“Hyderabad is no one’s property, it belongs to all”
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was completely focussed to ensure all round development of the new State and it has neither the inclination nor patience to get involved in a squabble over regional issues being raked up by certain sections, said TRS leader and Sircilla MLA K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday. At a function organised by the Telangana Builders Federation, Mr.Rao said even when the Telangana agitation was at its peak and emotions ran high, people from other regions did not face any trouble or harm. “Some tried and continue to try to spread all sort of rumours and fears but I request you not to believe them. Has there been even a small incident?” he asked.
The slogan of ‘Hyderabad sirf hamara hai’ was taken up when the Union Government made attempts at keeping control of the city and not making it part of Telangana. “Hyderabad is no one’s property, it belongs to all,” he asserted and also ridiculed ‘claims of some to have built the city’.
“Cities such as Hyderabad evolve over a period of time and by just building some structures, one cannot claim to have built the city,” Mr.Rao said. Assuring all support to the real estate, he said the builders fraternity would be involved in the process of decision making pertaining to the sector.
“The city realty was poised for a positive growth. Buy property within next three months or so, else the prices are going to rise high,” he predicted. Party chief and Chief Minister designate K. Chandrasekhar Rao was clear and focussed on initiating steps for all-round growth and prosperity of the new State.
“KCR keeps telling us people have elected us and it is our responsibility to fulfil their aspirations and hopes. The new government will ensure safe and peaceful times for citizens besides acting as a facilitator for businesses,” he said.
More Details :http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/hyderabad-is-no-ones-property-it-belongs-to-all/article6054401.ece
President rule in Telagana to be revoked on June 2; to continue in Andhra Pradesh
New Delhi: The President's rule imposed in united Andhra Pradesh on June 2 will be revoked partially to facilitate the swearing-in of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao as
Chief Minister of Telangana but it will continue in Seemandhra till TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu takes charge a week later.
Hectic activities have been going on in the Union Home Ministry and in Andhra Pradesh government for division of the state smoothly on June 2, the appointed day, official sources said.
A notification is expected to be issued in the morning of June 2 revoking the President's rule in Telangana to facilitate Rao taking charge as the first Chief Minister of the country's 29th state.
The notification will clarify that the President's rule will continue in residuary Andhra Pradesh till Naidu takes oath as Chief Minister either on June 8 or 9, official sources said.
President's Rule was imposed in Andhra Pradesh on March 1 this year after N Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned as Chief Minister following Parliament's nod for bifurcation of the state to create separate Telangana.
Rao's party Telangana Rashtra Samiti won 63 out of the the 119 assembly seats in Telangana in the recent elections while Nadu's Telugu Desam Party, along with ally BJP, bagged 106 of the 175 assembly seats in Seemandhra.
Sources said that before Rao is sworn-in as chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, who was given the additional charge of the proposed state of Telangana, will himself have to take oath.
Naidu will take oath as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on June 8.
"I will take oath on June 8 between Vijayawada and Guntur. We will organise three important conferences of the party in the three regions of the state soon," Naidu announced at the valedictory session of TDP's two-day annual conclave Mahanadu on Wednesday.
The "muhurtam" for the ceremony has been fixed for 11.45 am on June 8.
An open ground opposite Acharya Nagarjuna University is likely to be the venue of Naidu's swearing-in ceremony, party sources said.
The Telugu Desam Legislature Party meeting will be held in Tirupati, they said.
Chandrababu has already announced that he will operate from the new state only and not Hyderabad, though the city will remain the common capital of AP and Telangana post bifurcation.
He is expected to set up his office temporarily in the Acharya Nagarjuna University campus between Vijayawada and Guntur, given its easy accessibility from various parts of the state.
However, part of the new state government's functioning will also continue from the Secretariat in Hyderabad since relocating the staff en masse will be a difficult exercise due to lack of infrastructure, according to sources.
More Details : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140528/nation-politics/article/president-rule-telagana-be-revoked-jun-2-continue-andhra-pradesh
Telangana TDP leaders keep low profile
The Mahanadu meeting of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which commenced on Tuesday, was a picture of contrast with the party men from Seemandhra bubbling with enthusiasm, while their counterparts from Telangana visibly subdued with uncertainty looming large over their future.
There were many pointers to the passive approach of the ‘Telugu tammullu’ (Telugu brothers) from Telangana as the leaders who used to be seen all over were either invisible or sparsely visible on and off the dais. Party sources stated that there was very poor registration of delegates from Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad.
There were just 100 registrations from Karimnagar till lunch time, it was stated.
Lack of visibility
Besides, senior leaders such as Tummala Nageswara Rao, Mandava Venkateswara Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy, A. Revanth Reddy and others were hardly visible, while Errabelli Dayakar Rao was seen sitting quiet all through.
However, during the debate on the resolution on the party’s electoral success in general, municipal and rural local bodies’ elections MLA-elect from Narayanpet in Mahabubnagar, S. Rajender Reddy, said that the party’s failure to provide ample opportunities to youth to contest the general elections had taken a toll on its performance in Telangana.
Naidu should have contested from ‘T’
He felt that the party could have fared better in Telangana had its chief N. Chandrababu Naidu contested from the region.
There was little cheer from the delegates of the region even when Mr. Naidu tried to give a pep talk stating that he would stay in Telangana till he brought the TDP to power and that there were more party men in Telangana than in Seemandhra who could sacrifice for him.
The party also adopted a resolution to work for making the country corruption-free and suggested inclusion of corruption in the syllabus from the school level. It further wanted a debate on the issue countrywide.
Telangana gets 'iconic' logo
Hyderabad: Telangana, the 29th state of India will have a new unique logo, according to a report in India Today.
The two iconic monuments, the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam and the Charminar are inscribed in the logo, apart from the Ashoka emblem.
The logo is set to appear first on the invitation for the swearing-in ceremony of K Chandrasekhar Rao on June 2. That day will mark the birth of the new state Telangana.
According to the report, KCR will first lay a wreath at the Martyrs Memorial to commemorate those who lost their lives in demand for a separate state.
Chandrsekhar Rao will then drive to Raj Bhavan for the swearing in ceremony at 8.15am.
More Details : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140529/nation-politics/article/telangana-gets-iconic-logo
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh seek exemption from fiscal target
Hyderabad: To overcome the financial crisis emerging out of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the state government has urged the Centre to grant a two-year exemption from implementing the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 (FRBMA) in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
A team of senior officers from the Finance department are also leaving for Delhi to seek Rs 13,000 crore grants from the Centre to overcome the revenue deficit in the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.
The officials will also urge the Centre to waive off the Rs1,000 crore loan and other payments to be made by the state to the Centre as these loans and other charges towards sending CRPF and CISF battalions to the state were accrued by a united AP, and post bifurcation neither of the states will be fiscally fit to pay them back.
“Earlier too, the central government has given such waivers to states like Bihar and Punjab. The need of the hour is to extend the waiver to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,” a senior official said.
Officials said exemption for a couple of years from FRBMA was also crucial. FRBMA is aimed at eliminating revenue deficit, build up revenue surplus and contain fiscal deficit and debts.
Officials said exemption for a couple of years from FRBMA was also crucial. FRBMA is aimed at eliminating revenue deficit, build up revenue surplus and contain fiscal deficit and debts.
Officials of the finance department have brought to the notice of the Centre that both the states will be under heavy financial constraints; the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh especially will start with a huge deficit budget and neither of the states will be in a position to meet the fiscal targets laid out under FRBMA.
They pointed out that the states will be forced to secure huge loans from various agencies to meet the budgetary deficit after June 2. State finance department officials have already held a series of meetings with Union finance ministry officials over the issue.
The Union finance ministry is expected to refer the issue to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and take a final decision before June 2.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan has recently approved the expenditure fund of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with a budget of Rs 34,595 crore and Rs 26,516 crore respectively for a period of four months from June 2.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan has recently approved the expenditure fund of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with a budget of Rs 34,595 crore and Rs 26,516 crore respectively for a period of four months from June 2.
The division of budget was based on the vote-on-account budget approved by the Assembly of the united state in March this year. The new governments will have to table full-scale budgets for the remaining period from October to March after assuming charge.
More Details : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140529/nation-current-affairs/article/both-telangana-and-andhra-pradesh-seeks-exemption-fiscal
N Chandrababu Naidu meets BJP president Rajnath
New Delhi: TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday met BJP president Rajnath Singh in the backdrop of hectic discussions about cabinet formation and reports that he was eying cabinet berths for his party MPs.
