the Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, and his wife, Mrs Bhuvaneswari.
The NTR Memorial Trust got Rs 35 lakh each from Elem Investments and Fineith Investments and Rs 30 lakh from High Grace Investments, all front firms of Mr Raju.
Apart from Mr Naidu, the managing trustee, and his wife, the trust has another trustee, Mr D. Seetaramaiah.
The Trust CEO, Mr P. Raghu Rama Rao, accepted they had received money from companies.
Many of the donors are TD leaders or sympathisers, besides companies owned by them. Mr Raju’s companies were the only non-TD donors.
Coincidence or otherwise, the list of donations has disappeared from the website of the Trust at ntrtrust.org after the scam broke. The link showing donations to the Trust is available in a Google cache at ntrtrust.org/backup-1203-08/sponsors_list.php.
Hyderabad, Jan. 26: Three front companies of Satyam’s fraud-hit founder, Mr B. Ramalinga Raju, paid Rs 1 crore to a trust run by the Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, and his wife, Mrs Bhuvaneswari.
The NTR Memorial Trust got Rs 35 lakh each from Elem Investments and Fineith Investments and Rs 30 lakh from High Grace Investments, all front firms of Mr Raju.
Apart from Mr Naidu, the managing trustee, and his wife, the trust has another trustee, Mr D. Seetaramaiah.
The Trust CEO, Mr P. Raghu Rama Rao, accepted they had received money from companies.
Many of the donors are TD leaders or sympathisers, besides companies owned by them. Mr Raju’s companies were the only non-TD donors.
Coincidence or otherwise, the list of donations has disappeared from the website of the Trust at ntrtrust.org after the scam broke. The link showing donations to the Trust is available in a Google cache at ntrtrust.org/backup-1203-08/sponsors_list.php.
Naidu all free, says Chiru
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Jan. 27: The Praja Rajyam president, K. Chiranjeevi, on Tuesday joined the chorus of the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, by calling the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu “All free Babu”.The PR president ridiculed the freebies announced by Mr Naidu during his election campaign and said they were not practical. He said even the combined Budget of India and the US would not be sufficient to implement all the promises made by Mr Naidu.While addressing the party’s district committees convention at Ravi Narayana Reddy auditorium in Hyderabad, Mr Chiranjeevi passed critical remarks against the Telugu Desam chief.“Unmindful of the amount of money needed to implement his promises, the TD chief is promising the moon to the common man only to grab power. Mr Naidu who threw the TD founder N.T. Rama Rao’s pro-poor policies to the wind during his nine-year rule as the Chief Minister is now again singing pro-poor tune in order to come back to power,” Chiranjeevi said.The PR chief said that apart from the Chief Minister, Mr Naidu was also responsible for the present Satyam scandal as Mr Ramalinga Raju was a blue-eyed boy during the erstwhile TD regime.Meanwhile, the PR leadership decided to take up a mass contact programme Gadapa Gadapaku Praja Rajyam (PR at every threshold) from Wednesday in every village across the state in order to prepare the cadre for the ensuing elections.During this programme, which will will go on till the elections, the PR leaders and workers will visit every house and try to persuade people about the PR policies and Chiranjeevi’s slogan of “change”.
Hyderabad, Jan. 27: The Praja Rajyam president, K. Chiranjeevi, on Tuesday joined the chorus of the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, by calling the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu “All free Babu”.The PR president ridiculed the freebies announced by Mr Naidu during his election campaign and said they were not practical. He said even the combined Budget of India and the US would not be sufficient to implement all the promises made by Mr Naidu.While addressing the party’s district committees convention at Ravi Narayana Reddy auditorium in Hyderabad, Mr Chiranjeevi passed critical remarks against the Telugu Desam chief.“Unmindful of the amount of money needed to implement his promises, the TD chief is promising the moon to the common man only to grab power. Mr Naidu who threw the TD founder N.T. Rama Rao’s pro-poor policies to the wind during his nine-year rule as the Chief Minister is now again singing pro-poor tune in order to come back to power,” Chiranjeevi said.The PR chief said that apart from the Chief Minister, Mr Naidu was also responsible for the present Satyam scandal as Mr Ramalinga Raju was a blue-eyed boy during the erstwhile TD regime.Meanwhile, the PR leadership decided to take up a mass contact programme Gadapa Gadapaku Praja Rajyam (PR at every threshold) from Wednesday in every village across the state in order to prepare the cadre for the ensuing elections.During this programme, which will will go on till the elections, the PR leaders and workers will visit every house and try to persuade people about the PR policies and Chiranjeevi’s slogan of “change”.
