Officials involved with the ‘power from waste’ project say they can’t handle two unions, the bureaucracy, and their woes.

It’s a sad saga of democratic freedom misused. The well-meaning work of making wealth from waste contracted with Ramky Engineering Company in 2009 now suffers from union woes. Translated crudely, it means the new TRS-affiliated union wants its cut. The BJP-led union was in power when the pact was inked.

“Honestly, we can’t handle two unions and the ossified bureaucracy,” said an official linked to the project. He said that the GHMEU is gunning for its share while BMEU, which was ousted in the recent elections, was the one benefited from the project. Now the workers are not cooperating. And the workers are controlled by the unions.

Currently, Ramky is getting 3,500 to 3,800 tonnes of waste every day, which is converted into Urea (compost). If the deal is completely implemented the GHMC would be paying `1,430 per tonne, but it’s actually paying `570 per tonne.

The reason is that Ramky is only collecting waste directly from Jawahar Nagar (40 per cent of the process). If door-to-door collection (40 per cent) and transportation (20 per cent) be included, then Ramky will get complete payment, ie `1,430 per tonne. Environmentalists and scientists have warned that if the City does not take care of its solid wastes, danger of epidemic awaits the citizens. But the officials and unions are least bothered by these bleak prospects.

What’s the pact?

In 2008, Ramky entered into an agreement with the GHMC for taking up the integrated solid waste management project and started pre-construction works at Jawahar Nagar dumping yard. As per the agreement, Ramky would get 2,400 metric tonnes (MTs) of the total 3,800 MTs of garbage generated daily in the City once it starts implementing the project.

However, the corporation recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sri Venkateshwara Power Projects and agreed to give 700 MTs daily to generate power as the municipal administration and urban development. As per the contract of 2009, Ramky will do door-to-door collection of waste from all over the City. Waste will be transported from the transfer stations (Lower Tankbund, Yousufguda and Imlibun) to disposal sites (Jawaharnagar) for processing.

According to officials, among the three phases, only treatment (40 per cent) is being done by Ramky (from Jawahar Nagar to treatment plant for converting it into urea). Door-to-door collection (40 per cent) and transportation from disposal sites to Jawahar Nagar (20 per cent) is still being controlled by the GHMC, under pressure from workers.

Has the budget session been postponed just to spite the BJP?

Political rivalry again took centre stage in the general body meeting of the GHMC today when the mayor, in an apparent collusion with the Congress, kept only the condolence meeting on agenda and suspended the meeting for the day. It was supposed to begin the all-important budget session today.

The meeting began 20 minutes past 10am. Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain called the meeting to order and took up the condolence meeting for the first woman mayor, Sarojini Pullareddy, who died the other day. Three members spoke and the motion was passed. Then, with no valid reason, the mayor announced suspension of the meeting for the rest of the day.

All hell broke loose. The TDP and BJP, who were taken by surprise, rushed after the mayor, who went to his chambers. The counsellors chased him and tried to barge into his chambers. The mayor had already summoned the police and the cops took the protesting TDP and BJP corporators in custody. They included TDP floor leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy and BJP floor leader Bangaru Prakash. The protesting corporators alleged conspiracy by the Congress and MIM and demanded removal of the mayor, who they said was playing petty politics at the cost of the City.

It became clear that the ruling partners, MIM and Congress, had a tacit understanding on the issue of keeping BJP corporator Uday Kumar (of Langer House) out of the council by not allowing him to take the oath.

The temperature is rising in the GHMC building. All the drama the ruling MIM created during the GB meeting on February 2 was a cover to enable it to get a possible stay from Supreme Court on the HC order declaring the BJP winner of Langer House.

 The MIM which has unabashedly pulled all stops to prevent the BJP corporator of Langer House from taking oath is still hopeful that the Supreme Court will provide them a cover.

“After several rejections, the apex court has recently accepted the case under special petition,” a source said. The hearing for admission may take place on February 14.

The MIM floor leader, Md Nazeeruddin admitted it as much. Ravi Yadav who lost the case in the High Court does not wish to comment. “The case is in the court. What is there to talk about?” he said.

Meanwhile BJP’s Uday Kumar, who was adjudged corporator of Langer House, is trying his best to win the case by filing a counter petition. “They will obviously lose but by all means I am trying to evade the possibility of a stay,” said the BJP aspirant.