The meeting in the evening lasted for about 15 minutes after which Naidu refused to speak to the media outside Singh's residence at Ashoka Road residence here.
The chief minister-designate of Andhra Pradesh had on Tuesday said his party would join BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
"We are joining the government. TDP was part of four non-Congress governments at the Centre. We would be part of NDA as well," he had stated but did not say how many cabinet berths his party would get in the central government to be headed by Narendra Modi.
Leaders of NDA allies like TDP, Akali Dal and LJP, are also likely to be included in the Council of Ministers.
TDP, which faced the elections in alliance with BJP, won 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. The party is also forming the government in residual Andhra Pradesh. Later, Naidu also met Naresh Gujral, Rajya Sabha Member of NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and held discussions with him for about 40 minutes.
The meeting in the evening lasted for about 15 minutes after which Naidu refused to speak to the media outside Singh's residence at Ashoka Road residence here.
The chief minister-designate of Andhra Pradesh had on Tuesday said his party would join BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Leaders of NDA allies like TDP, Akali Dal and LJP, are also likely to be included in the Council of Ministers.
TDP, which faced the elections in alliance with BJP, won 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. The party is also forming the government in residual Andhra Pradesh. Later, Naidu also met Naresh Gujral, Rajya Sabha Member of NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and held discussions with him for about 40 minutes.
Congress debating idea of 'enlarged' UPA-III to stop Narendra Modi
Unfazed by exit polls projecting a dismal performance by it, Congress
is still seeing a chance for it to keep out NDA and form the next
government with the help of secular parties.
"We expect NDA to get below 200 (seats) and such a situation will give Congress and like-minded parties a chance to form a coalition (government)," a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.
But the leader refused to hazard a guess as to what the tally would be for Congress and its UPA alliance. The general expectation within the party is that it would get between 120 to 140 seats as against the 206 it bagged in the last elections.
The party is divided over the issue of forming the next government or propping up a third front coalition with a section opposing any such move, the contention being that such a course of action would weaken Congress.
However, another section, which includes Finance Minister P Chidambaram, is arguing that Congress has a "very good chance" of forming the government under its leadership along with some allies.
There is a growing chorus for an "enlarged" UPA-III to stop Narendra Modi from coming to power.
The idea of an "enlarged" UPA-III means taking on board new allies and keeping open the issue of leadership to stop Modi from becoming Prime Minister.
"All options are on the table and no option is off. It all depends on the numbers we get and what BJP gets and the margin between us," said another senior leader.
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-congress-debating-idea-of-enlarged-upa-iii-to-stop-narendra-modi-1988360
"We expect NDA to get below 200 (seats) and such a situation will give Congress and like-minded parties a chance to form a coalition (government)," a senior Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.
But the leader refused to hazard a guess as to what the tally would be for Congress and its UPA alliance. The general expectation within the party is that it would get between 120 to 140 seats as against the 206 it bagged in the last elections.
The party is divided over the issue of forming the next government or propping up a third front coalition with a section opposing any such move, the contention being that such a course of action would weaken Congress.
However, another section, which includes Finance Minister P Chidambaram, is arguing that Congress has a "very good chance" of forming the government under its leadership along with some allies.
There is a growing chorus for an "enlarged" UPA-III to stop Narendra Modi from coming to power.
The idea of an "enlarged" UPA-III means taking on board new allies and keeping open the issue of leadership to stop Modi from becoming Prime Minister.
"All options are on the table and no option is off. It all depends on the numbers we get and what BJP gets and the margin between us," said another senior leader.
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-congress-debating-idea-of-enlarged-upa-iii-to-stop-narendra-modi-1988360
CPI(M)'s repoll demand in West Bengal laughable: Trinamool Congress
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress Wednesday dismissed as
"laughable" the CPI(M)'s demand for repoll in over 3,000 booths where
the Lok Sabha election was held over five phases.
Ridiculing the Marxist party's demand as one that mocked the "sanctity of the voting process and the integrity of the voter", Trinamool national spokesperson Derek O'Brien claimed in a statement that the polls were "free and fair".
"The demand by the CPI(M) for re-polling in over 3,000 booths that saw voting in the recent free-and-fair Lok Sabha election in West Bengal is not only laughable but mocks the sanctity of the voting process and the integrity of the voter."
Taking a dig at the Communist Party of India-Marxist for making "the demand in Delhi, far away from West Bengal," O'Brien said it was typical of the opposition outfit, which has "found the ground slipping from under its feet".
The Trinamool leader said the CPI(M) has been "missing" from the state since it was turfed out of office in the 2011 assembly elections and "since its oppression and misrule" ended.
He said the three years of Trinamool rule in the state has been marked by "able and resolute governance", and exuded confidence the effort would be rewarded by the people when the votes are counted May 16.
He alleged the opposition parties -- CPI(M), Congress and the BJP -- have realised "their antics have not worked", and they are certain to be "wiped out".
Attacking a section of the local media, he said it "hyped up a few sporadic incidents and are making a mountain out of a molehill".
"This has encouraged the CPI(M), the BJP and the Congress to be a party to such propaganda and disinformation. May 16, the truth shall prevail," said O'Brien.
The opposition parties, including the CPI-M led Left Front, have accused the Trinamool of indulging in "massive rigging and booth capturing" by unleashing violence and intimidating their polling agents and voters.
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-cpim-s-repoll-demand-in-west-bengal-laughable-trinamool-congress-1988362
Ridiculing the Marxist party's demand as one that mocked the "sanctity of the voting process and the integrity of the voter", Trinamool national spokesperson Derek O'Brien claimed in a statement that the polls were "free and fair".
"The demand by the CPI(M) for re-polling in over 3,000 booths that saw voting in the recent free-and-fair Lok Sabha election in West Bengal is not only laughable but mocks the sanctity of the voting process and the integrity of the voter."
Taking a dig at the Communist Party of India-Marxist for making "the demand in Delhi, far away from West Bengal," O'Brien said it was typical of the opposition outfit, which has "found the ground slipping from under its feet".
The Trinamool leader said the CPI(M) has been "missing" from the state since it was turfed out of office in the 2011 assembly elections and "since its oppression and misrule" ended.
He said the three years of Trinamool rule in the state has been marked by "able and resolute governance", and exuded confidence the effort would be rewarded by the people when the votes are counted May 16.
He alleged the opposition parties -- CPI(M), Congress and the BJP -- have realised "their antics have not worked", and they are certain to be "wiped out".
Attacking a section of the local media, he said it "hyped up a few sporadic incidents and are making a mountain out of a molehill".
"This has encouraged the CPI(M), the BJP and the Congress to be a party to such propaganda and disinformation. May 16, the truth shall prevail," said O'Brien.
The opposition parties, including the CPI-M led Left Front, have accused the Trinamool of indulging in "massive rigging and booth capturing" by unleashing violence and intimidating their polling agents and voters.
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-cpim-s-repoll-demand-in-west-bengal-laughable-trinamool-congress-1988362
Will senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and LK Advani be part of Narendra Modi's government at the Centre?
With just one day left to final counting and formation of a new government to lead India, BJP is pegged to be the numero uno party in reckoning for the top post. Whether Exit polls live upto their hype or fall short of their expectations is an altogether different matter. Currently, BJP is trying to end squabbles arising in the party over top posts in the cabinet that need to be divided among Modi's aides and BJP leaders post the government formation.
LK Advani, who is known to be Narendra Modi's mentor was upset with the party over Modi's anointment as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate—a post that he wanted to helm and handle. But, things seem to have gone awry as other key leaders from BJP are in the process of deciding LK Advani's political fate after the elections.
BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday had said that top party leaders would meet and decide the roles of the veterans including LK Advani after consulting them.
"As far as the roles of veteran leaders are concerned, I will call a party meeting to which they will be invited. After thorough discussions with all big leaders, we will decide what role will be played by which person," Singh told reporters at Ahmedabad airport on his way to Gandhinagar for a meeting with party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
He was asked about what role Advani would be assigned after NDA is voted to power.
Advani, who was deputy prime minister in the previous NDA government, with his vast experience and stature was reportedly not keen on a role in a government headed by Modi, once considered his protege.
