Thursday, July 20, 2006
Hyderabad City News july 21st,2006
Kokapet acre sold for Rs 14.45 crores
Hyderabad, July 20: An acre of land at Kokapet, a sleepy village 20 km from here, went for Rs 14.45 crores at an auction conducted by Hyderabad Urban Development Authority on Thursday. Huda auctioned 15 plots in 69 acres at the Golden Mile layout at the village in Rajendranagar mandal of Ranga Reddy district and earned Rs 703 crores. The record bid was made by Hyderabad-based Kailash Ganga Constructions who offered Rs 65.02 crores for 4.494 acres in Site-I of Golden Mile, or Rs 14.45 crores per acre.
Buoyed by the success, Huda announced the auction of two premium plots at Izzatnagar near Hitec City on July 24, each measuring about two acres. “We expect an average of Rs 15 crores per acre in this auction,” Golden Mile auction officer and Huda secretary P. Venkatram Reddy said. The upset price has been fixed at Rs 5 crores and EMD Rs 50 lakhs.
To prevent real estate firms from jacking up prices and not paying the money, Huda had set an earnest money deposit of Rs 2 crores for the Golden Mile auction. The winning bidder will forfeit the EMD if he does not pay the bid money. Among the 47 bidders were hoteliers, real estate giants, topnotch IT firms and builders from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other parts of State.
A major chunk of the Rs 703 crores raised by the auction will go to the government and Huda will utilise the rest to pay for its Outer Ring Road project. Plots were divided into Site-I, Site-II and Site-III categories. The area in each plot was different, starting from a little over one acre and going up to six acres. A majority of plots were between 3 and 6 acres in size. Of the 12 plots in site-I, Huda auctioned nine and retained the other three and three plots each in Site-II and Site-III.
IAS officer accused of sexual harassment suspended
Hyderabad, July 20: The State government on Thursday suspended IAS officer K. Mangapati Rao for allegedly sexually harassing a woman colleague. Mr Rao is an officer of the 1988 batch and was commissioner of employment and training. This is the first time that an IAS officer has been suspended in the State for alleged sexual harassment.
A woman officer of the commissionerate of employment had complained to the State Women’s Commission about Mr Rao on Wednesday. She had said that Mr Rao was making sexual overtures to her for three months. She said that on July 13 Mr Rao had used vulgar language against her in front of her colleagues, triggering protests among the staff members. In his defence, Mr Rao said that he had not misbehaved with the official.
He had asked her for some figures but she could not remember them offhand. “I asked her why she couldn’t remember the measurements; after all we can remember the measurements of underwear,” he told her, Mr Rao told mediapersons. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Thursday ordered his immediate suspension and called for a departmental inquiry after calling for reports on the alleged misbehaviour of Mr Rao.
He pulled up CMO officials for not bringing to his notice earlier reports of harrassment by the officer. The Chief Minister appeared so disturbed that he refused to discuss the incident when mediapersons asked him about it in the afternoon.
“It is a heinous incident. Why do you want me to talk about it,” he said. Asked whether Mr Rao was placed under suspension, he said sharply: “Done.” The State Women’s Commission, which had received a complaint from the woman officer on Wednesday, had recommended to the Chief Minister to suspend Mr Rao.
The recommendation is not binding under law. More than 100 employees including 50 women boycotted their duties for the second day and staged a dharna at the commissionerate of employment till they heard that Mr Rao was suspended. Though this is the reported first case of sexual harassment, some IAS officials are known to have a glad eye for women. A senior IAS officer then in the Secretariat tried to woo a young lady officer but she spurned his advances and complained to her superior officer. She later sought a transfer from the department.
Two married IAS officers, both district collectors at that time, got entangled in love affairs and were forced to marry their girlfriends after divorcing their first wives. “Mr Rao is a different case, but such escapades are nothing new in IAS circles. I remember one IAS officer, now holding a senior position, who flirted with the daughter of an IPS officer.
He married her after much wrangling between families,” an IAS officer said. In one case, a district collector who fell in love with a tribal girl was forced to marry her after divorcing his first wife. In another case an IAS officer divorced his IAS officer wife after his fling with a woman doctor became known. He subsequently married her. The most talked case pertained to a married IAS officer who fell in love with three women at the same time.
The officer died but not before dividing his property among the four women. In the latest case, IAS officer K. Narayana was booked in a cheating case for ditching a tribal woman after having two children with her. DNA fingerprinting tests proved his parentage. The case is pending.
