Students pray for Chum's recovery

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on August 28. 2007

HYDERABAD: 12-year-old Yash Patel Fefar lay battling for his life at Yashoda Hospital on Monday, back home in Rajkot, his schoolmates and teachers prayed for his recovery.

A Class VII student of the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Rajkot, Yash Patel is one of the many injured in the blast at Lumbini Park. He was supposed to re-join his chums on Monday after a mini-vacation with his parents in down South.

His friends, who were waiting to hit the playground after his return, instead queued up with the entire school in hot sun at 1.30 pm to pray for his speedy recovery. Even in the games hour, the students preferred to remain indoors.

Yash's father Vallabhbhai Patel, who was sitting next to him, died in the blast.

``Our children are facing this kind of crisis for the first time. For these children, to see one among them becoming a victim of terrorism is a frightening experience,'' Principal K Ramtek said.

After joining Kendriya Vidyalaya in 2004, within three years, the charming and witty Yash won the hearts of his classmates and teachers. ``Yash is a lovely boy and bright in studies. He is an asset for the school,'' his class teacher K Shukla said.

ENS adds from Hyderabad: Vallabhbai Patel, who was a dealer in Sleepwell mattresses, came to the city along with 65 other distributors to attend a meeting at the Ramoji Film City.

After the meting, he went to Lumbini Park along with his son Yash and wife Meenaben. In the blast, Vallabhbhai died, Yash was injured severely while Meenaben escaped with minor injuries.

Dr P Ranganatham, consultant neurosurgeon attending on Yash Patel, said the shrapnel pierced through Yash's head from the right side to the left resulting in heavy bleeding. ``Yash was given 11 units of blood in half an hour and he was operated upon immediately. We are doing our best to save him,''.

Dutiful son calls mother before falling victim

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on August 27, 2007

HYDERABAD: Minutes before he fell victim to last night’s terror attack at the Gokul Chat, 21-year-old Mohammad Akramullah Khan called up his mother Jilani Begum to know if she wanted something from the eatery for three of his five sisters and for her.

Akram was accompanying his other two sisters – Yasmin Fatima and Afreen Fatima – for buying books from the book stalls at Koti. While the girls were waiting in the autorickshaw, Akram was inside the shop only to die.

Jilani Begum, however, said that there was no need to bring anything but wanted him and her two daughters to return home early. While Yasmin and Afreen returned home in a state of shock after a few hours, Akram was brought home draped in a white cloth around 4 am on Sunday.

Soon after the blast, Yasmin and Afreen tried to rush towards the shop but other people prevented them from entering the eatery. They were under the impression that he was injured but the news was conveyed to them after they reached their home at Akashnagar in Amberpet police lines.

“He may have been alive had he not taken the few minutes to call my wife from the shop,” Akram’s father Asadullah Khan said, fighting tears.

Jilani Begum was informed about her son’s death only around midnight but she is yet to come to grip with the reality.

In fact, death came calling as Akram was dithering on whether to enter the heavily crowded eatery and he was reluctant to leave his two sisters alone in the auto. And when he decided to go in, he told his sisters that he would be back in a minute.

Akram was the only son among the six children of a head constable of City Armed Reserve, Asadullah Khan, and Jilani Begum and naturally got special attention from his parents.

Akram was devoted to his family and as his father was suffering from high blood pressure, he managed the house and took care of the needs of his sisters while not neglecting his studies.

‘Ladka to heera tha. Sirf ghar walon ka hi nahin, ham sab ka khayal karta tha,” (Akram was a gem. he used to help every one in the colony) Akram’s cousin Mohammad Dastagir told this website's newspaper.

Akram even assured his father that as the only son, he would shoulder the responsibility of getting his five sisters married for which he was planning to go abroad. But fate willed otherwise. The funeral was held in the afternoon and hundreds of people bade a tearful adieu to the victim.

Taking his relatives out for a treat, he never came back

B Y V L Srinivasan

Published on August 27, 2007

HYDERABAD: The eerie silence in a dingy lane at Moosarambagh is occasionally broken by the wails of the inmates who lost one among them in the bomb blast at Gokul Chat at Koti on Saturday night.

Ever since the tragic news of the death of 22-year-old Mohammad Waheed alias Basith spread, there has been a steady stream of relatives and neighbours started calling on the grieving family members since Saturday night.

Waheed is second of the two sons of a scrap dealer Mohammad Yusuf and Shaheda Begum.

Interestingly, Waheed’s house is located in the same place where the prime suspect in the Mecca Masjid terror attack and last night’s blasts Shahed alias Bilal used to live till a few years ago.

Watching cricket has been the favourite pastime of Waheed but as soon as the intermittent rain stopped, he gathered around 10 relatives, young and old, and went to the eatery in a Toyota Qualis.

While others waited in the vehicle parked on the opposite side of Gokul Chat, Waheed crossed the road to fetch the items for others. His first visit was all fine but the second one proved to be fatal. “We received a phone call around 7:45 p.m. that there was a big blast and Waheed could not be traced,” Waheed’s maternal uncle Husamuddin told this website's newspaper.

Worried by the news, Husamuddin rushed to Koti but received another message that Waheed was located with severe injuries and was being rushed to Yashoda Hospital at Malakpet.

“By the time I reached the hospital, the doctors declared him brought dead,” Husamuddin said. It was he who conveyed the news to Shaheda Begum. Waheed was injured in the head and his left hand was broken due to the impact of the blast. But for this, there was no other wound on the entire body.

A distraught looking Mohd Yusuf said that his son never had the habit of going out. “Lekin Allah ki marjee thee ki mera bete ko bulaliya (But the Almighty wanted him and he went),” Yusuf said.

“When I fractured my thigh due to a fall a few months ago, it was Waheed who took me for treatment,” a limping Yusuf said in an emotion-choked voice.

Anger has been writ large on the faces of the people who alleged that the city police treat them as criminals for not wearing helmets but failed to apprehend the anti-national elements.

“The State Government should punish the culprits to which ever caste, creed or religion they belong,” Khaiser, who came for a holiday from Gulf, said.

Fatal call cancels first Jumma dinner for sister

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on May 24, 2007

HYDERABAD: Five days after the wedding of his youngest sister, Zainab Banu, on May 13, Sajid Ali Khan (28) was busy making arrangements for the first Jumma dinner (traditional Muslims host a dinner for the newly-weds and close kin for four consecutive Fridays after the nuptials).

Around noon, Sajid told his family members that he would call on his second sister, Mehtab Banu, who was admitted to a private hospital, after Friday prayers at the Mecca Masjid. But that was not to be.

The relatives, friends and neighbours who turned up at his house that night were not there for the planned gettogether but to bear his coffin to the grave.

Sajid, who was working as a technician in Saudi Airlines, had returned to India following the death of his mother seven months ago, and decided to stay on so his father, Akram Ali Khan, a retired police officer, did not feel lonely.

‘‘Sajid had a mobile phone on his person and someone from Mecca Masjid called us to inform that he had died in the blast,’’ the victim’s younger brother, Omar Ali Khan, told this website's newspaper.

The family at first just dismissed it as a prankster’s call. Then the reality sank in.

‘‘Such was the impact of the blast that his index finger remained ruler straight, indicating that he died instantaneously,’’ said Omar. As he put it in Urdu, ‘‘Shahadat ki ungli marne ke baad waesi hi rah gaee.’’ (While saying prayers, Muslims raise their index finger while the others are folded.)

Even as the entire family plunged into grief, Sajid’s two elder brothers — Shahbaz Ali Khan and Mukkaram Ali Khan — working in Saudi Arabia learnt of the incident through the television channels.

They called up home only to get the tragic news. While in Saudi Arabia, Sajid had fallen in love with Syeda Asafia and they married against the wishes of their parents. The couple had three girl children — Tameem (4), Safa (2) and Ayesha (1).

‘‘Sajid wanted to get back to the real estate business he had been doing before leaving for Saudi Arabia,’’ Omar said.

With Syeda Asafia deciding to stay with her parents, Akram Ali Khan is a worried man. ‘‘Sajid was so attached to his children — even more than I was to my own. I am now worried about their future. After all they are our flesh and blood too,’’ he said.