There were talks of Advani being offered the post of NDA Parliamentary Party leader or Speaker of the next Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, even senior leader Sushma Swaraj's role in the next government is being decided by a core group consisting of Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh. Though there were rumours that Swaraj was miffed with BJP leaders, she rebuffed it stating otherwise.
The meeting of the core group—Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Arun Jaitley took place in Wednesday at Ahmedabad where they apparently took some major decisions for the next government.
Earlier, these decisions were taken by the party's Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making forum which also has party veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, besides Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar, Thawarchand Gehlot and Ramlal as its members. All four members of the core group are already members of the Board.
Sources also suggest major changes in the party with Gadkari likely to be brought back as party chief and Rajnath drafted for a key ministry in the government. The core group met today in Ahmedabad to decide on whether party veterans like Advani and Joshi will have a role in the government.
Sushma Swaraj and LK Advani have both served BJP for a long period of time and have also made their apprehensions over Narendra Modi's role in the party very clear since. There were constant rumours of problems brewing in the party and with the final showdown on Friday, these matters will just reach their peak with some interesting developments—Only time will tell if these leaders find themselves in the final roster of elected members or will face expulsion from key responsibilties!
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-will-senior-bjp-leaders-sushma-swaraj-and-lk-advani-be-part-of-narendra-modi-s-government-at-the-centre-1988374
LK Advani, who is known to be Narendra Modi's mentor was upset with the party over Modi's anointment as BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate—a post that he wanted to helm and handle. But, things seem to have gone awry as other key leaders from BJP are in the process of deciding LK Advani's political fate after the elections.
BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday had said that top party leaders would meet and decide the roles of the veterans including LK Advani after consulting them.
"As far as the roles of veteran leaders are concerned, I will call a party meeting to which they will be invited. After thorough discussions with all big leaders, we will decide what role will be played by which person," Singh told reporters at Ahmedabad airport on his way to Gandhinagar for a meeting with party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
He was asked about what role Advani would be assigned after NDA is voted to power.
Advani, who was deputy prime minister in the previous NDA government, with his vast experience and stature was reportedly not keen on a role in a government headed by Modi, once considered his protege.
There were talks of Advani being offered the post of NDA Parliamentary Party leader or Speaker of the next Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, even senior leader Sushma Swaraj's role in the next government is being decided by a core group consisting of Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh. Though there were rumours that Swaraj was miffed with BJP leaders, she rebuffed it stating otherwise.
The meeting of the core group—Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Arun Jaitley took place in Wednesday at Ahmedabad where they apparently took some major decisions for the next government.
Earlier, these decisions were taken by the party's Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making forum which also has party veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, besides Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar, Thawarchand Gehlot and Ramlal as its members. All four members of the core group are already members of the Board.
Sources also suggest major changes in the party with Gadkari likely to be brought back as party chief and Rajnath drafted for a key ministry in the government. The core group met today in Ahmedabad to decide on whether party veterans like Advani and Joshi will have a role in the government.
Sushma Swaraj and LK Advani have both served BJP for a long period of time and have also made their apprehensions over Narendra Modi's role in the party very clear since. There were constant rumours of problems brewing in the party and with the final showdown on Friday, these matters will just reach their peak with some interesting developments—Only time will tell if these leaders find themselves in the final roster of elected members or will face expulsion from key responsibilties!
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-will-senior-bjp-leaders-sushma-swaraj-and-lk-advani-be-part-of-narendra-modi-s-government-at-the-centre-1988374
Hyderabad: Woman kills two-year-old son on his birthday, tries to commit suicide
A woman allegedly killed her two-year-old son on his birthday at Parsigutta area in Hyderabad on Wednesday, police said.
Meena Kumari, the accused, often fought with her husband Narasimha, police said. She allegedly strangulated her son at their house on Wednesday and later tried to end her own life by hanging herself.
Neighbours however intervened and took her to hospital where her condition was stated to be out of danger, a police officer said.
"It seems the woman asked the husband for money for celebrating the son's birthday, and when he refused, she killed the son in a fit of anger," the officer said, citing the complaint lodged by Narasimha.
Chilkalguda police have registered a case of murder and attempt to commit suicide against her. Further probe is on.
More Details: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-hyderabad-woman-kills-two-year-old-son-on-his-birthday-tries-to-commit-suicide-1988371
Meena Kumari, the accused, often fought with her husband Narasimha, police said. She allegedly strangulated her son at their house on Wednesday and later tried to end her own life by hanging herself.
Neighbours however intervened and took her to hospital where her condition was stated to be out of danger, a police officer said.
"It seems the woman asked the husband for money for celebrating the son's birthday, and when he refused, she killed the son in a fit of anger," the officer said, citing the complaint lodged by Narasimha.
Chilkalguda police have registered a case of murder and attempt to commit suicide against her. Further probe is on.
More Details: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-hyderabad-woman-kills-two-year-old-son-on-his-birthday-tries-to-commit-suicide-1988371
The 'ABCD' of Indian politics: From Arvind Kejriwal, BJP to Congress, here's a list of everything you need to know
It has been a long hot summer for political parties. Braving the heat
and dust of India, they have camped and campaigned across the nooks and
crannies of India, cajoling voters, to a greater or lesser degree, on
who is the best. At stake - the votes of 830 million Indians, 551
million of whom turned up to cast their vote.
The voter turnout was 66.38%, higher than the last best turnout in 1984 – the elections after Indira Gandhi’s assassination that gave Rajiv Gandhi a two thirds majority in Parliament. The Election Commission spent over Rs.3400 crores to ensure that the elections took place in relative peace – there have been aberrations, but in most cases elections in India have been what they always were – enthusiastic turn out by voters to exercise their franchise. In a week’s time, the elections will be a distant event, the vagaries of the news cycle mean that something else will take pride of place and sweep the lingering vestiges of these elections and the campaign from our collective memories. For the last time, before the results and the formation of the new Government let us look at the A to Z of the high points of Lok Sabha Elections 2014.
A for Arvind Kejriwal – the giant killer in Delhi. The man who beat Sheila Dixit in her home turf. He and the Aam Aadmi Party have run a high pitched campaign, that should seen more as a marketing activity and a spring board for future elections, rather than having too much impact on elections 2014.
B for the BJP – it ran a great campaign, put out some compelling communication, managed to quell all internal dissent and rallied behind one person and one message.
C for Cash – copious amounts of it went to fight these elections. It is estimated that in the last 5 years, between all polls – local, state and general elections – 150,000 crores has been spent, more than half of it from unaccounted sources. There needs to be a realistic relook at campaign financing norms and rules.
D for Democracy – and from a 66.38% vote, some of them in areas that are considered troubled, it is evident that Indian voters take their Democracy and right to choose very seriously
E for Election Commission – which has done a commendable job on getting voters to come out and vote. However, it has lagged on tackling violations of the model code of conduct.
F for Fake Voters – Despite the EC spending time, energy, money and resources on weeding out fake voters, the problem persisted. The other side of this problem was the fact that many genuine voters found their names left out. There needs to be a more systematic manner of getting a voters list made up of genuine voters.
G for Giriraj Singh – no one, outside his immediate circle, had heard of him two months ago. Suddenly, with a set of irresponsible statements he is a poster boy for the extreme right, and a dart board for the rest.
H for Hooda— the strong man of Haryana. These elections are going to test his mettle.
I for Indian National Congress – The main partner in the ruling alliance. Facing anti incumbency after 10 years, and accusations of corruption and hubris, the Congress campaign looked rather tired and jaded, and lacking the punch of that of the BJP. It’s media fire was not as much in past years, and it looked out of synch with itself and the voters.
J for Jayalalitha – the boss lady in Tamil Nadu. The question is how many seats in the state will she be able to deliver.
K for Kashi, Benaras, Varanasi – not just the oldest living city in the world, but also the site of the most intense election activity in the modern Indian republic.
L for Left – although it still makes noises as though it was a national presence, the fact remains that it is no longer relevant.
M for Mayawati - the lady did not receive much media coverage this general elections. However, it did not prevent large numbers of people from turning up for her rallies. The big question is whether the turnouts translate into votes.
N for Narendra Modi – the star of this election. His campaign was gruelling, his stamina astounding. He and his party has pulled out all stops in their attempt to form the next Government.
O for Opinion Polls – in India have traditionally got it wrong. But, this time all opinion polls, exit polls indicate a change of regime at the centre. Would they finally get it right, and by what margin?