NTP, PR hit out at TRS
BY J.R.PRASAD
Jan. 26: In the wake of CPI(M)’s reiteration that it would oppose formation of Telangana, the Praja Rajyam and the Nava Telangana Party on Monday upped the ante against the Telangana Rashtra Samiti which is in talks with the Telugu Desam and Left parties for a Grand Alliance.The NTP chief, Mr T. Devender Goud, demanded the TRS leaders to reconsider its plans to sail with the Grand Alliance in which the CPI(M) is a member.“The CPI(M) is categorically saying that it was against the bifurcation of linguistic states, including Andhra Pradesh. Then, how can the TRS align with the Grand Alliance? If the TRS leaders are really committed for the cause of separate Telangana state, they should not go with the TD and Left parties,” Mr Goud said after unfurling the national flag at the NTP office on the eve of Republic Day.Meanwhile, the PR leader, Mr Pavan Kalyan, lashed out at the TRS ideologue, Prof. K. Jayashankar, by saying that the party lacked commitment over T-issue.Taking strong exception at the remarks of Prof. Jayashankar that the PR had no clarity on Telangan, Pavan said: “Instead of trying to achieve statehood, the TRS is thinking about only alliances.”
Jan. 26: In the wake of CPI(M)’s reiteration that it would oppose formation of Telangana, the Praja Rajyam and the Nava Telangana Party on Monday upped the ante against the Telangana Rashtra Samiti which is in talks with the Telugu Desam and Left parties for a Grand Alliance.The NTP chief, Mr T. Devender Goud, demanded the TRS leaders to reconsider its plans to sail with the Grand Alliance in which the CPI(M) is a member.“The CPI(M) is categorically saying that it was against the bifurcation of linguistic states, including Andhra Pradesh. Then, how can the TRS align with the Grand Alliance? If the TRS leaders are really committed for the cause of separate Telangana state, they should not go with the TD and Left parties,” Mr Goud said after unfurling the national flag at the NTP office on the eve of Republic Day.Meanwhile, the PR leader, Mr Pavan Kalyan, lashed out at the TRS ideologue, Prof. K. Jayashankar, by saying that the party lacked commitment over T-issue.Taking strong exception at the remarks of Prof. Jayashankar that the PR had no clarity on Telangan, Pavan said: “Instead of trying to achieve statehood, the TRS is thinking about only alliances.”
NTP, PR hit out at TRS
BY J.R.PRASAD
Jan. 26: In the wake of CPI(M)’s reiteration that it would oppose formation of Telangana, the Praja Rajyam and the Nava Telangana Party on Monday upped the ante against the Telangana Rashtra Samiti which is in talks with the Telugu Desam and Left parties for a Grand Alliance.The NTP chief, Mr T. Devender Goud, demanded the TRS leaders to reconsider its plans to sail with the Grand Alliance in which the CPI(M) is a member.“The CPI(M) is categorically saying that it was against the bifurcation of linguistic states, including Andhra Pradesh. Then, how can the TRS align with the Grand Alliance? If the TRS leaders are really committed for the cause of separate Telangana state, they should not go with the TD and Left parties,” Mr Goud said after unfurling the national flag at the NTP office on the eve of Republic Day.Meanwhile, the PR leader, Mr Pavan Kalyan, lashed out at the TRS ideologue, Prof. K. Jayashankar, by saying that the party lacked commitment over T-issue.Taking strong exception at the remarks of Prof. Jayashankar that the PR had no clarity on Telangan, Pavan said: “Instead of trying to achieve statehood, the TRS is thinking about only alliances.”
Jan. 26: In the wake of CPI(M)’s reiteration that it would oppose formation of Telangana, the Praja Rajyam and the Nava Telangana Party on Monday upped the ante against the Telangana Rashtra Samiti which is in talks with the Telugu Desam and Left parties for a Grand Alliance.The NTP chief, Mr T. Devender Goud, demanded the TRS leaders to reconsider its plans to sail with the Grand Alliance in which the CPI(M) is a member.“The CPI(M) is categorically saying that it was against the bifurcation of linguistic states, including Andhra Pradesh. Then, how can the TRS align with the Grand Alliance? If the TRS leaders are really committed for the cause of separate Telangana state, they should not go with the TD and Left parties,” Mr Goud said after unfurling the national flag at the NTP office on the eve of Republic Day.Meanwhile, the PR leader, Mr Pavan Kalyan, lashed out at the TRS ideologue, Prof. K. Jayashankar, by saying that the party lacked commitment over T-issue.Taking strong exception at the remarks of Prof. Jayashankar that the PR had no clarity on Telangan, Pavan said: “Instead of trying to achieve statehood, the TRS is thinking about only alliances.”
Chiranjeevi to sharpen attack
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Jan. 26: The Praja Rajyam president, K. Chiranjeevi, has decided to sharpen his remarks against his political opponents.The party leaders are of the view that people want Chiranjeevi to be more aggressive in his political speeches in the run-up to the elections.Recent surveys by the party revealed that the people wanted Chiranjeevi to pack his political speeches with more sting. According to PR sources, the party got a feedback on his political speeches from various sections of people during his state-wide tours. It was found the speeches were stale and insipid.This survey was conducted in places toured by Chiranjeevi during his public meetings and road shows.“We have taken 25 samples in every place. Out of the 25, almost 20 people wanted a change in Chiranjeevi’s soft approach towards other parties. They wanted his speeches to be more punchy,” said the source.That is believed to be the reason why Chiranjeevi launched a scathing attack during his four-day tour in Chittoor district against the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.The PR chief, who passed critical comments on both these leaders, did not even spare the AICC president and the UPA chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, during his tour.
