Students contribute for cash-strapped Govt hoste

Some government welfare hostels in the city are not being run by the government but by the inmates themselves! With government funds not coming in for the past few years, the students have taken up the responsibility of running the hostels themselves by pooling in money. Though the role reversal happened a couple of years ago, the authorities concerned, happy as they are for getting away without discharging their responsibilities, have preferred to turn a blind eye to the goings-on. Meanwhile, the poor students who have joined the hostels in the hope of getting some government help, are caught in a bind - neither can they bear the increasing cost of the hostel maintenance nor are they prepared to quit the hostel and discontinue their education.

According to C Padma Priya, who is preparing for civils by staying in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) hostel in Musheerabad, Rs 500 is collected from each student to maintain the hostel as the government is not providing sufficient funds. “About 100 students are staying in the hostel and some of them are taking coaching for competitive exams. For the past two years, we have been contributing money for paying electricity and water bills, food and other expenses related to maintenance of the hostel,’’ she says. The situation now is so grave that the hostel owes Rs 1 lakh to the local grocer for the provisions supplied by him. Another hostel at Neredmet near Malkajgiri also faces a similar fate. Students of the DIET hostel, Neredmet too claim that they have been footing all the hostel bills with no funds coming from the government. About 300 students are staying in the boys and girls’ hostels on the campus. K Venkat Ramana, a student, says only those who pay can stay in the hostel. “Most of the students have left to their native places for Ugadi and Sri Rama Navami festival holidays and a majority of them might not come back as the hostel authorities are forcing them to contribute money for hostel maintenance,” he adds. The hostel buildings have been dilapidated due to zero maintenance. With heaps of garbage, gutkha spits and cigarette butts all around, the place looks like a virtual dust bin. Visitors are greeted with heavily stinking toilets that have not been cleaned for years. The interiors of the rooms resemble ghost houses with cobwebs all over. With filthy surroundings, the campus turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other creatures. According to R Sudarshan, Superintendent of Scheduled Tribe (ST) Welfare department, Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, the ST hostel located at Musheerabad is under the jurisdiction of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and was built with the MP funds of Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh. Admitting that the department has received a few complaints regarding the maintenance of the hostel, he says the department will consider bringing the matter to the notice of higher officials to provide sufficient funds to the hostel.

By Mouli Mareedu

‘Hang them or burn them’

Battling for life in the burns ward of the Gandhi Hospital, the 15-year-old girl, who was set ablaze by three youngsters for resisting their attempt to sexually assault her, wants stringent punishment for the accused who ruined her life and dreams.

“I want to see the accused hanged or set on fire publicly. They tied my hands and legs and confined me in a dark room. They harassed and burnt me. Police should give them a stringent punishment,’’ the girl from Padmarao Nagar told the magistrate who recorded her statement on Thursday. The girl was confined in a room in Kushaiguda for three days before she was set afire on Wednesday. “She is very active and always wanted her brother, Raju to study well so that he can become a doctor. Due to poverty, she could not continue her education. But since then, she has been helping out Raju with his studies,” T Jaya Babu, the girl’s uncle, told Expresso. Jaya Babu said the girl had asked the magistrate to arrange for an identification parade of the accused so that they would not escape the law. The girl also told the police that she could easily identify the three accused -- Anil Kumar, Charan and Ajay. Kushaiguda police inspector A Muthyam Reddy said a special team has been constituted to nab the accused at the earliest. “She wanted to work as a domestic help to help her brother continue his studies in a nearby convent. She also promised him to buy new school dress and books. But all her dreams have been shattered,’’ Jaya Babu lamented. He recalled that it was because of her efforts that her father, Ch Krishna, had stopped consuming liquor and started giving money to support the family. The girl was spotted at Vijayawada railway station by a family friend, Kotaiah, last Saturday. Even as he was enquiring about her presence there, a phone call on his mobile diverted his attention and this was enough for the accused to whisk her away, Jayababu said.