Even as the MIM and BJP wage a silent war in Delhi the TDP floor leader, Singireddy Srinivas Reddy has demanded smooth functioning of the General Body meeting on February 6 or the removal of the mayor for failing his duties.

“The decision of disqualification of the mayor now rests with the chief minister. If on February 6 a similar furor is created and the meeting is disrupted then I shall approach the governor. If the government is not serious about finding a solution to this I shall approach the High Court,” he said.

According to 679-B of the GHMC Act, the government’s power to remove the mayor or deputy mayor:

1.  The government may by notification in the AP Gazette, remove the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor who, in their opinion willfully omits or refuses to carry out or disobeys the provisions of this Act or any rules, by-laws, regulations or lawful orders issued there under or abuses his position of the powers vested in him.
2.  The government shall when they purpose to remove the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor under sub-section (1), give the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor concerned an opportunity for explanation, and the notification issued under the said sub-section shall contain a statement of the reasons of the government for the action taken.
3. Any person removed under sub-section (1) from the office of Mayor or from the office of Deputy Mayor shall not be eligible for election to either of the said offices until the date on which notice of the next ordinary elections to the Corporation is published in the prescribed manner.Both the TDP and BJP are sceptical about the General Body meeting, as the Budget is scheduled on the same day in the morning. “Is it a cinema to complete in two or three hours? All this will obviously have an impact on both important meetings. I shall make the house have an elaborate discussion on each and every item,” challenged Singireddy.

The BJP corporators are readying themselves for the meeting. One talks of ‘throwing the mayor from building’, another talks of ‘suicide’, if oath is not given.

Congress has started to grapple with its civic political woes where its partner MIM does sparring motion and on the other YSRC luring them.

After dilly-dallying for a month on the shocking resignation of civic Congress floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh (inset) who promptly joined the YSRC, the Congress leadership has swung into action. Danam Nagender (extreme right), minister for labour, is designated to deal with the issue of finding a replacement for Kaleru and also to prevent more outflows of Congress corporators.

Nagender held his first meeting with the corporators at his residence. The meeting was essentially to raise the drooping spirits of corporators after their floor leader left them in a tizzy. It is learnt that after the morale-boosting talks, the meeting discussed about the possible successor to Kaleru.

The party is learnt to have discussed how to tame MIM, its estranged partner, which has been keeping the general body meeting pending for quite some time. Party corporators are said to have complained about MIM’s boorish behaviour and its mayor who cares not for the views of the partner in power.

According to one of the members, Danam, had sought a list of probable candidates for the post of floor leader and decision will be taken within a couple of days. The minister had earlier spoken with the commissioner MT Krishnababu and the party should hand over a notice demanding a general body meeting soon. It is said that although Congress was unhappy with the MIM over public issues it does not want to spoil the relationship. “We were told to tackle MIM for public interest. But not overdo it and sever the rapport,” said a member.
What follows would be the decision by a few fence sitters to jump into the YSRC, with the hope of getting a better position. “The floor leader post goes only to one person how can everyone expect it?” asked deputy mayor, G Raj Kumar.

The contenders for floor leader position included Ale Jeetendra (Gowlipura), Prabh-akar Reddy, (Bagh Lingam-pally), Gnaneshwar Goud (Bagh Amberpet), Jagadeeshwar (Hafeezpet), Mohammed Wajid Hussain (Bholakpur), B Bharati (Banjara Hills), B Subhashini (Gaddiannaram), R Kalpana Yadav (Ramnagar).

Hype generated by the Western media on the greatness of December 12, 2012 had failed to bait people of Hyderabad. Reports that maternity wards of the city hospitals will be packed with pregnant women demanding delivery on 12.12.12 proved false.

A reality check by Postnoon in several leading hospitals of both corporate and government sectors proved there had been no takers for the particular date. Everywhere it was business as usual, and nothing more.

Talking to the paper, Dr Jaya Chati, a senior gynaecologist practising in a city hospital said, “No parent has approached us and for delivery on 12.12.12.

Enquiries with 10 maternity hospitals in the twin cities revealed the same story. People may be interested in the exotic date but are not over eager to go in for a surgery to achieve the end. Medical staff in Apollo hospital too concurred that it had received no special request for a delivery on Wednesday.