YSR, officials differ on kharif water
Hyderabad, July 20: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Thursday asserted that his government was committed to providing irrigation to 7.5 lakh acres of additional ayacut under new projects in kharif. “It may get delayed by 15 days or a month. But, we will certainly provide water to the promised ayacut in kharif, depending on the availability in the reservoirs,” he said at a press meet at Secretariat.
He took exception to a report published in a vernacular daily that there was no scope for release of water from Tadipudi lift irrigation scheme in West Godavari district this season, since the pumps were yet to be installed. He reminded that the daily had reported on the trial run of the pumps in the same project only last month.“I spoke to the Chief Engineer of the project and he told me that water would released to the ayacut by the end of August,” he said.
According to a two-page note circulated by the irrigation department at a press meet here many projects are in different stages of construction and there is no possibility of release of water for the entire proposed ayacut. For instance, under Vamsadhara phase-I, stage II in Srikakulam, the department promised to provide irrigation to 20,000 acres. But going by the department note, works for only 10,000 acres were completed and for the remaining, it would take August end.
Under Pushkara Lift Irrigation Scheme in East Godavari district (50,000 acres), column assembly erection has been completed for two pumpsets and erection of balance two pumpsets would be completed by the end of August. Surprisingly, the officials say water would be released by the end of August, though it takes a long time even for a trial run of the pumps.
In Alisagar LI project with 53,793 acres ayacut in Nizamabad, motors and parts of pumps have reached the site now and the remaining parts would arrive by July end. There is no promise on release of water to the ayacut. So is the case with Gutpha LI project having an ayacut of 38,792 acres.
The situation is still worse in the case of Devadula with 50,000 acres ayacut in Warangal district. The official note says the department had obtained forest clearance and lands had been acquired. Now, it has to lay pipeline for about 50 km in the deep forest areas, besides erection of pumps. In Gundlakamma project (30,000 acres), work for bridge on national highway has just started and diversion on road work is in progress. Yet, the officials say water will be released by September.
State’s marketing wing confined to agriculture
Hyderabad, July 20: The State government on Thursday decided to rechristen department of marketing as “department of agricultural marketing” to avoid confusion among the producers of goods other than farmers. Minister for marketing Botsa Satyanarayana told mediapersons here that the term marketing would cover a wide range of trading activities, whereas the department was confined to marketing of only agricultural products. “To avoid the confusion, the government has decided to rename the department as department of agriculture marketing, to specify that it deals with only farmers,” he said.
The government also decided to redesignate additional directors, deputy directors and joint directors as “District agricultural marketing officers” dep-ending on whether the districts were grade-I or II or III categorised by the department for agricultural marketing. He said from this kharif season, the Marketing Federation (Markfed) had decided to procure paddy and other farm produce from the farmers directly at minimum support price, without giving scope for middlemen. This would be done in selective districts with the help of self-help groups by setting up procurement centres.
No conversions: Tirumala Priest
Hyderabad, July 20: The head priest of the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala, V.V. Ramana Deekshitulu, on Thursday denied reports that Christian preachers had carried out a conversion campaign in the hills. Mr Deekshitulu, along with a batch of archakas, met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy at the Secretariat and told him that no such thing was happening in Tirumala.
Speaking to mediapersons later, the head priest said it was unfortunate that the Tirumala temple was being used to create unnecessary controversies. “There is no truth in the so-called investigation done by Justice Bhikshapathi committee on proselytising,” he said. “The committee did not speak to us or with the temple administration.” Mr Deekshitulu said the Tirumala temple was open to people of all religious faiths, provided they professed faith in the Lord Venkateshwara.
Even the Mughals and the British had not touched Tirumala temple. On the other hand, they had donated lands, gold and money to the temple. “Even now, a gold chain donated by the Mughals adorns Lord Balaji,” he said. “Similarly, another chain made of gold sovereigns with images of Queen Victoria adorns the procession of the deity.”
The head priest disclosed that a Muslim, Syed Mirzan, had recently donated 108 golden flowers to the Lord, which were being used in archanas every Tuesday. He, however, admitted that two nuns had come to the Vaikuntham queue complex as part of their campaign against AIDS. : The head priest of the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala, V.V. Ramana Deekshitulu, on Thursday denied reports that Christian preachers had carried out a conversion campaign in the hills.
