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

Bar dancers hold sway as cops look away

As the wooden door opens, the song Babuji zara dheere chalo floats in the smoke-filled bar. A young Nepali welcomes the guests with a warm handshake followed by “How are you sir?” The moment one steps inside this bar located on the first floor of an old building in Secunderabad, the decibel levels shoot up. As the eyes adjust to the darkness, one can see people of all age groups showering money on the girl who smiles continuously as she does her ‘jhatkas’ amid cheers, whistles and clinking of glasses. Is this legal? No, say the police who are all set to crack down on such bars (called ‘bubbling pubs’ by regulars). Expresso visited one such bar, popularly referred to as the ‘Chhamia bar’ in Secunderabad and found that by late night, the girls who were singing began dancing as well. According to police reports, at least five bar and restaurant outlets in the Twin Cities have obtained permission to host orchestras. However, at least a dozen bars in the city have bar dancers as well at various places such as Ameerpet, Kukatpally, RTC X Roads, Abids and Secunderabad. Expresso visited one ‘bubbling pub’ at Secunderabad. The manager there said that as per requests of customers, bar dancers are arranged. At another dance bar, a smiling waiter asks, “What would you like to have sir? Banana, Apple or Orange?” These are not fruit juices to go with the liquor but the code names of the bar dancers, aged between 20 and 27 with whom one can sing and dance, of course after shelling out some money. Explaining the codes, a bouncer says that ‘Banana’ stands for girls clad in jeans and tiny tops who will help you sing and dance with her. ‘Apple’ signifies girls clad in Anarkali sarees, while ‘Orange’ is for the scantily clad girls who escort you while you drink or dance. Police officials say that some bars have been given permission only to allow singers. “Bar dancers were banned a few years ago. But recently, after someone approached the Court, an interim suspension of one particular clause was suspended. But this does not mean that permission has been given to allow girls to dance,” a police official said. Hyderabad Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao said that the department has already cancelled licences of five bars which were violating norms. “We will crack down on all those bars who are violating norms,” he said. Besides Secunderabad, such bars are prevalent at Abids, RTC crossroads, Kukatpally and Ameerpet. Smitha (name changed), one of the girls in the bar at Secunderabad, said that she had come from Mumbai. “I make Rs 10,000-20,000 every day but Hyderabad is not as profitable as Mumbai,” she says. Interestingly, even during weekdays, the bars are crowded. “We have regular customers and they only visit the place to have a drink and enjoy themselves,” a bar employee said. By MOULI MAREEDU

Illegal cyber cafes face police whip

City police are all set to crack the whip on illegal internet centres which are violating norms and regulations of the Hyderabad Police Act. According to police sources, hundereds of Internet cafes have been operating without the authorisation from the Police Department in the Twin Cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. As per Hyderabad police guidelines, every browsing centres has to maintain a log book, CC cameras and contact details of the visitors. Besides, internet cafes offer special tariff for couples. “We offer special tariff to couple as they want to chat and use internet. We provide special cabins to them as per their convenience,’’ said Ahmmad Khan, an internet operator in Old City. Replying to a query, he said that, “if we comply with all the rules and regulations, we will lose our regular customers.’’ Even in Khairatabad, Punjagutta and Ameerpet, Internet centres do not maintain log books to keep track of visitors and their activities. “Initially, we maintained log books and registered visitors names and their contact details. But the customers are reluctant to give their details,’’ said an Internet centre owner at Ameerpet. Though the browsing centres are violating rules and regulations, police are not initiating action against them. However, B Prasada Rao, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, said, “We have identified hundreds of Internet centres which are violating rules and regulations. Owners who have failed to maintain log books and install CCTVs inside their cafes have been issued notices earlier. Instructions have already been given to all police stations in the Hyderabad Commissionerate to crack down the whip on illegal Internet centres.’’ By MOULI MAREEDU

Recession exacts toll on IT marriages

The fall from grace couldn’t be pictured in sharper contrast. It was barely over a year ago that these guys — only in their early 20s but with fat pay packets — were on top of the world, and certainly way up on matchmakers’ lists. Cut to the present and the gloom of recession. The scenario is one of considerably reduced salaries and even job losses. Gone is the springy, globe-trotting stride and the swollen-headedness that comes from making good too quickly and too easily. And prominence has in some cases been exchanged for notoriety. Of late, the majority of complaints relating to marital discord pouring into police stations happen to involve the information technology community. Hyderabad, next only to Bangalore among the country’s leading IT hubs, has thousands of “associates” as they are called — who once walked tall but now are shuffling about dispiritedly on drastically reduced pay or are even without jobs. The misery doesn’t end here — they have to contend with loans contracted at a time when the future seemed in their pockets. But the worst part in many cases is strained relations with spouses. Says M Kistaiah, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), CCS: “Every day, we receive as many as 20 complaints from quarrelling couples, with IT pairs accounting for nearly 15 of these.” For instance — Sujatha (name changed) who works at a well-known IT company in Madhapur — complained that her husband, who lost his job at another outfit, was not spending time with her anymore. Even though she had comforted her husband and urged him to take things in the stride and hope for the best, there was a marked change in his behaviour. He began to find fault with her for trivial things like being held up at the office, and began to curb her freedom in many ways like preventing her from going to the movies with friends on weekends, she said in her complaint. More distressing is the case of one Anuradha (name changed) who said her husband was using her credit cards to hit the bars. And he returns home drunk and beats her up at night. The police intend to counsel the couple but the husband is currently out of town. Over the last six months, complaints have been piling up at the CCS. “This year, at least 300 complaints have been lodged by IT wives after marital discord following either or both of them losing their jobs,” says Kistaiah. “Whenever we receive such complaints, we counsel them and register a case only if they insist,” he said. By Mouli Mareedu

ACDs will help prevent train mishaps’

Even as the Railway Ministry sanctioned latest technology -- Anti Collision Device (ACD) - to prevent train accidents, it was not being used despite number of train accidents occurring in various parts in the country. If anti-Collision device had been installed in the trains, the tragedy that struck Goa Sampark Express and Mewar Express near Mathura, could have been averted, feels Rajaram Bojji, who invented the ACD. The proposal to install ACD in trains to prevent train accidents has been there for the last 10 years. The officials conducted a trial in Jalandhar and Amritsar sections but the equipment has not been installed till date. The ACD was invented by Rajaram Bojji, a Hyderabad-based retired railway officer when he was working as a Managing Director, Konkan Railways in 1999. When the recent train accident occurred near Mathura and claimed the lives of as many as 20 children, Rajaram, wrote a letter to the Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to install ACD systems in trains to prevent recurrence of such incidents. When Express met the ACD inventor at his residence-- Durgabhai Desmukh Colony in Hyderabad, he told about the importance of ACD and how it will help prevent train accidents. The ACD is a collision prevention system usually installed in the locomotive as well as in the guards couch. It is connected with the global positioning system (GPS) and acts as watchdog, constantly overlooking other trainbound ACDs and if they happen to find themselves on the same track and coming closer to each other, they automatically stop, thereby preventing head-on and rear end collisions. ``I worked for 90 days on the software system with the assistance of Hyderabad- based Kernex hardware and Information Technology (IT) company. The installation of ACDs are cheaper and they will be available for Rs 1 lakh,’’ Rajaram said. The ACDs can sense even a small rod on the railway tracks from a distance of 2 km, he said. ``When ACD was invented by me and I got the patent rights, a number of foreign Governments approached me to buy the latest technology. I was reluctant to sell it as I am very eager to implement it in the Indian railways to prevent accidents,’’ he said. By Mouli Mareedu