Tuesday, August 29, 2006

 

Hyderabad News, Aug 28th,2006

Big uranium project on YSR’s turf

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: The Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) will hold the crucial public hearing to set up a uranium mine at Pulivendula, the Assembly constituency of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, on September 10. UCIL is going ahead with the project despite opposition from environmentalists. UCIL shifted the project to Pulivendula after it failed to secure permission to mine uranium at Peddagadda in Nalgonda district. That site was close to the Nagarjunasagar dam and the Rajiv Gandhi tiger sanctuary.

UCIL has submitted the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental management plan (EMP) for the Pulivendula mines to the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB). The reports were prepared by its consultants, Mecon. If UCIL gets the go-ahead at the public hearing, it will forward the report to the MoEF through APPCB for environmental clearance. Subsequently, a technical committee of the ministry will examine the proposal and give final approval.

The public hearing will be held at Tummalapalle village of Vemula mandal, about 15 km from Pulivendula. Sources said it was only a formality as UCIL had obtained a firm assurance from the Centre that it would go ahead with the mines. Pulivendula being the constituency of the Chief Minister, the company is getting all possible support from the State government.

“Officials of UCIL, with the support of local political leaders and officials, have already convinced the people to give their consent,” political sources from Kadapa district said. “The villagers are aware of the adverse impact of uranium mining, but they are afraid to go against the wishes of the Chief Minister’s family, which is taking keen interest in getting the project to Pulivendula,” the sources said.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 1,029.57 crores, involves extraction of uranium from underground mines in 879 hectares. UCIL expects to extract 3,000 tonnes of ore per day. The uranium concentration is very meagre at 0.039 per cent: 1,000 kg of ore will yield 390 gram of uranium. The mines require 17.85 MW of power for extraction. The lifespan of the project is stated to be 30 years and its employment potential is 934.

Environmentalists say the EIA and EMP were shabbily and hurriedly done by the consultants. “The environmental hazards of the project is more at Pulivendula than at Peddagadda in Nalgonda district, where the project was originally proposed,” Ms Satya Lakshmi of the Movement Against Uranium Project told this correspondent.

“There is no water available near the project, as such the residue cannot be converted into slush easily. There is every possibility of uranium dust spreading through the air.” Ms Lakshmi said that the processing of uranium ore would generate heat. Farmers in the area grow cash crops like chilli, banana, sunflower and groundnut, which will get polluted by uranium residues, she said. “The project will have a cascading effect on the people. All these aspects were ignored in the EIA study,” she said.



Fight to continue, say top Baloch leaders

New Delhi, Aug. 28: “The Pakistani military killed Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in cold blood, but even then our struggle will continue, it will be strengthened,” two top Baloch leaders told this newspaper on Monday. They are not being quoted at this stage because of the risk to their lives following Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s justification of the murder of 80-year-old Nawab Bugti and his determined insistence that his government’s writ will prevail.

The two top Baloch leaders who spoke to this newspaper on the telephone from different cities are on the hitlist of the Pakistani government, finding place in what they said was a list of nine leaders being circulated as military targets. Of these, Nawab Bugti was killed along with his grandsons and other Baloch members on Sunday morning. The Baloch leaders said that this action by the government would prove “very heavy, not just for President Musharraf but for Pakistan.” In their assessment, the repercussions would be far more intense and far-reaching than after the hanging of former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, as the protest was now spreading to other provinces of Pakistan.

The Baloch leaders, who will now be playing a major part in taking their movement forward, said that they had no freedom and enjoyed no rights in Pakistan. “Kashmiri leaders travel to New Delhi, where they are given red-carpet treatment, they are able to meet your Prime Minister and other top leaders, and they go back to Kashmir secure about their basic safety. Not a single Baloch leader can speak about his grievances in Islamabad, he will be arrested, and his wife and children at home will be picked up immediately,” they said.

The anger was palpable even over the telephone as the younger leader of the two insisted that the military action had not scared the people of Baluchistan but only fuelled their “anger and hatred for the Pakistan Army dominated by Punjab.” He said that the figures of those killed in the operation were yet to be obtained, as the entire province had been sealed by the Pakistan Army. “But we have proved with the death of our people that not just the young but even the old are prepared to be sacrificed for our rights,” he said.