Mr Deekshitulu, along with a batch of archakas, met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy at the Secretariat and told him that no such thing was happening in Tirumala.Speaking to mediapersons later, the head priest said it was unfortunate that the Tirumala temple was being used to create unnecessary controversies. “There is no truth in the so-called investigation done by Justice Bhikshapathi committee on proselytising,” he said. “The committee did not speak to us or with the temple administration.”
Mr Deekshitulu said the Tirumala temple was open to people of all religious faiths, provided they professed faith in the Lord Venkateshwara. Even the Mughals and the British had not touched Tirumala temple. On the other hand, they had donated lands, gold and money to the temple.
“Even now, a gold chain donated by the Mughals adorns Lord Balaji,” he said. “Similarly, another chain made of gold sovereigns with images of Queen Victoria adorns the procession of the deity.” The head priest disclosed that a Muslim, Syed Mirzan, had recently donated 108 golden flowers to the Lord, which were being used in archanas every Tuesday. He, however, admitted that two nuns had come the Vaikuntham queue complex as part of their campaign against AIDS.
AICTE to focus on industry
Hyderabad, July 20: The State government would like to institutionalise the interaction between the educational institutions and the industry to develop a relationship that is profitable to the economy. Ashutosh Mishra, principal secretary of higher education, told this newspaper after presiding over the inaugural session of the national workshop on Industry Institution Integration that the interface right now is on an adhoc basis. “The government would like to create a mechanism wherein the two sectors could exchange ideas on a regular basis,” he said.
Earlier, outlining the objectives of the workshop that is being conducted under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP), Mr Mishra said that the aim of the education should be to improve employability of the students. Though Andhra Pradesh is producing 95,000 engineering graduates annually, only about 10,000 of them are absorbed in the industry. “We should devise a system aimed at improving the employability of students. If 50 per cent of them are absorbed, we can be satisfied,” he said.
The speakers at the workshop pointed out that by 2012 the supply of qualified candidates to the IT sector would be shorter by half a million. Prof Damodar Acharya, chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), said the academics should be exposed to the functioning of the industry and that each faculty member in engineering colleges should be asked to spend some time at the industry gain practical knowledge.
Delay hits new school syllabus
Hyderabad, July 20: The school education department’s plan to introduce new syllabus in State schools from the next academic year is not likely to work out.Department officials have made it clear to their bosses that it would be next to impossible to deliver new text books within the stipulated period. Instead, they have suggested that the new syllabus from Class I to Class X be introduced in a phased manner in three years. Officials who attended a meeting called by Minister for School Education Nedurmalli Rajyalakshmi said that even if they tried their best they would only be able to introduce new syllabus for primary classes by next year.
It would take six to eight months for a text book to hit the market even if they began the work early on, the officials said. The broad contours of the new syllabus are already in place and the school education officials are strictly following the guidelines given by the National Council for of Education Research and Training which had chalked out a holistic syllabus for CBSE students. “NCERT has developed a wonderful curriculum for sc l children,” said Ms Rajyalakshmi.
“Since we are trying to introduce grading system in class X from next year, it is imperative for us to try and start introducing reforms,” she added. Principal secretary, school education, C. Krishnayya asked the officials to chalk out the new syllabus for primary classes by October.
State told not to allot Langer Houz land
Hyderabad July 20: A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh Court directed the State government to ensure that the 2.99 acres in Survey No. 172 of Langer Houz in Golconda mandal is not allotted to anyone, as the same is a part of the water body.The bench, taking cognisance of the statement given by the government, directed the district collector to issue public notice of the same within seven days. The bench passed the orders in taking suo motu cognisance of the letter written by one of the inhabitants of the area complaining that the State government is taking steps to allot the land, which is a part of the water body, to individuals.
Tipsy drivers in for trouble
Hyderabad, July 20: Vehicleists who drive four and two-wheelers in drunken state will be severely punished henceforth. The government on Thursday directed oficials of the transport department to be harsh on drunken drivers. Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, who reviewed the functioning of the transport department at the Secretariat, asked the officials to detain such drivers and seize the registration and other documents related to the vehicle.
He directed them to book ‘visible offenders’ like autorickshaw drivers carrying more than the specified number of passengers and to ensure fool-proof measures while issuing driving licence and fitness certificates. Transport minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, principal secretary, transport, A.K. Tigidi also attended the review committee meeting.
