20 % of licensed gun owners yet to deposit arms

At least 20 per cent of licensed gunholders in Hyderabad commissionerate limits have not deposited their weapons with the police though they have been asked to do so in view of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections on November 23. Meanwhile, 700 history-sheeters were bound over (surrendering and reporting at a police station) out of the existing 1,000. Most of the history-sheeters are from the South Zone (Old City) in Hyderabad, according to police reports. At least 5,000 people have licensed guns under the Hyderabad Commissionerate limits. There are 1,000 history-sheeters in this zone. In the Cyberabad commissionerate on the other hand, there are 1,200 well-known citizens who have obtained gun licenses. And there are 300 history-sheeters. To ensure security during the GHMC elections, both Hyderabad and Cyberabad police asked licensed gun-holders to deposit their weapons and history-sheeters have been asked to report at police stations. Hyderabad City Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao told Expresso that as many as 80 per cent of licensed gun holders deposited their guns at police stations while 60 per cent of history-sheeters have reported at police stations. “We sent notices to all gun holders. A few are not in the city right now. At least 20 per cent of the gun holders are yet to deposit their firearms,” he said. A majority of licensed gun-holders in the Hyderabad Commissionerate are from the film fraternity, realtors, businessmen and some are the top brass belonging to the Information Technology sector. “As many as 700 history-sheeters were bound over (reporting at concerned police stations) and police operations to nab rest have begun. The history-sheeters are being counselled everyday to ensure a peaceful atmosphere during the GHMC elections,” Prasada Rao said. In the Cyberabad Commissionerate limits, at least 1,217 gun license holders have submitted their weapons. As many as 250 history- sheeters have reported at the police stations. “As of now, no case has been registered and we have not received even a single complaint from the public on violation of election code and conduct,” said Prasada Rao. A number of ‘shadow teams’ each comprising senior police officials assisted by head-constables have been formed to cover the movements of political leaders. By MOULI MAREEDU

Courting death on railway tracks

Can anyone crossing the railway tracks fail to take notice of an approaching train? While there is no convincing reason as to how it is possible, that a train, so huge in size, is approaching a person and he/she fails to take notice, statistics available with the Government Railway Police show that hundreds of people die every year while crossing railway tracks in the Twin Cities. As many as 237 people have died this year (from January to September) in the three circles — Secunderabad circle, Hyderabad circle and Kachiguda circle. GRP officials told Expresso that, perhaps, people crossing the tracks “feel” that they would be able to make it to the other end, even as a train is hurtling towards them. But then, they do not and end up getting hit by the train. S Rajasekhar Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Railways, told Expresso that the problem is more in thickly populated areas close to the railway tracks.“People, perhaps, feel that they can cross the track but fail to make it. Busy with their hectic schedules, most of them are in a tearing hurry which results in the mishap,” he says adding that it is always advisable to let the train pass and then cross the track but not at unmanned level crossings. Of the 237 deaths this year, 84 people died while crossing the tracks from various places under the Kachiguda circle followed by 83 in Hyderabad circle while in Secunderabad circle, 70 people died. The officials have identified various spots under these circles as ‘death prone’. In the Secunderabad circle, there are three tracks from Secunderabad to Medchal, Aler and Miryalaguda. In the Kachiguda circle, it is from Kachiguda to Mahbubnagar upto Kurnool town and in the Hyderabad circle — the tracks from Hyderabad to Tandoor. “More deaths are registered from Kachiguda and Hyderabad circles. The reason is that the railway tracks of these two circles pass through congested localities,” said Rajasekhar Rao. Falaknuma in the Kachiguda circle and Necklace Road station near Raj Bhavan are identified as the most dangerous death spots. “We have been organising awareness camps to educate people against crossing the tracks. Due to this, the number of deaths has come down when compared to the last two years,” the DSP said. Another official however felt that there could be some psychological problems related to such deaths. “Logically, it is impossible to believe that someone cannot take notice of a train approaching them. But then, it is happening,” he said. BY MOULI MAREEDU