The Baloch leaders said, in response to Gen. Musharraf’s declaration that his government’s writ would run through the country: “We will not allow any illegal writ to run in Baluchistan. We are the sons of the soil, we own the natural resources and we will not allow Punjab or the Pakistan Army and the government to take away our rights.” They said that such military operations would not deter their people, and the movement for autonomy would gather strength in the coming days as “we have the leaders to replace those who were martyred.”

In fact, Nawab Akbar Bugti, in an almost prophetic interview to a Pakistan magazine had said several months ago: “General Sahib (Pervez Musharraf) has promised to hit us in such a way that we will not know what hit us. In one sense it is quick death that he is promising us. They could do this to a few Baloch leaders, but not the whole Baloch nation.”

His two colleagues said that he had been killed “in cold blood” by the Pakistan military as instead of seeking safer refuge or exile he had decided to join his people in the hills because of his deep commitment to the cause that he had struggled for decades. Interestingly, the Baloch leaders insisted that Gen. Musharraf by himself was powerless and was just a “puppet in the hands of the Pakistani Army.” They said: “Musharraf himself lives in a bunker now in the night as he is in danger and does not know when he will be attacked.”

They said that policy was being determined by a “clique of generals in league with a powerful lobby of businessmen from Punjab.” The leaders said that the Americans were responsible for the current mess as well because of their short-term strategy. “The instability here is largely due to the wrong US strategy,” they said.


HC to Huda: Maintain status quo on Kokapet

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: A division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday directed the State government to maintain status quo on Kokapet lands which the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) recently auctioned for Rs 703 crores.

The court said the order will not preclude the successful bidders from depositing the bid amount as per the terms of the Huda auction. Our correspondent reports that the Huda, which has collected Rs 430 crores from the bidders, has fixed a September 30 deadline for depositing the remaining amount.

“The bidders were supposed to pay the entire amount in three instalments, and two of those instalments are already up. On request from the bidders we have extended the deadline for the final payment from August 24 to September 30,” Huda secretary P. Venkatarama Reddy told this newspaper.The civic body is now preparing to file a counter before September 11.

The Huda is of the view that the auction was to mobilise resources for mega infrastructure projects and was in tandem with the earlier observations of the court that the best way of disposing government lands was through open auctions. The High Court bench issued the status quo orders following a writ appeal filed by one K.S.B. Ali. Mr Ali complained that the government had auctioned the lands without having valid titles and ownership. Mr Ali had earlier filed a writ claiming that he was the owner of 1,635 acres in Kokapet including the one auctioned by the Huda.

A single judge had dismissed the petition on the ground that a disputed question of fact in regard to the title cannot be decided by the High Court. “Mr Ali has been fighting against the government and private land owners since 1954 and at no stage were his claims entertained by the government,” Mr Venkatarama Reddy told this newspaper.


Talks after Pak tackles terror: PM

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 28: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said peace talks between India and Pakistan can’t proceed unless Islamabad shows its commitment to dismantling terrorist camps on its soil. He said this while addressing a press conference here late on Monday evening.

Asked whether he would meet Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at the coming Havana summit, Dr Singh said, “We can choose our friends, but not our neighbours. There should be no problem in talking with someone. But if Pakistan does not take effective steps to control terrorist activities, the peace process simply cannot progress.”

Describing terrorism as a global phenomenon, Dr Singh said, “Terrorism is a major problem for both Indian and Pakistan. Both the countries have common obligations to tackle it.” Defending the nuclear deal with the US, Dr Singh said, “They (Indian nuclear scientists) had their concerns, but now they are convinced.”


Khushboo’s film role angers PMK

Chennai, Aug. 28: Actress Khushboo is back at the centre of a controversy. Questions are now being raised about the actress being signed to play the role of Maniyammai, the much-revered wife of the Dravidian icon E.V.R. “Periyar” Ramaswamy, in a film on the late social reformer.