P for Priyanka Gandhi – as always, she came, she spoke and diverted attention of the media to her style, and her resemblance to Indira Gandhi.
Q for Queues of voters turning up to cast their votes. Nothing restores your belief in Indian Democracy as much as citizens, especially in troubled areas, queuing up at the polling both to reassert their belief in democracy and the Indian republic.
R for Rahul Gandhi – He led the Congress campaign from the front. It will be interesting to see what results day has in store for him.
S for Smiti Irani – who has taken on Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, giving him his first possible election fight in the constituency.
T for TMC – seems to be following the path of the earlier left government in West Bengal, using the same tactics to bully, batter and unleash violence against opponents.
U for Universal Franchise – the right of all citizens to vote. Elections are the only time, in India, when the richest person in the country and the poorest voter have equal weightage in terms of choice
V for voters – that time in 5 years when the voters are wooed by all parties.
W for Winner takes all – in a first past the post system, it doesn’t matter whether you win by 1.
X for the spot where we vote – replaced by the EVM button.
Y is you the voter – and I, and the choices we make.
Z for Zero – who will be a hero, who will be a hero – ultimately all of it is a part of the greatest game of them all – the elections.
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-the-abcd-of-indian-politics-from-arvind-kejriwal-bjp-to-congress-here-s-a-list-of-everything-you-need-to-know-1988375
The voter turnout was 66.38%, higher than the last best turnout in 1984 – the elections after Indira Gandhi’s assassination that gave Rajiv Gandhi a two thirds majority in Parliament. The Election Commission spent over Rs.3400 crores to ensure that the elections took place in relative peace – there have been aberrations, but in most cases elections in India have been what they always were – enthusiastic turn out by voters to exercise their franchise. In a week’s time, the elections will be a distant event, the vagaries of the news cycle mean that something else will take pride of place and sweep the lingering vestiges of these elections and the campaign from our collective memories. For the last time, before the results and the formation of the new Government let us look at the A to Z of the high points of Lok Sabha Elections 2014.
A for Arvind Kejriwal – the giant killer in Delhi. The man who beat Sheila Dixit in her home turf. He and the Aam Aadmi Party have run a high pitched campaign, that should seen more as a marketing activity and a spring board for future elections, rather than having too much impact on elections 2014.
B for the BJP – it ran a great campaign, put out some compelling communication, managed to quell all internal dissent and rallied behind one person and one message.
C for Cash – copious amounts of it went to fight these elections. It is estimated that in the last 5 years, between all polls – local, state and general elections – 150,000 crores has been spent, more than half of it from unaccounted sources. There needs to be a realistic relook at campaign financing norms and rules.
D for Democracy – and from a 66.38% vote, some of them in areas that are considered troubled, it is evident that Indian voters take their Democracy and right to choose very seriously
E for Election Commission – which has done a commendable job on getting voters to come out and vote. However, it has lagged on tackling violations of the model code of conduct.
F for Fake Voters – Despite the EC spending time, energy, money and resources on weeding out fake voters, the problem persisted. The other side of this problem was the fact that many genuine voters found their names left out. There needs to be a more systematic manner of getting a voters list made up of genuine voters.
G for Giriraj Singh – no one, outside his immediate circle, had heard of him two months ago. Suddenly, with a set of irresponsible statements he is a poster boy for the extreme right, and a dart board for the rest.
H for Hooda— the strong man of Haryana. These elections are going to test his mettle.
I for Indian National Congress – The main partner in the ruling alliance. Facing anti incumbency after 10 years, and accusations of corruption and hubris, the Congress campaign looked rather tired and jaded, and lacking the punch of that of the BJP. It’s media fire was not as much in past years, and it looked out of synch with itself and the voters.
J for Jayalalitha – the boss lady in Tamil Nadu. The question is how many seats in the state will she be able to deliver.
K for Kashi, Benaras, Varanasi – not just the oldest living city in the world, but also the site of the most intense election activity in the modern Indian republic.
L for Left – although it still makes noises as though it was a national presence, the fact remains that it is no longer relevant.
M for Mayawati - the lady did not receive much media coverage this general elections. However, it did not prevent large numbers of people from turning up for her rallies. The big question is whether the turnouts translate into votes.
N for Narendra Modi – the star of this election. His campaign was gruelling, his stamina astounding. He and his party has pulled out all stops in their attempt to form the next Government.
O for Opinion Polls – in India have traditionally got it wrong. But, this time all opinion polls, exit polls indicate a change of regime at the centre. Would they finally get it right, and by what margin?
P for Priyanka Gandhi – as always, she came, she spoke and diverted attention of the media to her style, and her resemblance to Indira Gandhi.
Q for Queues of voters turning up to cast their votes. Nothing restores your belief in Indian Democracy as much as citizens, especially in troubled areas, queuing up at the polling both to reassert their belief in democracy and the Indian republic.
R for Rahul Gandhi – He led the Congress campaign from the front. It will be interesting to see what results day has in store for him.
S for Smiti Irani – who has taken on Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, giving him his first possible election fight in the constituency.
T for TMC – seems to be following the path of the earlier left government in West Bengal, using the same tactics to bully, batter and unleash violence against opponents.
U for Universal Franchise – the right of all citizens to vote. Elections are the only time, in India, when the richest person in the country and the poorest voter have equal weightage in terms of choice
V for voters – that time in 5 years when the voters are wooed by all parties.
W for Winner takes all – in a first past the post system, it doesn’t matter whether you win by 1.
X for the spot where we vote – replaced by the EVM button.
Y is you the voter – and I, and the choices we make.
Z for Zero – who will be a hero, who will be a hero – ultimately all of it is a part of the greatest game of them all – the elections.
More Details : http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-the-abcd-of-indian-politics-from-arvind-kejriwal-bjp-to-congress-here-s-a-list-of-everything-you-need-to-know-1988375
Double decker train from Kachiguda to Guntur started Today
Double decker train between Kachiguda and Guntur was kicked off on Tuesday as announced by the Central Railways. A senior employee waved a green flag and officially started the Double decker train from Kachiguda Station at 5.30 am on Tuesday morning. Paasengers were seen happy with the train and the facilities provided by the Railways. Many of them were seen taking photosfrom their mobile phones.
On the first day itself, around 500 passengerstravelled between Kachiguda and Guntur, said the authorities.
South Central Railway CPRO Sambhashiva Rao said, “Today is a historic day. This train is designed keeping in view all the facilities needed for the passengers.” Along with Mr Rao, many Railway authorities too travelled on Tuesday in the Double decker train.
More Details: http://www.microfinancemonitor.com/2014/05/13/double-decker-train-from-kachiguda-to-guntur-started-today/
Arrangements for counting of votes being made in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad district election officer (DEO) and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner Somesh Kumar on Saturday asked authorities concerned to complete the necessary arrangements at counting centres by May 14. The Election Commission has also permitted the local election officials to have 12X12 counting tables (12 for Assembly and an equal number for Parliamentary constituency) at counting centres.
Somesh Kumar visited strong rooms at Polytechnic College, Masab Tank, Nizam College and L B Stadium and reviewed arrangements. Speaking on this occasion, he asked the officials to complete all arrangements by May 14 to ensure hassle-free counting. Already, elaborate arrangements for counting of votes of two Lok Sabha and 15 Assembly constituencies are being made with barricading at counting centers.
According to him, three officials, including a counting supervisor, a counting assistant and a micro observer (deputed by the EC) would be posted at each counting table. "This time, 24 tables (12 X 12) are being arranged at each counting centre. There will be around 36 rounds of counting and each round will be around 20 minutes. As a result, the counting will be completed in a span of six hours," he added.
The DEO said training classes were being held for counting supervisors and micro observers till May 12.
Meanwhile, Ranga Reddy district collector B Sridhar reviewed the counting arrangements with returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers of two Lok Sabha and 14 Assembly constituenceis. He asked the officials to complete all the arrangements for counting by May 14 and mock counting would be held on May 15.
Somesh Kumar visited strong rooms at Polytechnic College, Masab Tank, Nizam College and L B Stadium and reviewed arrangements. Speaking on this occasion, he asked the officials to complete all arrangements by May 14 to ensure hassle-free counting. Already, elaborate arrangements for counting of votes of two Lok Sabha and 15 Assembly constituencies are being made with barricading at counting centers.