Hyderabad, July 20: An acre of land at Kokapet, a sleepy village 20 km from here, went for Rs 14.45 crores at an auction conducted by Hyderabad Urban Development Authority on Thursday. Huda auctioned 15 plots in 69 acres at the Golden Mile layout at the village in Rajendranagar mandal of Ranga Reddy district and earned Rs 703 crores. The record bid was made by Hyderabad-based Kailash Ganga Constructions who offered Rs 65.02 crores for 4.494 acres in Site-I of Golden Mile, or Rs 14.45 crores per acre.
Buoyed by the success, Huda announced the auction of two premium plots at Izzatnagar near Hitec City on July 24, each measuring about two acres. “We expect an average of Rs 15 crores per acre in this auction,” Golden Mile auction officer and Huda secretary P. Venkatram Reddy said. The upset price has been fixed at Rs 5 crores and EMD Rs 50 lakhs.
To prevent real estate firms from jacking up prices and not paying the money, Huda had set an earnest money deposit of Rs 2 crores for the Golden Mile auction. The winning bidder will forfeit the EMD if he does not pay the bid money. Among the 47 bidders were hoteliers, real estate giants, topnotch IT firms and builders from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other parts of State.
A major chunk of the Rs 703 crores raised by the auction will go to the government and Huda will utilise the rest to pay for its Outer Ring Road project. Plots were divided into Site-I, Site-II and Site-III categories. The area in each plot was different, starting from a little over one acre and going up to six acres. A majority of plots were between 3 and 6 acres in size. Of the 12 plots in site-I, Huda auctioned nine and retained the other three and three plots each in Site-II and Site-III.
IAS officer accused of sexual harassment suspended
Hyderabad, July 20: The State government on Thursday suspended IAS officer K. Mangapati Rao for allegedly sexually harassing a woman colleague. Mr Rao is an officer of the 1988 batch and was commissioner of employment and training. This is the first time that an IAS officer has been suspended in the State for alleged sexual harassment.
A woman officer of the commissionerate of employment had complained to the State Women’s Commission about Mr Rao on Wednesday. She had said that Mr Rao was making sexual overtures to her for three months. She said that on July 13 Mr Rao had used vulgar language against her in front of her colleagues, triggering protests among the staff members. In his defence, Mr Rao said that he had not misbehaved with the official.
He had asked her for some figures but she could not remember them offhand. “I asked her why she couldn’t remember the measurements; after all we can remember the measurements of underwear,” he told her, Mr Rao told mediapersons. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Thursday ordered his immediate suspension and called for a departmental inquiry after calling for reports on the alleged misbehaviour of Mr Rao.
He pulled up CMO officials for not bringing to his notice earlier reports of harrassment by the officer. The Chief Minister appeared so disturbed that he refused to discuss the incident when mediapersons asked him about it in the afternoon.
“It is a heinous incident. Why do you want me to talk about it,” he said. Asked whether Mr Rao was placed under suspension, he said sharply: “Done.” The State Women’s Commission, which had received a complaint from the woman officer on Wednesday, had recommended to the Chief Minister to suspend Mr Rao.
The recommendation is not binding under law. More than 100 employees including 50 women boycotted their duties for the second day and staged a dharna at the commissionerate of employment till they heard that Mr Rao was suspended. Though this is the reported first case of sexual harassment, some IAS officials are known to have a glad eye for women. A senior IAS officer then in the Secretariat tried to woo a young lady officer but she spurned his advances and complained to her superior officer. She later sought a transfer from the department.
Two married IAS officers, both district collectors at that time, got entangled in love affairs and were forced to marry their girlfriends after divorcing their first wives. “Mr Rao is a different case, but such escapades are nothing new in IAS circles. I remember one IAS officer, now holding a senior position, who flirted with the daughter of an IPS officer.
He married her after much wrangling between families,” an IAS officer said. In one case, a district collector who fell in love with a tribal girl was forced to marry her after divorcing his first wife. In another case an IAS officer divorced his IAS officer wife after his fling with a woman doctor became known. He subsequently married her. The most talked case pertained to a married IAS officer who fell in love with three women at the same time.
The officer died but not before dividing his property among the four women. In the latest case, IAS officer K. Narayana was booked in a cheating case for ditching a tribal woman after having two children with her. DNA fingerprinting tests proved his parentage. The case is pending.