Without mentioning Khushboo by name, PMK legislator T. Velmurugan raised the issue in the State Assembly on Monday, asking the DMK government how she could be cast in the role of Maniyammai, a symbol of devotion and sacrifice for the Tamils, when she had said disconcerting things about Tamil women’s chastity. Besides, the Tamil Nadu government had sanctioned Rs 95 lakhs towards the making of the film.

“If the film bags an award, will you also honour her (Khushboo) on stage, this woman who has undermined Tamil culture by her views,” asked Mr Velmurugan. Tamil Nadu information minister Parithi Ilamvazhuthi replied that he would not be able to comment on the film since someone had filed a public interest litigation against the government “wasting” the taxpayer’s money by gifting Rs 95 lakhs for the movie. The minister added: “What’s important is the actor’s histrionic talent, and not who the actor is.”

It is said that director Rajasekar chose Khushboo after using computer graphics to match various filmstars with the face of Maniyammai. Half of the film, featuring Periyar with his first wife Nagammai (played by Malayalam heroine Jyotirmayi), is over and rushes reveal that the director has done an “excellent” job. Shooting of the remaining part of the Tamil socio-political film, which will have Khushboo as Maniyammai, is expected to start in October.

The PMK was at the centre of protests against the actress last year when she said in a media interview that there was nothing wrong with premarital sex as long as the girl protected herself from venereal disease and unwanted pregnancy. Several volunteers, including women belonging to the PMK and its partner in the “Save Tamil Movement”, the Dalit Panthers of India, had filed PILs against Khushboo for her “anti-Tamil” media statement.


Low pressure over Bay intensifies

Visakhapatnam: Sunday’s low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal became well marked on Monday and it is likely to intensify further and concentrate as a depression. Under its influence rain or thundershowers are likely at many places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and at a few places over south coastal Andhra Pradesh during next 48 hours, informed the Cyclone Warning Centre. Strong surface winds from westerly direction with speed reaching 45 to 50 kmph are likely along and off the north coastal Andhra during next 24 hours reports our correspondent.

Rs 200cr drugs seized in Delhi

New Delhi, Aug. 28: In the biggest-ever drug haul in the country, the Delhi police seized 4,400 kg of a banned chemical called methaqualone here on Sunday night, estimated to cost over Rs 200 crores in the international market. One person, Vinod Sharma, 38, has been arrested.

The incident appears to indicate that Delhi, already known as India’s drug capital, may well have graduated into an international transit point of the drugs trade and a safe haven for international drug traffickers. Recent seizures of huge quantities of substances banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act have exposed the trade route of these drug peddlers and their modus operandi.

The accused, Vinod Sharma, who hails from Sitamarhi district of Bihar, was arrested on the basis of a tipoff from the DDA Flats at Kalkaji in south Delhi on Sunday evening with 4 kg of the chemical while he was waiting to deliver the substance to somebody, deputy commissioner of police (south) Anil Shukla said. On interrogation, he told the police about the consignment, which he is learnt to have stolen from a container destined for a foreign destination. The police then raided his shop at Badarpur and recovered 220 sacks of the drug, each weighing 20 kg.

The police said that Vinod was the kingpin of a container pilferage gang for the past 15 years and had siphoned off the drug from a container in connivance with the driver recently. He was at present looking for some drug traffickers through whom he would be able to dispose it off for a good price.

(A PTI report said the huge consignment was meant for delivery in the United States.)
Methaqualone is not used in India, but back in the 1960s it used to be quite popular in the United States, Britain and some parts of Europe. Once the governments of those countries cracked down on the use of methaqualone, it began to lose its popularity there. At present, according to DCP (south) Anil Shukla, it is used quite commonly in some parts of southern Africa.

Interestingly, police officers believe that the container had originated from Gujarat and without going to Mumbai directly, from where it could have been shipped to its destination, the container first came to the international container depot at Badarpur in south Delhi. This, Mr Shukla said, indicated the connivance of some customs officials in international drug trafficking.


