Though the city
police have started cracking the whip on clubs after the suicide of a gambler
at the Country Club, managements of these flourishing businesses say they have
been running their activities for years, right under the nose of police. Sources
say police get their due amount to allow the clubs to run their activities. The
managements of these recreation spots, spas and clubs reportedly offer 'mamool'
to police for organising activities like gambling and card games inside their
premises. They offer around `15,000 to each police station per month for
running the show, sources said. What's more, they also provide valuable 'gifts'
on every festivals and invite the policemen's family to various events
organised by the clubs, sometimes free of cost. An inspector of a city police
station, disclosed on the condition of anonymity that managements of various
spas, recreation spots and clubs offer attractive sums to the entire staff on a
monthly basis. "Its a open secret. They offer between `15,000 to `20,000
per month to the police station under which the club comes. Club managements
also send gifts during the festival season and provide passes of various club
events, sometimes with free entry," the inspector said. This might have
caused grounds for disinclination to move against clubs that entertain members
through activities such as gambling and card games. Some club managements
alleged they do offer 'gifts' to politicians as well, from the local corporator
to ministers. When the issue was raised before the North Zone deputy
commissioner of police Ch Srikanth, he said they would take action against any
policemen if they get any information. Meanwhile, in wake professional gambler
K M Srinivasa Rao's suicide, police are all set to crack the whip on recreation
spots and clubs that provide gambling and rummy games to members. The Task
Force police have also constituted special teams to identify the illegal clubs.
"We are preparing a comprehensive list of illegal clubs, spas and
recreation spots. Following the incident at Country Club, we are asking all
clubs and amusement spots to stop such activities," said K Raghuram Reddy,
additional deputy commissioner of police (Task Force). The Central Zone police
have set up a special Vices Control Unit (VCU) which would continuously monitor
activities in various clubs in its jurisdiction. Decoys would be sent to check
up on the clubs and police will raid and register cases under relevant
provisions of law. It will be headed by inspector Majid Ali Khan, who can be
contacted on 9490616187 and 040-27852759 for any information regarding
illegal activities or gambling in clubs. There are seven clubs- Nizam Club,
Fateh Maidan Club, Hyderabad Boat Club, Lady Hyderi Club, Hyderabad Club,
Intimate Friends Club and Greater Family Club in the Central Zone. While the
Lady Hyderi is meant only for women, Intimate Friends' club is for senior
citizens.
Game of chance?
The 'three-card' game, which goes
under names such as flush and brag is a game of pure chance. Rummy on the other
hand, requires a certain amount of skill because fall of the card has to be
memorised and holding and discarding cards. The chance factor in Rummy is of
the same character as chance in a deal at Bridge. In fact, in all games in
which cards are shuffled and dealt out, there is an element of chance because
distribution of cards is not according to any set pattern but dependent on how
cards find their place in the shuffled pack
Legal
consent for card games:
There are about 60 clubs
registered under the AP Public (Telangana area) Societies Registration Act in
the city. The High Court in a 2002 judgment clearly stated registered clubs
need not take police permission to run as they were only meant for recreational
activities and entertained only registered members and their guests. While the
court directed police into clubs for verification on September 5, 2002, it felt
the card room where members and guests play games like rummy (13-card game)
with stakes would not attract provisions of the Act and managements should
maintain proper details of its members such as name, address and contact
numbers.
It was a double tragedy for the Rao household in RasoolpuraAfter
hearing news of her son Srinivas Rao’s death, his mother Annapurna (65)
attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills at her residence in
Ananthanagar Colony.Srinivas Rao, who reportedly lost Rs 3 lakh
in three days on gambling, had jumped to death from the third floor of
the Country Club building at Begumpet on Tuesday.“After
receiving information from Srinivas’s friends and relatives about his
suicide, his mother also attempted suicide by consuming more than 25
sleeping pills.She is now undergoing treatment and could not
attend her son’s final rites held on Wednesday,” said Yadgiri, a
resident of Vanasthalipuram and close associate of Srinivas Rao since
1996.KM Srinivas Rao was manager at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology, who also invested in real estate.However, his addiction to gambling, which he did not stop even after several warnings from his mother, led to his undoing.After finishing his breakfast on Tuesday, Rao went to the Country Club and played cards till evening.He had his lunch there and a little after 5 p.m jumped to death from the third floor of the Country Club Kool building.Yadgiri said around 8.30 a.m on Tuesday, he received a call from Srinivas asking him to come to the Country Club to have lunch.“He called me twice and asked me to meet at the Country ClubA
few minutes later, a friend called me and said Srinivas Rao had
committed suicide,’’ he said adding that Srinivas’s father, K Mutyala
Rao, had died one-and-half-year back.A number of relatives and friends arrived at the Rao residence on Wednesday to console family members.A few persons, who lent money to Srinivas had also made a bee-line in front of the house.“What can I do now? I lent some money to Srinivas and he is no moreI wanted to talk to his mother but she is also now in hospital.I don’t know whether I will get back my money or not,” said Giri PrasadMeanwhile, Punjagutta police have registered a cheating case on the Country Club managementStephen
Ravindra, deputy commissioner of police (West Zone) said, “We
registered a case as the management had violated High Court directions
of maintaining proper details of people taking part in Rummy games
organised by the club,” said Ravindra.Police have arrested four persons including the club’s general manager Venugopal.