YSR, officials differ on kharif water
Hyderabad, July 20: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Thursday asserted that his government was committed to providing irrigation to 7.5 lakh acres of additional ayacut under new projects in kharif. “It may get delayed by 15 days or a month. But, we will certainly provide water to the promised ayacut in kharif, depending on the availability in the reservoirs,” he said at a press meet at Secretariat.
He took exception to a report published in a vernacular daily that there was no scope for release of water from Tadipudi lift irrigation scheme in West Godavari district this season, since the pumps were yet to be installed. He reminded that the daily had reported on the trial run of the pumps in the same project only last month.“I spoke to the Chief Engineer of the project and he told me that water would released to the ayacut by the end of August,” he said.
According to a two-page note circulated by the irrigation department at a press meet here many projects are in different stages of construction and there is no possibility of release of water for the entire proposed ayacut. For instance, under Vamsadhara phase-I, stage II in Srikakulam, the department promised to provide irrigation to 20,000 acres. But going by the department note, works for only 10,000 acres were completed and for the remaining, it would take August end.
Under Pushkara Lift Irrigation Scheme in East Godavari district (50,000 acres), column assembly erection has been completed for two pumpsets and erection of balance two pumpsets would be completed by the end of August. Surprisingly, the officials say water would be released by the end of August, though it takes a long time even for a trial run of the pumps.
In Alisagar LI project with 53,793 acres ayacut in Nizamabad, motors and parts of pumps have reached the site now and the remaining parts would arrive by July end. There is no promise on release of water to the ayacut. So is the case with Gutpha LI project having an ayacut of 38,792 acres.
The situation is still worse in the case of Devadula with 50,000 acres ayacut in Warangal district. The official note says the department had obtained forest clearance and lands had been acquired. Now, it has to lay pipeline for about 50 km in the deep forest areas, besides erection of pumps. In Gundlakamma project (30,000 acres), work for bridge on national highway has just started and diversion on road work is in progress. Yet, the officials say water will be released by September.
State’s marketing wing confined to agriculture
Hyderabad, July 20: The State government on Thursday decided to rechristen department of marketing as “department of agricultural marketing” to avoid confusion among the producers of goods other than farmers. Minister for marketing Botsa Satyanarayana told mediapersons here that the term marketing would cover a wide range of trading activities, whereas the department was confined to marketing of only agricultural products. “To avoid the confusion, the government has decided to rename the department as department of agriculture marketing, to specify that it deals with only farmers,” he said.
The government also decided to redesignate additional directors, deputy directors and joint directors as “District agricultural marketing officers” dep-ending on whether the districts were grade-I or II or III categorised by the department for agricultural marketing. He said from this kharif season, the Marketing Federation (Markfed) had decided to procure paddy and other farm produce from the farmers directly at minimum support price, without giving scope for middlemen. This would be done in selective districts with the help of self-help groups by setting up procurement centres.
No conversions: Tirumala Priest
Hyderabad, July 20: The head priest of the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala, V.V. Ramana Deekshitulu, on Thursday denied reports that Christian preachers had carried out a conversion campaign in the hills. Mr Deekshitulu, along with a batch of archakas, met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy at the Secretariat and told him that no such thing was happening in Tirumala.
Speaking to mediapersons later, the head priest said it was unfortunate that the Tirumala temple was being used to create unnecessary controversies. “There is no truth in the so-called investigation done by Justice Bhikshapathi committee on proselytising,” he said. “The committee did not speak to us or with the temple administration.” Mr Deekshitulu said the Tirumala temple was open to people of all religious faiths, provided they professed faith in the Lord Venkateshwara.
Even the Mughals and the British had not touched Tirumala temple. On the other hand, they had donated lands, gold and money to the temple. “Even now, a gold chain donated by the Mughals adorns Lord Balaji,” he said. “Similarly, another chain made of gold sovereigns with images of Queen Victoria adorns the procession of the deity.”
The head priest disclosed that a Muslim, Syed Mirzan, had recently donated 108 golden flowers to the Lord, which were being used in archanas every Tuesday. He, however, admitted that two nuns had come to the Vaikuntham queue complex as part of their campaign against AIDS. : The head priest of the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala, V.V. Ramana Deekshitulu, on Thursday denied reports that Christian preachers had carried out a conversion campaign in the hills.