Radheshya Goswami, an astrologer in the city said manipulating a delivery will not help change the fate chart of a baby because such short cuts hardly help. It has to be natural to be of any impact. If in a natural course one is born on this date, it is fine, he said.

Not one request was recorded in maternity hospitals in Mehdipatnam, Muslim maternity and Zanana hospital, Chadarghat, Nazamia General Hospital, Charminar, Modern maternity hospital, Patlaburj, Seemas Aries maternity hospital, Asif Nagar, Cradle Hospital, Basheer Bagh.

The APSRTC plans to introduce 500 new buses, but it has no means to assess people’s needs.

In spite of the high court giving a charitable boost to the city bus service by staying additional licensing of 20,000 auto-rikshaws, the APSRTC has no methodical way to improve the passenger comforts. The court had expressed the view that City bus service was enough to cater to the travelling public.

The APSRTC, which is planning to introduce 500 new buses for the City, does not have a system of regular passenger survey to assess people’s need. The executive director, transport of Hyderabad zones, Koteshwar Rao, said in the twin cities’ limits, 3,800 buses have been plying. However, he said the only input it received was from the complaints of bus passengers and conductors. The RTC has no system of engaging professional experts to survey the spread of new residential areas. Nor does it have any idea if the bus employees deal with the commuters properly. The SRTC claims to do its survey by its employees at major bus stands such as Ameerpet, koti, Secunderabad, Mahdipatnam, Uppal and Charminar.

But commuters are outraged.. “Wayward is the way they operate,” said a retired government official, Rajat Patel, who had earlier tried city buses for his travel needs, but quit after finding them unreliable and boorish. “How many passengers have time to write a complaint to SRTC? Are they trying to fool the public? There is absolutely no effort to infuse a sense of service in the drivers and conductors. The officials do not bother to find out if buses cater to the growing population in different areas.”

Mohd Ismailuddin, an MCA graduate said, “I travel by bus for hunting jobs. I hardly ever get a seat. If I give a `10, note the conductor would tell me to collect the balance after reaching the destination.”

K Ramesh, a student said,”I have to wait for hours to get a bus. In spite of having student pass, I have to opt for auto rickshaw often.”

Commuters say the bus service could make more revenue if they had run the service sensibly. “If they have any dedication they would have found out that circular service is the best way to cater to the needs of off-centre population,” complained Binish Rao, a sales official of motor parts.

The move to equip forest guards with firearms and intensify vigil along problem areas has effectively reduced the number of smuggling cases this year.

Equipping forest guards with firearms and intensified vigil have drastically brought the smuggling down this year. Encouraged with the salutary efforts the forest department has placed procurement orders for 250 more guns for forest guards and 125 revolvers for the officials, said additional PCCF (Vigilance) B Muralikrishna.

In 2011 and 2010 nearly 35,000 cases of stealing timber and killing denizens of jungle, were registered. But up to September this year the total cases registered in the State came to 14,290. It is expected that the overall cases would be less than 20,000 as compared to 35,000 in the last two years. “We have stepped up vigil and the forest range have been provided with firearms,” explained Muralikrishna.

Officially, AP has nearly 63,814 sq.kms of forested area. However, authorities agree that not all are viable forest ecosystems. Degradation, encroachment, violation of forest rules result in loss of forest cover. Corruption among forest protection functionaries is another reason for the dwindling forest wealth of the State.

The biggest challenge the AP forest managers face is the smuggling of red sanders which commands huge prices in the international market. Thanks to China’s offer of high prices, red sander smuggling along the AP-Tamil Nadu border forests has gone up in the recent past. There were as many as 1,546 cases of red sanders being smuggled last year and till September this year, nearly 927 such cases have been recorded. Forest vigil saves 14.30 tonne of red sander. Some 977 vehicles have been confiscated and 2,651 people arrested.

Senior forest officials say the empowerment of the forest guards to open fire if they find people engaged in cutting timber or violating forest rules has generated a fear among smugglers but they too are well equipped.

Of the 10,000-odd people pulled up for drunk driving, most of them were bigwigs.

The intensive campaign against drunk driving in the City in the outgoing year has brought out startling facts. Postnoon dissected the scene and found that many of those caught for the offence of driving after a liberal intake of liquor are well-placed professionals, not semi-literate drivers. Among the worthies are doctors, film personalities, businessmen, High Court lawyers, rich kids of shakers and movers.