AICC cautions CM on Naxals

New Delhi, Aug. 28: The All India Congress Committee has asked Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy to be vigilant against the Naxalites encashing in on Telangana sentiment in the background of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti breaking away from the Congress and its two ministers K. Chandrasekhar Rao and A. Narendra resigning from the Union Council of ministers.

According to the AICC sources on Saturday the party sent a missive to Mr Rajasekhar Reddy to be on the alert against Naxalites. AICC sources said that the Naxalites have managed to spread and penetrate more effectively in the smaller States. This has been proved so far in the case of both Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand, carved out from Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

The smaller States lack the wherewithal in terms of sufficient manpower and infrastructure to check the spread of Naxalites.Since smaller States suit them, the Naxalites encourage the formation of smaller States directly and indirectly, by threatening the elected legislators and also through their very effective propaganda machinery.


Panel to check sexual harassment

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: The Minister for women’s development and child welfare, Ms Rajyalaxmi, disclosed that 29 cases of sexual harassment of women had been reported to the Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission this year. Action was taken in four cases and inquiry was on in the other 25 cases, she told Mr T. Veerabhadram and others in reply to a question in the Assembly.

Ms Rajyalaxmi said that 29 cases had been registered by the CID and 10 persons had been arrested. As per the directives of the Supreme Court, orders had been issued to all departments of the Secretariat, heads of other departments and district collectors to constitute committees to look into complaints of sexual harassment of women at the workplace.

“We propose to conduct awareness camps, workshops and seminars to sensitise employers and women employees,” the minister said. She added that instructions had been issued to top officials to hold such interactions regularly. Meanwhile, AP Women’s Commission chairperson Mary Ravindranath said that the commission had dealt with 1,500 cases so far, mostly pertaining to domestic violence and sexual harassment.

Complaints of sexual harassment were received against some top officials, including Mr Mangapati Rao, IAS, and Mr Vimal Babu, Deputy Controller of Weights and Measures and a senior official of Unani College, she said. “Though the commission had recommended suspension of Mr Vimal Babu, no action was taken by the concerned department,” said Mrs Ravindranath. “But in the case of Unani College, the erring official was shifted.”
According to her, there were lots of complaints pertaining to harassment of women in government departments.

Some women working in private companies including malls had also approached the commission recently complaining of harassment, she said. “We usually summon the accused and the complainant,” said the chairperson. “In many cases, a compromise is reached after the accused apologies to the victim. In cases where the accused denies the charge, an inquiry is ordered,” she added.



Bill to help old, infirm introduced

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: Old and infirm parents cheer up. The government has introduced a bill amending the Code of Criminal Procedure 1873 in its application to the State of Andhra Pradesh to enable parents and eligible children, legitimate or illegitimate, to initiate proceedings under section 125 of the CCP in the place where they reside.

Minister for commercial taxes Konatala Ramakrishna introduced the bill in the Assembly on Monday. The amendment was brought in following observation of larger bench of the AP High Court in the case of Santi Seetharammayya. While disposing of the case, the Court said that considering the problems of old and infirm parents the legislature has given them the right to claim maintenance from their earning children.

“There appears to be no earthly reason as to why the benefit given to wives should not be provided to old parents and eligible children. If the legislature does not consider it fit to enlarge the benefit under section 126 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as it has done in the case of wife, to initiate proceedings at the place where they reside, it would be rather impossible for them to ever get any amount of maintenance and their right to claim maintenance would remain as a dead letter in the statutory book,” the High Court observed.



Money to be paid for ORR ‘victims’

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: The State government will constitute a high-level committee to decide a compensation package for those who lost their lands to the Outer Ring Road (ORR) project. As per preliminary estimates, the compensation package would amount to Rs 500 crore. There are indications that the compensation would be in the range of Rs 5 lakh-Rs 15 lakh for each acre and a thousand square-yard plot in the townships proposed by Huda in the growth corridor.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, who reviewed the ORR project, suggested that the compensation be given in two categories. While cash and alternative land will be given to those who have the ORR passing through their lands, redeemable land bonds will be issued to lands coming under the special amenities zone in the one km growth corridor to be developed all along the ORR.