Mr Deekshitulu, along with a batch of archakas, met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy at the Secretariat and told him that no such thing was happening in Tirumala.Speaking to mediapersons later, the head priest said it was unfortunate that the Tirumala temple was being used to create unnecessary controversies. “There is no truth in the so-called investigation done by Justice Bhikshapathi committee on proselytising,” he said. “The committee did not speak to us or with the temple administration.”
Mr Deekshitulu said the Tirumala temple was open to people of all religious faiths, provided they professed faith in the Lord Venkateshwara. Even the Mughals and the British had not touched Tirumala temple. On the other hand, they had donated lands, gold and money to the temple.
“Even now, a gold chain donated by the Mughals adorns Lord Balaji,” he said. “Similarly, another chain made of gold sovereigns with images of Queen Victoria adorns the procession of the deity.” The head priest disclosed that a Muslim, Syed Mirzan, had recently donated 108 golden flowers to the Lord, which were being used in archanas every Tuesday. He, however, admitted that two nuns had come the Vaikuntham queue complex as part of their campaign against AIDS.
AICTE to focus on industry
Hyderabad, July 20: The State government would like to institutionalise the interaction between the educational institutions and the industry to develop a relationship that is profitable to the economy. Ashutosh Mishra, principal secretary of higher education, told this newspaper after presiding over the inaugural session of the national workshop on Industry Institution Integration that the interface right now is on an adhoc basis. “The government would like to create a mechanism wherein the two sectors could exchange ideas on a regular basis,” he said.
Earlier, outlining the objectives of the workshop that is being conducted under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP), Mr Mishra said that the aim of the education should be to improve employability of the students. Though Andhra Pradesh is producing 95,000 engineering graduates annually, only about 10,000 of them are absorbed in the industry. “We should devise a system aimed at improving the employability of students. If 50 per cent of them are absorbed, we can be satisfied,” he said.
The speakers at the workshop pointed out that by 2012 the supply of qualified candidates to the IT sector would be shorter by half a million. Prof Damodar Acharya, chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), said the academics should be exposed to the functioning of the industry and that each faculty member in engineering colleges should be asked to spend some time at the industry gain practical knowledge.
Delay hits new school syllabus
Hyderabad, July 20: The school education department’s plan to introduce new syllabus in State schools from the next academic year is not likely to work out.Department officials have made it clear to their bosses that it would be next to impossible to deliver new text books within the stipulated period. Instead, they have suggested that the new syllabus from Class I to Class X be introduced in a phased manner in three years. Officials who attended a meeting called by Minister for School Education Nedurmalli Rajyalakshmi said that even if they tried their best they would only be able to introduce new syllabus for primary classes by next year.
It would take six to eight months for a text book to hit the market even if they began the work early on, the officials said. The broad contours of the new syllabus are already in place and the school education officials are strictly following the guidelines given by the National Council for of Education Research and Training which had chalked out a holistic syllabus for CBSE students. “NCERT has developed a wonderful curriculum for sc l children,” said Ms Rajyalakshmi.
“Since we are trying to introduce grading system in class X from next year, it is imperative for us to try and start introducing reforms,” she added. Principal secretary, school education, C. Krishnayya asked the officials to chalk out the new syllabus for primary classes by October.
State told not to allot Langer Houz land
Hyderabad July 20: A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh Court directed the State government to ensure that the 2.99 acres in Survey No. 172 of Langer Houz in Golconda mandal is not allotted to anyone, as the same is a part of the water body.The bench, taking cognisance of the statement given by the government, directed the district collector to issue public notice of the same within seven days. The bench passed the orders in taking suo motu cognisance of the letter written by one of the inhabitants of the area complaining that the State government is taking steps to allot the land, which is a part of the water body, to individuals.
Tipsy drivers in for trouble
Hyderabad, July 20: Vehicleists who drive four and two-wheelers in drunken state will be severely punished henceforth. The government on Thursday directed oficials of the transport department to be harsh on drunken drivers. Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, who reviewed the functioning of the transport department at the Secretariat, asked the officials to detain such drivers and seize the registration and other documents related to the vehicle.
He directed them to book ‘visible offenders’ like autorickshaw drivers carrying more than the specified number of passengers and to ensure fool-proof measures while issuing driving licence and fitness certificates. Transport minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, principal secretary, transport, A.K. Tigidi also attended the review committee meeting.