Hyderabad, Jan. 26: The Praja Rajyam president, K. Chiranjeevi, has decided to sharpen his remarks against his political opponents.The party leaders are of the view that people want Chiranjeevi to be more aggressive in his political speeches in the run-up to the elections.Recent surveys by the party revealed that the people wanted Chiranjeevi to pack his political speeches with more sting. According to PR sources, the party got a feedback on his political speeches from various sections of people during his state-wide tours. It was found the speeches were stale and insipid.This survey was conducted in places toured by Chiranjeevi during his public meetings and road shows.“We have taken 25 samples in every place. Out of the 25, almost 20 people wanted a change in Chiranjeevi’s soft approach towards other parties. They wanted his speeches to be more punchy,” said the source.That is believed to be the reason why Chiranjeevi launched a scathing attack during his four-day tour in Chittoor district against the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu.The PR chief, who passed critical comments on both these leaders, did not even spare the AICC president and the UPA chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, during his tour.
Krishna, comedian bag Padma awards
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Jan. 25: Yesteryear film actor, Gattamaneni Sivarama Krishna Murthy, or Krishna has been honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country on Sunday.Another actor, Dr Kanneganti Brahmanandam, noted comedian, was conferred with the coveted Padmashri. Along with him, Dr Alampur Saibaba Goud (medicine), Mr A. Shankar Reddy (literature and education), Mr Goriparthi Narasimha Raju Yadav (science and engineering) and Begum Bilkees I. Latif (social service) and Shyamala Pappu (law) were also honoured with Padmashri.“It is the long cherished dream of my fans. Now it has become a reality,” Krishna said. He thanked the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, for proposing his name.Brahmanandam, the popular comedian-actor said: “It is a great moment in my life. I find no words to express my happiness.”Dr Saibaba Goud, ophthalmologist and founder-chairman of the Devnar foundation for the blind said: “It is a recognition for serving the visually impaired for the last 30 years.”Mr Goriparthi Narasimha Raju Yadav perfected organic farming techniques to achieve record outputs.“I achieved higher yields through suitable cropping and farming systems. I demonstrated that use of organic manures can enhance crop production,” Yadav said.Others who won the award include Begum Bilkees I Latif wife of former chief of air staff, Air chief Marshal (retd.) I.H. Latif, is a social worker who stressed on family planning issues through women’s groups and Air Force Medical Centres all over India. As founder president of the society for human & environmental development (SHED) and the Dharavi Jan Shikshan Sanstha, she established centres for vocational training.As chairman, AP Central Social Welfare Board, she developed women’s training workshops for women sarpanchs and NGOs all over the state. She is also president of the Society for Clean Cities with its children’s complex in Mumbai.
Hyderabad, Jan. 25: Yesteryear film actor, Gattamaneni Sivarama Krishna Murthy, or Krishna has been honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country on Sunday.Another actor, Dr Kanneganti Brahmanandam, noted comedian, was conferred with the coveted Padmashri. Along with him, Dr Alampur Saibaba Goud (medicine), Mr A. Shankar Reddy (literature and education), Mr Goriparthi Narasimha Raju Yadav (science and engineering) and Begum Bilkees I. Latif (social service) and Shyamala Pappu (law) were also honoured with Padmashri.“It is the long cherished dream of my fans. Now it has become a reality,” Krishna said. He thanked the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, for proposing his name.Brahmanandam, the popular comedian-actor said: “It is a great moment in my life. I find no words to express my happiness.”Dr Saibaba Goud, ophthalmologist and founder-chairman of the Devnar foundation for the blind said: “It is a recognition for serving the visually impaired for the last 30 years.”Mr Goriparthi Narasimha Raju Yadav perfected organic farming techniques to achieve record outputs.“I achieved higher yields through suitable cropping and farming systems. I demonstrated that use of organic manures can enhance crop production,” Yadav said.Others who won the award include Begum Bilkees I Latif wife of former chief of air staff, Air chief Marshal (retd.) I.H. Latif, is a social worker who stressed on family planning issues through women’s groups and Air Force Medical Centres all over India. As founder president of the society for human & environmental development (SHED) and the Dharavi Jan Shikshan Sanstha, she established centres for vocational training.As chairman, AP Central Social Welfare Board, she developed women’s training workshops for women sarpanchs and NGOs all over the state. She is also president of the Society for Clean Cities with its children’s complex in Mumbai.
EC may scan exit polls soon
BY J.R.PRASAD
Jan. 24: If the Representation of the People (second amendment) Bill, 2008, which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, is passed in Parliament, exit polls will come under the scanner of the Election Commission.According to the proposals in the Bill, no person can print or telecast the result of an exit poll during the period notified by the EC.For a general election, the period may commence from the beginning of polling in the first phase and till half-an-hour after the close of polling on the last day.Punishment for violating the law would be to two years or a penaly or both. The Bill also proposes stringent punishment for those who depend on money and muscle power to win polls. The Bill also recommends a timeframe of three months for the implementation of High Court judgment on candidates who resort to poll malpractices. This Bill recommends a timeframe of three months.Meanwhile, Mr Sudarshana Natchiappan, Parliamentary Standing Committee chairman, said the Parliamentary panel on personnel, public grievances, law and justice is all set to recommend to Parliament, waiver of the Rs 10 application fee under the Right to Information Act.