Sources said that the Chief Minister wanted to counter the opposition attack in the Assembly by explaining the uniqueness of the package. “Besides cash, the land owners will get an alternative land in a developed layout,” said the source. “Given the price escalation, the cost of the developed plot will soon be equal to the cost of the land lost now.”

The government has decided to link up the cash component to the extent of the alternative land. It is also planning to allow options to owners to decide the ratio of cash and land. The committee will decide the ratio on this basis after the compensation package is worked out.



Insurance for sheep from next month

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: The Sheep Insurance Scheme of the State government will be launched in mid-September. The scheme was announced by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy in May. Animal husbandry director Dr L. Mohan said here on Monday that the Rs 55.2 crore scheme was aimed at insuring around 2.17 crore sheep in the State.

While half of the insurance premium will be paid by the government, the remaining amount will be collected from the sheep owners. This will come to Rs 36 per sheep per year.
Under the scheme, the owner will get Rs 1,000 when an adult sheep dies and Rs 500 when a lamb dies. The Chief Minister had announced the scheme when the Blue Tongue Epidemic had killed off around 2.5 lakh sheep in the State last year.

Speaking to this correspondent on the sidelines of the two-day workshop on sheep breeding policy held here, Dr Mohan said that Andhra Pradesh was the only State after Rajasthan to introduce such a scheme. The implementation of the scheme was delayed since the election code had come into effect the day after it was announced. The other factor was lack of information on the number of sheep to be insured per day.

“Now we have got assurance from the insurance companies that they will begin insuring three lakh sheep per week from the middle of next month,” he said. “It is a massive operation and 5,000 institutions will be involved in it.” Besides introducing the scheme, the government is also spending Rs 11 crore to increase production of vaccine for sheep diseases.



18 TRS MLAs suspended

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy on Monday suspended 18 Telangana Rashtra Samiti MLAs from the Assembly when they disrupted proceedings for the fourth day in succession demanding a resolution on the separate Telangana State. The Speaker summoned marshals who physically removed all the agitating MLAs, including the two rebel MLAs — Mr Mandadi Satyanarayana and Mr Narayana Rao Patel — from the House.

Though the other MLAs shouted slogans while being removed, the rebel MLAs stood silently. Following this, the Assembly functioned normally and took up the business listed for the day. The TRS MLAs had stalled proceedings from Wednesday to Friday by moving adjournment motions on Telangana and pressing for a discussion.

Though they challenged the Speaker and the government to suspend them from the House, the ruling party observed restraint and refused to play into their hands. However, on Monday the Speaker finally decided to suspend them for a day after the TRS MLAs rushed to his podium with placards, shouting “Jai Telangana,” and refused to budge from their stand.

Later, the suspended MLAs held a mock Assembly on the Assembly premises, castigating the Congress government for ignoring the Telangana sentiments. Musheerabad MLA Nayani Narasimha Reddy played the role of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and Nerella MLA Kasipeta Lingaiah acted as Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu, while Asifabad MLA Govind Nayak enacted the role of Speaker.



Farmers from 16 districts to benefit from package

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Monday doled out series of measures to help farmers of drought-hit areas, including waiver of interest on farm loans in 16 districts where the incidence of farmers’ suicides are high.

Maintaining that the “Vidarbha like” package would be implemented in the State also, the Chief Minister announced in the Assembly that an assistance of Rs 16,000 crore would be extended to farmers of these 16 districts in different forms. This, he said, is apart from the government spending on irrigation projects that would provide long-term solution.

Intervening in the debate on drought, the Chief Minister said besides waiver of interest on farm loans taken till June 2006, the government would declare a three-year moratorium on recovery of loans. The government will issue fresh loans liberally, he said. As many as nine districts of Telangana, all the four in Rayalaseema and Nellore, Prakasam and Guntur in coastal region will be covered under the like package. The Chief Minister also announced input subsidy, a compensation for loss of crop due to drought, to all the farmers upto a maximum extent of five acres.



