Police station to run from a community hall!

The newly-sanctioned Meerpet police station in the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate is all set to create a record even before it started functioning. It will be one of its kind to be run from a community hall! Property owners near Meerpet and the surrounding localities are reportedly refusing to give land on lease or rent to the police department for setting up the police station. Left with no other option, the Cyberabad police have decided to operate the police station from a community hall at Meerpet within a week.“The community hall is in a bad shape. It needs a compound wall and the toilets have to be renovated. Other basic facilities like rest rooms for constables will also have to be made available in the hall,” a senior police official said adding that it might take one week for the arrangements to be done.For more than a week, the Cyberabad police officials have made a vain bid to find a 100- square yard office space to set up the police station. It is not the dearth of suitable spaces that has made their task difficult, but the reluctance of owners to give their properties on lease.At one stage, the police made a desperate attempt to find an appropriate site enlisting the help of LB Nagar MLA D Sudheer Reddy and other local politicians but even that yielded no result.“None is willing to lease land for setting up the police station.We approached the owners of a number of properties that are convenient for police functioning and could accommodate the entire staff,’’ LB Nagar zone Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) A Satyanarayana told Expresso.“We are planning to set up the police station in a community hall in Meerpet area,’’ he added indicating that they would operate temporarily from the location. At least 40-45 personnel would be attached to the new station.Admitting the problem, MLA Sudheer Reddy said the police officials had indeed approached him and they are still on a hunt for a suitable site. “Even though a few owners agreed to give their properties on lease initially, they went back later. We will find a permanent place soon,” he said.The State Government sanctioned five new police stations in the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate limits at Kukatpally Housing Board Colony (KPHB), Medipally, Chaitanyapuri, Karmanghat and Shivarampally which would be carved out of the existing Kukatpally, Uppal, Saroornagar, LB Nagar and Rajendranagar police stations respectively.The LB Nagar zone has two divisions comprising as many as 11 police stations covering a population of 14.4 lakh. 

Mouli Mareedu

mouli@expressbuzz.com

Videoshoot your staff, cops tell firms

The Cyberabad Police and the Cyber Crimes wing of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), in a first-of-its kind initiative, have suggested that the managements of all private companies and other business establishments in the limits of the Commissionerate should record a video of the employees in different perspectives along with voice.This is in addition to maintaining a record of all their employees with details like native address, driving licence, pan card data, bona fide email and a passport size photo.In view of the increasing incidence of terror threats and cyber crimes like stealing of data, Cyberabad Police Commissioner S Prabhakar Reddy said it would be better if companies followed appropriate rules and regulations in obtaining complete details from employees.“I am requesting all the private and corporate firms to take video clippings of their respective employees including voice recording along with other personal details,’’ he said.He stressed the need for such an exercise, citing reports that one of the terrorists involved in the 26/11 attacks had joined as an intern in the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai 10 months before the strike. The family of the trainee chef, killed in the carnage, revealed that the deceased had called them before dying.In another recent incident, the Cyberabad police had arrested two youngsters who allegedly made away with Rs 41.97 lakh from the Cash Management Securities (CMS) firm.One of them was the driver while the other was a former driver engaged by the firm.“We will chalk out a plan to enforce the rule in all private companies in the Cyberabad limits,’’ Prabhakar Reddy said.“Definitely, gathering of employees’ details will help the companies in case of any untoward incidents. As data thefts are increasing in the State, we suggest that the private companies take all bona fide details from the employees,’’ said B Sumathi, Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crimes, CID.

Mouli Mareedu

Veil of Maya still mesmerises

Nearly 53 years after its release, it still holds viewers in captivity.The colour version of the Telugu film classic, Mayabazaar, hit the screens today in packed cinemas. And tickets have been booked solid for the next couple of weeks.Those who saw the black and white blockbuster as children or young adults showed up with GenX and for a couple of hours the generation gap was bridged. Teenager or octogenarian, the response was ecstatic.The oldies, however, sounded one note of disappointment -- two songs from the B/W version were missing.For Radhakrishna Murthy, a retired IDPL employee, it was a very emotional experience.“More than 50 years ago, I bunked classes to watch the old Mayabazaar along with my close friends. Now, I’ve come here with my family.” Diehard NTR and Savitri fan, 65-year-old Krishna Murthy, said he had watched the film many times, but had never imagined that one day he could do so in colour and cinemascope format.‘Mayabazaar’ was first released in March 1957 starring NT Rama Rao, A Nageswara Rao, SV Ranga Rao, Gummadi, Savitri, Relangi and others. Now, after five decades, the film has been rendered in colour under the banner of Super Good Films, with the assistance of Goldstone Technologies — first instance of a South Indian film being given such a makeover. B Sravan, a B Tech student said: “I hadn’t seen the B/W version in a cinema. So this experience was rendered all the more special.” Ch Chandrakanth, who works in a BPO company, was trying his best at a counter at Prasad’s IMAX despite the “House-full” sign. “I have managed two tickets and am trying to get two more for my family,” he said.

Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com

T-rouble has tourism industry in doldrums

Wilson Jaffrey flew all the way from Sydney to Hyderabad and was looking forward to visiting Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. Having arrived here last month, he went around the city and wanted to wind up his State tour by paying a visit to the port city and Tirupati.But all his plans went awry with Telangana and Rayalaseema regions witnessing violent protests. But Jaffrey is not alone.There are several foreigners who were forced to stay back in their hotels while some even cancelled their tours and plans to return to their respective countries.“We had planned to visit Visakhapatnam and Tirupati for making a documentary film.Last month, we came to Hyderabad and visited various places in the city. But now, when we were all set to tour Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, the travel agent was reluctant to provide transportation due to the agitations,” Jaffery, who is staying in a star hotel at Begumpet, told ‘Expresso’.According to the AP Tourism Department, atleast 50 per cent tourists and visitors cancelled their tours to Hyderabad and other parts of the State once the agitations began taking a violent turn.“It is indeed a bad time for the tourism industry as domestic and international tourists cancelled their visits in the last minute due to the agitations,” the officials said.They said the exact loss in the tourism industry would be assessed at a later stage, once the agitations die down.“Transportation has been badly affected in various regions. We temporarily closed Punnami resorts in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.The total loss is yet to be calculated,” they informed. On the other hand, a few foreign tourists, who were scheduled to tour various places from Hyderabad were forced to stay back in their hotels.Chaya Arcot, regional coordinator of Holiday Spot, a travel agency in Ameerpet said that ever since agitations started in the Telangana region, there have been no response from travel agencies abroad. “As many as 500 foreigners had booked for hotels, and transportation to various places in the State. At least 350 visitors cancelled their bookings due to the tense situation prevailing in the state,” she informed.She said that Holiday Spot assisted foreigners who came to the city before agitations broke out. “Due to the festive season, every day we received a number of calls for bookings, but presently we are not accepting any as the situation has not returned to normalcy. We just hope the ongoing agitations end soon,” she added. Wilson Jaffrey flew all the way from Sydney to Hyderabad and was looking forward to visiting Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. Having arrived here last month, he went around the city and wanted to wind up his State tour by paying a visit to the port city and Tirupati.

MOULI MAREEDU,

moulimareedu@gmail.com

Could pet have averted burglary?

was a Wednesday which reminded G Lakshmi Narasimhulu of his pet - a dog - that died recently. “If only it had been alive..........,” he trails of appearing shattered a day after robbers gained entry into his house at Banjara Hills and walked away with about one kg gold worth Rs 17 lakh.What pains Narasimhulu, a retired manager from State Bank of India (SBI) is the fact that he purchased the jewellery for his daughter’s marriage which was initially scheduled for September but got postponed for some reasons.Post-retirement and at the age of 62, Narasimhulu feels that had his pet been alive, the theft in his house would never had taken place. “We had decided to keep the jewellery in the bank locker. But even before we could do that, it was stolen,” Narasimhulu told ‘Expresso’. It was around 4 am when Narasimhulu, a resident of Shalivahana Nagar in Banjara Hills, woke up to water his garden, a habit the elderly man was used to for last several years.Around the same time, thieves entered the house from the rear door, went to the bedroom, opened the almirah and took away the expensive jewellery. “I did not hear anything as I was busy watering the plants. As a routine, I go for my morning walk and yoga. But before I could begin yoga, I noticed the almirah open and the jewellery missing,” he said.Narasimhulu was reminded of his pet and said “had my pet been alive, I would not have lost the Rs 17 lakh worth jewellery. Though it was still a puppy, it was very alert,” he said.Interestingly, for some reasons, the culprits, after taking away the box containing the jewellery, splashed water all over the almirah and then left the house. In fact, this is the third incident in a month where several tolas of gold has been stolen.A few days ago, at least Rs 10 lakh worth property was stolen from a  house that was apparently locked at S R Nagar while a similar incident was reported from Banjara Hills where in one kg gold was stolen from the house of film producer A Nageswara Rao.The Banjara Hills sub-inspector of police Ravindra Reddy said that all the three thefts took place between 4 am and 5 am. “Special teams have been formed to nab the culprits,” he said. 

MOULI MAREEDU

mouli@expressbuzz.com

Wives abusing Domestic Violence Act, says group

ARE women misusing the Domestic Violence Act and making lives for husbands miserable?Yes, says Uma Challa, president of ‘All India Forgotten Women’ who says that she gets 10 complaints almost everyday from husbands who complain against their wives.The organisation has taken up a few case studies and found that the wives were lodging false complaints against husbands and in-laws who are ending up behind bars.“On an average, about 10 fake cases are registered in police stations across the State everyday. During our case studies, we saw that women blackmail their in-laws and husbands following a minor argument at home,” Uma Challa told Expresso. The All India Forgotten Women, a non-profit organisation is working to protect the rights of housewives, husbands and mothers-in-law in the State.While demanding that the Government consider amending the DV Act to protect everyone, Uma Challa says that she plans to extend the activities of the organisation to other places including Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati to bring about awareness among the people. “Our motive is to protect the rights of everyone without any gender bias,” she says.She says that the universal declaration of Human Rights states that “men and women” are entitled to equal rights to marriage and its dissolution and all are equal before the law without any gender variation.“The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. But the implementation of DV Act denies protection to men against any form of domestic abuse,” she feels.She further added that the DV Act violates the child’s right to love and affection of both parents. “After a number of case studies, we decided to conduct awareness camps to educate people on the Act. We have set up a counselling centre with senior counsellors to provide advise to women, husband and mother-in-laws. We also conduct weekly meetings with women and their mothers-in-law to discuss various family-related issues,” she says.Uma Challa has now started Andhra Pradesh Mothers-in-law Protection Association and All India Men Welfare Association to protect their rights. 