Venerable lodge in for royal flushing

When the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb conquered the Kingdom of Golconda in 1687, the Baradari building housed his administration and his son, Shah Alam’s engagement was held in the aesthetic building. Now, the heritage building, housing the Freemasons Lodge, situated in Goshamahal in Hyderabad is going to be a public urinal. Incidentally, it is the oldest building housing a Freemasons Lodge in the country. The city of Hyderabad famous for its monuments, which were built hundreds of years ago by the nawabs and Nizams, now, are being destroyed by the apathetic officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). A 325-year-old heritage building, the Goshamahal Baradari Masonic building is a case in point. B Nataraj, secretary of the Goshamahal Baradari Masonic Building Committee (GBMBC) told ‘Expresso’ that the historical building Baradari Freemasons Lodge is soon to become a public toilet as the GHMC officials gave permission to a contractor to set up one under Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. “A few months ago, GHMC officials tried to construct a public toilet and failed as the building committee opposed their move. After a long gap, the GHMC officials took up the move to build a public toilet attached to the boundary of the Baradari Masonic building. Our complaints to the officials fell on deaf ears,” he laments. The Goshamahal Baradari means ‘Secluded Palace for ladies’. Gosha is the veil worn by Muslim women and Baradari means a building with 12 doors. The historical building was built by Sultan Abu Hasan, the last Sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty, which ruled the kingdom of Golconda. D Ramachandram, one of the members of the building committee said that the Nizam constructed the present structure in memory of his beloved, Nanni Sanwali, an orphan, who died before they could be married. She requested that, as a memorial, he should build a public bath for ladies. When Nizam Osman Ali Khan was ruling Hyderabad, he donated the building to the Freemasons to set up their Lodge there. The Nizam himself was a Freemason. In 1933, the building was officially given to Freemasons and now it is being maintained by a committee formed by senior citizens. “Now the building is being used by the Freemasons to run the Masonic Study Circle, and the library is housed in one corner. A portion of the ground floor serves as a sewing centre for ladies. Another portion of the ground floor is has the medical centre, where two qualified and experienced doctors provide allopathic and homeopathic medicines free of cost,” said A Sridhar, president of the building committee. “The Baradari building had great significance during the rule of the Nizams. It is unfortunate that the GHMC officials plan to build toilets for the public at the building,” lamented 60- year-old Ahmed Ansari, resident of Goshamahal. mouli@expressbuzz.com By MOULI MAREEDU

Punjagutta is noisiest area in city

It’s official. The constantly busy Punjagutta junction is the noisiest area in the Twin Cities. If the residents of this area are plagued by anxiety or depression, then noise pollution could be one of the contributing factors. After Punjagutta, Abids, Paradise, Charimnar, areas near the Nehru Zoological Park and KBR Park in Jubilee Hills are high on the list of the most noise-polluted areas in Hyderabad. The causes are: steady honking, especially by drivers of heavy vehicles, traffic snarls. But then, there is another common cause that adds to noise pollution, unique and loud ring tones of mobile phones. According to Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) officials, the mentioned areas are polluted due to the movement of a large number of vehicles. Dr K V Ramani, Chief Environmental Scientist, APPCB told Expresso that with an increase in the number of private vehicles in the Twin Cities, the noise pollution also goes up every day. As per noise peak values for the year 2009 (on an average), Punjagutta is the most affected by noise pollution with 86.26 decibels followed by, Paradise 86, Charminar 85.96, Abids at 85.66, Zoo Park 73.30 and KBR Park with 74.73 decibels. They are mentioned as dangerous zones. Ramani says that as per normal standards, 65 decibels in commercial zones and 50-decibel level in sensitive zones are acceptable. “As the APPCB has instructed all industries to set up noise pollution controls, they have been following some rules and there are no complaints from the public,” she said. In sensitive areas (hospitals, courts, police stations, schools and colleges), the decibel level increases every day. “Police are responsible for tackling the problem in sensitive localities. Only when they request us, we go and conduct a research and submit a report to them. Otherwise, we have no right to take action in sensitive areas,” she explains. Ramani says that constant honking, use of generators and loudspeakers are responsible for soaring noise levels in the Twin Cities. The scientist points out that polyphonic ring tones of mobile phones can increase decibel levels. “Lack of awareness and information about the health hazards results in people suffering silently,” she says while pointing out that noise pollution also leads to psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression. “To reduce noise pollution in the Twin Cities, the only solution is that the people should use the public transport system,” Nagi Reddy, Junior Scientific Officer, APPCB said. BY MOULI MAREEDU