According to him, three officials, including a counting supervisor, a counting assistant and a micro observer (deputed by the EC) would be posted at each counting table. "This time, 24 tables (12 X 12) are being arranged at each counting centre. There will be around 36 rounds of counting and each round will be around 20 minutes. As a result, the counting will be completed in a span of six hours," he added.
The DEO said training classes were being held for counting supervisors and micro observers till May 12.
Meanwhile, Ranga Reddy district collector B Sridhar reviewed the counting arrangements with returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers of two Lok Sabha and 14 Assembly constituenceis. He asked the officials to complete all the arrangements for counting by May 14 and mock counting would be held on May 15.
More Details :
Two start-ups grab fat cheques
Nine start-ups pitch their models for funding from eight investors at TiE event
Driven by passion and armed with novel ideas, the young founders of two city start-ups managed to grab an investment of Rs.10 lakh in return for a five-minute show.
At the ‘SmashUp’ event organised by TiE, Hyderabad on Saturday, nine start-ups were allowed to pitch their respective business models on stage with a chance of funding from the participating eight investors. In the end, two early stage companies, VioletStreet.com and Zify, managed to walkout with cheques.
Talking about his two-month-old start-up based on women fashion, engineering graduate Ankur Gupta of ‘Violetstreet.com’ said, “Our social commerce portal helps women shoppers to pick and match different clothing items available in various e-commerce sites. Based on the occasion, we also suggest the shoppers. There is a controlled chat option where the shoppers can also send the pictures to their near and dear ones and ask their opinion on their choices.” Mr. Ankur portal was visited by 4,500 users in April.
The other start-up to get funded, ‘Zify’, is a mobile-cum-web application aimed at addressing the everyday problem of commuting through ride sharing.
Some of the other start-ups too evoked interest. While the mobile app ‘Newsdeck120’ compresses news stories to a smaller size and also converts it to audio format in various accents then there is a chat app called ‘Everchat’ which helps in creating location-based chat rooms. Another start-up ‘Science Pandits’ is about aiding scientists in updating their knowledge on various topics.
The day-long event also had various panel sessions for young entrepreneurs and participated by well-known personalities from the IT industry.
Srini Koppolu, chairman, Hyderabad Angels and former Managing Director of Microsoft India Development Centre provided some valuable advises to the stakeholders of the start-up companies.
“Don’t start a company just for the sake of doing it or because your friends are in to it. If you are passionate and ready to go deep down with your start-up, then only go for it.”
Murali Bukkapatnam, President, TiE-Hyderabad said that the idea behind organising the event was to bring together all stakeholders and play an active part in creating an inclusive ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship.
Ashvin Mani Sharma and DJ Murthovic perform at HRC in Hyderabad
A popular watering hole in the city, saw music lovers having a chilled-out time when Ashvin Mani Sharma from Calm Chor and DJ Murthovic performed live. Clad in their summer attires, revellers shook a leg to the numbers played by the duo. Everybody was seen bonding with friends, before calling it a day.
Telangana Congress rides on Andhra Pradesh split decision
Hyderabad: Telangana PCC headquarters Gandhi Bhavan and APCC headquarters Indira Bhavan located on the same compound witnessed contrasting atmospheres.
While Gandhi Bhavan wore a festive look and celebrated with crackers and sweets, Indira Bhavan looked woeful and deserted. The Congress gained with the creation of a separate state in Telangana while the party has paid the price for the same decision in Seemandhra.
In Telangana, the Congress won 25 of the 53 municipalities with a clear majority in 10 municipalities and in the rest it emerged as the single largest party.
Of the three Municipal corporations in Telangana, the Congress emerged as the single largest party in Ramagundam Municipal Corporation by winning 19 of the 50 divisions while in the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation, the Congress-MIM combine bagged 16 of the 50 divisions.
In PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah’s own municipality Janagama in Warangal district, the Congress fell short of only one ward to get clear majority while winning 14 of the 28 wards.
In Manchiryala municipality, the Congress won 18 of the 32 wards. In the same way in Jagityal the Congress won 24/38, Gadwal 23/33, Shadnagar 15/23, Sadasivapet 12/23, Andole 13/20, Nalgonda 22/40, Miryalaguda 30/36, Kamareddy 17/33, Badangpet 15/20 and in Narsampet 12/20.
In Seemandhra, the Congress was almost wiped out. Of the 92 municipalities and seven corporations, the Congress did not register even a single win.
It even lost in APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy’s own municipality Madakasira in Anantapur district.
It even lost in APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy’s own municipality Madakasira in Anantapur district.
In West Godavari and Prakasam districts, the Congress did not win a single ward. In Visakhapatnam, Kadapa, Krishna districts, the Congress won one ward in each district, two in Kurnool district and three wards in Srikakulam district.
Only in three districts the Congress reached double digits. It won 11 in Vizianagaram district, 11 in Guntur and 13 wards in Nellore district.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media at the Gandhi Bhavan here after the results on Monday, Telangana PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah expressed confidence that the Congress will get similar results in ZPTC, MPTC elections and also in the general elections to the Assembly and Lok Sabha.
He said AICC president Sonia Gandhi has sacrificed a lot to grant statehood to the people of Telangana and the people have reciprocated by ensuring a thumping victory for the Congress.
More Details : http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140513/nation-politics/article/telangana-congress-rides-andhra-pradesh-split-decision
Australian mining firm's CEO arrested by Hyderabad cops
HYDERABAD: KPHB police arrested Raman Srikanth, CEO of Australia-based Leighton Holdings' Theiss mining subsidiary in India, on charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust. He was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody on Monday.
According to police, they arrested Raman Srikanth based on the directions of a local court. KPHB inspector Srikanth Goud said, based on a petition filed by Hyderabad-based private company Roshni Developers Private Limited, the local court directed police to register a case against Raman Srikanth under sections 406 (Criminal breach of trust) and 420 (Cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and conduct a probe.
The representatives of Roshni Developers had alleged that Thiess Minecs cheated them by not abiding by the contractual obligations with regard to tapping a coal mine near Hazaribagh. "By believing that they would get the sub-contract from Thiess, the owners of Roshni Developers had spent Rs 185 crore on the mining project. However, Roshni Developers alleged that after getting the contract from NTPC to develop the mine, Thiess Minecs cheated them by not giving sub-contract," the inspector said.
On May 9, a special team of KPHB police arrested Raman Srikanth from his Kolkata office and brought him to the city on a prisoner transit (PT) warrant. "He was produced before the court on Monday which remanded him in judicial custody. Raman was shifted to Cherlapally prison," the inspector added.
According to police, they arrested Raman Srikanth based on the directions of a local court. KPHB inspector Srikanth Goud said, based on a petition filed by Hyderabad-based private company Roshni Developers Private Limited, the local court directed police to register a case against Raman Srikanth under sections 406 (Criminal breach of trust) and 420 (Cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and conduct a probe.
The representatives of Roshni Developers had alleged that Thiess Minecs cheated them by not abiding by the contractual obligations with regard to tapping a coal mine near Hazaribagh. "By believing that they would get the sub-contract from Thiess, the owners of Roshni Developers had spent Rs 185 crore on the mining project. However, Roshni Developers alleged that after getting the contract from NTPC to develop the mine, Thiess Minecs cheated them by not giving sub-contract," the inspector said.
On May 9, a special team of KPHB police arrested Raman Srikanth from his Kolkata office and brought him to the city on a prisoner transit (PT) warrant. "He was produced before the court on Monday which remanded him in judicial custody. Raman was shifted to Cherlapally prison," the inspector added.
More Details : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Australian-mining-firms-CEO-arrested-by-Hyderabad-cops/articleshow/35034844.cms
Division may undermine spirit of sharing
HYDERABAD: With still several days to go before the official bifurcation of the state, the split between employees of both regions seems to be getting wider and concerns abound over petty conflicts in shared workspaces.
One of the first to express the concern was Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who shot off a missive to the governor voicing his fear over the sharing of administrative premises like the Secretariat. "The sharing of the Secretariat premises could affect the smooth functioning of governments," he wrote, adding that in the absence of alternative arrangements, separate entrances should be provided for employees of both regions.
Employees now say that though friction may be curtailed with the allocation of separate blocks for the two governments, tiffs are still likely at locations which the employees will have to share. Already there have been a few cases where petty quarrels have broken out over the use of elevators and phones, which were earlier witnessed during the heights of the Telangana agitation.