 

By Mouli Mareedu

Curbs likely on ACs, coolers in IT companies

Employees of Information Technology (IT), IT-Enabled Services (ITES) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies will have to sweat it out in their offices soon, as the power utility is gearing up to regulate use of air-conditioners and coolers during peak hours. Facing a power crisis, officials of the Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Limited (APCPDCL) are all set to write letters to hundreds of IT and ITES company managements not to use air-conditioners and coolers between 6.30 PM to 10.30 PM due to acute power shortage. The move comes after the State government imposed a blanket two-hour power-cut in the twin cities besides one-day power holiday for industrial sector. Vidyasagar, Deputy Engineer (DE), Monitoring Cell, APCPDCL told Expresso that the department is planning to ban use of ACs and coolers in IT and other private companies scattered all over the city as they are putting a heavy load on the system with their roundthe- clock operations. “We are going to write letters to at least 300 private companies directing them not to use air-conditioners and coolers between 6.30 pm and 10.30 pm, the peak hours for power consumption. Later, we want to implement the same in government offices,” Vidyasagar added. If properly enforced, the steps are likely to ease pressure to some extent and ensure uninterrupted power supply to residential and small-scale industrial sectors. “The decision has been taken by the department in view of acute shortage of power due to a sharp rise in demand. The city usually faces a deficit of around 700 megawatts during every summer, but this year the shortage has touched 1000 mw,” he said. There are about 30 lakh residential connections in the Greater Hyderabad limits and more than one lakh industrial connections - big, medium and small-scale. As of now, the ban is expected to remain in force till May-end. It could be further extended depending on the then prevailing situation

By Mouli Mareedu

School, college kids getting hooked to hookah!

Cyberabad police are all set to crack down on illegal hookah bars that have mushroomed in the twin cities.

The illegality of these bars is not the only concern. The more serious issue is that some of these bars, especially those on the outskirts, are attracting college and school-going kids with their offers and getting them addicted to the vice. Syed Rafeeq, Inspector, Pet Basheerabad told Expresso that they were shocked to see schoolboys enjoying hookah parties during a raid recently on an illegal bar. Eleven people, including the staff and four minor girls, who were present at the bar, were arrested. “In another raid based on a complaint by a parent complaint, we raided a hookah bar and apprehended 11 students and counselled them,” he added. Santosh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Alwal said a special team had been constituted comprising senior police officials to unearth hookah bars running without permission from police and the GHMC. The hookah bars offer tobacco flavoured with honey, molasses or fruit and various combinations. Starting from Rs 250 per couple, they have different packages to suit customers budgets. The hookah bars have come up as a cheaper alternative to pubs and restaurants and their business has really taken off after recession has set in. Decked out like restaurants and nightclubs, they promise to offer smokers the experience and true pleasures of the hookah. Some bars also provide DJ music. The bars are mushrooming in suburbs like Rajendranagar, Shamshabad, Kompally, Alwal and other parts of the Cyberabad. Recently, the Cyberabad police raided on Quill Hookah bar at Vensai Apartments near Kompally. The police estimate that nearly 500 hookah bars are running their business illegally in the Cyberabad limits. “We discovered that several hookah bars have been functioning illegally. These bars attract a huge number of school and college-goers. We conducted raids on two bars and the owners could not produce any licence. Strict action will be taken against them,’’ Santosh Kumar said. He warned cases would be registered against them for sale of adulterated, noxious food and drink.

 