Mind your language, KK tells Narendra

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: APCC chief K. Keshava Rao on Monday reacted sharply to the remarks of former Union minister and senior TRS leader A. Narendra that the initials ‘KK’ in his name stood for ‘Kaun Kiska’ (a non-entity person).

“The TRS leader should mind his language. The vulgar and cheap language of TRS will not help their cause. It is better they work for Telangana rather than sabotage it by such talk. The TRS must know that they have no popularity base. The issue could be genuine, but not their language or actions,” he said.

Addressing a press conference, the APCC chief released documents to prove that Narendra had signed papers agreeing for the second States Reorganisation Commission. The Congress is committed to second SRC.



TD grills CM on ayacut

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Monday threw a challenge to Opposition parties to verify his claims on creating 7.56 lakh acres of additional ayacut by the end of this Kharif season.

Intervening in the debate on drought conditions in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said though the government could not provide irrigation facilities to 1.3 lakh acres as announced earlier under certain projects, the department succeeded in creating an additional ayacut of 1.36 lakh acres in other areas. “We will provide village-wise data on the new ayacut and it is for the Opposition to go and verify our claims,” he said.

The Telugu Desam, however, pooh-poohed the claims, stating that half of the ayacut mentioned by the latter was yet to receive water. “For several projects mentioned by the Chief Minister, the flow of water, even according to the government records, will be either in October or November,” the TD members shouted.

TD whip E. Dayakar Rao scored a point over the Chief Minister when he revealed that not a single acre under Devadula project got water notwithstanding the claims of creating an ayacut of one lakh acres



APHB told to halt land allotments

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: The Congress government is in a fix over giving away prime lands belonging to the AP Housing Board for a meagre price even as a House Committee is probing into the land allotments made by the previous government. The committee which met here on Monday under the chairmanship of B. Govardhan asked the board to stop further allotment till the inquiry is completed. Other members are P. Janardhan Reddy, K. Harishwar Reddy (TD) and Lakshma Reddy.

Sources said the TD member sought to justify the land allotments made by his government on the grounds that the board was continuing with the allotments after 2004 also. The committee members allegedly pulled up APHP managing director S.N. Mohanty for his observations that the APHB lacked expertise and trained staff to take up mega infrastructure projects and was hence giving lands to private parties on equity basis. Mr Janardhan Reddy angrily reminded Mr Mohanty that the multi-storied office building in which he was sitting was constructed by the APHB.

Data submitted by the officials revealed that the Congress government was on par with the TD government in “gifting” away prime lands to select companies. The board alloted land to three parties on the same day at Gachibowli but the rates were different. Sources said the board alloted land on November 19, 2004, to DLF Universal at Rs 2.20 crore per acre, Ramky Infrastructure at Rs 1.01 crore and Embassy Unity Consortium at Rs 45 lakh per acre.

The committee found that the APHB allotted about 100 acres to the Raheja group, 35 acres to Sisco, 9 acres to Manjeera Constructions, 65 acres to Embassy Unity Consortium and 50 acres to Indu Projects for a meagre price. The Congress member is believed to have hauled up Mr Mohanty for allowing the promoters of IJM Malaysia township to construct 11 floors against the approved five. He asked how had the government allowed purchasers to occupy flats without fire services Department and municipal authorities issuing occupancy certificate.



65-year-old murdered in Banjara Hills

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: A 65-year-old woman, Swarnalata Gangwal, was murdered by unidentified persons at her palatial residence on Road No. 12 of Banjara Hills on Monday.
According to police, the victim’s son, Anil, 33, fou-nd her body when he retur-ned home around 6 pm and informed the police. Anil is unmarried and lived in the house with his mother. They own shares in Hyderabad Asbestos company.

The woman’s head was battered with a rod. Stab injuries were also found on her body. Initial investigations revealed that about Rs 5,000 was stolen even though large amounts of cash was in the house. Also, the miscreants did not ransack the house. CLUES team, fingerprint experts, dogs squad were pressed into service to collect evidence from the scene of offence.