Meanwhile, some branches of the government will have to share the same buildings post division too. For instance, the building proposed to house the tourism corporation of residual AP is undergoing renovation, which will take two months to finish. "The portico, lifts and the parking space will have to be shared. We fear this arrangement could lead to more friction between employees of the two regions," said a senior official at the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC). In the existing APTDC office in Himayatnagar, two floors each have been allotted to Telangana and residual AP.
The Telangana employees of APTDC, under the aegis of Tourism Corporation Telangana Udyogula Sangam, has also made representations to the chief secretary and the governor against allowing the sharing of tourist hotels to house interim government offices. "Paryataka Bhavan in Begumpet is proposed to be used as a government guest house for both Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh. If this happens, there will be revenue losses for Telangana, which is backward in terms of tourist amenities compared to Andhra," said P Ramakrishna of the association.
Besides APTDC, other institutions where employees are expected to share premises include Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and Civil Supplies Corporation.
One of the first to express the concern was Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who shot off a missive to the governor voicing his fear over the sharing of administrative premises like the Secretariat. "The sharing of the Secretariat premises could affect the smooth functioning of governments," he wrote, adding that in the absence of alternative arrangements, separate entrances should be provided for employees of both regions.
Employees now say that though friction may be curtailed with the allocation of separate blocks for the two governments, tiffs are still likely at locations which the employees will have to share. Already there have been a few cases where petty quarrels have broken out over the use of elevators and phones, which were earlier witnessed during the heights of the Telangana agitation.
Meanwhile, some branches of the government will have to share the same buildings post division too. For instance, the building proposed to house the tourism corporation of residual AP is undergoing renovation, which will take two months to finish. "The portico, lifts and the parking space will have to be shared. We fear this arrangement could lead to more friction between employees of the two regions," said a senior official at the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC). In the existing APTDC office in Himayatnagar, two floors each have been allotted to Telangana and residual AP.
The Telangana employees of APTDC, under the aegis of Tourism Corporation Telangana Udyogula Sangam, has also made representations to the chief secretary and the governor against allowing the sharing of tourist hotels to house interim government offices. "Paryataka Bhavan in Begumpet is proposed to be used as a government guest house for both Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh. If this happens, there will be revenue losses for Telangana, which is backward in terms of tourist amenities compared to Andhra," said P Ramakrishna of the association.
Besides APTDC, other institutions where employees are expected to share premises include Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation and Civil Supplies Corporation.
Gujarat cops nab terror suspect in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: In a secret operation, sleuths of the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Ahmedabad, have picked up Hyderabadi youth Syed Kirmani from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and taken him to Gujarat two days ago.
A DCB team, which had information of Kirmani arriving in the city from a Gulf state, was waiting for him and arrested him as soon as he landed, according to sources.
Kirmani was later produced before Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court judge Geeta Gopi who remanded him to judicial custody, the sources said. The DCB, however, is trying to take him into police custody for three weeks.
Gujarat police claim that Kirmani, a resident of Talabkatta, Bhavani Nagar, in the Old City, is associated with Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed and has accused him of involvement in the 2003 DCB-6 criminal conspiracy case of Ahmedabad. He has been on the wanted list of the Gujarat police for the last 10 years. A non-bailable warrant was also pending against him.
The DCB-6 case pertains to the alleged greater criminal conspiracy to assassinate the top leadership of the BJP and RSS. Kirmani faces the specific charge of providing shelter to alleged Narendra Modi assassination conspirators in Hyderabad and helping them escape to Bangladesh.
The sources said that Kirmani reportedly left for Saudi Arabia soon after the mass arrests of Muslim youth by Gujarat police began in Hyderabad. Kirmani is a close associate of another accused Mohammed Afroz of Chanchalguda. The duo used to meet regularly at Mahboobia mosque in Chanchalguda.
Sources said that the DCB officers informed the POTA court that Kirmani took part in a "proxy war" against the state of India with direct or indirect support of Pakistan's ISI and terror outfits to avenge post-Godhra riots. They also alleged that Kirmani had sent a number of Muslim youth to training camps run by terror outfits such as LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammadi in Pakistan to spread terror in India.
DCB wants to interrogate Kirmani about the incidents of terror and find out about the existence of terror modules, they said.
According to Gujarat police records, of the total of 41 persons who have been declared fugitive seven are from Hyderabad. They include Jaffar Bhai, Shakeel, Saleem, Aslam Khan, Nayeem, Afroz Mohammed Iqbal Sami and Khwaja Moinuddin.
The DCB team had on March 23 arrested Maulana Abdul Qavi of Hyderabad on charges of taking part in anti-national activities and having links with Pakistan-based terrorist outfits.
A DCB team, which had information of Kirmani arriving in the city from a Gulf state, was waiting for him and arrested him as soon as he landed, according to sources.
Kirmani was later produced before Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court judge Geeta Gopi who remanded him to judicial custody, the sources said. The DCB, however, is trying to take him into police custody for three weeks.
Gujarat police claim that Kirmani, a resident of Talabkatta, Bhavani Nagar, in the Old City, is associated with Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed and has accused him of involvement in the 2003 DCB-6 criminal conspiracy case of Ahmedabad. He has been on the wanted list of the Gujarat police for the last 10 years. A non-bailable warrant was also pending against him.
The DCB-6 case pertains to the alleged greater criminal conspiracy to assassinate the top leadership of the BJP and RSS. Kirmani faces the specific charge of providing shelter to alleged Narendra Modi assassination conspirators in Hyderabad and helping them escape to Bangladesh.
The sources said that Kirmani reportedly left for Saudi Arabia soon after the mass arrests of Muslim youth by Gujarat police began in Hyderabad. Kirmani is a close associate of another accused Mohammed Afroz of Chanchalguda. The duo used to meet regularly at Mahboobia mosque in Chanchalguda.
Sources said that the DCB officers informed the POTA court that Kirmani took part in a "proxy war" against the state of India with direct or indirect support of Pakistan's ISI and terror outfits to avenge post-Godhra riots. They also alleged that Kirmani had sent a number of Muslim youth to training camps run by terror outfits such as LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammadi in Pakistan to spread terror in India.
DCB wants to interrogate Kirmani about the incidents of terror and find out about the existence of terror modules, they said.
According to Gujarat police records, of the total of 41 persons who have been declared fugitive seven are from Hyderabad. They include Jaffar Bhai, Shakeel, Saleem, Aslam Khan, Nayeem, Afroz Mohammed Iqbal Sami and Khwaja Moinuddin.
The DCB team had on March 23 arrested Maulana Abdul Qavi of Hyderabad on charges of taking part in anti-national activities and having links with Pakistan-based terrorist outfits.
Godavari Drinking Water Project faces 'heritage' hurdle
HYDERABAD: A natural rock formation has come in the way of excavation for the country's largest master balancing reservoir (MBR) at Ghanpur village in Shamirpet mandal of Ranga Reddy district. The reservoir is a major component of the Godavari drinking water supply project, officially called Maulana Abul Kalam Hyderabad Srujala Sravanthi scheme, expected to cater to the drinking water needs of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
The excavation, which should originally have begun in February this year, was put to a halt as the rock formation has a heritage tag and cannot be cleared unless prior permission from the appropriate authority is obtained. The matter came to light when Ghanpur villagers and Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple authorities objected to the work and said that the temple located on a hilltop is surrounded by a rock formation that has been declared a heritage area.
"To break or remove the rocks, we need approval from the HMDA's Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC). Therefore, we have sent an official communique to HMDA seeking approval to break or remove the rocks in Ghanpur village," Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMS&SB) managing director, J Syamala Rao told TOI.
Responding to the communique, HMDA authorities have said that the tenure of the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) ended in April 2013 and such a clearance can be given only by the new committee when constituted. The committee is likely to be set up only after a new popular government takes over in Telangana.
It was in November 2013 that the union ministry of environment and forests allotted 50 acres of forest land in Ghanpur village to the Hyderabad water board for construction of an MBR with a capacity of 150 million gallons per day (MGD).
The Ghanpur MBR is an important service reservoir for the entire Godavari drinking water project. Once completed, drinking water will be brought to Ghanpur reservoir from Kodandapur through intermediate pumping stations at Bommakal, Mallaram and Kondapaka.