Punjagutta is noisiest area in city

Punjagutta is noisiest area in city

Uppal residents have a lot to complain about

Uppal, a suburban locality in the city, is popularly known as the Industrial Development Area (IDA) as it has hundreds of major, medium and small industries. It is referred to as ‘mini-India’ since people from various States including West Bengal, Kolkata and Bihar have settled here. Residents are hoping that the construction of an underground drainage system, which was stopped abruptly, be completed now that polls are on the horizon. Pollution levels in all these colonies is forever increasing as a number of pharmaceutical companies are emitting waste material into the Musi. Komati Ravi, a local politician said that when the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was in power, Rs 30 crore was sanctioned for construction of an underground drainage system. “Because of purely political reasons, the construction of the underground drainage system was halted though 90 per cent of the work has been completed. The open drainage system in Uppal leads to various health problems and communicable diseases which is spreading rapidly,” he said. Recently, two residents of Uppal died of swine flu. Besides wastage from industries, the locality also has a severe drinking water shortage. “Pollution of ground water due to improper construction of three main nalas — Ramanthapur, Nallacheruvu and Nacharam tanks — are causing environmental problems in this constituency. As many as 440 industries function from here and these three water tanks are polluted as several industries are dumping waste material into the tanks,” said M Ashok Reddy, a resident of Bharatnagar. He said that three slum areas, Veerappagadda, Bharatnagar and Chilakanagar, face severe shortage of drinking water. There are seven divisions in Uppal Legislative Constituency, which comes under the GHMC. Going by the public mood, it appears that candidates who are in the fray, will have a tough time convincing people to vote in their favour. Insufficient rations are another cause for complaint. “There are 42 ration shops in the Uppal Legislative constituency but they fail to supply adequate pulses, rice, sugar, dal and cooking oil to 2.5 lakh population,” points out K Vijay Kumar, a resident of Ganesh Nagar. “We want the government to sanction more ration shops to distribute adequate pulses and rice to us,” Vijaya Kumar says. Sixty-year-old K Gangadhara Rao, a resident of Habsiguda says that several roads in his locality have been encroached. “Several shops and houses which have been constructed here have been done so by encroaching roads or occupying open land illegally,” he says. With regard to the existing traffic problem, he says that the road from Nacharam to Chilkanagar was damaged about a year ago. “Motorists have a tough time on this 3 kilometre stretch. Despite several requests to municipal authorities, it was not repaired,” he complains. Another resident of Raghavendranagar, B V Narasimhulu complains about how the presence of several liquor shops in the locality render it unsafe for women. “A few liquor shops run till midnight in violation of rules,” he says. By MOULI MAREEDU

Endless wait for house pattas at LB Nagar

Lal Bahadur Nagar, popularly known as LB Nagar is one of the largest suburbs in Hyderabad which has been merged with the Greater Municipal Hyderabad Corporation. Opposition party candidates in the area are likely to give the Congress a run for its money in the polls candidates as several problems plague the area. One of the major issues is that house pattas have not been distributed. At least 300 families at NTR Colony say that officials have failed to give house pattas to eligible people. Land registrations in some colonies have been pending for close to two decades even as people live in houses approved by local municipal officials. There are eight divisions under LB Nagar Legislative constituency. When Expresso visited LB Nagar, NTR Colony, Hayathnagar and Vaidehi Colony, most locals expressed unhappiness with the fact that they hadn’t been given house pattas despite living in the localities for 20 years. Out of the 466 colonies in the area, only 80 have proper facilities such as drinking water, sanitation and roads while 380 colonies lie in absolute neglect. G Rami Reddy, resident of Vaidehi Colony says that people living in slums feel insecure that they might be uprooted any day. This is because the government has failed to provide house pattas to five colonies such as Videhi Colony, BN Reddy Nagar, NTR Colony, Sagar Complex Colony and Siripuram Colony. “We have approached leaders of all political parties. They promised us before the general elections that they would ensure regular drinking water, sanitation and distribution of house pattas. But none of these promises have been fulfilled,” Rami Reddy says. As candidates from all political parties prepare their election manifestoes, needless to say house pattas form the key promise. Pitta Mahinder, Lok Satta candidate from Vanasthalipuram says that his promises include providing drinking water, sanitation and new roads. “I meet people in the division with my key agenda — distribution of house pattas to eligible house owners in the locality,” he adds. When Expresso met LB Nagar MLA D Sudheer Reddy, he said that hundreds of families had occupied at least 60 acre of land about 20 years ago. The case is pending at the High Court as the land owner had filed a petition demanding eviction of occupants. “If it is stated by the court that the land belongs to the Government, we have the right to distribute it to the people. We cannot do anything as the land belongs to a private individual,” he replied. Apart from this issue, LB Nagar is the epicentre of traffic jams as the LB Nagar ring road connects the National Highway Vijayawada- Hyderabad and Nalgonda and Uppal. “Every day, we have a tough time as on the Ring Road is crammed with hundreds of private travel buses. As LB Nagar is last stop, a large number of private travel buses stay parked in front of the LB Nagar bus stop till they get sufficient number of customers. This leads to traffic snarls. Traffic police ignore the situation,” said Ch Yadagiri, local pan shop owner at LB Nagar. BY MOULI MAREEDU