Mouli Mareedu

mouli@expressbuzz.com

High-profile headache for CM’s neighbours

PEOPLE have to pay a heavy price to reside in the vicinity of a VVIP’s house. The residents of Dharam Karan Road, where Chief Minister K Rosaiah resides, on Monday, had to face the full brunt of a Chief Minister residing in their area.People residing near Chief Minister K Rosaiah’s residence on the Dharam Karan Road, Ameerpet had a tough time on Monday morning as police blocked all roads in the area. They were fearful that the followers of Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal would surround the CM’s house. Commuters had to take alternative routes to head towards the Balkampet-Begumpet stretch as police closed the main road in front of the CM’s residence.After his release by the Cyberabad police, Rajagopal reached Rosaiah’s house around 11 am. By then, hundreds of Congress leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema reached there.Chaos prevailed on the Dharam Karan Road. Even as the CM’s neighbours tried to enter the locality to reach their homes, police objected. “I don’t know why the police did not allow me to go to my house which is situated beside the CM’s residence. I had to take an alternate route to reach my place,” Chandini Lal, a neighbour of CM said.A group of students, who reside in Ashok Towers in the locality, were seen arguing with the police. “We had no other option but to use this road as we reside in the house adjacent to the CM. Today, the police are not permitting us to reach our homes,” rued Sandeepa Reddy, an Intermediate student.About 15 apartments and individual houses are located near the CM’s house and more than 100 families stay in them. It’s a constant struggle for them to reach home, particularly at night, as police block their way almost on a daily basis.“We made a representation to the Chief Minister a few days back about the police preventing us from even walking on the street and blocking the road completely at times,” K Subba Rayudu, a local said.A pan shop owner in the locality, Pavan, says: “Police close my shop forcibly whenever they anticipate trouble.”“Ever since Mr Rosaiah took charge as the Chief Minister, we started facing problems as police block roads for several minutes when the CM’s convoy passes by. Similar is the situation when some dignitaries visit his house,” another resident, Ramesh Yadav said.Police, when contacted by Expresso, said they have to block traffic and sometimes frisk people, even if they are locals, in view of security constraints. “We restrict movement of traffic on the road sometimes as four-wheelers of dignitaries block the road,” an official in the CM’s Security Wing added. 

Mouli Mareedu

mouli@expressbuzz.com

Mobile’ danger lurks at petrol pumps

ew days ago, an employee at a petrol bunk in Balkampet was filling fuel in a vehicle while its owner was chatting on his mobile phone.Suddenly, the digital meter (which shows the quantity of petrol filled and amount) burst into flames. And the machine got stuck.   Taken aback, all those present at the petrol bunk looked at each other, trying to figure out what went wrong. It was later that they realised that the culprit was the customer’s mobile phone!This incident, the news of which spread like wildfire across all petrol bunks in the city, set alarm bells ringing. Most of the petrol filling stations have now made it a point to tell customers not to talk on their mobiles while getting fuel filled, or better still, switch off the phone before entering the petrol bunk.“We no longer allow customers at our petrol bunk to talk on their mobile phones after the recent incident wherein a digital meter was badly affected and a mild explosion took place when a customer was talking over his mobile. It could have been disastrous,” said Ch Krishna, duty manager of Indian Oil filling station located at Balakampet.He said that digital meters get easily affected due to radiation signals coming from mobile phones. “We spent nearly Rs 30,000 for the repair of the meter which got slightly burnt,” he said.Even the Oil Industry Safety Directorate Authority has given instructions that mobile phones should be switched off at petrol filling outlets, CNG and LPG stations.But customers chatting on their phones at petrol bunks is a common sight. Experts say that the radiations signals from phones is a potential ignition source for flammable vapours in the atmosphere.“Please do not talk on the phone sir,” comes a polite warning from an employee at the petrol bunk at Somajiguda before he begins to fill. “Due to the potential risk of fire accidents, we advise cellphone users to switch off their sets when they come to petrol bunks. We have also instructed our staff to make sure the rule is implemented,” M Satyamurthy, manager of the filling station, said.All petrol bunks in the city have now been directed by its association that steps be taken to create awareness among customers about the need to keep cellphones switched off. “We plan to distribute pamphlets in this regard to each customer for at least a month so that they know the hazards. The filling station managements have also been advised to educate their staff and put up boards at the bunks so that the customers follow the rule,”  said Seetaram, owner of Ajita filling station situated at Balanagar junction.

Mouli Mareedu

mouli@expressbuzz.com