By Mouli Mareedu

Newlywed pros locked in ego wars

Most of the newly-married working couples appear to be having complaints against each other. At least, this is the indication from the increasing number of cases of marital discord that are pouring in at the fully operational Mahila Support Centre at the Central Crime Station (CCS). And if you thought that it is only the poorer sections of the society that are turning up at the support centre, then you are wrong. Most of the young couples are either doctors or are working in BPOs and reputed IT firms! “Ego clashes and gender issues are the key factors that are driving a wedge between the couples. In most cases, both wife and husband are professionals and draw equal salaries. They are highly educated,” explains Ch V Sunitha, incharge of the Mahila Support Centre. She told Expresso that they were receiving about 15 cases pertaining to family disputes and most of them were being solved through counselling. “We try our best to create an amicable atmosphere between wife and husband when they approach us for help. On an average, 45 cases are registered per month under categories like alcoholic husband, extra-marital affairs, financial issues, ego clashes and gender issues,’’ she said. About 1,227 cases have been handled by the social workers at the CCS Mahila police station. Of them, 531 couples have decided to live together, 174 cases have gone for divorce, 352 cases have been booked under section 498 A, 112 cases were referred to Protection Officer for Domestic Violence (DV) Act, 68 cases were referred to short stay homes and rest of the cases were referred for psychiatric help, Sunitha said. Kota Sivakumari, secretary, Society for Women’s Awareness and Rural Development (SWARD), an organisation which is assisting the support centre, said the support centres provided multi-pronged support required for survivors and complainants of violence to prevent and counter crime against women.

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com

I-T alert on fake email seeking key data

Are you receiving email requesting your PAN, TIN and bank account details for processing of IT refund? Then you had better delete them forthwith or complain to the Income Tax officials as they are fraudulent email sent by unidentified persons. With several taxpayers lodging complaints about fraudulent email flooding their mail boxes seeking their bank account, PAN and TIN details for transfer of tax refund, the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax,  Hyderabad, Radha Srivastava has ordered an inquiry into the matter. The Chief Commissioner told Expresso that a number of customers had received such email, some of which had sought to know even the credit and debit card details of customers. “An investigation by the Income Tax officials revealed that customers received fake mails from email IDs like lhxbkw@accounts.net, cvfvs@accounts.net and onozml@accounts.net,” she said. Apart from using e-mail IDs that were similar to that of the Income Tax department, fraudsters were also including a few images copied from the official website of the Income Tax department. “Even as the investigation into the cyber fraud is at an initial stage, we have learnt that several such e-mails have been sent to tax payers, whose addresses can be obtained easily from social networking sites,’’ Radha Srivastava said. Reiterating that the Income Tax Department never sought such details through online mails, the Chief Commissioner said refunds are issued through refund banker scheme wherein the amount is either credited directly into the bank account mentioned by the taxpayer in the return or a cheque is sent by post to the taxpayer’s address. “Customers are cautioned not to click on any link that has come through email from unexpected sources. There is no need to provide any information on a page that might have come up as a pop-up window. Always remember that information like password, PIN, TIN are strictly confidential and should not be even disclosed to employees or service personnel of the IT department,” she said

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com

Mostly newcomers to city turning chain-snatchers

Bina Patnaik, a resident of Tilaknagar near Kachiguda, has been relieved of her three-tola mangalasutra by two motorcycle-borne robbers near the Golnaka bridge while she was walking back home from work. A number of women have been robbed of their valuables in a similar fashion at Malakpet, Amberpet, Saidabad, Nallakunta, Kanchanbagh and other places in the city. Cracking such cases is proving to be a big challenge to the police as first-time offenders are said to be involved in many of the offences. The Uppal police arrested recently a four-member gang of women allegedly involved in chain-snatching cases in running buses. The police recovered jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh from them. In another bust earlier, Saidabad police arrested two youngsters, Mohammad Jahangir and Meer Mustafa Ali. The duo revealed that they decided to commit offences as they were in a financial crisis. East Zone DCP Mahesh Chandra Laddha told Expresso that some special teams were constituted with the assistance of Task Force. “Divisional teams, sub-divisional teams, Task Force and local police teams have been formed to identify chain-snatchers.’’ He said 756 cases of chainsnatching were registered at various police stations in East Zone in 2009. Of those, over 500 were cracked and booty was recovered. “Most of the youngsters involved in chain-snatching cases are first-time offenders. Students who come to Hyderabad for employment opportunities turn chainsnatchers when they fail to get jobs,” he added. Some offenders used cutting pliers to remove chains. In an attempt to apprehend the habitual offenders, police have planned to deploy plainclothed policewomen as decoys. Areas where chain-snatching occurs frequently have been identified and surveillance enhanced there.

By MOULI MAREEDU

moulimareedu@gmail.com