Jan. 24: If the Representation of the People (second amendment) Bill, 2008, which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, is passed in Parliament, exit polls will come under the scanner of the Election Commission.According to the proposals in the Bill, no person can print or telecast the result of an exit poll during the period notified by the EC.For a general election, the period may commence from the beginning of polling in the first phase and till half-an-hour after the close of polling on the last day.Punishment for violating the law would be to two years or a penaly or both. The Bill also proposes stringent punishment for those who depend on money and muscle power to win polls. The Bill also recommends a timeframe of three months for the implementation of High Court judgment on candidates who resort to poll malpractices. This Bill recommends a timeframe of three months.Meanwhile, Mr Sudarshana Natchiappan, Parliamentary Standing Committee chairman, said the Parliamentary panel on personnel, public grievances, law and justice is all set to recommend to Parliament, waiver of the Rs 10 application fee under the Right to Information Act.
Charan sings poll song
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Jan. 24: Ramacharan Teja, the upcoming actor in Tollywood and son of the Praja Rajyam chief, Chiranjeevi, sang a song for the PR election campaign.He sang the song for the PR’s election campaign CD, which was being recorded on Saturday at Film Nagar.The song Praja Rajyam Manadi.. (Praja Rajyam is ours) was written Tollywood lyricist Mr Ananta Sriram, and the music was composed by cine musician, Mr Manisharma.The PR leaders claimed that Ramcharan’s contribution to the PR election campaign would be helpful in attracting the “fresh young voters”, who are in the age group of 18 to 20.“Chiranjeevi and his actor brother, Mr Pavan Kalyan have got an influence among the younger people who are in the age group of 20 to 35. Teja will be useful to win the hearts of the generation next,” said Mr Seshnarayan, a Praja Rajyam leader.Chiranjeevi’s actor brother, Nagendra Babu on Saturday said, if voted to power, the PR would try to pass an act to abolish gender inequality in thesociety.
Hyderabad, Jan. 24: Ramacharan Teja, the upcoming actor in Tollywood and son of the Praja Rajyam chief, Chiranjeevi, sang a song for the PR election campaign.He sang the song for the PR’s election campaign CD, which was being recorded on Saturday at Film Nagar.The song Praja Rajyam Manadi.. (Praja Rajyam is ours) was written Tollywood lyricist Mr Ananta Sriram, and the music was composed by cine musician, Mr Manisharma.The PR leaders claimed that Ramcharan’s contribution to the PR election campaign would be helpful in attracting the “fresh young voters”, who are in the age group of 18 to 20.“Chiranjeevi and his actor brother, Mr Pavan Kalyan have got an influence among the younger people who are in the age group of 20 to 35. Teja will be useful to win the hearts of the generation next,” said Mr Seshnarayan, a Praja Rajyam leader.Chiranjeevi’s actor brother, Nagendra Babu on Saturday said, if voted to power, the PR would try to pass an act to abolish gender inequality in thesociety.
IT firms make empty promises
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Jan. 20: IT companies are yet to provide jobs to thousands of people in exchange for land allotted to them by the state government.The government had allotted 2,000 acres to 62 IT companies between 2004 and 2008 on the promise that they would generate jobs for 3 lakh software professionals.Every company should have constructed its buildings within 18 months from the day of allotment of land and provide agreed employment within three years, according to the memorandum of understanding reached between the government and the firms.Only Microsoft has kept its word by setting up its office on the allotted land in Manikonda village and creating employment for 1,500 professionals.The government had allotted 5.5 acres in 2005 and 7.05 acres in 2006 to MS.Around 25 companies have not even laid foundation stones and 28 companies are still constructing their offices.None of the 11 IT companies which were allotted land in Kokapet village in Ranga Reddy district have made any headway. Intelligroup Asia Pvt. Ltd (4 acres, 3,000 jobs), Patni Computer Systems Ltd. (24.4 acres, 9,900 jobs), Cognizant Technologies Solutions Pvt. Ltd (9.05 acres, 3,663 jobs) are still constructing their offices though all of them got their land in January 2006. The rest of the firms have done nothing including IT majors like Google and Genpact.Google got 20 acres land to create 4,000 jobs in May 2007 and Genpact was allotted 50 acres of land to create 5,000 jobs in June 2007.Twenty IT companies were allotted land in Hyderabad. But only L&T Infocity kept its word. It employed 3,576 people instead of 3,171 as it had promised.Computer Associates (30.5 acres), Kanbay Software (15 acres), Sierra Atlantic Software (7.2 acres), Honeywell (10 acres) have completed the first phase of their projects. But eight companies including Wipro Technologies, Brahmani Infratech Private Ltd, Indu Techzone Private Ltd and Stargaze Properties Pvt. Ltd have not done anything substantial. They are only in the process of constructing their offices. Wipro was alloted 101.03 acres in October 2005 with an obligation to employ 10,000 people. Brahmani Infratech Private Ltd, Indu Techzone Private Ltd and Stargaze Properties Pvt. Ltd were given 250 acres each on their promise that they would hire 45,000 professionals each.The situation is the same in Visakhapatnam and Warangal where 27 IT companies were allotted land. Asked about this, the minister for information technology and communications, Mr R. Damodar Reddy, said, “Some firms have sought more time to complete their projects in the wake of global meltdown.” He added that violators of rules will be dealt with firmly.