Of the 10,000 odd people pulled up after the breath analyser accused them are executives from the lower-rung to the top level. Nearly 107 of those apprehended were highly-placed government employees, 1,658 were executives, 2,864 were influential businessmen and 497 were students. But what was disconcerting was the fact that the arraigned included 15 advocates, four of them well known lawyers practising in High Court, eight doctors, seven cine artistes and several showbiz men.

Police officials say the blood alcohol content (BAC) per 100 ml was above 400 mg while the permissible level is 30 mg per 100 mg of blood.

Sought his response, a leading medical practitioner Dr Ram Mohan said, “India is a male- dominated country, the youth are more susceptible to this as they suddenly feel relaxed. But it is an escape from the reality.”

Dr Akun Sabharwal, DCP, who happens to be a qualified doctor too, said, “Everyone should follow the law. Some efforts are made now to make the law foolproof so nobody can break it”.

An RTA official said when one crosses the limit, he should hire the services of a driver or summon a relative to drive him home. It is a prudent step.

Voices

Chaitanya Krishna, actor

Please don’t drink and drive. You are not only putting your life in peril but others’ lives too. It may not seem like a big deal for many of us but the consequences, once things go wrong, are terrible. Let’s face it; we can never be sure of what we are doing while driving under the influence of liquor.

Shradha Das, actress

In Mumbai when people party and get drunk they either take a cab or take help from party drivers. I had a terrible accident when I was in class XII. My friend was driving the car. I used to be thrilled by the speed but I realised later that it was stupid. At the end of the day I was paralysed for three months. A few minutes of carelessness can ruin your life and others’ as well.

Traffic cops credit the success of the campaign against drunk driving with improving the behaviour of drivers. Those caught say they want to see an impartial police.

The legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit is fixed at 30mg per 100ml blood. Any person testing more than 30mg per 100ml blood is booked under the first offence of drunk driving. At the first booking for such an offence, the law dictates a fine of Rs.2,000 and /or imprisonment up to six months.

At the second offence of similar nature, penalty will go up to Rs.3,000 and imprisonment up to two years. On third and subsequent similar charges, the police have the mandate to recommend to the magistrate to suspend the accused’s driving licence for a specific period, besides fine and imprisonment. The law also empowers the traffic police to recommend to the regional transport authority to suspend or cancel the driving licence of a habitual offender or of one who committed a heinous crime as a result of drunk driving.

The City police have so far been very soft on drunk drivers. Though it booked over 10,000 in the past year during its intensive drive against drunk driving, it did not cancel the driving licence of any offender. The police admit that corruption exist at some levels allowing offenders, many a time powerful people, to get away.

In Hyderabad, only 17 have been awarded one-day imprisonment for drunk driving. Two were awarded two-day imprisonment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Bloomberg Philanthropies initially supplied the breathalysers used by the City traffic police.

A person who was booked for drunk driving and did not wish to be named told Postnoon, “I welcome the drive though I do drink. Previously, when the traffic cops found anyone driving drunk, they used to put them in an autorickshaw and send them home. Now, the booking (of offenders) has created a scare among bigwigs who do not want to be caught. I believe the police should be strict in dealing with offenders.”

The traffic police, on their part, claim to have achieved considerable improvement in the drivers’ behaviour. Traffic ACP G Anjaneyulu said, “This drive has brought down the accident rate in the City.

Most of the time, it was noticed that drunk driving led to serious accidents.” The police officers add that prevention of crime is the major aim of law and policing.

]]> http://postnoon.com/2012/12/07/anti-drunk-driving-campaign/92861/feed 0 http://postnoon.com/2012/12/05/why-few-women-drivers-get-caught/92470 http://postnoon.com/2012/12/05/why-few-women-drivers-get-caught/92470#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:19:07 +0000 Md Nazimuddin http://postnoon.com/?p=92470

Women who visit pubs during the weekend to unwind have proven smarter than men as only a negligible number of women drivers were caught for drunk driving in this year.

Drinking and driving is essentially a male syndrome, if statistics of those caught for drunk driving is any indication.

Of the total 10,277 people booked in the outgoing year for driving after consuming more than the legally permitted alcohol intake, only five were women.