West Zone DCP Amit Garg said that the murder might have taken place between 3 and 6 pm. No watchman was present at the house. Police are investigating into various angles including murder for gain and family disputes.



DGP’s wife to appear in court

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: The first additional metropolitan sessions court on Monday ordered Ms Anita Sen, wife of Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen, to appear in the court on August 31 for the hearing of an adoption racket case. Ms Sen surrendered her passport to the court on Monday through her counsel.

When contacted, additional public prosecutor Challa Seshu Reddy said that Ms Sen had got permission from the High Court to go to United States for two months. “She has to surrender her passport after the date expires. On August 28, she was to appear in court and submit the passport. She did not appear but submitted the passport.”

Charges have not been framed against Ms Sen in the adoption case. Defence counsel had earlier sought time for filing a discharge petition. Ms Sen was president of Precious Moments which did not have the CARA (Central Adoption Resource Agency) permission to offer children in adoption. The charge-sheet states that from 1997 to April 2001, Ms Sen was involved in child adoption.



Government given 7 days to file report

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: A division bench of the AP High Court on Monday granted seven days to the State government for filing a comprehensive report on the quantum of ground water that is being used in the process of manufacturing soft drinks. The bench passed the orders responding to a letter written by one Gollapudi Rama Rao of Khammam district complai-ning presence of solid particles in a soft drink bottle.

Hearing on firing ends
A division bench of the AP High Court on Monday concluded hearing of a writ petition, arising out of a letter in the incident of police firing at Gangavaram. The commissioner of police Visakhapatnam, V.S.K. Kaumudi, on Monday appeared before a division bench of the High Court which took note of the same as the court wanted to know why a letter was addressed to the registrar of the High Court when the matter was pending adjudication. The arguments concluded and the court would pronounce the order at a later date.

Bench hears encounter cases
A three-member bench comprising Justice Bilal Nazki, Justice L. Narasimha Reddy and Justice G. Yethirajulu of the AP High Court on Monday concluded hearing of the cases pertaining to register of criminal cases under section 302 IPC against police personnel who participate in the encounter.

The bench was dealing with a reference which emanated as the two different benches of the High court laid down conflicting views in registering cases in the incident of encounters.
The bench declared that it would pronounce the judgment at a later date.



Cops begin hunt for woman consultant

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: Saifabad police launched a hunt for a woman consultant who allegedly duped five nurses of Rs 17 lakhs to secure visas to New Zealand and Australia.
Saifabad police booked a case of cheating against Sheeba Rani, wife of Daniel of AWHO Vedvihar in Trimulgherry.

Saifabad inspector K.V. Rama Narasimha Reddy said, “We registered the case on the complaint lodged by one Sheeba Mol MG, a former nurse. Rani had allegedly collected Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh from each candidate but failed to secure a visa for them.” He said Rani was absconding.



‘Chor’ Abbas’s brother stabbed by rival gang

Hyderabad, Aug. 28: Intergang rivalry claimed another life in the city. Ahmed Hussain, 25, brother of notorious gangster late Syed Abbas Hussain alias ‘Chor’ Abbas of Chatrinaka, was found stabbed to death on roadside near Royal Function Hall at Chowk Maidan in Mirchowk on Monday. Police suspect ‘Chor’ Abbas’ rival Mohsin of Ashamabad to be behind the murder.

Ahmed Hussain was the eyewitness to the killing of his 26-year-old brother. Mirchowk police said Mohsin and his two brothers Farooq and Mukarram, who were arrested by Falaknuma police in connection with ‘Chor’ Abbas’ murder, were released on bail from jail a week ago.

Mirchowk inspector D. Surya Prakash said, “The body of Ahmed Hussain, a resident of Shaheen Nagar in Chandrayangutta, was found beside a dustbin.” ‘Chor’ Abbas, a history sheeter who was accused in at least 40 cases including murder, attempt to murder and thefts, was murdered on March 7 this year. ‘Chor’ Abbas was allegedly invited by Mohsin for a drink at the railway tracks near Falaknuma police station and stabbed to death. Ahmed Hussain, who was also at the spot, however had survived the attack.


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