Hyderabad, Jan. 20: IT companies are yet to provide jobs to thousands of people in exchange for land allotted to them by the state government.The government had allotted 2,000 acres to 62 IT companies between 2004 and 2008 on the promise that they would generate jobs for 3 lakh software professionals.Every company should have constructed its buildings within 18 months from the day of allotment of land and provide agreed employment within three years, according to the memorandum of understanding reached between the government and the firms.Only Microsoft has kept its word by setting up its office on the allotted land in Manikonda village and creating employment for 1,500 professionals.The government had allotted 5.5 acres in 2005 and 7.05 acres in 2006 to MS.Around 25 companies have not even laid foundation stones and 28 companies are still constructing their offices.None of the 11 IT companies which were allotted land in Kokapet village in Ranga Reddy district have made any headway. Intelligroup Asia Pvt. Ltd (4 acres, 3,000 jobs), Patni Computer Systems Ltd. (24.4 acres, 9,900 jobs), Cognizant Technologies Solutions Pvt. Ltd (9.05 acres, 3,663 jobs) are still constructing their offices though all of them got their land in January 2006. The rest of the firms have done nothing including IT majors like Google and Genpact.Google got 20 acres land to create 4,000 jobs in May 2007 and Genpact was allotted 50 acres of land to create 5,000 jobs in June 2007.Twenty IT companies were allotted land in Hyderabad. But only L&T Infocity kept its word. It employed 3,576 people instead of 3,171 as it had promised.Computer Associates (30.5 acres), Kanbay Software (15 acres), Sierra Atlantic Software (7.2 acres), Honeywell (10 acres) have completed the first phase of their projects. But eight companies including Wipro Technologies, Brahmani Infratech Private Ltd, Indu Techzone Private Ltd and Stargaze Properties Pvt. Ltd have not done anything substantial. They are only in the process of constructing their offices. Wipro was alloted 101.03 acres in October 2005 with an obligation to employ 10,000 people. Brahmani Infratech Private Ltd, Indu Techzone Private Ltd and Stargaze Properties Pvt. Ltd were given 250 acres each on their promise that they would hire 45,000 professionals each.The situation is the same in Visakhapatnam and Warangal where 27 IT companies were allotted land. Asked about this, the minister for information technology and communications, Mr R. Damodar Reddy, said, “Some firms have sought more time to complete their projects in the wake of global meltdown.” He added that violators of rules will be dealt with firmly.
CM, Naidu share space
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Dec. 7: For the first time, the three contenders for the Chief Minister’s post — Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, leader of Opposition Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu and Praja Rajyam supremo Chiranjeevi — shared a public dais on Sunday. They attended the first anniversary of Surya, a vernacular daily, at Ravindra Bharati.
Except for exchanging pleasantries the three, however, hardly spoke to each other. In fact, the Chief Minister ensured that former union minister Mr Sharad Yadav and Surya publisher Mr N Suryaprakasa Rao sat on either side, so his rivals were a seat away.
The former BJP president, Mr Bangaru Laxman, the Nava Telangana Party president, Mr T. Devender Goud and the senior Congress leader Mr V. Hanumantha Rao also shared the dais.
The programme took off to a late start and the Chief Minister was the first to arrive and also to leave the venue followed by Mr Chandrababu Naidu and Chiranjeevi who was cheered more by the audience than the other two. The three came together to light the lamp.
Except for Mr Naidu, the other two chose not to talk about politics. The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of the newspaper in highlighting issues pertaining to BCs and SCs. Chiranjeevi briefly talked about the newspaper’s achievements and troubles he had been facing in his efforts to achieve social justice.
Mr Naidu explained how the founder president of his party , N.T. Rama Rao heralded a social change empowering BCs politically. He referred to making Mr Yerrannaidu a Cabinet minister, Mr G.M.C Balayogi Lok Sabha Speaker and Ms Pratibha Bharathi speaker of Assembly.
Hyderabad, Dec. 7: For the first time, the three contenders for the Chief Minister’s post — Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, leader of Opposition Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu and Praja Rajyam supremo Chiranjeevi — shared a public dais on Sunday. They attended the first anniversary of Surya, a vernacular daily, at Ravindra Bharati.
Except for exchanging pleasantries the three, however, hardly spoke to each other. In fact, the Chief Minister ensured that former union minister Mr Sharad Yadav and Surya publisher Mr N Suryaprakasa Rao sat on either side, so his rivals were a seat away.
The former BJP president, Mr Bangaru Laxman, the Nava Telangana Party president, Mr T. Devender Goud and the senior Congress leader Mr V. Hanumantha Rao also shared the dais.
The programme took off to a late start and the Chief Minister was the first to arrive and also to leave the venue followed by Mr Chandrababu Naidu and Chiranjeevi who was cheered more by the audience than the other two. The three came together to light the lamp.