Surprisingly, the ratio of men and women visiting pubs especially on weekends happens to be in the 2:1. And, most women drive themselves, police reveal.Then what could be the reason for women being so smart as not to get caught? Or are they more prudent in drinking than men? Enquiries reveal two facts.

One is that women are conscious drinkers. Two there is often an abject shortage of women police who are required to check women drivers at late night. There is also an allegation that cops on duty are often soft towards women drivers.While police officers scoff at the last suggestion — they are soft on women — the other two reasons are being backed by pub owners and police.

Pub staff in the City vouchsafe women are more cautious while consuming liquor. “They don’t go out of their range usually,” said a staff at a leading pub in Secunderabad. “Another reason is that their male partners usually drive if they come together. It’s only single women who drive themselves. So even if a woman drinks a little more than the legal limit, it is the driver who gets caught,” he added.

Another pub operator in Banjara Hills agreed that women are far more cautious than men. “And in case they feel they are high and are not confident of driving home they make alternative arrangements to get home,”he said.

This apart, women who are likely to consume more liquor than the permitted limit are smart enough to come with a driver so that they wouldn’t get on the wrong side of the law. “In fact, you must give to Eves that the are smart.”

Talking to Postnoon PVS Rama Krishna DCP Traffic, ”partiality to women is an old allegation against male cops. It’s not true, but lack of women police in the night could be one reason for fewer women getting caught for drunk driving.”

Kaneez Fatima, a leader of NISA, a research and resource centre for women, said that drinking is medically proven to be injurious to health and public drinking is a crime. She adds, It is specially true for women because they are the ultimate guardians, not only of the family but of the society.”

]]> http://postnoon.com/2012/12/05/why-few-women-drivers-get-caught/92470/feed 0 http://postnoon.com/2012/12/03/family-court-has-its-hands-full/91913 http://postnoon.com/2012/12/03/family-court-has-its-hands-full/91913#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:14:35 +0000 Md Nazimuddin http://postnoon.com/?p=91913

With awareness about rights and financial independence powering decision-making, more couples are opting for divorce.

With around 15 cases registered every day, the Hyderabad Family Court has certainly been busy. Of the 1,600 cases registered this year till November, more than 40 per cent were for divorce, 15 per cent under the Muslim Marriage Act, and 35 per cent under the Hindu Marriage Act. Of these, 70 cases have been disposed and 1,200 cases are still pending.

A senior official of the court told Postnoon that most number of divorces are sought by software firm employees.

The reasons are usually the same — salary disputes, different work timings and ego. Jameela Nishat, chief functionary of Shaheen Women Research and Welfare Organisation, pointed out that in Muslim families, most women opt for khula over divorce. Khula is when a woman choses to separate from her husband. “In our system women are oppressed by men, but this is changing slowly. With growing awareness, women have begun demanding their rights,” she said.

What the organisation also found was that harassment was more prevalent in double income homes, and that the family court receives most cases from educated and well-to-do people.

Other cases registered in family court:

• Judicial separation
• Restitution of conjugal rights
• What’s and Guardians Act (Pls check if this is right) Hindu Minor and Guardianship Act
• Adoption
• Cases related to NRIs
• Cruelty
• Dissertational
• Adultery
• Egoism
• Mutual consent between parties

Watch out the next time you decide to take ‘one for the road’. With 200 cases of drunken driving recorded every week, the City police are in no mood to take it easy on offenders.

Cracking the whip on drunken driving, the Hyderabad Traffic Police have registered 10,277 cases since November 2011. Of these, majority of the violators were found to be in between the ages of 21 and 31.

A closer look at the statistics found that 27.86 per cent of those booked for driving under the influence were businessmen; 16.3 per cent were private employees and 14.23 per cent were software professionals.

A total of 17 people were penalised with one-day imprisonment in the last year, and five of these were women.

Those that are caught are fined between Rs.2,000 and Rs.2,500 for each violation and are also instructed to attend counselling classes. The total fine amount recovered by the traffic department over the past year is Rs.2.5 crore.

“Every week, nearly 200 cases are filed and the highest cases of drunken driving are recorded on Fridays and Saturdays. We have seen a dip in the number of violations since we launched this drive last year. The total number of accidents has fallen to 1,740 this year when compared to 2,651 last year. Similarly, 315 deaths have been recorded this year, against 441 last year,” said traffic inspector AV Srinivas.