After funeral, death came calling again

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on May 21, 2007

HYDERABAD: He prayed at the Mecca Masjid without fail every Friday — did 25-year-old Mohd Shafi, a native of Assam, who settled down in the city more than a decade ago.

A resident of Feelkhana, Shafi had gone to Mohajir Basti behind Mecca Masjid to attend the funeral of his wife’s grandfather who died the previous night.

He then went to the Mecca Masjid to pray along another relative, Yusuf Khan (45) and as fate would have it found themselves near the ‘takhat’ (platform) under which the explosive was kept.

Both died instantly. Shafi was among the four persons whose limbs were ripped by the powerful blast. Six more persons succumbed to injuries in various hospitals later.

‘‘Hum namaz padkar dua maang rahe the lekin woh (dua) aadhi bhi qubool nahin hui aur dono shaheed ho gaye,’’ (We were praying but even before the Almighty accepted our dua, both were martyred),’’ Hussain Khan, eldest brother of Yusuf Khan and father-in-law of Shafi told this website's newspaper fighting back tears.

Hussain Khan was also in the mosque when the incident occurred but he was near the ‘minar’ (tower), 150 yards from the blast spot. Little did he think that his brother and son-in-law were among the dead. Then the possibility dawned on him and he frantically began searching for them.

Shafi had come to the city as an empty-handed teenager from Assam a decade ago. He worked hard and set up his own poultry shop at Goshamahal, close to his house. A workaholic, he put in 16- 18 hours daily.

It was this grit that impressed Hussain Khan and he offered his daughter Meherunnisa to him in marriage three years ago. The couple have an 18-month-old son and were expecting their second child soon.

Yusuf Khan’s four children — Riaz Khan, Amir Khan, Tarannum and Ejaz Khan – are yet to come to terms with the tragedy that struck their family. They had lost their mother following an ailment a few years ago and Yusuf Khan, a rickshaw-puller, was the only breadwinner of the entire family.

Yusuf Khan gave all his earnings to his mother who used to manage the day-to-day affairs. Of his four children, Yusuf Khan loved Tarannum the most as she had yet to get over her mother’s death.

With the State Government announcing relief, including ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh, a house and one job per family of the blast victims, the two families hope that there will be no financial problems for the children.

‘‘We have to meet the expenses for ‘ziarat’ (third day ceremony) followed by rituals to be performed on 10th, 20th and 40th day. But we have not received any money so far,’’ he said.

Parvathapur becomes first village to log on as e-commerce centre

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on Oct 2, 2000

PARVATHAPUR (MAHBOOBNAGAR DISTRICT), Parvathapur village, 126 kms from Hyderabad, today achieved the distinction of becoming the first ``Solar powered digital culture and electronic commerce centre'' in the country to be linked to the world through the Internet. The first customer to buy from the centre was none other than Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who ordered a compact disc created by villagers as part of the inaugural ceremony.

Parvathapur is one of the 50 villages to be converted into e-commerce centres by Greenstar India, a local company, in collaboration with the Mandala Grameena Bhagaswamya Samstha and Villages in Partnership (VIP), a voluntary organisation.

In a symbolic gesture, the village was put on the Internet at 10.02 am, (10 for the month of October and two for the date). Naidu e-mailed a congratulatory message assuring full cooperation to the promoters. The tiny village with a population of 2,000 wore a festive look for the occasion with women and children swaying to the drum beats and the rhythmic sound of cymbals, unmindful of the scorching heat.

Inaugurating the centre, District Collector G Anantha Ramu said that the going would be a lot easier for artists to gain exposure at places other than their native villages as their performances would be recorded on CD and marketed world wide.

Greenstar vice-president Charles F Gay said that the village has set a new trend. Greenstar would help the village in marching ahead, he added. Y Venkatadri Rao, Vice President of Capital Fortune said that the Chief Minister was keen on making every village a hi-tech one.

Earlier Prof P H N B Sharma paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. VIP Director Dr T Nagendra Swamy and Swamy Pranavananda Bharati Kumar were among the others who spoke on the occasion.

State wants a bite in Central oil pie

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on Nov 11, 2006

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) is eyeing the prospects of getting nearly half the cess being collected by the Centre on oil and natural gas being explored in the Krishna Godavari (K-G) basin.

The total cess collected by the Central Government from the oil companies operating in the K-G basin is running into hundreds of crores (Rs 900 crore during 2004-05) and even a part of it will improve the resources of the State Government.

The APMDC officials pointed out that the State Government can also claim its pie from the on-shore drilling carried out by the Centre which is around Rs 100 crore every year. If the Centre concedes the State’s request, the latter would get a substantial amount.

Besides Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has also permitted Reliance and Cairn Energy Limited to explore natural gas and oil in the K G basin.

At a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy a few days ago, officials of the APMDC pointed out that Andhra Pradesh can rightfully claim 50 percent of the amount for development of infrastructure in the K-G basin.

Rajasekhara Reddy, however, asked the officials to work out the details and also the justification for making a share. ‘‘The Chief Minister even asked us to work out legal aspects involved in making such a claim,’’ official sources told Express.

When contacted, APMDC vice chairman and managing director V D Rajagopal said that the department was collecting data on the activities of the ONGC and other private firms exploring natural gas and oil. The department would submit its report to the State Government by the end of this month.

According to him, cess is usually collected to develop infrastructure in the villages in the vicinity of K-G basin. ‘‘Infrastructure includes power supply, medical facilities, schools, good roads, protected water supply and measures to check environment pollution in and around the gas wells,’’ he added.

Green Industrial Park to come up at Jadcherla

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on Jan 31, 2006

Hyderabad: Showcasing the available green technologies for sustainable development, the State Government has decided to set up a ‘Green Industrial Park’ (GIP) at Jadcherla in Mahboobnagar district.

Spread over 1,000 acres adjacent to national highway on Hyderabad-Kurnool road and 38 km away from the upcoming Shamshabad international airport, the park is first of its kind in the country and would house eco-friendly industries, research centres, environmental appliance manufacturing units and food cluster units. The project is expected to generate over one lakh jobs in the long run.

Already, 28 groundwater sources exist and the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (APIIC), which is the nodal agency to develop the park, plans to draw water from Jurala Priyadarshini Project in future.

‘‘The land has already been acquired and layout is being finalised. Some 200 units are likely to be set up with an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore,’’ APIIC Vice Chairman and Managing Director B P Acharya told ‘Express’.

The goal of GIP is to improve the economic performance of the companies planning to set up their units in the park without disturbing ecological balance.

The units that would come up in the GIP would have access to the services of Confederation of Indian Industry-Godrej Green Business Centre, tax holidays, single window and speedy clearances of all applications, uninterrupted power supply besides provisions of soft loans and management information systems.

Resident doctors: When are they coming?

BY V L Srinivasan Published on March, 10, 2006 Hyderabad: The proposal to introduce ‘Residency System’ for postgraduate students of medical and dental colleges to monitor round-the-clock patient care appears to be a non-starter. In the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, where the Residency System is in vogue, the residents work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The outpatient wing functions from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a break for one hour. The tenure of the Residency System is for three years. Government hospitals other than NIMS are currently working between 9 a.m and 2 p.m. Switch over to the new system entails the State Government provision of funds for construction of quarters in all hospitals so that doctors are available all 24 hours. According to official sources, the State Government has decided to introduce the Residency System as part of the agreement reached with junior doctors in 2002. When junior doctors went on strike in July 2004, the Rajasekhara Reddy Government, which assumed power three months before, assured that the process would be initiated within one month. When nothing materialised, the junior doctors approached the High Court which directed the Government, on August 23 last year, to introduce the system in three hospitals within six months and extend it to other institutions in a phased manner. Though the deadline expired nearly a fortnight ago, the Directorate of Medical Education (DME), which is the implementing authority, received no instructions from the Government seeking proposals to identify the three hospitals in the first phase. At present, there are 810 PG students in dental and medical colleges and the Government will incur an expenditure of Rs 44 crore to introduce the system in the State. While Rs 9 crore is required for the nine medical colleges for constructing hostels for junior and senior residents, another Rs 50 lakh is needed for the lone dental college as non recurring expenditure. As far as stipend is concerned, each of the 810 PG students have to be paid Rs 15,000 per month which comes to around Rs 43.74 crore. ‘‘The Government has been providing Rs 20 crore towards stipends for PG students every year but require another Rs 24 crore to fulfil the commitment,’’ the officials told Express. Sore with the inordinate delay in fulfilling its assurance, the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association is now planning to file a contempt petition against the Government in the High Court. ‘‘We are consulting legal experts and will take a decision soon,’’ association president Ch Pradip Kumar said.