From Ghanpur MBR, water will be supplied through two ring mains to surrounding GHMC circles, including Qutubullapur, Malkajgiri, Kapra, Alwal, Kukatpally and Secunderabad Cantonment, said a senior HMWS&SB projects official.
The Godavari drinking water project aims to supply 172 MGD (10 TMC) of Godavari water to the city. As per the original schedule, the drinking water project should have been completed by May 2014 but officials said it is not likely to be ready till March 2015.
The excavation, which should originally have begun in February this year, was put to a halt as the rock formation has a heritage tag and cannot be cleared unless prior permission from the appropriate authority is obtained. The matter came to light when Ghanpur villagers and Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple authorities objected to the work and said that the temple located on a hilltop is surrounded by a rock formation that has been declared a heritage area.
"To break or remove the rocks, we need approval from the HMDA's Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC). Therefore, we have sent an official communique to HMDA seeking approval to break or remove the rocks in Ghanpur village," Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMS&SB) managing director, J Syamala Rao told TOI.
Responding to the communique, HMDA authorities have said that the tenure of the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) ended in April 2013 and such a clearance can be given only by the new committee when constituted. The committee is likely to be set up only after a new popular government takes over in Telangana.
It was in November 2013 that the union ministry of environment and forests allotted 50 acres of forest land in Ghanpur village to the Hyderabad water board for construction of an MBR with a capacity of 150 million gallons per day (MGD).
The Ghanpur MBR is an important service reservoir for the entire Godavari drinking water project. Once completed, drinking water will be brought to Ghanpur reservoir from Kodandapur through intermediate pumping stations at Bommakal, Mallaram and Kondapaka.
From Ghanpur MBR, water will be supplied through two ring mains to surrounding GHMC circles, including Qutubullapur, Malkajgiri, Kapra, Alwal, Kukatpally and Secunderabad Cantonment, said a senior HMWS&SB projects official.
The Godavari drinking water project aims to supply 172 MGD (10 TMC) of Godavari water to the city. As per the original schedule, the drinking water project should have been completed by May 2014 but officials said it is not likely to be ready till March 2015.
Telangana to have 163 IAS, 112 IPS posts
A central-government appointed committee has recommended 163 posts of IAS, 112 of IPS and 65 of Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officers for newly-formed Telangana state.
The composition of three all India services was recommended by a six-member committee headed by former Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Pratyush Sinha in its preliminary report to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Of these posts, 114 posts of IAS officers, 78 of IPS and 46 of IFoS are kept in direct recruitment category, the report said.
At present, there are 284 IAS officers, 209 IPS and 136 IFoS officers working in Andhra Pradesh, according to central government data.
“The bifurcation of cadre strength will be in the ratio of 13:10 for residual Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which is the ratio of number of districts in the newly-formed state,” the report said seeking comments or suggestion from stakeholders by Sunday.
Of the total posts earmarked for 163 IAS officers in Telangana, one each will be for Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary, 10 for Principal Secretaries and 27 for Secretaries among others.
Among the 112 IPS posts, one is for Director General of Police (DGP), five Additional Directors General (ADG), 13 Inspectors General (IG) and 11 Deputy Inspectors General (DIG) among others.
For 65 IFoS posts, two will be for Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), three for Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and five for Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) among others, it said.
The Committee has recommended 211 posts for IAS, 144 for IPS and 82 for IFoS officers for residual Andhra Pradesh.
The committee was formed by the DoPT to make recommendations regarding determination of the cadre strength of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and IFoS of the two successor states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
It will finalise its reports after analysing comments or suggestions received from concerned persons or any stake-holder.
Telangana, the country’s 29th state, will be born on June 2 and start functioning from that day.
The central government has already issued a gazette notification on the formation of Telangana. Parliament gave its approval on February 20 for the creation of Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
The DoPT has also formed a six-member advisory committee, under the chairmanship of former IAS officer C.R. Kamalanathan, to decide on allocation of employees (excluding all India services) from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana.
Telangana, Andhra governments to start work from May 26
HYDERABAD: Though Andhra Pradesh will be formally divided on June 2, the Appointed Day for Telangana, the division of governance is scheduled a week before. Governor ESL Narasimhan has decided that the Telangana and residuary AP governments will start functioning from May 26 so that the transformation on June 2 becomes a smooth affair.
The governor has instructed senior officers to depute junior-level staff to start working from May 26. From that day, grievances of Telangana people will be recorded in Telangana offices and money remitted in the region will be credited into its account.
To facilitate this, finance secretary L Premchandra Reddy will open an account for Telangana with the Reserve Bank of India on May 17. The governor has also directed the finance department to credit salary for one day, June 1, in the accounts of employees by May 24 along with the salary for the month of May. Barring June 1, the salary for June will be paid at the end of the month by the respective state government. The pensioners too, will get their pension for May and June 1 on May 24.
The two governments will start functioning a week early to ensure that all agreements entered into by the united AP are converted into two separate agreements and also transfer the software used for e-tenders, Mee-Seva, e-payments, treasury-bill movement and pay and accounts systems. "These systems are the life line of the government. We have made trials for the smooth transfer and the division of all these systems will take place on May 26," said a senior official.
For division of government employees, the draft guidelines will be issued in the next two days and the staff asked to present their objections within a week. The Kamalanathan committee will make provisional allotment of employees by May 26 and they will take over the reins of governance immediately in their respective departments.
As per the final recommendations of the division committees, it was decided to continue 22 government corporations in both states. Accordingly, the first corporation for Telangana, the Telangana Tourism Development Corporation, came into existence on Friday.
Similarly, the finance, industries and infrastructure, irrigation development, handloom, textile, leather and tribal corporations will come into existence next week. Cultural, literary and educational institutions for the two states have also been identified and orders to rename them for Telangana will be issued in a couple of days. The governor has also instructed the heads of departments to be in touch with leaders of political parties who are likely to form the government in both the states after the results are declared on May 16.
According to sources, Narasimhan is not amenable to the TRS plea to advance the Appointed Day from June 2 to May 16. The Union home ministry has already rejected the TRS request on the grounds that the bifurcation process has not been completed and also that advancing the appointed day would heighten confusion.
Tying up the loose ends:
* Senior officers asked to depute junior-level staff for work from May 26.
* Finance secretary to open an account for Telangana with the RBI on May 17.
* Salary for May and June 1 to be credited for govt employees on May 24.
* Software used for e-tenders, Mee-Seva, e-payments, treasury-bill movement and pay and accounts systems to be transferred by May 26.
* Kamalanathan committee to make provisional allotment of employees by same date.
* Orders for renaming of cultural, literary and educational institutions in Telangana in a couple of days.
The governor has instructed senior officers to depute junior-level staff to start working from May 26. From that day, grievances of Telangana people will be recorded in Telangana offices and money remitted in the region will be credited into its account.
To facilitate this, finance secretary L Premchandra Reddy will open an account for Telangana with the Reserve Bank of India on May 17. The governor has also directed the finance department to credit salary for one day, June 1, in the accounts of employees by May 24 along with the salary for the month of May. Barring June 1, the salary for June will be paid at the end of the month by the respective state government. The pensioners too, will get their pension for May and June 1 on May 24.
The two governments will start functioning a week early to ensure that all agreements entered into by the united AP are converted into two separate agreements and also transfer the software used for e-tenders, Mee-Seva, e-payments, treasury-bill movement and pay and accounts systems. "These systems are the life line of the government. We have made trials for the smooth transfer and the division of all these systems will take place on May 26," said a senior official.
For division of government employees, the draft guidelines will be issued in the next two days and the staff asked to present their objections within a week. The Kamalanathan committee will make provisional allotment of employees by May 26 and they will take over the reins of governance immediately in their respective departments.
As per the final recommendations of the division committees, it was decided to continue 22 government corporations in both states. Accordingly, the first corporation for Telangana, the Telangana Tourism Development Corporation, came into existence on Friday.
Similarly, the finance, industries and infrastructure, irrigation development, handloom, textile, leather and tribal corporations will come into existence next week. Cultural, literary and educational institutions for the two states have also been identified and orders to rename them for Telangana will be issued in a couple of days. The governor has also instructed the heads of departments to be in touch with leaders of political parties who are likely to form the government in both the states after the results are declared on May 16.
According to sources, Narasimhan is not amenable to the TRS plea to advance the Appointed Day from June 2 to May 16. The Union home ministry has already rejected the TRS request on the grounds that the bifurcation process has not been completed and also that advancing the appointed day would heighten confusion.
