| Karaka (Visakhapatnam), Sept. 1: A green hillock overlooking the small hamlet of Karaka, 90 kms from Visakhapatnam, is literally a secret treasure mound. If geologists are to be believed, the hillock, spread over 32 km, contains precious gemstones ready for the picking. The mushrooming of millionaires in the area overnight has added credence to the claim of geologists.
As one approaches the village from Narsipatnam, a sign board put by the revenue department warns against gemstone quarrying and urges vehicles to get registered at the panchayat office. Ironically, the panchayat office has been closed down for the last two years. The road ends at the forest department thana (office) which was also shut down in March 2005.
Nearby is the palatial house owned by one of the most successful gem traders in the village, Anipareddy Demudu, popularly known as Karaka Demudu. He is just 28 and if villagers are to be believed, he is worth crores of rupees. Dame Luck smiled on this school dropout after he chanced upon a huge Alexandrite (Vaiduryam) deposit.
This made him a millionaire in a matter of months. He wanted to spend Rs 1 crore on his marriage last month but friends advised him against such open display of wealth. But Demudu cannot resist the temptation. “I am satisied with what I have now and I have no future plans,” says Demudu, who saunters in the village wearing expensive shirts and trousers.
He owns three buildings in Narsipatnam town, one in the village and also owns agricultural lands in East Godavari. Similarly, Korra Ramakrishna, who once made a living by running a trolley tea shop, has become a rich man overnight after chancing upon precious gems. Some distance from his house, hundreds of labourers were grading mud and stones dug from the quarry in pond while henchmen of traders kept a sharp look out for strangers. These labourers have come from interior villages of East Godavari and nearby villages of Narsipatnam and Anakapalle. Traders give them foodgrain and some money for consuming liquor.
They have been told to dig on until they chance upon precious stones. If they come across one, traders pay them Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000, depending on the size. This is motivation enough to keep on digging.
The stones are then sold to traders from Rajasthan, Orissa and Chennai who land up in Vishakapatnam. Needless to say, traders get a handsome margin. “This has been going on for the last 10 years but the real boom came in the last five years,” said a villager.
“Narsipatnam was famous for dacoities and riots,” said a retired teacher, Mr K. Suresh. “But everyone has turned to gemstone quarrying now”. The trading goes on under the nose of the forest department (Karaka falls under reserve forest), police and the mining department. However, they usually choose to turn their head away. In 1997, government agencies stepped in and leased out eight mines for six months. “The government should intervene in a better and more scientific manner,” said Mr Kasipathi. “It should take up the whole venture to prevent accidents and flight of revenue to other States.”
|
| Visakhapatnam/ New Delhi, Sept. 1: Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command Vice-Admiral Sureesh Mehta has been named as the new Chief of Indian Navy at the Naval Headquarters. The government announced the appointment on Friday, two months ahead of the retirement of Admiral Arun Prakash who retires on October 31. “It was all very open, anyone could have been chosen for the top post,” said Vice-Admiral Mehta talking to this newspaper soon after the announcement. Asked how he would organise the Navy, he said priorities have been set into motion by his predecessors and he would follow up on various issues in proper perspective. The Vice-Admiral had assumed command of the premier Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Indian Navy on September 30, 2005. During his tenure, the ENC had been involved in numerous operational missions in the Bay of Bengal and South East Asia. It was during his tenure that the first ever President’s Fleet Review on the Eastern Seaboard was held on February 12 this year which saw the participation of over 66 ships and 50 aircraft of the combined Indian Fleet. While in New Delhi, Vice-Admiral Mehta held various illustrious appointments including that of Deputy Chief-of-Naval staff, director-general coast guards, chief of personnel, controller of personnel services, assistant chief of personnel (HRD) and assistant controller carrier projects. He had also commanded the Western Fleet a few years ago, during Operation Parakram. The 59-year-old Vice-Admiral had joined the Navy in 1967 as an aviator. Born on August 18, 1947, Vice-Admiral Mehta is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in Navy in July 1967. He is a graduate of prestigious Defense Services Staff College Wellington, National Defence College, New Delhi. He is an aviator of the old mould having joined the fleet air arm early and extensively operated from earlier aircraft carrier INS Vikrant flying conventional jets the Sea Hawk. His earlier important afloat and ashore appointments include the command of the frigates INS Beas and INS Godavari and also Naval Air Station