Pharma cluster, a panacea for eco pollution

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on March 27, 2006

Hyderabad: AFTER a three-year agonising wait, the ball has been set rolling for setting up the Centrally-sponsored pharma cluster here with the floating of a special purpose vehicle, besides forming the Hyderabad Pharma Infrastructure and Technologies Limited a few days ago.

The main objective of the Rs 66.16 crore pharma cluster is to bring down the pollution levels in Jeedimetla, Patancheru and Qutbullapur which are inhabited by thousands of people.

The pharma cluster is among the two projects cleared by the Union Industries Ministry under the Indian Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme. Of the total project cost, 75 per cent will be funded by the Centre and 15 per cent by stake-holders. The remaining 10 per cent will be borne by the State Government.

The other one is the auto cluster which is coming up near Vijayawada at a cost of Rs 40 crore. According to officials of the Industries Department, the first installment of funds is likely to be released by the Centre within a fortnight. The State Government released Rs 2 lakh initially as its equity to ground the project.

‘‘All the 70 chemical units under the Jeedimetla Effluents Treatment Plant Limited (JETL) and those in Patancheru and Qutbullapur will be members of the cluster whose primary objective is to treat effluents released by these units properly,’’ sources told City Express.

According to JETL officials, all works to be taken up in the cluster will be completed within 18 months. The facilities in the cluster include a common lab and human resource development centre.

The drainage system in Qutubullapur industrial area will be improved. Setting up of an incinerator and water recovery system are part of the project.

The cluster will help the industries considerably, besides providing the much-needed relief to the locals affected by the pollutants released by the units, they said.

Tribals prevented from paying homage to martyrs

BY V L Srinivasan & S Anil Kumar

Published on April 21, 2006

Indervelli (Adilabad Dist): “People’s heroes are immortal,” says the inscription on the 15-foot-high memorial erected in this tribal village in memory of 13 (by official count) Gond tribals who were shot dead at the spot by the police exactly a quarter century ago.

Tucked away some 18 km from the national highway, Indervelli, also known as the second Jallianwala Bagh, caught the world’s attention when police opened fire at a massive gathering of Gonds who had come to attend a meeting organised by the Grijana Rythu Coolie Sangham on 20 April 1981. While police records show that only 13 persons were killed, the toll was estimated to be much higher, and scores of others were injured.

As is its wont, the district administration decided not to allow a single villager in the vicinity of the memorial to pay homage to those who fell to the hail of bullets, and posted more than 500 police personnel from three sub-divisions -- Utnoor, Mancherial and Adilabad.

To ensure that the tribals did not congregate at the venue, the authorities imposed Section 144 in all villages between Gudi Hathnoor and Utnoor mandals for three days.

Buses and autos were not allowed on the road leading to Indervelli, causing much hardship to the people, especially students appearing for the Class VII common examination, in nearly two dozen villages. ‘‘Today is the last exam and we are somewhat relieved,“ said 12-year-old Ganga, a resident of Emaikunta. She has had to walk with her peers to Indervelli, which is three km away, in the scorching sun to write the test.

‘‘We did not allow the tribals here because the Naxalites would then have mingled with the crowd and created a law and order problem,” a senior police official told Express.

Apparently, the anxiety stems from the alleged seizure of literature by the special operations group in an “encounter” with Naxalites that purportedly revealed that the Maoists were planning to hold a massive rally to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the incident.

Pittabongaram village head Wetti Rajeshwar, whose mother, Isrubai, was one of the witnesses to the outrage and who died just two months ago, said there had been no development of their rain-dependent area. ‘‘My mother was not paid any compensation after the incident. No one gives us the pattas and we don’t know what to do,“ he said.

Kinaka Mankubai is another eyewitness. She suffered two bullet injuries in her shoulders and has been leading a lonely life as none would marry her and ekes out a livelihood by working as a labourer. ‘‘She too did not get any relief from Government,” Rajeshwar said.

Determined to honour the martyrs, Indervelli ZPTC Kanaka Tukaram, vowed the tribals would visit the memorial after five days.

GI registration for AP handloom sarees

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on May 19, 2006

Hyderabad: Gorgeous sarees of half-a-dozen ethnic varieties, woven by about 30,000 handloom workers in Andhra Pradesh, will be submitted to the Central Government’s Textile Committee for Geographical Indication (GI) registration soon.

The GI registration proposed for six varieties of Gadwal, Narayanpet, Venkatagiri, Dharmavaram, Uppada Jamdhani and Gollabhama will afford them the protection already extended to Pochampally Ikat variety in December 2004.

‘‘If there is a danger of imitation and copying and affecting the survival or existence of traditional weavers, the Government can seek GI registration for them,’’ officials of the Handlooms and Textiles department told Express. According to them, the proposals would be sent to the Delhi-based Textile Committee, which would conduct public hearings and meetings besides eliciting the opinion of various authorities.

The GI registration is granted after the officials are convinced that these six varieties are in danger of being imitated by power loom! s and bi g textile mills. ‘‘It will take a little more than a year for completing the process,’’ the officials explained.

At present, the officials of the AP Technology Development Services and Textiles department are conducting a survey on the half-a-dozen traditional varieties, they added.

While the Gadwal sarees are unique for their weaving technique (obtaining solid pallu by piecing the threads of different materials), the traditional Dharmavaram sarees, which are similar to Kanchipuram sarees, are woven with golden zari for extra warp/weft designs in borders, body and pallu. The Uppada Jamdhani sarees unparalelled in artistic skill where the designs intermingle with the basic plain ground weave and are produced by weavers of Kothapalli village in East Godavari and Venkatagiri in Nellore district.

The exquisitely woven Narayanpet and Venkatagiri sarees are the most sought after by women in the State.

However, there are few takers for Gollabhama variety, mainly due to change in consumer taste. This was developed by weavers in Siddipet, due to change in the taste of the consumers.

Since no sales tax is levied on handloom cloth and garments, the department is also planning to set up exclusive apparel and handloom parks with latest equipment at Chirala, Mangalagiri and Mahboobnagar utilising the budgetary allocations made by the State Government and also with Central funds, the officials said.

Schools, colleges go green on SC call

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on May 22, 2006

Hyderabad: Nearly two years after the Supreme Court gave a direction to include environmental education in school and college curricula, the State Government has decided to introduce ‘Green Syllabi’ for all classes up to Intermediate from the ensuing academic year.

The Supreme Court gave a direction in October 2004 to the Central and State Governments, institutions like All India Council for Technical Education, University Grants Commission, Medical Council of India, National Council for Teachers Education and National Council for Educational Research and Training to introduce the environmental education in all classes from school to university level.

While the course was introduced in degree, medical and engineering colleges last year, it is being introduced in agriculture and law colleges in the State this year.

By doing so, AP became the first State in the country to introduce ‘Green Syllabi’ at all levels in the schools and jun! ior coll eges.

Nearly 18 lakh books, both in English and Telugu medium, have been prepared by the Andhra Pradesh National Green Corps (APNGC) and released by Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in November last year. After going through the content, the School Education department suggested some changes which were incorporated.

These books would be distributed among students of 72,000 primary and upper primary schools, also 10 lakh students of Ninth and Tenth classes and two lakh students studying Intermediate. While the English medium books are being distributed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and APNGC, the Telugu medium books are circulated under the Centrally-sponsored Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.

‘‘A training programme will be held for teachers and students in June to make them familiarise with the subject,’’ APNGC Director W G Prasanna Kumar told Express.

The NGC organised 112 summer camps for school students across the State to explain the various activities relating to environment education, Prasanna Kumar said.

Meanwhile, as a prelude to World Environment Day on June 5, whose theme is ‘Don’t Desert Drylands,’ the NGC has launched a 40-day campaign today to draw public attention towards the environmental issues. Some 600 children from NGC and Jawahar Bal Bhavan summer camps formed a human chain in the Public Gardens. During an interaction with officials, they sought to know the reasons behind the malnutrition, hunger and desertification of many areas.