Encouraged by their success, the traffic police are seeking to put in more stringent measures like imprisonment for habitual offenders are cancellation of driving licences.

How much is too much?

The Motor Vehicle Act, 1939, states “Driving by a drunken person shall be punishable at the first offence with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with a fine which may extend to two thousand rupees or both; and for a second offence, if committed within three years of the previous similar offence, imprisonment for a term which may extend to three thousand rupees, or with both. But after its amendment in 1994, 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood is permitted.

]]> http://postnoon.com/2012/12/02/10000-drunk-driving-cases-booked-in-a-year-in-hyderabad/91662/feed 0 http://postnoon.com/2012/11/29/state-central-library-set-to-go-online-by-2020/91059 http://postnoon.com/2012/11/29/state-central-library-set-to-go-online-by-2020/91059#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:42:14 +0000 Md Nazimuddin http://postnoon.com/?p=91059

The demand for books is so low that in 2010, a mere 38 books were purchased by the Central Library.

Steeped in history and once bustling with scholars and poets alike, the State Central Library in Afzalgunj is in desperate need of a digital makeover. Troubled with dipping membership figures and losing of rare books, the government, through the Universal Digital Library Project, aims to digitalise one million books by 2020.

The Central Library was constructed in 1930s and resembles a palace with its huge halls and high ceilings. This heritage building has an excellent collection of 5,01,861 books from as far back as the early 19th century, which are of special importance to research scholars.

“Public behaviour and ethics have changed. There has been an increase in education, but not in knowledge,” says Chandrashekar, an assistant librarian. Another librarian, Lalita Prakash, agrees. “People are not sincere anymore and many do not return the books they borrow. They know that these books are rare and are not available in the market or online,” she says. This is what got the process of digitisation going.

Looking at preserving and propagating the cultural heritage of the State, nearly 55,099 books in different languages have already been scanned and 10,000 more rare books are in the pipeline. The library, in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Press Academy, has scanned and digitised Telugu and Urdu newspapers prior to 1977.

With the advent of the internet, going to the library has become a thing of the past. “People’s reading habits have reduced and that is why they do not come to the library. No one comes here anymore just for the love of books; it is only for research or project purposes,” says Sai Kumar, a graduate who regularly visits the Central Library.

The demand for books is so low that in 2005, only 300 books were purchased by the library. This number fell to a mere 38 in 2010. Responding to the dip, 17,000 manuscripts were recently transferred to the Tarnaka library.

All these trends have only given the government more reasons to digitise the State Library.

]]> http://postnoon.com/2012/11/29/state-central-library-set-to-go-online-by-2020/91059/feed 0 http://postnoon.com/2012/11/28/complaints-of-special-needs-school-falls-on-deaf-ears/90731 http://postnoon.com/2012/11/28/complaints-of-special-needs-school-falls-on-deaf-ears/90731#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:44:32 +0000 Md Nazimuddin http://postnoon.com/?p=90731

Forced to make do with Rs.17.20 a day per student, the management of the Government Residential School for the Deaf lays the blame for its pathetic condition on lax authorities. At the end of the day, it is the children who are forced to pay a heavy price.

Picture this: Worms in meals, no beds to sleep on, no hot water, broken window panes and not a single fire extinguisher. These are the conditions in which the students of the Government Residential School for the Deaf, Malakpet, are forced to live in every day, claims an organisation that has now filed a petition with the State Human Rights Commission. The requests for betterment of this special needs school have fallen on deaf ears.

The State government gives a mere Rs.17.20 per day to each student, and this amount must take care of all of the child’s needs like clothing, food and bedding. Every student of Class I to VII is allotted Rs.473 a month; this increases to Rs.535 a month for students in Class VIII to X. This amount is fixed regardless of price hikes, dealing the children a raw deal.

The fact that winter is setting in has only made things worse. With no beds, the children sleep on the floor. Broken window panes make it that much harder to bear the cold, considering all they are given is a bedsheet or blanket to shield themselves. The hostel is home to 134 students and none of them get hot water. With no fire extinguishers, there are no safety measures in place for the 144 children who attend the school. There isn’t even a playground here.