INS Garuda. The Admiral was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 1995 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2005 for his exceptional meritorious services. The tenure of the current Chief, Admiral Arun Prakash, has been marked by the Navy’s efforts to modernise its fleet, and also by the assistance it rendered to countries in the immediate neighbourhood, such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives, as well as the extended neighbourhood like Indonesia. India had also offered help to Southeast Asian countries recently to combat the activities of the pirates who were threatening the safety and security of the seas in India’s neighbourhood. However, Admiral Prakash’s tenure has also been overshadowed by the Naval War Room leak case detected last year, in which his relative Ravi Shankaran, a former naval officer, is still absconding. |
| New Delhi, Sept. 1: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy is out to beat his predecessor N. Chandrababu Naidu even at the game of securing largesse to the State from the Centre. In the six years of the NDA regime at the Centre, Mr Naidu prided in securing all the financial demands made by him for the State. On Thursday, Dr Reddy almost managed Rs 51,316 crores for several plans and programmes in the State. Dr Reddy held a series of meetings with Union ministers including agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and finance minister P. Chidambaram. There he demanded Rs 3,516 crores as flood relief from the Cyclone Relief Fund and Rs 1,000 crores to build bunds along the Godavari river to prevent future flooding. In addition, he sought Rs 100 crores for rebuilding four lakh houses under the Indira Awas Yojana. He asked for Rs 11,000 crore for the 16 districts where the incidence of farmers’ suicides are the highest and then sought Rs 40,000 crores for irrigation schemes in the State. The Centre, Dr Reddy later told the media, has almost agreed to all his demands.As for the Rs 1,1000 crore Vidarbha-type package, it is almost finalised, he said. Of this, Rs 5,000 crores will be made available by the Centre and Rs 6,000 crore will be mobilised by the State. Under this package Rs 1,430 crores will go by the way of waiver of interest up to June 2006 of the loans taken by farmers. Additionally, the principal has been rescheduled and can be paid over a period of seven years. Also, the farmers will now be entitled to secure more loans from the banks. The whole proposal is likely to be put up by the agriculture ministry to the Union Cabinet for its approval next Thursday, assured Mr Pawar. Mr Pawar told Dr Reddy that the Centre has no scheme under which it can offer Rs 1,000 crores for the construction of bunds. He, however, agreed on the need for this and wondered how he could mobilise this amount. On the flood front, the Central inter-ministerial team of senior officers has already returned from Andhra Pradesh after making its assessment and the Centre may release the amount shortly, said the Chief Minister.Therefore, the Chief Minister dismissed lightly all contentious political issues and said, “The amount of work being done not only in Telangana but in other backward regions of the State is very unique. This sort of development activity was never undertaken earlier. I am quite sure people will be able to see this. If they are satisfied then that will can answer many of your political questions,“ he said. Talking of the fear expressed that the TRS which has just walked out of an alliance with the Congress could exploit the situation and whip up sentiments against the Congress government in the State. |
| Islamabad, Sept. 1: Pakistan’s high commissioner to Sri Lanka, Col. Bashir Wali Mohammad (Retd), has openly accused India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), of having masterminded the attempt on his life in Colombo a few weeks ago. The perception had been that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had been behind the bomb attack in the Sri Lankan capital in mid-August in which the Pakistani diplomat had a narrow escape. But Col. Wali, who returned here from Sri Lanka a week ago, said that this was not so and that it was RAW which had been behind the attack. He went on to accuse the Indian agency of “starting a proxy war in a third country.” It may be recalled that the attack took place in the heart of Colombo on August 14, Pakistan’s independence day, while the high commissioner was in his official Mercedes on his way to attend a function after hoisting his country’s flag at the high commission. The Indian and South African cricket teams were in nearby hotels when the blast took place, and the blast and its aftereffects led to the abandonment of the tri-nation series which had brought them there. While Col. Wali had a narrow escape, a number of Sri Lankan commandos escorting him had been killed, as well as three civilian bystanders. Col. Wali, a former intelligence chief in Pakistan who had served on a number of diplomatic assignments before being named high commissioner to Colombo, noted that the LTTE had not only not claimed responsibility for the attack, it had also vehemently denied all media reports about its involvement.