Except for Mr Naidu, the other two chose not to talk about politics. The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of the newspaper in highlighting issues pertaining to BCs and SCs. Chiranjeevi briefly talked about the newspaper’s achievements and troubles he had been facing in his efforts to achieve social justice.
Mr Naidu explained how the founder president of his party , N.T. Rama Rao heralded a social change empowering BCs politically. He referred to making Mr Yerrannaidu a Cabinet minister, Mr G.M.C Balayogi Lok Sabha Speaker and Ms Pratibha Bharathi speaker of Assembly.
MLCs look for some glamour
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 22: The state Legislative Council, despite having more ‘intellectual’ members, does not have the glamour of the Assembly.And none are more aware of this than the members of the council, who don’t make any effort to hide their disappointment and frustration.According to them, most people are not even aware of the existence of the council, even two years after it was restored. MLCs speak earnestly about various issues in the council but their speeches are ignored by TV channels and do not find place in the columns of newspapers either. “There is no live telecast for the proceedings and people have no idea of the discussions happening in it,” said the leader of the opposition in the council, Mr Dadi Veera Bhadra Rao. “Newspapers are not giving priority to the debates taken up in the House either.” “Because of this, most people don’t recognise MLCs,” said Mr Veera Bhadra Rao. giving full vent to his displeasure in the council.The MLCs are also frustrated at not having constituency development funds like their counterparts in the Assembly. They placed this demand before the minister for finance and newly elected MLC, Mr K. Rosaiah, when he was taking part in a discussion. “When there is no money with us, who will respect us?” asked the MLC, Mr Mohan Reddy. “We have no peace of mind as we are not given funds to sanction developmental works in our constituencies.”In fact, most people (including voters) are even unaware of the procedure adopted to elect MLCs. For instance, there was only 27.1 per cent polling in the Mahbubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad graduates’ constituency in the recent polls. Election Commission officials attributed the low turnout to private sector employees not being given leave on polling day. “I wanted to vote but I could not find a polling station within seven-km radius from my house,” said Mr V. Balakrishna, a resident of IDPL colony. Unlike Assembly elections, there is no bonding between voters and candidates in the council elections.However, there was high polling percentage in the teachers’ constituencies where some candidates reportedly tried to lure the voters by offering gifts. Here at least, they matched some of their counterparts in the Assembly.
Hyderabad, Feb. 22: The state Legislative Council, despite having more ‘intellectual’ members, does not have the glamour of the Assembly.And none are more aware of this than the members of the council, who don’t make any effort to hide their disappointment and frustration.According to them, most people are not even aware of the existence of the council, even two years after it was restored. MLCs speak earnestly about various issues in the council but their speeches are ignored by TV channels and do not find place in the columns of newspapers either. “There is no live telecast for the proceedings and people have no idea of the discussions happening in it,” said the leader of the opposition in the council, Mr Dadi Veera Bhadra Rao. “Newspapers are not giving priority to the debates taken up in the House either.” “Because of this, most people don’t recognise MLCs,” said Mr Veera Bhadra Rao. giving full vent to his displeasure in the council.The MLCs are also frustrated at not having constituency development funds like their counterparts in the Assembly. They placed this demand before the minister for finance and newly elected MLC, Mr K. Rosaiah, when he was taking part in a discussion. “When there is no money with us, who will respect us?” asked the MLC, Mr Mohan Reddy. “We have no peace of mind as we are not given funds to sanction developmental works in our constituencies.”In fact, most people (including voters) are even unaware of the procedure adopted to elect MLCs. For instance, there was only 27.1 per cent polling in the Mahbubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad graduates’ constituency in the recent polls. Election Commission officials attributed the low turnout to private sector employees not being given leave on polling day. “I wanted to vote but I could not find a polling station within seven-km radius from my house,” said Mr V. Balakrishna, a resident of IDPL colony. Unlike Assembly elections, there is no bonding between voters and candidates in the council elections.However, there was high polling percentage in the teachers’ constituencies where some candidates reportedly tried to lure the voters by offering gifts. Here at least, they matched some of their counterparts in the Assembly.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Foreigner abused at NIRD
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Jan. 29: A controversy erupted at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) at Rajendranagar after some staff members alleged that a senior official of the institute tried to molest a foreign woman delegate.
However, the institute denied the allegation and said it was a nuisance case caused by a room bearer and the matter has been reported to the local police.
According to NIRD staff members, a woman delegate from a Latin American country has been undergoing a two-month training programme here. She has been staying in a guest house. Reportedly, this woman registered a complaint to the NIRD senior authorities alleging that one of the officials misbehaved with her. The staffers alleged that the senior management tried to hush up the issue and was trying to persuade the woman to change her mind.
Senior officials of the institute, however, denied this allegation. They said such an incident never took place. The institute has lodged complaint with Rajendranagar police. The police, based on the complaint filed by the security officer, registered a case against a room attendant and has arrested him.
According to Mr Sarveshwar Reddy, the ACP Rajendranagar, the police arrested one Maheshwar and produced him in court.
“He was shouting while working, which caused disturbance to the residents,” Mr Sarveshwar Reddy said. According to him, there are as many as 40 participants from different countries currently staying on the campus. He refuted the molestation allegation.