High tariff ‘jams’ BSNL Wi-Fi net

BY V L Srinivasan Published on June 21, 2006 Hyderabad: THE much-hyped Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in the twin cities, by which high speed Internet access was provided at public places, could not take off in view of the high tariff. BSNL planned to provide Wi-Fi services at 21 locations in the twin cities and three places in Visakhapatnam, including star hotels, convention centres, shopping malls, airports and other public places during 2006-07. But it launched the service only at four places – domestic and international terminals of the Hyderabad airport, offices of the Chief General Manager of AP Telecom and the Principal General Manager of Hyderabad Telephones. BSNL, which incurred an expenditure of Rs 50 lakh for launching the service, is offering the same free of cost at these four places. The other ‘hot spots’ identified for introducing Wi-Fi services include Secretariat, HiTec City and convention centres of major star hotels. ‘‘There are different packages and the tariff is ranging between Rs 2 and 3 per minute. The customer would rather prefer to sit in a cyber cafe which charges between Rs 10 and Rs 15 per hour,’’ an official said. BSNL even planned to sell Wi-Fi cards of different denominations but held the move back in view of the high cost. Instead, the officials are looking at alternatives to make it viable. ‘‘We are exploring the possibility of giving it to one or two universities through broadband network and make it more affordable,’’ the official said. The service was introduced for the first time by a star hotel at Ameerpet, which purchased the equipment from the vendor directly. It has been offering the service free of cost for the last one and a half years, sources said. At present, the service is available at 300 locations in the entire country but it is mostly offered free of cost.

No action yet against officials for graft

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on July 13, 2006

Hyderabad: IN a blatant violation of procedures, two officials of the Hyderabad City Grandhalaya Samstha (HCGS) had parked Rs 27 crore in 14 banks at a lower rate of interest causing a loss of Rs 27 lakh to the exchequer for the last one year.

The officials – Director of Public Libraries S Ravi Kumar and HCGS Secretary Alivelu – deposited Rs 27 crore in nationalised banks at the rate of interest ranging from 5.5 to 7 per cent. The banks include Andhra Bank, State Bank of India, State Bank of Hyderabad and UCO Bank.

The sum obtained through library cess was meant for the development of public libraries. While more than Rs 10 crore was deposited in a bank which offered a minimum interest of 5.5 per cent, only Rs 1 crore was kept with a bank which offered a maximum interest of 7 per cent per annum.

The Vigilance and Enforcement officials, who probed the case, submitted their report to the Andhra Pradesh Vigilance Commission in April this year confirming that the two officials committed irregularities.

The commission, in turn, recommended to the State Government to suspend the two officials immediately. However, the State Government has not taken any action against them so far based on the findings.

While Ravi Kumar is still holding the same post, Alivelu was posted at the State Central Library as Gazetted Librarian. The funds have not been withdrawn from the banks offering lower rate of interest.

According to sources, the two officials parked the funds in 14 banks instead of three violating the AP Public Libraries Rules and GO Ms No. 21 of July 2, 2002. As per the rules, the Zilla Grandhalaya Samsthas (ZGS), after securing the nod of higher-ups, can deposit the amount not required for immediate use, either in a savings bank account or in government securities.

No department, undertaking, agency or cooperative shall have deposits or bank accounts in more than three banks. ‘‘The proposal submitted by Alivelu to deposit Rs 27 crore in 14 banks and the approval given by Ravi Kumar were in violation of the AP Financial Code, AP Public Libraries Rules and GO Ms No 21,’’ sources told City Express.

In a letter to the State Government in April this year, AP Vigilance Commissioner R C Samal said the officials had ‘colluded’ and deposited huge amounts in banks at a lower rate of interest. He also recommended the suspension of the two officials and asked the department to frame charges against them for the misconduct of depositing surplus funds in the banks offering lower rates of interest.

2 IFS officials get off scot-free?,Vigilance panel recommends stoppage of two increments

By V L Srinivasan Published on July 17, 2006 Hyderabad: DO you know the punishment awarded to the two senior officials who failed to prevent the gruesome killing of 13-month-old tigress Sakhi by poachers in the Nehru Zoological Park six years ago. Stoppage of two increments with cumulative effect is what has been prescribed by the Andhra Pradesh Vigilance Commission (APVC) which probed the case. While B Trinadha Rao, a senior IFS officer, was the curator of the Nehru Zoo Park, T Ramakrishna, another senior IFS officer (now retired), was the Chief Wildlife Warden when Sakhi was brutally killed on the night of October 4, 2000. Following public uproar, the State Government suspended Trinadha Rao and ordered a CID probe into the killing. Later, the matter was referred to the Vigilance Commission for further inquiry, which submitted its report to the State Government recently. At present, Trinadha Rao is the Public Relations Officer at the Forest Department headquarters. In a written statement given to APVC, Ramakrishna reportedly explained the circumstances and the action he had taken in the case. He regretted the lapse and begged for pardon. Subsequently, the charges against Ramakrishna were dropped based on the recommendations of the head of the Forest Department. APVC was of the opinion that Trinadha Rao deserved a severe punishment for his laxity. ‘‘There was a total failure on the part of Trinadha Rao who claimed to have got vast experience in administration of zoos, in discharging his primary duty,’’ the commission said and recommended stoppage of two increments of the officials with cumulative effect. In his defence, Trinadha Rao was understood to have insisted that since Ramakrishna was spared, the charges against him should also be dropped. The Vigilance Commission, however, dismissed his plea saying that it had no merit at all as Trinadha Rao was in-charge of the zoo and that he was given quarters on the zoo premises along with adequate supporting staff equipped with wireless sets to ensure the safety of animals. Even after the matter was reported to him on that fateful day, he wasted one day without taking any action. Trinadha Rao tried to defend himself for his lapse saying that it was the gravest of the grave acts which never happened nor anticipated in a zoo and all the staff, right from the animal keeper to the curator took some time to recover from the big shock.

No action yet on misuse of WB fund for official’s b’day bash

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on July 19, 2006

Hyderabad: The State Government is sitting tight on a report of the Vigilance & Enforcement (V&E) wing recommending initiation of disciplinary action. Against as many as seven officials of the forest department, including principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) S K Das, for the alleged misuse of World Bank funds among other things.

The V&E officials took up the investigation as per the orders of Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy following reports of irregularities allegedly committed by these officials. Though the report was submitted a year ago, no action has been taken.

Besides Das, the other officials against whom action was recommended included Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) R G Kalaghatgi, Conservators of Forests (CF) S K Gupta and N Shyam Prasad, one Divisional Forest Officer and others.

The charges against the accused officials were that they did not take action against those responsible for large-scale felling of trees worth Rs 4 crore in Parsa region of Warangal district and hosted a lavish dinner in Hotel Viceroy to celebrate the birthday of Das on December 17, 2004 and the expenditure of Rs 70,000 for the said dinner was incurred as shown as if it was hosted for a visiting World Bank team.

The third allegation was that the officials received kickbacks in the purchase of 50 digital cameras through AP Technological Services. After the audit pointed that an inferior mode was purchased than the one ordered, a recovery of Rs 60,000 was shown to have been effected and the file was closed.

As far as the allegation of not taking action in felling the trees was concerned, CCF (Vigilance) and CF (Vigilance) took up field visits and gave their report to Das and suggested calling for explanation from the field officers.

According to V&E officials, Das reportedly differed with the views of CCF and CF (Vigilance) and did not take any action on the report.

With regard to the dinner hosted, the V&E officials found that a review meeting-cum-workshop on AP Community Forest Management (APFCM) was organised on Dec 17 & 18.

Incidentally, the birthday of Das fell on Dec 17 for which a party was hosted at Hotel Viceroy in Hyderabad. The expenditure was Rs 521 per head, which was quite high and the guests included the family members of the officers.

‘‘When the birthday was celebrated, there was no World Bank team present in Hyderabad on that particular day. Hence booking an expenditure in the name of World Bank is totally misuse of Government funds and it is a serious misconduct indulged by the staff and PCCF.’’

Though the charge that commissions were taken in the purchase of digital cameras could not be substantiated, the conditions of the tenders were changed after receiving bids, which looked motivated, the officials said.