The forgotten city lies in neglect

The majestic Charminar, Chowmohalla palace and the historic Mecca Masjid — all three monuments speak volumes about the rich and glorious past of the purana shahar in particular and Hyderabad in general. Every year, tourists from across the globe, make it a point to visit Old City to have a view of these famous monuments. But unfortunately, this is just a rosy picture. No drinking water, unhygienic conditions, congested roads, traffic snarls throughout the day are just a few of the civic issues that are plaguing the dingy lanes and by-lanes of Old City. Now, with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections round the corner, residents are clinging on to a few strands of hope expecting things to improve. After delimitation, as many as 50 corporators are contesting in the GHMC polls. Expresso visited various localities in Old City and the reality was quite grim. Zareena Begum, a resident of Yakutpura is busy filling an application form to get old age pension for her mother. “This is the 10th application I am filling for the pension. I applied several times, but every time I visit the officials, they ask me to get a new form. I don’t know when we will get the pension amount,” the 35-year-old says alleging that officials do not even maintain records. While late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s pet scheme — Indiramma Housing, that aims to construct house for the people with the assistance from the State Government, is catching up with the people in other parts of the State, for some reasons, Old City has been exempted from the scheme even though as many as 75,000 people from Old City have applied for it. “About 75,000 people applied for Indiramma housing scheme to construct new houses in the Old City but the officials have not sanctioned a single house so far,” complained Dharma Naik, a resident. Ali Hussain Somali, an auto-rickshaw driver, who makes a few hundred of rupees every day, wants a solution to the traffic congestion. “Several roads are heavily congested because vendors and small business enterprises have set shop here. I expect the Government to initiate measures to make Old City free from traffic snarls,” Somali says. He complains that due to the high traffic density a number of accidents take place regularly. Mohammad Hashmed Ali, a social worker says that the Water Board officials have failed to provide drinking water to many areas in the Old City. “Even when we are supplied water, more often then not it is contaminated,” he says. Ali demands that the candidates who are contesting from Old City, assure that the residents of round-the-clock drinking water supply. A local CPM leader, M Srinivas Reddy, says that the economic hub of Old City, Charminar is facing severe traffic snarls and transportation problems due to narrow roads. “Due to the problem, there is no Setwin bus service here. The much-touted Charminar Pedestrianisation project is still not complete as the widening of the Inner Ring Road is going on. “Traffic congestion is a serious problem and absence of bus shelters at the new road in Shalibanda is a big problem and commuters are forced to stand under the hot sun,” he says. “I don’t trust political leaders. They come only during elections and make hollow promises. They forget the masses once they clinch power, but who will solve our problems,” asks Abid, a mobile shop owner. MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi said thousands of rupees were collected from several people so that houses could be sanctioned to them under the Indiramma Housing Scheme and Rajiv Swagruha, but so far not a single house has been sanctioned. “Late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy also laid foundation stone for the schemes at Bandlaguda in the Old city. Officials collected between Rs 10,000 to 70,000 from the poor people and failed to construct houses. I demanded that the officials at least return the money to the people with interest,” he said. BY MOULI MAREEDU