On November 22, the Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham (APBHS) filed a petition with the Human Rights Commission, claiming that corporal punishment was still prevalent at the school. What is more shocking is that the Sangham claimed that the children were being served stale food, many times with insects and worms in rice and curries. The petitioner, Achyuta Rao, president, APBHS, said the students were forced to take cold water baths in winter.

When Postnoon went to get a first-hand view of the condition of the school, a cane kept in a classroom proved the Sangham’s claims of corporal punishment. The staff’s meek excuse was that the cane was used to point out things written on the blackboard. A teacher, K Premila Devi, was aghast at the allegation of worms in the food. “We sit and eat with the students. How it is possible that we don’t know that there are insects in the food?”

The school says that on several occasion, it has requested the government to increase the daily funding for each student to Rs.50. “We get only Rs.17.20 per student a day. It is very difficult to maintain this budget. With the current prices, it is impossible for us to provide egg, milk and fruits to each child,” said one staff member. The school says it requires a minimum monthly amount of Rs.1,000 per child.

Shockingly, Postnoon also found that the teachers here do not have the training required to teach deaf and dumb children. “All the teachers here have done their B.Ed from the National Institute of Hearing. But we are not up-to-date with the latest developments in the field,” said one teacher. This undoubtedly affects the quality of education at the school — a heavy price paid by the students.

When quizzed about the pathetic condition of the school, principal Lacha Goud blamed the government. “For the last four years, the per-day scheme has not changed. We have requested the authorities several times to revise the budget, but we are forced to make do with the paltry sum that has been allocated,” he said.

The State Human Rights Commission has taken note of the case and has instructed the collector, Hyderabad, to submit a report on the school by January 21, 2013. Only time will tell if this will finally bring about the much-needed change in the lives of the special needs children, or if this will be another case lost in bureaucracy.

Training the teachers

In India, a majority of the teacher training programmes are one-year diploma courses after high school education, run by non-governmental organisations.

There are about six university-level programmes, leading to the B.Ed degree after graduation.

The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is currently making efforts to streamline teacher training programmes in terms of syllabus, infrastructure and staff pattern, to assure the quality of training.

The syllabus for university-level programme (B.Ed. – Special Education) has been already standardised by RCI, while the M.Ed syllabus is in the process of standardisation.

With the current shortage of coins, businesses are forced to cough up huge amounts as payment to brokers who take advantage of the situation.

It is a ‘small’ problem but a large one for the trader community. Severe shortage of the denomination of Rs.1, 2, and 5 has convulsed the trader community in the twin cities.

A prominent trader in Punjagutta told Postnoon the problem had worsened in the last few months and many commercial outlets have put up a ‘no change’ notice at their counters.

Small businesses are the worst hit. Provision stores and pan shops used to offer chocolates in lieu of Rs.1 but customers resent this. “I need some Rs.5,000 small change every day but I am finding it difficult. The most in demand are coins Rs.1, 2 and 5,” says the owner of a hotel which has branches across the City.

Ali Raza, a restaurant supervisor, said, “Our requirement for small change every month is close to Rs.15 lakh but brokerage charges for supplying small coins has gone up to 20 per cent! This means I get 80 paise for Rs.1. How can we do business?” During Diwali the shortage of Rs.5 coin and note was so much that people had to pay 40 per cent. Small change business has turned into a sort of mafia, he said.

There is a well-established broker network that operates in the twin cities selling small change. Around 15 brokers are always available outside the RBI building. They decide the percentage to be charged. Thus small traders and public are held to ransom. If they spend the whole day before the RBI counter how will they run a business? So most traders pay the brokerage demanded.

“I had made many trips to the RBI in the past couple of weeks but I don’t get change. The people at the counter ask me to come the next day and the ordeal is repeated,” says Ramesh T, a supermarket supervisor in Banjara Hills. Meanwhile, brokers outside RBI take advantage of the situation and rake in money.

In a bid to make a few extra bucks, close to 15 schoolchildren are packed in a single autorickshaw. With increasing accidents and lives lost, strict enforcement of laws is the need.

Schoolchildren squeezed tightly into autorickshaws, at times many leaning dangerously out of them, is a common sight on the roads. With more and more incidents of children losing their lives in a bid to make a few extra bucks, there is a desperate need for strict enforcement of laws.

The Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) does not permit more than six children in an auto, but it is common practice for auto drivers to carry 10-15 children.