Tying up the loose ends:
* Senior officers asked to depute junior-level staff for work from May 26.
* Finance secretary to open an account for Telangana with the RBI on May 17.
* Salary for May and June 1 to be credited for govt employees on May 24.
* Software used for e-tenders, Mee-Seva, e-payments, treasury-bill movement and pay and accounts systems to be transferred by May 26.
* Kamalanathan committee to make provisional allotment of employees by same date.
* Orders for renaming of cultural, literary and educational institutions in Telangana in a couple of days.
More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Telangana-Andhra-governments-to-start-work-from-May-26/articleshow/34894412.cms
Demand for office space in Hyderabad to remain subdued in short-term: CBRE
The IT and extended IT corridor are likely to remain the most active micro-markets for commercial leasing activity in the city
HYDERABAD, MAY 2:
The demand for office space is projected to be subdued in the metropolitan area of Hyderabad but relatively buoyant in the IT hubs and corridors, according to real estate consultancy CBRE.
Anshuman Magazine, Chairman and Managing Director of CBRE South Asia, in his analysis states that the demand for office space in Hyderabad is likely to remain subdued in the short-term as corporate occupiers are expected to maintain a cautious outlook amid an uncertain economic and political environment.
Commercial leasing
The IT and extended IT corridor are likely to remain the most active micro-markets for commercial leasing activity in the city. From a supply perspective, around 2.8 million sq. ft. of IT/IT SEZ supply is likely to reach completion in these micro-markets by the first half of 2014.
This significant supply pipeline, coupled with subdued demand levels, is likely to push up vacancy rates, keeping rental values range-bound in the short to medium term.
During 2013, the commercial office market of Hyderabad witnessed leasing activity of 3 million sq. ft., primarily driven by corporate occupiers from the IT/ITeS sector.
The western micro-markets of the IT corridor (Madhapur, Kondapur, HITEC City and Gachibowli) and the extended IT corridor (Raidurg, Manikonda, and Nanakramguda) remained the most active commercial hubs.
IT corridor
The IT corridor continued to attract greater interest from corporate clients in the first quarter of 2014, with significant under-construction developments being pre-committed for space take-up by corporate clients at Madhapur and Kondapur.
While rentals remained stable in the commercial and IT office space segments of this micro-market, it appreciated marginally by 2-3 per cent for select IT SEZs on a quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) basis. Rentals in the micro-market remained stable.
In the first quarter of 2014, the central business district of Begumpet, Punjagutta, Somajiguda and parts of Banjara Hills saw sluggish office space transactions.
Rental values and vacancy rates remained stable because of limited demand and the absence of any fresh space addition.
Peripheral areas of Shamshabad, Uppal and Pocharam saw sluggish leasing activity during Q1 2014.
IT firms fail to log out
Prominent IT and ITES firms like Infosys, Karvy Consultants figure among the seven private institutions booked by the Labour Department for not declaring a holiday on the polling day and making their employees work on Wednesday.
Despite the Election Commission’s call to declare holiday on the polling day and after the Labour Department too had issued warnings, some of the information technology companies and educational institutions were found to be working surreptitiously. Some even made an effort to deceive the authorities by putting up closure boards outside but made the staff work inside, Labour Department officials said.
The officials led by Deputy Commissioner of Labour (Ranga Reddy), S. Naresh Kumar, took up inspections of various firms located at Madhapur, Kondapur and Gachibowli from early in the morning and booked cases against as many as eight of the 17 firms visited for running offices against the EC directions.
Other firms in the dock included Timec Software at Cyber Pearl, HCL on the same campus in Madhapur, Module Solutions Ltd., Narayana Techno Schools, Andaraki Ayurdevam at Ayyappa Society and a few others.
“The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bhanwarlal, and Labour Commissioner Ashok specifically instructed us to check out offices in the Cyberabad area for violations considering last year’s experience,” informed Mr. Kumar.
Cases are to be booked against these firms under section 21 (2) of the A.P. Shops and Establishments Act, he added.
More News At : http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/it-firms-fail-to-log-out/article5963556.ece
Veterans engaged in tough battle in Sanathnagar
From Sanathnagar Assembly constituency, Marri Shashidhar Reddy of Congress is looking for a fifth victory of his political career and a straight hat-trick while keen on breaking the track in coming polls is Telugu Desam Party’s Talasani Srinivas Yadav.
A total of 22 candidates are in the fray from Sanathnagar in which the two senior politicians appear to be engaged in a keenly poised electoral battle. Apart from Mr. Reddy and Mr. Yadav, the other contestants include D. Vittal of TRS, Ambika Krishna of Aam Admi Party and Hymavathi Sagi of Lok Satta Party. Updated electorate of the constituency as on April 10 stand at 2,35,920 comprising 1,26,584 male and 1,09,313 female electors.
Mr. Shashidhar Reddy who holds the office of Vice-Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) first won from Sanathnagar in 1992 and followed up the victory in the elections in 1994, 2004 and 2009. In the elections held in 1999, he lost to TDP’s S. Rajeshwar. In fact, this happens to be the constituency which a quarter century back elected a Chief Minister of the State, M.Chenna Reddy, father of Mr. Shashidhar Reddy, in the year 1989. For Mr. T. Srinivas Yadav, who heads the TDP city unit, it will be the first attempt at capturing Sanathnagar Assembly constituency which is spread over residential, commercial and industrial clusters. Apart from the core Sanathnagar, it has areas such as Punjagutta, Balkampet, Padmaraonagar, Nallagutta, Ramgopalpet, Rangrez Bazar and Bansilalpet.
Mr.Yadav who won earlier elections from Secunderabad three times and was Tourism Minister in TDP government has shifted to Sanathnagar in this election and says his campaign has picked up as many of the basic amenities were left unattended to by his opponent. “The support is spontaneous and the voters are vexed with little or no development in decades,” he says. Apart from issues such as inflation, power and drinking water supplies which are common for all constituencies, Sanathangar has problem of bad roads, open sewer lines which spread health concerns among the locals, he says. Mr. Reddy, however, describes development as a continuous process and one cannot stop after solving some issues. The constituency has seen a lot of progress and orderly growth in the last decade, Mr. Reddy says adding that his works helped him build certain credibility that will be hard to breach by his opponent. At the same time, the TDP candidate blames his opponent of spending most of his time in New Delhi and not being available in the constituency. “He is not there when people have an issue and looks for his support,” Mr. Yadav avers.
Mr. Shashidhar Reddy rebuts this and quips, “I am not in Delhi to witness cockfights or on some personal business. I am with NDMA and have a national responsibility for which people of Sanathnagar are proud of”.
Also, he says a well oiled mechanism has been put in place in the constituency to take care of people’s issues. “Every issue or grievance is put into computer, followed up and solved. I am available on phone and many send an SMS and I respond with solutions,” Mr. Reddy states.
More Details: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/veterans-engaged-in-tough-battle-in-sanathnagar/article5944623.ece
Congress counts on Owaisi's party, CPI to form Telangana government
Congress would form the government in the new Telangana state along with Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and CPI if it it fails to get a majority on its own, Telangana Congress president Ponnala Lakshmaiah said today.
"Congress will form the government. No question and no doubt," Lakshmaiah told PTI here, seeking to dispel projections which suggest a hung Assembly with both Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), who are the main contenders, failing to muster the required numbers to form a government on their own.
Replying to a question about what the Congress would do if it fell short of numbers, he said, "We have an understanding with MIM and we have an alliance partner in the CPI. The Congress can form the government on its own. Besides, we always have friendly parties (MIM and CPI) in case we fall short of numbers)".
The TRS fought all 119 assembly constituencies in Telangana on its own in the April 30 polls. The MIM won seven seats in Telangana during the last elections, while the CPI won four seats.
MIM leaders said that while their party would retain those seats, they are confident of bagging three more seats.
Lakshmaiah said that the TDP and the YSR Congress would never support the TRS led by K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).
The TDP and YSR Congress, which are the main contenders for power in Seemandhra region due for polls on May 7, are not a big force to reckon with in Telangana, he said.
He expected the BJP, which has an alliance with the TDP, to stay neutral.
"Where is the question of KCR forming the government? Without them (TRS), we can get all the people (MIM and CPI) together," he said.
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