Hyderabadis say boo to helmet rule

Traffic police have registered hundreds of cases against citizens who are not wearing helmets while surveillance cameras have captured violators at various junctions. It has been found that more than 60 per cent of two-wheeler riders are not wearing helmets. A Ravi Chander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Traffic, Hyderabad told Expresso that helmets are compulsory in the Twin Cities. Even as Traffic police are registering several cases on a daily basis, the nonchalant attitude of the public continues. As per High Court directions, the city traffic police enforced the helmet rule when Tejdeep Kaur Menon was in charge of the department. Initially, the Traffic police went about implementing the rule eagerly, but these days, they concentrate on issuing e-challans. Ravi Chander said that the traffic police are registering 1,500 cases every day against helmet-rule violators. But as expected, even the e-challans are not taken seriously. Only 40 per cent of the people who’ve been served e-challans are paying the fine. At key junctions such as Punjagutta, Ameerpet, Begumpet, Khairatabad and Lakdikapul, most two-wheeler riders do not wear helmets. “When I purchased a new Scooty last year, I used to wear my helmet regularly. But, I do not wear them these days as police too do not object,” said Eswar Prasad, a sales executive at Khairatabad. According to official statistics, between January and September 2009, 2,280 accidents involving two-wheelers occurred. while 2,212 were injured, 353 persons were killed in the Twin Cities. At least 300 accidents occur per day, while on weekends the number increases to 400. Pedestrians were the worst affected in road accidents and 813 of them were injured between January and September 2009. Precisely 634 two-wheeler vehicles were damaged. “We are coming up a with master plan to enforce the helmet rule in the Twin Cities very soon. Before we implement it, we are concentrating on creating awareness among vehicle riders on the importance of wearing a helmet,” said Ravi Chander. B Venkateswarlu, Joint Commissioner of Transport, Hyderabad says that two-wheeler owners are being asked to come for the registration process with their helmets and will be coached to keep them on their heads. By MOULI MAREEDU

Petrol pumps may be robbing you blind

For consumers whose attitude towards filling up fuel at various bunks is ‘Fill it, shut it, forget it’, they better watch out. Meters of petrol dispensers in several parts of the Twin Cities have been tampered with. So if you feel that your bike or car is just not living up to its promised mileage, perhaps a trip to the Legal Metrology Department would stand you in good stead. A recent study by the Controller of Legal Metrology on ‘Ways and Means to prevent fraudulent practises in digital types of dispensing pumps’ revealed that most of the petrol filling station managements are manipulating meters. The Legal Metrology Department booked 400 cases under the standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act 1985 across the State as they involved manipulating consumers upto September during 2009-10. S A Huda, Additional Director General of Police, Controller of Legal Metrology Department told Expresso that the department had booked more than 400 cases in the State as the department received complaints from consumers. “In Hyderabad district, we booked at least 21 cases while 24 cases were registered in Ranga Reddy district up to September. Kakinada town stood first in meter tampering by petrol filling station managements with 51 cases while Nellore is in a safe zone registering only four cases,” Huda says. He said that despite fewer cases in Hyderabad this year, there is information that most petrol pumps in Hyderabad and RR district are dispensing lesser fuel. Huda says that in several instances, even when consumers identify manipulation by the filling staff, they prefer to argue with them rather than complain to the concerned department. In Hyderabad district, there are 264 petrol filing stations while Ranga Reddy district has 292. When Expresso went to a petrol bunk situated at Hyderguda with an empty bottle, the youth there was reluctant. This petrol bunk is near the office of City Police Commissioner. The youth explained that the management of the filling station had ordered him to fill petrol only in vehicles. At the Hindustan Petroleum (HP) filling station, located near Radhika theatre at Kacheguda in the city, the same rule is followed. “Whenever I want to fill petrol in a bottle to store in my autorickshaw, the petrol pump attenders refuse. I don’t know understand why,” said Rasool Ahmed, an auto driver said at Hyderguda. When Expresso approached the manager of the filling station, he replied that they do not intentionally manipulate meters. Sometimes, the fuel quantity may be slightly reduced owing to low-voltage, he explained. Huda said that as digital pumps work on the basis of pulse rate, the delivery can be manipulated by modifying the pulse rate. “A tubelight switch can be used to activate mischievous chips and deactivate the original chips for manipulating the delivery of fuel. In digital pumps, a duplicate mother board can easily be fitted along with original one or in place of original for manipulation of short delivery of fuel. EPROM chip is a very important component and is located on the mother board. As it controls the display and discharge, the short delivery can be manipulated by setting preset-keypad,” he said. A few special teams and flying squads have been deployed to make thorough searches in the Twin Cities, Huda says.He said that the Department had collected Rs 23.73 lakh from defualters under compounding fee in Hyderabad district while Rs 22.11 lakh of fine was collected in Ranga Reddy district.In Hyderabad, Rs 62.01 lakh was collected under stamping fee while Rs 41.92 lakh was fined in Ranga Reddy district. The Legal Metrology department can only impose fines. It is up to the Civil Supplies Department and District Collector to take action against these petrol bunk managements. By MOULI MAREEDU