Hyderabad, Jan. 29: A controversy erupted at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) at Rajendranagar after some staff members alleged that a senior official of the institute tried to molest a foreign woman delegate.
However, the institute denied the allegation and said it was a nuisance case caused by a room bearer and the matter has been reported to the local police.
According to NIRD staff members, a woman delegate from a Latin American country has been undergoing a two-month training programme here. She has been staying in a guest house. Reportedly, this woman registered a complaint to the NIRD senior authorities alleging that one of the officials misbehaved with her. The staffers alleged that the senior management tried to hush up the issue and was trying to persuade the woman to change her mind.
Senior officials of the institute, however, denied this allegation. They said such an incident never took place. The institute has lodged complaint with Rajendranagar police. The police, based on the complaint filed by the security officer, registered a case against a room attendant and has arrested him.
According to Mr Sarveshwar Reddy, the ACP Rajendranagar, the police arrested one Maheshwar and produced him in court.
“He was shouting while working, which caused disturbance to the residents,” Mr Sarveshwar Reddy said. According to him, there are as many as 40 participants from different countries currently staying on the campus. He refuted the molestation allegation.
GHMC to collect dog tax
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: People with pet dogs will now have to begin paying dog tax every year to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, which is dogged by a financial crisis.
The tax is levied at the time of obtaining a dog licence and has to be paid annually. The corporation will begin implementing the rule on an estimated 1.5 lakh pet owners in Greater Hyderabad and expects to earn Rs 50 lakh, at Rs 30 per dog.
Owners of other pets can relax. There is no mention of any other pet in the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act.
The owner will be given a licence in the form of a token for the dog. The licence should be tied around the neck of the dog. These dogs will not be picked up by the dog-catching squads.
Dog lovers are not against the dog tax, but want the money to be utilised for welfare of stray dogs. The AP Kennel Club honorary secretary, Mr R.K. Bakshi said: “The MCH used to collect dog tax several years ago. Even I used to pay it. But it was stopped. Now again they are insisting that dog owners pay tax.”
Only 1,050 dog licences were issued in 2008-2009 and dog tax was collected for as many dogs. The number of dog licences never crossed 1,500 in a year.
The GHMC chief veterinary officer, Dr P. Venkateshwar Reddy, said the civic body has decided to enforce dog tax rule strictly. “Every person who owns or is in charge of a dog should pay a tax of Rs 30 per annum.”
According to Dr Reddy, the corporation is in the process of asking all veterinary clinics not to treat any dog unless the owner produces a licence.
The corporation has also begun issuing service notices on owners of vacant plots or land to pay tax. The vacant land tax is in addition to the property tax.
A senior official said: “Owners of vacant land will face tax at the rate of 0.50 per cent of the total land capital value.” The vacant (open) land tax is being levied as per Section 212 of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act of 1955.
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: People with pet dogs will now have to begin paying dog tax every year to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, which is dogged by a financial crisis.
The tax is levied at the time of obtaining a dog licence and has to be paid annually. The corporation will begin implementing the rule on an estimated 1.5 lakh pet owners in Greater Hyderabad and expects to earn Rs 50 lakh, at Rs 30 per dog.
Owners of other pets can relax. There is no mention of any other pet in the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act.
The owner will be given a licence in the form of a token for the dog. The licence should be tied around the neck of the dog. These dogs will not be picked up by the dog-catching squads.
Dog lovers are not against the dog tax, but want the money to be utilised for welfare of stray dogs. The AP Kennel Club honorary secretary, Mr R.K. Bakshi said: “The MCH used to collect dog tax several years ago. Even I used to pay it. But it was stopped. Now again they are insisting that dog owners pay tax.”
Only 1,050 dog licences were issued in 2008-2009 and dog tax was collected for as many dogs. The number of dog licences never crossed 1,500 in a year.
The GHMC chief veterinary officer, Dr P. Venkateshwar Reddy, said the civic body has decided to enforce dog tax rule strictly. “Every person who owns or is in charge of a dog should pay a tax of Rs 30 per annum.”
According to Dr Reddy, the corporation is in the process of asking all veterinary clinics not to treat any dog unless the owner produces a licence.
The corporation has also begun issuing service notices on owners of vacant plots or land to pay tax. The vacant land tax is in addition to the property tax.
A senior official said: “Owners of vacant land will face tax at the rate of 0.50 per cent of the total land capital value.” The vacant (open) land tax is being levied as per Section 212 of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act of 1955.
Men seek separation after law is eased
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: An increasing number of men are approaching the family court for divorce, following easing of certain provisions of a law which was aimed at protecting women from harassment.
A recent amendment to Section 498A, which secured Presidential assent in January, says that police need not arrest the accused but merely give him notice to present himself at the police station.
The person can be arrested if he fails to appear before the police in response to the notice.
An arrest can now be made only if the police officer is satisfied that it is necessary to arrest the accused for proper investigation or to prevent him from committing any further offence.
In dowry and harassment cases under the old Section 498A, police used to arrest not only the husband but his entire family.