Govt to take action against Volkswagen

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on Sept 23, 2006

Hyderabad: Peeved at the German-based Volkswagen AG’s decision to pull out of its proposed car project in the State, the State Government made it clear that all actions of Helmut Schuster, former head of VW India Project, be they related to fiscal or otherwise, were binding on the company.

This was communicated to the automobile major after its Head of Volkswagen India-Project Peter Wolters and special envoy of the Board of Management (International Affairs) Frank Elbe wrote a letter to Principal Secretary (Industries) D Lakshmi Parthasarathi on Aug 21 expressing their inability to set up the unit as Andhra Pradesh lacked auto ancillary network and was far off from its other production units in the country.

‘‘Volkswagen has been obliged to observe certain additional specific criteria namely the local presence of a meaningful automobile supplies for the purpose of optimising synergies and the geographic proximity to production units of VW already existing in India. After diligent and careful examination, we regret to inform that the Volkswagen will not set up its production facility in Andhra Pradesh,’’ Wolters and Elbe said in the letter.

Though Elbe offered to return the two million Euros, which was released last year by the State Government to Vasishta Wahan Private Limited, an Indian company nominated by Volkswagen to implement the car project in the country, the company has now sought exemption and hinted at returning only one million Euros to Andhra Pradesh.

Dismissing their contention, Lakshmi Parthasarathi expressed surprise as they took four long years to discover that the state did not have auto ancillary network.

Replying to their letter last week, she said: ‘‘We are not at all convinced about the reasons you have stated for not setting up the facility as at no point of time in the last four years, have you stated this as the only criteria for the selection of the location. If so, there was never a reason for you to step into AP, as it was everybody’s knowledge that the State does not have a large auto ancillary network.’’

‘‘This is least expected of a company of the standing of Volkswagen. You must be aware of the consequences of the breach of promise, particularly in the light of time and money that the Government of Andhra Pradesh had spent on this project,’’ she said.

According to highly-placed sources, the State Government would go to ‘‘any extent’’ to claim damages as the company, after taking the offer letter from Andhra Pradesh Government, went to other states seeking better incentives.

Package for farmers soon

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on Oct 28

Kadapa: After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised Y S Rajasekhara Reddy at the Chief Ministers’ conference in Nainital, it was the turn of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to shower encomiums on him for the good work he has been doing to make the State prosper.

Addressing a large gathering after inaugurating the 750-bed Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), built at a cost of Rs 125 crore here, she said that she was impressed by Reddy’s efforts in mitigating the suffering of farmers who were unable to free themselves from the grip of money lenders. Reddy was on the dais radiating smiles.

‘‘Farmers’ suicides, though the number has come down after the UPA has taken over at the Centre, continue to be an area of concern,’’ she said and reiterated that the Centre would come out with a package to help farmers in 16 drought-prone districts in the State.

She spoke hardly for 20 minutes and the crowd appeared enthused and listened to her with rapt attention. They cheered her whenever she praised Rajasekhara Reddy even as the police had a tough time in controlling the surging crowd who thronged the venue to get a glimpse of Sonia Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi, on the occasion, released water for 50,000 acres from the Brahmam Sagar (Brahmam Gari Matham Reservoir) and laid the foundation-stone of the Rajiv Gandhi Dental College.

She said that RIMS would help fulfill the long-cherished dreams of the people in the region for a modern medical facility and recalled the vision of her late husband Rajiv Gandhi for using modern technology to improve the lot of the people. ‘‘He foresaw technology and IT would act as an instrument of social change,’’ she said.

Sonia was happy that Rajasekhara Reddy was moving in that direction. ‘‘I am satisfied with his work particularly in the area of augmenting irrigation potential. Jala Yagnam aims at creating 73 lakh acres of new ayacut,’’ she said, sharing his view that river waters should not be allowed to go waste into the sea. She took a dig at the TDP for not bothering to pay attention to the concerns of farmers and workers during its nine-year rule in the State. Rajasekhara Reddy outlined the details of his Jala Yagnam programme and promised to complete Telugu Ganga works within a year by investing up to Rs 1800 crore.

State woos major auto-makers

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on Oct 11, 2006

Hyderabad: Even as the automobile industry is gearing to invest more than Rs 30,000 crore to meet the rising demand in the next four years, the Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to invite half a dozen major auto players to set up their units in the State.

The State Government is planning to write to automobile companies, including Maruti Udyog, Hyundai Motors, Honda Siel, TVS Motors, Hero Honda and Tata Motors, requesting them to invest in Andhra Pradesh in view of the high quality infrastructure facilities that would be in place in less than 18 months.

While Maruti Udyog is planning to invest around Rs 9,000 crore to launch a new small car besides increasing the production of diesel cars from the existing one lakh to three lakh per annum, Honda Siel has decided to start its second plant at a cost of Rs 900 crore to produce one lakh small cars.

Similarly, TVS Motors has plans to invest Rs 450 crore for its two and three wheelers and Tata Motors is looking forward to plough in around Rs 12,000 crore to increase its manufacturing capacity and also introduce new vehicles.While Hero Honda Group is awaiting permission from the Rajasthan Government to open its third plant to double the production of two and four wheelers from the existing 1.5 million units per annum, Hyundai Motors India also wants to double the production from three lakh vehicles besides increasing its exports from 33 to 50 percent by 2008. Even the US auto component major Delphi Automobiles is planning to set up its global Research & Development base in India.

‘‘Besides land, infrastructure like airports at Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, dedicated deep water port at Gangavaram, power at competitive prices, availability of skilled manpower and existing auto and auto component industrial base, besides abundant raw material – steel and and iron – for the industry is also readily available,’’ officials told ‘Express’.

State attracts textile biggies

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on Oct 16, 2006

Hyderabad: If all goes well, the textile sector in the State might see investment to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore pouring in over the next five years.

The players who are evincing interest in the State include S Kumar, Sri Lanka-based Mas Holdings, South Indian Manufacturers’ Association (SIMA), Subba Rao Apparels from Chennai, and Langoors from Delhi.

The S Kumar Group has sought 1,000 acres for setting up an integrated textile park at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore at Sitarampuram near Chevella in Rangareddy district for which 500 acres have already been identified and proposals to acquire the remaining are in the pipeline.

SIMA proposes a cluster with five lakh spindles over 1,200 acres at Attivaram near Naidupeta in Nellore district. Its representatives have visited the site and are waiting for a formal clearance from the State Government.

SIMA officials have also proposed establishing a processing cluster by mobilising over 20 units from Tamil Nadu if the State Government allots 400 acres near Appikatla in Guntur district. Since the Krishna canal is close by, water supply should not be a problem.

Likewise, Subba Rao Apparels along with the group and 25 companies have sought a special economic zone at Attivaram, and Mas Holdings -- which is famous for its knitwear and apparel -- has identified 1,200 acres at Palchuru village in Nellore district for an integrated textile park.

Similar integrated handloom production clusters are proposed at Mylavaram and Proddutur in Kadapa, Chirala in Prakasam and at Venkatagiri in Nellore district. Each of these clusters will be located on 50 acres.

Handlooms and Textiles officials have also sought 300 acres adjacent to Apache Industries at Mambattu near Tada in Nellore district to attract entrepreneurs from Tamil Nadu.

‘‘Besides, proposals for four textile parks -- Hindupur Hitech Textiles (Rs 109 crore), Hyderabad Hitech Textile Park (Rs 150 crore) -- Brandix apparel city at Visakhapatnam (Rs 143 crore) and Pochampalli Handloom Park (Rs 20 crore) -- have been submitted to the Central Government for its approval,’’ officials told Express.

Aviation varsity plan takes off, The university to come up on 300 acres at Begumpet airport

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on Oct 25, 2006

Hyderabad: THE plan to set up country’s first aviation university in the city has gained momentum with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security in the Civil Aviation Ministry giving nod to it.

The aviation university is being set up by the State Government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in about 300 acres of the existing Begumpet airport which will be shut down after the Shamshabad international airport commences its commercial operations in March/April 2008.

It was after much persuasion by the State Government that AAI had agreed to give up part of the 798 acres on which the existing airport was built more than four decades ago.

The aviation university will cover all aspects of aviation training, including flying, aviation management, legislature, safety, security, finance and economics. Of the total area, 92 acres have been encroached upon and around 14 acres are being used by the Indian Air Force for its operations for many years. IAF has even set up a hangar for its use.