Additional commissioner of police
(traffic) CV Anand was busy replying to queries posted by users on the
Hyderabad Traffic Police page on Facebook. “We are receiving a number of
complaints on traffic snarls and other issues through our Facebook page. As
soon as post appeared on the wall, we try to give suitable replies to
comments,” said Anand while typing an answer to a post. Around 7,200 visitors
have already registered on the traffic police page and are regularly posting
their views and complaints on traffic issues, added Anand. “Users can post
their problems, upload photographs of traffic violation and give suggestions to
improve traffic in the city. With the Facebook page receiving good response
from citizens, we have already instructed all traffic officials to check the
page and reply to queries. We have issued login IDs and passwords to all
traffic officials so that they can reply and also take measures to prevent
traffic snarls in respective localities,’’ he said.Anand also spends sometime each day on the
HTP page replying to various posts. For instance: Vandhit Reddy, a visitor
posted- “Why don’t you fix timers at every traffic signal? Absence of timers is
resulting in signal jumping and accidents. Please look after this as we find
timers at only some traffic signals like Banjara Hills and Mehdipatnam.” Anand
replied the query with— “Timers are going to be an integral part of the new,
centrally monitored, automated traffic signaling system called H-TRIMS for
which the government has given consent and the tender process is going on. We
have been struggling to maintain our 20-year-old, outdated, rickety signaling
system.” The traffic police chief said they are also planning to hire more people
to work on replying to queries. “Our staff and me regularly are monitoring the
situation for providing better service to the public. “The HTP helps me a lot
in learning about suggestions, problems and other issues relating to traffic.
Citizens keep posting queries about e-challan, traffic signals, government
vehicles’ violation of traffic rules and other issues,” he added. Anand said
the Facebook page will also keep people informed about various traffic
initiatives on enforcement, education and engineering and utilise Telugu to
communicate with the public.
“Had the security guard posted at
the WesleyCollege
grounds allowed us into the playground, Manoj would have been alive. It was the
biggest nightmare in my life,” said K Kiran, who was with Manoj Kumar, victim
of a hit-and-run accident on Sunday. G Manoj Kumar (12), a resident of
Krishnanagar of Rasoolpura basti died in a accident while trying to cross the
road from the WesleyCollege
grounds. “As it was a Sunday, Manoj and me went to the Parade grounds to play
cricket, but police did not allow us in. Later, we went to the WesleyCollege grounds but the security
guard posted at the main gate refused entry. While we were trying to cross the
Sarojini Devi road, suddenly a speeding Pulsar carrying three people hit Manoj
and ran away,” said Kiran, describing the terrible accident. Displaying Manoj’s
photographs, his father G Narayana said his son wanted to become a police
officer and he took active part in games and sports. “Even though we are poor, we
encouraged him to play cricket and other games. However, his interest in
playing cricket led to him losing his life,” said a teary Narayana. Narayana, a
contract driver at the Miyapur depot, is on medical leave for three months as
he is suffering from chronic diabetes. “My son took his last breath sleeping on
my lap in the auto. He cried hugging me when were going to the hospital. He
suddenly stopped talking as we reached the Secunderabad station road. I thought
my son would recover well but he didn’t,” said an inconsolable mother Sattemma.
Meanwhile, students and teachers of KasturbaHigh School, where Manoj studied,
visited his house to console Manoj’s parents. “We were shocked to hear Manoj
had died in an accident. He was my best friend Mirhaj. “He was silent and
sensitive. He secured good marks in all subjects. He also actively participated
in extra-curricular activities,” said S Lalitha, Manoj’s
class teacher.
The Hyderabad Metro Rail project
is still to overcome its starting problems. It is facing a gargantuan problem
of land acquisition. Though the state government has constituted a special
committee to negotiate with property owners and authorized it to offer
attractive package, progress has been very slow. The main opposition to land
acquisition is coming from traders who hold leases on properties in Sultan
Bazar and Badi Chowdi which fall along the alignment of the Corridor II of the
project, running from Jubilee Bus Station to Falaknuma. To speed up land
acquisition, the government set up a committee comprising the Greater Hyderabad
Municipal Corporation (GHMC) additional commissioner (development planning) K
Dhananjaya Reddy, deputy collector for land acquisition, the executive engineer
of the respective corridor and the Hyderabad Metro Rail general manager for
land management. “There are no issues or objections from owners of property
located in Sultan Bazar and Badi Chowdi,” said an official who is handling the
issue. “Only those who hold properties under lease are making objections.” The
land acquisition panel is holding talks with these lease holders but there has
been no breakthrough yet. So far, the panel has issued the consent award for
some 350-400 properties. Notice of acquisition has been issued for 300
properties. For the remainder of properties to be acquired, GHMC is in the
process of publishing draft notification. This process would be completed in
three to four weeks. Hyderabad Metro Rail officials say land acquisition was
never going to be an easy process as land owners demand compensation much
higher than the best package on offer. The process is likely to take at least
about five to six months more. Of the 269 acres required for the HMR project,
65 acres are government land. Of the 204 acres of private land to be acquired,
104 acres in Miyapur are subject of litigation over ownership. The committee
has offered to deposit money in the court till such time as the ownership
rights are established. The state government has authorized the committee to
offer a liberal package to land owners affected by the project. The committee
is offering `45,000 per sq m for those who are going to lose more than 50 per
cent of their land. A relief and rehab (R&R) package has been formulated
comprising alternative complexes at Putli Bowli for the traders of Sultan
Bazaar and Badi Chowdi.