|
| Mecca, Sept. 1: The suggestion that women be excluded from certain areas of the Grand Mosque in Mecca has generated a massive debate across the Muslim world. Not surprisingly, the loudest comments have come from Saudi women. The new arrangements, proposed by a special committee of Saudi clerics, suggest that the present prayer area for women in the Omataaf — the open, white-marbled area in the immediate vicinity of the Kaaba — be shifted to two other locations on the ground floor of the majestic Grand Mosque. The Kaaba, a black silk covered cube-shaped structure in the centre of the mosque, is Islam’s holiest shrine. It is toward Kaaba that Muslims around the world turn when praying. “The Omataaf area is very small and crowded. So we decided to get women out of the Osahn or Omataaf to a better place from where they can see the Kaaba and have more space,” Osama Al-Bar, head of the Mecca-based Institute for Haj Research, was quoted as saying by news agencies last week. “We have to take into consideration that it is very difficult to expand the Omataaf,” he said. “Some women think it isn’t good, but from our point of view it will be better for them... We can sit with them and explain to them what the decision is all about,” said Mr Al-Bar. “The decision is not final and could be reversed,” he added. Saudi women remain unconvinced and say the move smacks of discrimination. “The main problem with this proposal is that it denies women the right to pray near the Kaaba,” wrote Ms Hatoon Al-Fassi, the Riyadh-based Saudi historian, in her widely-discussed article in Al-Eqtisadiah Arabic daily. She says, and rightly so, that throughout Islamic history, “from the earliest days of Islam,” women were never banned from praying in the mataaf or any other parts of the Grand Mosque. Saudi columnist Abeer Mishkhas argued on the same lines. “Since the dawn of Islam, women have prayed near the Kaaba and now, after more than 1,400 years, they are suddenly fo-und to be blocking men’s way and so have to be moved. How strange it is th-at we, as a society which co-nstantly talks of traditions and how we value them, se-em about to cast aside one of the oldest traditions of our blessed religion,” she said. Many people no longer know the situation decades ago with regards to women at Saudi Arabia’s two holy mosques. Huge numbers of pilgrims only started arriving in the kingdom in the 1980s, due to the proliferation of affordable air transport. Before that time, outside the seasons for Haj and Umrah, the holy mosques were largely the province of Muslims in Saudi Arabia and Arabs from nearby lands. Older women in Saudi Arabia remember that going to the Grand Mosque in Mecca was a casual sort of weekend outing. They would bring their children to the mosque and stay there with friends and family for hours. Dates and biscuits would be packed to keep the youngsters quiet and nursing mothers had no hesitation in putting their infants to the breast while engaged in quiet contemplation after evening prayer. “Young children would hold on to their mothers’ robes as they performed Otawaf (circumabulation). It was even common to see women carry babies in arms during the rituals. The atmosphere then was relaxed and carefree,” recalled Umm Kulthoom, a Saudi mother of three, with a tinge of nostalgia. Some of the supporters of the new arrangements say the main reason why the authorities want to move the women out of the mataaf is because the area of the courtyard in which women sit does get very congested. Apparently, there are various incidents of people falling over, being crushed and pushed around in this area. “There are a number of reasons behind this,” said a longtime British resident of Mecca. “One, people slowing down for Oistilam (the ritual that is carried out at the beginning of every circuit of the circumabulation at the Black Stone); two, people joining the throng of circumbulators to begin the Otawaf; three, people wanting to pray their two units of prayer immediately behind the Maqam-e-Ibrahim; and four, people walking in the opposite direction after finishing their Otawaf,” he said. | TTD, ASI fight over temple | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) and the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) are caught in a row over who should manage the historic Srinivasa Mangapuram temple near Tirupati. The temple was built by the Vijayanagara kings. It is the usual practice of devotees to visit Srinivasa Mangapuram temple after having darshan of Lord Balaji in Tirumala. Puranas say that Lord Balaji, after marrying Goddess Padmavati, stayed there on the advice of Sage Agasthya. According to records, the temple, which is a protected monument, has been under the control of ASI since 1921. TTD has been overseeing its administration but has to seek permission from ASI for construction work in and around the temple. Apparently to redress this, TTD executive officer A.P.V.N. Sarma wrote a letter to the Union tourism secretary on August 11 requesting that the temple be removed from the list of protected monuments. TTD wanted to conduct repairs in the temple with the consent of Agama advisers, but it was not able to do this due to the ASI rules, he said. However, ASI officials said they were not against providing more facilities to devotees. |  |