Even the Defence Ministry eyed the prime land requesting the AP Government to hand over the existing airport to it as it is close to three IAF stations – Dundigul, Hakimpet and Bidar – for training IAF personnel. The request, however, was turned down by the State Government.

On the other hand, AAI proposed to set up a training institute for offering technical courses and other related training in communication and navigation systems and air traffic management. The existing infrastructure will be developed to have a world-class Advance Aviation Training Institute and the aviation university.

‘‘We have initiated discussions with AAI to take over the land at Begumpet airport and also prepare a project report by inviting expression of interest from reputed consultants. The proposal has also been sent to the Union HRD Ministry seeking permission for establishment of the aviation university,’’ official sources told City Express.

Accordingly, the terminal building, air traffic control (ATC) and existing infrastructure will be upgraded and shared by both AAI and the State Government for the proposed training institute. Even a working group with officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, AAI and State Government is being constituted to work out modalities for establishing the aviation university.

Plan for police posts at dist hospitals yet to take off

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on Nov 17, 2006

Hyderabad: The Medical and Health department’s plan to set up police outposts in all teaching and district hospitals is being delayed due to non-availability of personnel with the Special Protection Force (SPF).

The decision to have security in these medical institutions was taken following the attack on the doctors of the KG Hospital in Visakhapatnam by the relatives of a patient on August 20 this year.

The incident sparked off protests from doctors across the State who struck work for a couple of days.

They, however, resumed duties after the State Government assured to provide security in the hospitals to ensure that such ‘‘unfortunate incidents do not recur in future.’’

There are 17 teaching hospitals under the Directorate of Medical Education and 19 district hospitals under AP Vaidya Vidhana Parishad and 36 outposts have to established in them. At present, security at major hospitals is outsourced and private security agencies are doing the job on contract basis.

Each outpost has to be manned by one head constable (HC) and four constables (PCs) per shift and each man being paid Rs 8,000 per month and the tentative cost per outpost comes to around Rs 4.8 lakh per month. For 24-hour surveillance, it will be three times - 14.40 lakh per month - and around Rs 27 lakh as non-recurring expenditure.

According to official sources, some 36 HCs and 144 PCs are required to man these outposts and the Special Protection Force (SPF) was approached to provide the required staff. But the SPF officials are understood to have expressed their inability as the entire personnel were already positioned in various offices. ‘‘At present, some 32 sub inspectors and 344 constables are undergoing training but they will be ready for deployment only in 2008,’’ sources told Express.

The SPF officials even said that one HC and four PCs would be inadequate and their numbers should be doubled.

When contacted, Principal Secretary (Medical & Health) P K Agarwal said that most of the hospitals have a security set-up at present and a decision will be taken soon on whether to upgrade the existing set-up or dismantle them totally and establish new police outposts.

Inquiry exonerates MSR in temple land dealings

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on Dec 29, 2006

Hyderabad: In a big relief to the State Government, the Justice A Venkatarami Reddy Commission of Inquiry (CoI), which inquired into the specific cases of lease, sale or alienation of temple lands, has exonerated former minister M Satyanarayana Rao.

The CoI, however, is understood to have found fault with retired commissioner of endowments (CED) I Venkateswarlu, who held the post from January 19, 2005, till he retired on May 31, 2005, for various omissions and commissions during his tenure and recommended measures to check such malpractices in the sale or alienation of the temple lands.

The report was submitted to the State Government early this month. Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy discussed it with Endowments Minister JC Diwakar Reddy and other senior officials a couple of days before the start of Winter Session of the Assembly.

‘‘But for the Action Taken Report (ATR), which is still being finalised, the report would have been placed in tomorrow’s State Cabinet meeting for its ratification,’’ highly-placed sources told ‘Express’. The report will now be placed in the next Cabinet meeting to be held around Sankranti.

The CoI was appointed by the State Government following allegations that the officials were directed to enter into compromises in various cases of temple lands under Section 80, 82, and 89 (2) of the Endowments Act to benefit a section of leaders belonging to the ruling Congress.

Apparently hurt by the charges, Satyanarayana Rao, who was then holding Endowments portfolio, resigned but Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who ordered an ACB probe besides a judicial probe, changed his portfolio to Sports and Culture.

According to sources, as many as 71 cases for compromise were ordered between 1995 and 2005. Of them, 61 orders were reportedly processed by Venkateswarlu during his tenure which lasted less than five months.

The remaining five orders were passed during the tenure of his predecessors since 2002.

‘‘In almost all the cases, the orders were understood to have been passed during the last two months of Venkateswarlu’s tenure. While he passed 12 orders in April, another 36 cases were said to have been cleared in May, involving an extent of around 375 acres,’’ sources said.

The CoI reportedly said that the very fact that Venkateswarlu processed 61 files within a short period showed that he was in a great hurry and did not bestow the necessary care and consideration in dealing with such cases of compromise.

The Devarayamjal lands in the neighbouring Rangareddy district, whose market value was around Rs 11 crore, fetched only Rs 48.36 lakh due to the compromise proceedings passed by him, the CoI said in its report.

High-level meet on police reforms next week

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on January 13, 2007

Hyderabad: With the Supreme Court rejecting its plea to review its judgment on implementing police reforms, the State Government will convene a high-level meeting next week to decide the future course of action.

The State Government may either appeal against the apex court’s directive or simply decide to abide by the judgment.

The Supreme Court has directed that States should follow the process of consulting the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in finalising the appointment of director-general of police (DGP) with a minimum two-year tenure.

Would this disturb newly-appointed DGP M A Basith who has only ten months’ service left? He will not be disturbed as the UPSC consultation will be required for appointing the next DGP.

‘‘At the same time, since Basith has not gone through the UPSC process he cannot have a two-year tenure,’’ sources told Express.

The three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the chief justice, yesterday directed Andhra Pradesh and other States which filed affidavits explaining the problems in initiating reforms in the police set-up that they should implement four of the six directions by the end of this month and the remaining two by March 31.

The directions which have to be implemented by January-end include fixing two-year tenure for the director-general of police, separation of law & order maintenance from investigation, tenures of officers from IG to station house officer and also setting up a police complaint authority.

The other two directions – establishing State Security Commission (SSC) and Police Establishment Board (PEB) – have to be complied with by March 31.

While the State Government has no objection to setting up PEB and bifurcate the law & order and crime wings, it has urged the Supreme Court to review the remaining four directions.

The SSC comprises Leader of the Opposition and five independent persons who will evaluate the performance of state police and prepare a report which will be placed before the legislature along with the comments of the government.

The government, however, is not keen on having ‘outsiders’ who are not in the government or in the Cabinet in discharging the functions as it will give them an opportunity to interfere in law and order matters.

With regard to selection of DGP, the powers that be feel that it is the prerogative of the State Government since police administration is in the State List and referring to UPSC amounts to encroaching upon the federal powers of the State.

On minimum tenure for IGP and the officials, the government has been following the policy of not transferring any officer who has put in less than three years of service. But some transfers were called for before the end of the tenure on administrative grounds and in public interest.

Having a Police Complaint Authority may become ineffective as it would demoralise the police officers, the government said.

Steps to separate law & order and investigation in major cities like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Guntur have already been taken.

The government is also willing to constitute PEB with the home minister as chairman, principal secretary (home) as vice-chairman and DGP as member-convener along with four senior IPS officers – additional DGP (law & order), additional DGP (admn), additional DGP (intelligence) and additional DGP (CID) as members.

92 mobile medical units to serve interior areas

By V L Srinivasan

Published on Jan 22, 2007

Hyderabad: In a bid to ensure better health care services in tribal and interior areas and in coastal villages inhabited by fishermen, the State Government has decided to launch 92 Medical Mobile Units (MMUs) in all districts.

The MMUs - two in each district - will be managed through public private partnership (PPP) by involving non-governmental organisations working in the districts.

The NGOs will be selected by a committee headed by district collector. The other members on the committee include ITDA project officer in case of tribal districts, project officers of DRDA and Women’s Development and Child Welfare department, District Coordinator of Hospital Services, Superintendent of the teaching hospital (where teaching hospitals are located) and District Medical & Health Officer.