When this section was in force, advocates said many husbands did not move the courts for a divorce fearing that their wives would use the law against them.
“I have been approached by four people who are unhappy in their marriage,” said Ms J. Sudnyata Deepak, advocate at the family court at Secunderabad.
“They had been wanting to get out of the marriage since long. But keeping the adverse consequences in case Section 498A is invoked, they were carrying on with their marriage,” she said.
Ms Anita Jain, lawyer at the same court, agreed. “Men are happy with the fact that the Section 498A which was being grossly misused will now be relaxed in their case,” Ms Jain said.
The advocates said that men seeking divorce now are those who have been in the marriage for a considerable period of time.
“Though they were unhappy with their wives, they could do very little to ensure the well-being of their family members,” Ms Deepak said.
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: An increasing number of men are approaching the family court for divorce, following easing of certain provisions of a law which was aimed at protecting women from harassment.
A recent amendment to Section 498A, which secured Presidential assent in January, says that police need not arrest the accused but merely give him notice to present himself at the police station.
The person can be arrested if he fails to appear before the police in response to the notice.
An arrest can now be made only if the police officer is satisfied that it is necessary to arrest the accused for proper investigation or to prevent him from committing any further offence.
In dowry and harassment cases under the old Section 498A, police used to arrest not only the husband but his entire family.
When this section was in force, advocates said many husbands did not move the courts for a divorce fearing that their wives would use the law against them.
“I have been approached by four people who are unhappy in their marriage,” said Ms J. Sudnyata Deepak, advocate at the family court at Secunderabad.
“They had been wanting to get out of the marriage since long. But keeping the adverse consequences in case Section 498A is invoked, they were carrying on with their marriage,” she said.
Ms Anita Jain, lawyer at the same court, agreed. “Men are happy with the fact that the Section 498A which was being grossly misused will now be relaxed in their case,” Ms Jain said.
The advocates said that men seeking divorce now are those who have been in the marriage for a considerable period of time.
“Though they were unhappy with their wives, they could do very little to ensure the well-being of their family members,” Ms Deepak said.
IT companies on firing spree
BY J.R.PRASAD
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: Mr Srinivas of Chittoor district, an employee of HCL Technologies in Bengaluru, was in a hurry to reach his office as he wanted to break the news of his marriage to his colleagues.
However, even before he could settle down on his chair, he was summoned by the human resources manager to either resign or face termination. Poor performance in work was cited as the reason.
As part of cost cutting, many IT companies are now giving pink slips to its employees without any prior notice.
Instead of sacking them straightaway, the companies are adopting new ways to ease them out of their jobs.
One strategy is to conduct tough performance tests. Those who don’t do well in the tests are forced to resign or face termination.
In the last one month, IT majors such as IBM, Wipro, Accenture, Virtusa, SumTotal Systems and HCL have made many employees resign through this method.
Around 20 techies working in the SAP division of the Bengaluru branch of HCL technologies were made to put in papers with five minutes notice. Majority of them were from Andhra. HCL did not even bother to go through performance tests. It is directly asking the employees to resign.
“As per rules, we should get two months notice,” said a techie who lost his job. “But, the HR people are forcing us either to resign or face termination. If our services are terminated, we won’t get experience certificate and relieving letter, which will affect our career. So we are resigning.”
However, Mr Murali Raghavan, global head of SAP practice in HCL, refused to comment on these developments as he was not “authorised” to speak. At the same time, Ms Meena Vaidyanathan, head of external communications at HCL Technologies, said employees were not being sacked. Another IT firm, SumTotal Systems, also took resignation letters from around 20 employees in Hyderabad branch this week after giving five minutes notice.
Hyderabad, Feb. 3: Mr Srinivas of Chittoor district, an employee of HCL Technologies in Bengaluru, was in a hurry to reach his office as he wanted to break the news of his marriage to his colleagues.
However, even before he could settle down on his chair, he was summoned by the human resources manager to either resign or face termination. Poor performance in work was cited as the reason.
As part of cost cutting, many IT companies are now giving pink slips to its employees without any prior notice.
Instead of sacking them straightaway, the companies are adopting new ways to ease them out of their jobs.
One strategy is to conduct tough performance tests. Those who don’t do well in the tests are forced to resign or face termination.
In the last one month, IT majors such as IBM, Wipro, Accenture, Virtusa, SumTotal Systems and HCL have made many employees resign through this method.
Around 20 techies working in the SAP division of the Bengaluru branch of HCL technologies were made to put in papers with five minutes notice. Majority of them were from Andhra. HCL did not even bother to go through performance tests. It is directly asking the employees to resign.
“As per rules, we should get two months notice,” said a techie who lost his job. “But, the HR people are forcing us either to resign or face termination. If our services are terminated, we won’t get experience certificate and relieving letter, which will affect our career. So we are resigning.”
However, Mr Murali Raghavan, global head of SAP practice in HCL, refused to comment on these developments as he was not “authorised” to speak. At the same time, Ms Meena Vaidyanathan, head of external communications at HCL Technologies, said employees were not being sacked. Another IT firm, SumTotal Systems, also took resignation letters from around 20 employees in Hyderabad branch this week after giving five minutes notice.
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