|
State steps in to scuttle farmers’ suicide | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept 1: Farmers are again committing suicide in the drought-hit regions of the State. In Anantapur alone, 10 farmers resorted to the extreme step in August. Reports of suicides have also come in from Kurnool. Alarmed at the renewed spate of suicides, agriculture minister N. Raghuveera Reddy directed district officials to approach farmers in distress and counsel them. They should apprise farmers on the benefits of the “Vidarbha-model package” to be implemented in the State. Mr Raghuveera Reddy said enquiries revealed that seven out of the 10 suicides in Ananthapur were “farm-related.” The minister asked farmers not to panic as the government had decided to waive interest on farm loans taken till June 2006 and had also announced a three-year moratorium on recovery of loans. “Farmers’ suicides are a shame to the society and the government has never tried to hide the incidence of suicides,” he said, and pointed out that States which had kept such issues under wraps were now coming out to get Central aid.Mr Raghuveera Reddy admitted that the dry spell had created a grim situation in six districts — Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur, Prakasam, parts of Kurnool and Mahbubnagar. Against the usual sowing area of 69.06 lakh hectares in the Kharif season, only 60.80 lakh hectares have been brought under cultivation this year. “We are still hoping that rains will help increase the cultivated area,” he said. Regarding allegations about AP Seeds Corporation supplying spurious green gram seeds in Kurnool district, the minister said that the seeds supplied were actually meant for the Rabi season. The company had been asked to deposit Rs 50 lakhs to be paid to farmers as compensation, he said. The minister disclosed that the World Agriculture Forum had invited Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy as chief guest for the World agricultural ministers’ conference to be held in United States in May 2007. “This is a recognition of our efforts,” he said. | |
|
KCR to intensify stir after Oct. 15 | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K. Chandrasekhar Rao and senior party leader A. Narendra have decided to intensify the Telangana agitation after October 15. The TRS also threatened to gherao Telangana ministers as a part of their campaign. Mr Rao told media persons that he would return to Delhi after the September 8 public meeting at Siddipet to consult UPA partners on the T-issue and if no fruitful result crops up, TRS would quit the UPA government too. “After the Siddipet public meeting, we will go to Delhi. It will be our moral duty to seek the opinion of our 37 UPA friends and partners before parting ways. If nothing concrete comes out on Telangana, will write a letter to President of India withdrawing support to the UPA government,” Mr Rao said. He added that he had discussed at length with party MPs, MLAs and other party leaders and decided to constitute party units from village to State-level from September 15 to October 15. Newly appointed party general secretaries would set-up units at grass-root level. “Once this process is completed, myself and Mr Narendra will hit the road from October 15 and expose the Congress party and seek support from the people for the cause of Telangana. Telangana dhum dham programme with 50 odd artists will also tour the region,” he explained. | |
|
Only CM’s men are benefited, alleges Mysoora | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: The Telugu Desam on Friday described the Congress government in the State as a “private limited company”. Addressing a press conference at NTR Bhavan here, Rajya Sabha member and Telugu Desam official spokesperson M.V. Mysoora Reddy alleged the Congress government is beneficial to just one per cent of people. “Only a handful of people close to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy now stand to benefit. The ordinary man is neglected,” he pointed out. Mr Mysoora Reddy said the Congress government was paving the way for privatisation of APSRTC to please the World Bank. So far 1,116 km of APSRTC route has been handed over to private operators. While the previous TD government had levied an additional tax burden of just Rs 9 crore in its nine years of rule, the present Congress government had imposed Rs 9 crore additional burden in just two years. When his attention was drawn to the statement of TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao that mid-term polls are in the offing for the Lok Sabha, Mysoora Reddy simply quipped, “KCR is an expert in fixing deadlines”.