The MMUs are one of the components of the Centrally-sponsored Reproduction and Child Health-II project of the National Rural Health Mission and each of MMU costs around Rs 10 lakh.

The MMUs would undertake tasks under preventive care like immunisation, ante-natal care and post-natal care, diagnostic services including minimum investigation facilities like Haemoglobin, urine examination for albumen, sugar and microscopic examination, smear examination for malaria and for detecting other locally endemic diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis.

The MMUs would even provide curative treatment for minor ailments, attend pediatric, post menopausal and geriatric problems besides serving as an appropriate referral of cases for medical specialists.

‘‘The units will also be used to provide emergency services in any area struck by disaster or epidemics of any public health emergencies.’’ officials of the Medical & Health department told Express.

Each MMU will have two medical officers (one male and one female), two staff nurses, one lab attendant and a contingent worker.

The teams will carry one ultra sound scan machine, ECG, examination table (foldable) and drugs including life saving drugs. Besides hiring the vehicle to carry the personnel as well as the equipment, the NGOs will recruit the supporting staff.

On its part, the State Government will provide the equipment, consumable, and drugs, apart from the budget for salaries.

The concerned NGO will finalise the village-wise visit plans for MMUs in consultation with the District Medical & Health Officer, the officials said.

Genco officials in the dock for misuse of funds

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on Feb 11, 2007

Hyderabad: Half a dozen officials of the APGenco including three superintending engineers are in the dock for alleged misuse of funds in the renovation of corporate blocks in third floor of the Vidyut Soudha building between 2002 and 2005.

The officials - T V Hanumanth Rao, Laxminarayana and Y Ram Mohan Rao (superintending engineers), executive engineer (civil) M V Ramana Murthy, assistant executive engineers (civil) K Babu Rao and T Hari Narayana Reddy - stand indicted by the Vigilance & Enforcement (V&E) Wing for incurring wasteful and avoidable expenditure to the tune of about Rs 7.30 lakh by approving the higher rates. Among them, Hanumanth Rao and Laxminarayana have already retired while the remaining four are still in service.

In its report submitted to the State Government last month, the V&E said that after APGenco decided to renovate the corporate blocks in the third floor of the Vidyut Soudha with centralised air conditioning system at a cost of Rs 2.45 crore, the accused officials obtained quotations from only three firms and awarded the work to one of the bidders M/s Shapoorji Pallonji & Co Limited instead of ascertaining correct market rates.

The V&E report requested the Special Chief Secretary (Energy) A K Goyal to issue instructions for proper preparation of estimates and decide rates for different items of work in future duly following provisions and rates etc followed in other Government departments. Goyal has also been asked to initiate appropriate disciplinary action against the erring officers for the lapses.

However, one of the accused officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a former chief engineer Sanyasi Raju and former superintending engineer Gandhi Choudhary circulated a note stating that the renovation work, which can bestow a corporate look to APGenco, can be executed only by a few firms.

The note mentioned six firms - Intech Classic Interiors, Shapoorji Pallonji, In Style Furnishers, Toleti Office Makers, Genesis Construction Limited and Mitsur Kensetsu India Limited. The note was also approved by the Board of Directors including then CMD Parthasarathi.

‘‘Of them, the first three companies responded by submitting quotations and Shapoorji Pallonji was chosen as itquoted lowest rates,’’ the official told Express.

HC moots cell to probe judicial officers’ conduct

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on April 17, 2007

Hyderabad: In a bid to keep a tab on the judicial officers in the State, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has decided to constitute an ‘‘Enquiry Cell’’ which would conduct departmental inquiries against the charged officials under its control.

The decision to set up the Cell, said to be first of its kind in the country, was taken as the higher-ups were receiving numerous complaints of varied nature resulting in initiation of disciplinary proceedings against them, if necessary by placing them under suspension, in public interest.

Establishing the Enquiry Cell was also one of the recommendations made in the recent All-India Chief Justices’ Conference to strengthen the already existing Vigilance Cell in the High Court.

There are some dozen inquiries reportedly pending against the judicial officers who are working as senior civil judges or junior civil judges in the State at present.

To be headed by an officer of the rank of district judge to conduct the inquiries against senior civil judges and junior civil judges, the Cell would start functioning once the State Government gives its nod.

Besides the district judge, an officer of the rank of senior civil judge or junior civil judge will present the case on behalf of Department. The other officials who would work in the Cell include two each section officers, deputy section officers and assistant section officers, four assistants and other supporting staff.

According to official sources, whenever any regular departmental inquiry is ordered against any Senior Civil Judge or Junior Civil Judge, the district judge of that particular district, if he is not a reporting officer, or a neighbouring district judge is being appointed as inquiry officer to conduct the said inquiry against the charged officer.

However, there have been inordinate delays in completing the inquiries by the district judges or additional district judges who are appointed as inquiry officers as they being Judicial Officers, their priority is to dispose of judicial proceedings. ‘‘Due to this, the charged officers, who are under suspension continued to be under suspension till the inquiries ordered against them are completed,’’ sources told ‘Express’.

Further, it is well nigh impossible for a district judge or additional district judge to devote his complete time in conducting the inquiries because the judicial work will be hampered.

In view of this, the authorities felt that this ‘‘conspicuous handicap can easily be surmounted’’ if an Enquiry Cell is created to facilitate the High Court to entrust all the enquiries to it for conducting departmental probes against the judicial officers, which not only expedites the process but also avoid prolonged continuance of the charged officials under suspension.

Monitoring helps bring down pending cases

4/23/2007

V L SRINIVASAN

Hyderabad, April 22: Continuous monitoring of the pending cases, both civil and criminal, in various courts across the State has resulted in their reduction, albeit margina lly, during 2006.

As against 9,59,860 cases on January 1, 2006, there are 9,48,431 cases by December 31, indicating a decrease of 11,429 cases. Fresh ones numbering 5,86,656 were filed in 2006 whereas the total disposal were 5,98,085 during the same period.

Besides continuous monitoring by the High Court every fortnight, establishing new courts and also extension given to the Fast Track Courts (FTCs) are said to be some of the reasons for the reduction in the old cases. ‘‘Andhra Pradesh is among the top five states in bringing down pending cases and Gujarat is said to be leading the list,’’ official sources told ‘Express’.

According to them, co-ordination committees have been formed at district level with the district judge, collector, superintendent of police and other concerned officials for discussing issues relating to criminal justice system and to find out ways and means for expeditious disposal of criminal cases, particularly those relating to undertrial prisoners.

The presiding officers were directed to concentrate more on the disposal of old cases. A proposal for disposal of various types of cases under FTCs, Medium Track and Slow Track Courts is under consideration of the High Court, sources said.

The Central Government has established 108 FTCs at various places in the State which were given extension from time to time and five metropolitan magistrate courts were set up in the Cyberabad metropolitan area of Rangareddy district during 2004.

Last year, nine family courts in the cadre of district judge were set up in as many district headquarters and 10 new courts in the cadre of judicial first class magistrate were sanctioned in the Agency areas of the State.

‘‘The State Government is considering establishment of 10 senior civil judge courts and 25 junior civil judge courts to further bring down the accumulation of cases,’’ sources said.

On its part, the High Court has formulated specific norms for reviewing the out-of-turn of judicial officers and monitoring the performance of each officer twice a year, accorded priority for speedy disposal of cases of senior citizens, matrimonial matters, rape, land acquisition and Intellectual Property Right cases.

The magistrates have also been asked to hold courts in jails for disposal of petty cases involving undertrial prisoners.

Function hall lights blinding pilots, Trees, hoardings near airport also jeopardise low-flying aircraft

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on July 12, 2007

Hyderabad: Several flights, including domestic and international, at the Begumpet airport are facing a new problem during nights. Decorative lights and halogen lamps, glaring focused lights at the function halls in the vicinity of the airport are posing a safety hazard to the incoming and outgoing aeroplanes thereby causing danger to the lives of passengers and safety of the aircraft.

These function halls are located within a radius of approximately 2 km from the runway and fall in the approach funnel of Runway 27. With around 100 flights landing and taking off every night and the height level of the aircraft being low while landing and taking off, the factor is considered to be very critical.

Concerned over these decorative lights which include halogen lamps, Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials have requested the State Government to ensure that the lights are removed as ‘‘any disturbance caused to the vision of the pilots will lead to disasters.’’