At the dead of the night, a few
youngsters are taking to the roads for thrill rides. Bike racing gangs are
allegedly taking advantage of traffic-free roads and lack of police vigil to
conduct illegal races. But now police are set to crack the whip on bike racing
gangs by installing closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in select places.
The racing games take place more on the weekends when the streets wear a
deserted look. Zipping on the roads at break-neck speeds, these youth are
ruling the roads in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Tank
Bund, Necklace road and some roads in Secunderabad. According to police, seven
youngsters have lost their lives in such racing in the past year. Police are
also suspecting that two youngsters who died on the spot in Begumpet recently,
were indulging in bike racing. “To prevent such illegal bike races and other
offences that takes place regular basis, we have asked for a few CCTV cameras
to be installed in posh localities like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Filmnagar
and other places. We will use the cameras also to track criminal activity at
night, traffic and other issues,” said R Ravinder Reddy, assistant commissioner
of police, West Zone. According to sources, police have identified at least
10-20 street racing groups whose activity is spread on roads of
Begumpet-Secunderabad, Banjara Hills-Madhapur, Banjara Hills-Gachibowli and on
Necklace road. These members of the racing groups take all precautions to avoid
being caught. “One team surveys the route before racing starts and warns about
any police check posts on the route. The betting ranges from Rs10,000 to Rs
30,000, with races held over 5 km, 10 km and 12 km distances,” sources said.
Chiranjeevi’s son-in-law Sirish Bharadwaj reportedly confessed he used to harass his wife Srija for additional dowry. A
team of Central Crime Station officials led by inspector Jyothi Lakshmi
questioned Sirish during his two-day police custody, raising different
queries based on the complaint lodged by Srija. Some of the questions
asked were- “’Why did you harass Srija physically and mentally?’ and
‘Did you demand her to bring additional dowry from her parents?’” A
senior police officer told Express that Sirish had reportedly confessed
he harassed his wife mentally and physically. During the
interrogation, police also extracted information about jewellery and
other properties of his wife. “He confessed he demanded dowry from her.
He also said he had slapped his wife twice before she lodged a
complaint. He kept harassing his wife for dowry but she was reluctant
to his demands,” the police officer said. It is reported that
Sirish allegedly took a diamond necklace and gold from Srija worth Rs
50 lakh soon after their marriage. “Srija left her home along with some
valuables before their marriage. Sirish reportedly spent all the money
for his lavish lifestyle. During interrogation, we also found that
Sirish mother’s Suryamangala had encouraged her son to ask Srija’s
family for additional dowry,” CCS officials said. “We questioned him
based on allegations raised by his wife Srijat. We also gathered
information regarding his involvement in a kidnap case in 2003 and
prepare a comprehensive report,” said J Satyanarayana, deputy
commissioner of police (Crime). Meanwhile, police presented
Sirish before the family court after their 48-hour custody. Later, he
was shifted to the Chanchalguda jail for remand.
Chiranjeevi’s son-in-law Sirish Bharadwaj reportedly confessed he used to harass his wife Srija for additional dowry.
A
team of Central Crime Station officials led by inspector Jyothi Lakshmi
questioned Sirish during his two-day police custody, raising different
queries based on the complaint lodged by Srija. Some of the questions
asked were- “’Why did you harass Srija physically and mentally?’ and
‘Did you demand her to bring additional dowry from her parents?’” A
senior police officer told Express that Sirish had reportedly confessed
he harassed his wife mentally and physically.
During the
interrogation, police also extracted information about jewellery and
other properties of his wife. “He confessed he demanded dowry from her.
He also said he had slapped his wife twice before she lodged a
complaint. He kept harassing his wife for dowry but she was reluctant
to his demands,” the police officer said.
It is reported that
Sirish allegedly took a diamond necklace and gold from Srija worth Rs
50 lakh soon after their marriage. “Srija left her home along with some
valuables before their marriage. Sirish reportedly spent all the money
for his lavish lifestyle. During interrogation, we also found that
Sirish mother’s Suryamangala had encouraged her son to ask Srija’s
family for additional dowry,” CCS officials said. “We questioned him
based on allegations raised by his wife Srijat. We also gathered
information regarding his involvement in a kidnap case in 2003 and
prepare a comprehensive report,” said J Satyanarayana, deputy
commissioner of police (Crime).
Meanwhile, police presented
Sirish before the family court after their 48-hour custody. Later, he
was shifted to the Chanchalguda jail for remand.