| |
|
House no to JV for Nizam’s Sugars | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: The House Committee on Nizam Sugars has recommended cancellation of the joint venture with the Delta Paper Mills, besides ordering a probe against senior Telugu Desam leaders and former ministers Y. Ramakrishnudu, E. Peddi Reddy and K. Vidyadhar Rao, who constituted the Cabinet Sub-Committee that cleared the deal during the previous Telugu Desam regime. House Committee chairman J. Rathnakar Rao submitted the report to Assembly Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy on Thursday. While recommending a probe against the Cabinet Sub-Committee members, particularly Ramakrishnudu in “approving the wrong offer of Delta Paper Mills”, it noted that otherwise the DPM would have not been entered in a second phase and there would have no joint venture. The JV, it said, had resulted in loss of hundreds of crores of rupees to the State government, besides depriving the cane growers the existing facilities and “gifting away” government assets worth over hundreds of crores. It also stated that the Cabinet Sub-Committee members had approved the proposal at the CSC meeting with the chief minister on August 1, 2001 to process it under Swiss Challenge Method against all norms/rules and AP Infrastructure Development Act, 2001. The panel recommended action against then principal secretary, public enterprises department.
| |
|
Concern over fall in sown area | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: Eminent economist and former Union minister Yoginder K. Alagh on Friday expressed concern over the steep fall in the net sown area under crops in the country. Delivering the S.K. Dey Birth Centenary Memorial Lecture at the National Institute of Rural Development here, Alagh said Indian agricultural growth had fallen and so had investment and profitability of agriculture. “Agricultural revival is an important aspect of a vibrant rural economy. The agricultural growth rate fell from around 3.2 per cent annual in the 80s to around 1.7 per cent in the last decade and is slower now. Profitability fell by 15 per cent in the period since 1990-91,” he pointed out. He said growth in net area sown, which was at around one per cent in the early period of planning, fell to around 0.6 per cent and then to 0.3 per cent in subsequent decades. Now nothing is growing. For the first time in Indian economic history the net area sown has gone down by eight million hectares. “It would be imprudent to brush aside the decline in cropped area as the result of drought. But in the 80s even in the second year of drought NAS was 134 million hectares and it was 139.58 million hectares in 1986/87. More basic factors seem to be now at play. We need to disentangle the “drought” effect from these more basic factors leading to diversion of land from agriculture and this needs analysis with statistical and GIS data and field level verification,” Alagh observed. | |
|
Shoe design kicks up a row | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: Footwear with designs resembling the word ‘Allah’ in Arabic were withdrawn from showrooms on Friday after Muslims protested. The design appeared on the soles of the Glider brand of shoes brought out by Liberty Footwear. It is learnt that the brand was manufactured in Taiwan where the design was also imprinted. According to company executives, it was actually a design clubbing together 97 and 89, the code for the particular model, which accidentally resembled the Arabic word for God.
Police swung into action as soon as Muslims protested and deployed personnel at Mecca Masjid and other parts of the Old City and Secunderabad to prevent untoward incidents.
Fearing attacks, Liberty showrooms downed their shutters despite police ensuring security. Shoe samples were taken from showrooms and examined by Police Commissioner A.K. Mohanty along with Additional Commissioner (Traffic) A.K. Khan. The issue cropped up on Thursday night after Jamiat Ulema State President Hafiz Peer Shabbir Ahmed issued a statement condemning the designs on the soles of the shoes. He termed it a conspiracy to hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims. He said that he was informed about this by his counterpart in Karnataka, who chanced upon it while buying shoes. MIM MLA Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi said, “The manufacturers should also take care to ensure that religious sentiments of various communities are respected.” | |
|
State defends changes on ORR alignment | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: The State government on Friday justified the changes in the alignment of Outer Ring Road (ORR) which it said were effected either to minimise damage to existing structures and hamlets or protect water bodies. At an all-party meet on ORR convened by mines, IT and infrastructure minister Sabita Indra Reddy, the project director, Piyush Kumar, said because of the care taken by the government only 60 structures were affected in the 140-km stretch of the second phase. He also said that out of 61 cases filed against the acquisition process, all the 22 cases in which judgements were delivered were in government’s favour. The ORR project officials sought to dispel doubts of Opposition on land acquisition process in a scientific manner and even exhibited a short film with music and graphics explaining the features of ORR as well the change in the profile of the city the project is expected to bring. Supported with satellite maps Mr Piyush Kumar explained the alignment aspects at AP Police Academy, Shamshabad and Pedda Amberpet. But when it came to the alignment at Shamirpet, which was changed thrice, the Opposition accused the State of effecting changes to benefit three resorts located in the area. Mr Piyush said the change had to effected since a direction was provided by Pollution Control Board to maintain 500 mts distance from the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar.