The State Government, in turn, has directed the North Zone police officials to take ‘‘stringent measures’’ to prevent use of such high upward-facing illuminating halogen lamps and also prevent rocket crackers in the vicinity (within 2-km radius) of the airport. ‘‘We have informed the local police and there is some improvement. But the problem still persists,’’ a senior AAI official told Express.

The AAI had, more than two years ago, also requested the Hyderabad district administration to clear obstacles like trees, hoardings, buildings, antennae and telephone and power lines that are lying in the approach path of Runway 27.

Only a few have been removed and the rest continue to pose problem to aircraft, especially the wide-bodied A 320s, during takeoff and landing. Instead of removing the lamps, the North zone police have directed the owners of the function halls not to focus the lights upwards and cover the decorative and halogen lamps with domes. ‘‘They have followed our instructions and we will ensure that the problem does not arise again,’’ a senior police official said.

Artist on mission Green

BY V L SRINIVASAN

Published on July 3, 2007

The artist’s visualisation of the Charminar, the Golconda fort and the Hussainsagar in a clean and green environment.

HYDERABAD: He is an artist with a mission and conservation of nature is his passion. Meet 37-year-old Vijay Ram, a native of Machilipatnam in Krishna district, who has been campaigning for a greener environment through his paintings for more than two decades now.

A cursory glance at Vijay Ram’s ‘Emerald Mithai Shop’ opposite Pingali Venkatram Reddy Hall on Indira Park road impresses none as even the signboard is covered by plants.

But a peep inside will definitely gladden the hearts of nature lovers. An oil painting of a youth prostrating before Mother Earth, a pollution-free Hyderabad with the Buddha statue standing in the clean waters of the Hussainsagar and the historic Golconda Fort covered by greenery are among the dozen works put up on the walls.

Interestingly, Vijay Ram uses green colour predominantly in most of his works. While all artists mention their names on the paintings, Vijay Ram intends to use the space to spread his message by writing his brush name ‘Protect Trees’ on all his works.

Vijay Ram took to painting inspired by his drawing teacher, Seshagiri. Later, he honed the skills on his own. So far he did around 100 works on environment and 500 more on other themes.

Though he stopped using plastic carry bags more than a decade ago, he decided to take it up as a movement after he read a news item that a veterinary doctor, Ramachandraiah removed 40 kg of polythene bags from the stomach of a cow in Machilipatnam a year ago.

‘‘A majority of housewives dispose of waste food in plastic carry bags. Stray cows eat them and many die due to the toxic effects of the plastic,’’ Vijay Ram says.

He plans to get at least 100 sick cows operated upon. He has already got two operated. ‘‘Saving the life of one cow is equal to donating one crore cows,’’ he points out.

When former MCH Commissioner Sanjay Jaju launched a campaign to discourage plastic carry bags and started distributing cloth bags as an alternative, Vijay Ram gave away 10,000 bags printed with the message ‘Kindly Avoid The Use of Polythene Carry Bags.’

He wants to distribute one lakh more such bags in future. The artist is even prepared to offer one painting free of cost to house owners who construct water harvesting structures on their premises.

At present, he has joined hands with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board to promote water harvesting structures in 25 government schools in the twin cities. While he has contributed Rs 25,000, the Board has provided Rs 75,000 for the project.

Vijay Ram started a voluntary organisation called SAVE (Society for Awareness and Vision on Environment) last year. He conducted painting classes and spent the fee he earned on his mission.

No place for ‘red’ units near lakes

BY V L Srinivasan

Published on March 30, 2006

HYDERABAD: In tune with the High Court’s directive to evolve an action plan to shift 189 industries located in the 10 km radius of Himayatsagar and Osmansagar, the State Government issued orders last week to relocate them in Medak, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Mahboobnagar districts without delay.

All these 189 industries have been placed in ‘red’ category, which means they are highly polluting units and the two lakes, the major sources of drinking water for the twin cities, are in danger of becoming useless as Hussainsagar.

Taking cognisance of newspaper reports, a division bench of the High Court took up the case suo moto and made the AP Pollution Control Board and Commissioner of Industries as respondents.

Later, the court served notices on the subject to all the concerned asking them to prepare a plan of action.

The 189 units include textiles (34), edible oil (31), steel re-rolling and ingots (39), led (44), bulk drugs and chemicals (12) and others (29).

According to official sources, the government set up a committee to ensure availability of proper infrastructure for relocating the units. The committee is also study the possibility of shifting the industries in clusters where common infrastructural facilities, including effluent treatment plants will be provided.

The committee has identified lands at Mucherla in Ranga Reddy, at Pashyamylaram in Medak, a few areas in Mahboobnagar and at Bhongir and Bibinagar in Nalgonda district, said sources.

Steel re-rolling mills will be shifted to Pashyamylaram where 50 acres of APIIC land is available. Edible oil units will be relocated in 40 acres at Rachemacherla in Ranga Reddy district.

Bulk drugs and chemical units are likely to be shifted to Pharma City in Visakhapatnam.

The shifting of the chemical units to a zone permitted by the APPCB will also be studied.

AP Police Academy in search of new campus

Tuesday March 28 2006


HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Police Academy (APPA) is searching for alternative locations in Ranga Reddy and Medak districts for setting up a new campus with the prestigious Outer Ring Road (ORR) project all set to consume 21 acres of its land.

The campus would have stayed, if the 21-acre area was on the boundaries of the academy. As per the ORR project design, a major junction with flyovers would be constructed on the 21 acres, which was quite close to the academy’s ceremonial parade ground and other structures.



At a meeting with senior officials of the Home Department, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy gave a green signal to have new premises with world-class facilities and assured that the government would provide 400 acres land.

Rajasekhara Reddy even announced allocation of Rs 120 crore in the ensuing financial year for the purpose and Director General of Police Swaranjit Sen was asked to work out the details so that it can be included in the budgetary estimates.

Accordingly, the APPA officials requested the Ranga Reddy and Medak district collectors besides the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to suggest three alternative sites for the construction of the academy.

While the Ranga Reddy collector suggested 400 acres land at Jawaharnagar near Hakimpet, a communication from HUDA and Medak collector was still awaited. The Ranga Reddy collector’s proposal, however, is said to be opposed by the locals.

“The government is even considering the possibility of alienating 60 acres of forest land in Survey No 1 adjacent to Chilkur village to retain the APPA there itself,” official sources told this website's newspaper.

This option is time-consuming as the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has to de-reserve the forest land after the State Government fulfil formalities like providing alternative land to the forest department and also paying compensation for afforestation, sources said.

A senior official of the APPA, however, feels that the ambience that has been created over a period of time would be lost and would take several years to regain the same.

Pharma cluster, a panacea for eco - pollution

Monday March 27 2006

HYDERABAD: After a three - year agonising wait, the ball has been set rolling for setting up the Centrally-sponsored pharma cluster here with the floating of a special purpose vehicle, besides forming the Hyderabad Pharma Infrastructure and Technologies Limited a few days ago.

The main objective of the Rs 66.16 crore pharma cluster is to bring down the pollution levels in Jeedimetla, Patancheru and Qutbullapur, which are inhabited by thousands of people.

The pharma cluster is among the two projects cleared by the Union Industries Ministry under the Indian Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme. Of the total project cost, 75 per cent will be funded by the Centre and 15 per cent by stake-holders.

The remaining 10 per cent will be borne by the State government. The other one is the auto cluster which is coming up near Vijayawada at a cost of Rs 40 crore.

According to officials of the Industries Department, the first instalment of funds is likely to be released by the Centre within a fortnight. The State government released Rs 2 lakh initially as its equity to ground the project.

“All the 70 chemical units under the Jeedimetla Effluents Treatment Plant Limited (JETL) and those in Patancheru and Qutbullapur will be members of the cluster whose primary objective is to treat effluents released by these units properly,” sources told this website’s newspaper.

According to JETL officials, all works to be taken up in the cluster will be completed within 18 months. The facilities in the cluster include a common lab and human resource development centre.

The drainage system in Qutubullapur industrial area will be improved. Setting up of an incinerator and water recovery system are part of the project. The cluster will help the industries considerably, besides providing the much - needed relief to the locals affected by the pollutants released by the units, they said.