When Opposition sought to know whether land belonging to GVK industries was saved from acquisition after the alignment change, he said GVK lost 35 acres after the change. Contrary to allegations of changing the alignment more than once at Shamshabad, Mr Piyush said only one notification was given for land acquisition. More land is required because of the Clover Leaf junction and Trumpet Junction near the airport, he said. | |
|
SHRC notice on 4-yr-old’s death | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: The Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has served separate notices to the management of JBR School and Cyberabad Police to explain their stand on the accident in which a 4-year-old student, Ravi Teja, died in front of his school in Old Safilguda. SHRC Chairman also asked the JBR school management to explain how the accident occurred and what precautions they have taken to ensure the safety of school children during their transportation, and also once they enter the school premises. The commission also asked the Cyberabad police to enquire into the incident and submit a report on steps taken to regulate traffic at school zones under its limits. The reports on this case have to be submitted to the SHRC before September 29. The SHRC also served notice to Jeedimetla police along with Cyberabad Police Commissioner on the incident in which a house wife, Asha Begum, was chained by her husband and tortured for months. he Commission chairman Justice B. Subhashan Reddy asked the Cyberabad Police Commissioner to ensure that a full-fledged enquiry is conducted into the incident. This report has to be submitted to SHRC before October 24. The two cases were taken up by SHRC following reports published in print media including this newspaper.
| |
|
Action plan to check illegal constructions | | |
| | Hyderabad Sept. 1: A division bench of AP High Court on Friday directed the State government to come up with an action plan in implementing the the expert committee suggestions to control the menace of unauthorised and illegal constructions by September 27 and to amend the various statutory provisions. The bench also took on record the report submitted by the Chief Judge, City Civil Court, who gave list of the number of cases that are pending before the various courts. The bench observed inequitable distribution of cases and directed the chief judge to impress upon the concerned courts to expedite the disposal of the pending cases before them. Judges to meet with police
A division bench of AP High Court on Friday directed the District and Sessions Judges to conduct meetings with the police officials to ensure the execution of huge number of non bailablewarrants that are pending execution. The bench directed the Home Secretary to ensure attendance of police officers to the meetings called by the district judges in the State and to act according to the instructions without fail. The orders were passed on a writ petition filed by V. Sita Ramaiah. It was earlier brought to the court’s notice that more than seventy five thousand non bailable warrants are pending execution. Notice to HUDA on ORR
A division bench of AP High Court on Friday directed the State government to maintain status quo in regard to the land acquisition proceedings initiated for the proposed Outer Ring Road. The bench also issued notice to the unofficial respondents HUDA chairman Sudheer Reddy, APIIC Chairman and Congress leader Ambati Rambabu. The bench also directed the State government, HUDA and other respondents to file their counter by September 18. The bench was dealing with the writ filed by S.B.Kirloskar and others. It may be recalled that on 18 of this month Justice G.Raghu Ram of AP High court stayed all further proceedings pursuant to the notification issued after the change in alignment of Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Kadlakoi village, Medchalmandal for two weeks. Habeas Corpus adjourned
A division bench of AP High Court comprising Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice M. Venkateswara Reddy on Friday adjourned the Habeas Corpus Writ Petition seeking production of CPI ML Janashakti secretary Rajanna, who was alleged to have been apprehended by police officials at Barabaula Bus Stand in Uttar Pradesh. The petition was filed by his wife who alleged that the Special Investigation Bureau had arrested her husband along with others and there was a threat to his life as the police may kill them on the way from Uttar Pradesh to Andhra Pradesh on the pretext of self defence. | |
|
MCH to implement fire-safety norms | | |
| | Hyderabad, Sept. 1: MCH Commissioner Sanjay Jaju has warned that high-rise builders would be prosecuted if they had not complied with the High Court specifications on Fire Safety Act and HMC Act. He said MCH will issue occupancy certificates only after the fire-safety norms were fully implemented. He warned them to comply, with the safety measures before September 10, failing which severe action would be taken including sealing of the premises. |
|