Add each child’s heavy schoolbag to this equation and it is more than what the driver can handle. Recently, three school-children paid the price for this at Abids and died on the spot when their auto overturned. All the politicians and officials seem to do is visit the spot and console the parents.

Fighting for the rights of students the Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakulla Sangham president Achyuta Rao feels that auto drivers must be taken to task. “The law must strictly be implemented against autorickshaws drivers who violate rules. The interest of children must not be compromise. If a driver is found violating the MVA, his license must immediately be cancelled and the autorickshaw seized,” says Rao.

What is also disturbing is the behaviour of the auto drivers towards the children. They scold them and use abusive language, which the children pick up.

“Over 3,000 autorickshaws were seized by the RTA for violating Motor Vehicle Act rules. Of these, more than five per cent were caught for carrying schoolchildren over the permitted capacity,” said G Pandu­ranga Rao, Joint Commissioner of Road Transport Authority.

KB Model High School Principal Syed Iftekhar Hussaini thinks that the onus lies with the parents. “On several occasions we have requested parents not to send their wards in jam-packed autorickshaws for the safety of kids. Is it worth risking your children’s lives for the sake of saving a few rupees?” he said.

Unable to secure safe means of transport for their children, many parents are forced to travel several extra miles to drop them off to school.“In spite of my schedule I leave home early to drop my son on my bike. This way I don’t have to worry about his safety,” said businessman Mohd Imtiyauddin.

Many eyebrows were raised when a campaign boastful of the mayor, Shehar Hamara Mayor Hamara, was announced while publicising the recently conducted job mela. The BJP floor leader was unable to digest the fact that this was a government advertisement that was being used since the last one month. Interestingly, he learnt about the ‘misdeed’ while accompanying the mayor who had inaugurated the job mela.
With the TDP floor leader‘s absence during the general body meeting on December 1, the expectations for strong opposition candidates now rests with the BJP floor leader.
However, when asked about the preparations being made by the party for the next meeting, he mumbled and appeared ill-prepared. He excused himself by saying that a ‘separate press conference will be organised’ to disclose plans for the council meet.

Due to a shortage of CNG supply in the City and a delay in implementing the project, the APSRTC is yet to introduce more CNG buses, after the first phase of 110 vehicles.

As the population of the City grows, so does the pollution level. To tackle this hazard, 350 CNG buses were introduced in Hyderabad. But this has bought little respite due to a delay in implementing the project and a shortage of Compressed Natural Gas, 30 buses were converted to diesel and only 110 CNG buses ply.

“In spite of a severe shortage of CNG, we have managed to keep all the 110 buses on road. As there is no guarantee of a steady supply in the future, the introduction of more CNG buses has been kept on hold,” said APSRTC executive director Koteshwar Rao.

But can the City afford this delay? Most certainly not, says environmentalist J Prakash Nimba. “The CNG system should be implemented on high priority basis. Although the government has restricted the entry of heavy vehicles during the day to ease traffic, we are exposed to harmful levels of diesel at night. This directly causes cancer as even trees can’t help offset the harm. It is critical that the government introduce more CNG vehicles,” he said.

CNG is a natural gas which remains clear, is odourless and non-corrosive. It is lighter than air and quickly dissipates if it leaks from gas tanks or storage containers. The cost of CNG is also lower when compared to diesel or petrol. Vehicles that use CNG emit 80 per cent less harmful gases than gasoline vehicles.

With the City vulnerable to violence once again, an organisation is aiming to educate people about the murky nexus between politicians and local goons in their lust for power.

As the City finds itself trapped in the midst of communal conflict, the Confederation of Voluntary Association (COVA) has warned that the violence will not die out till the 2014 General Elections. The agency claims that it is the politicians that have been masterminding the chaos to cash in on votes they hope to obtain through religious divide.

Talking to Postnoon, Mazher Hussain — executive director COVA, and member, steering committee planning commission, government of India — said that after holding discussions with senior government and police officials, they found that the violence is not sporadic, but a deliberate attempt by leaders to create chaos for political mileage. “Neither the police, military or outside agencies can prevent riots in the State. At best they can control the situation once violence breaks out, but cannot prevent it all together,” he said.

Hussain said the recent unrest as well as past incidents were aimed at creating communal divide simply to cash in on votes in 2014. “Around 45 localities in Hyderabad and 120 areas around AP have been identified as hot spots of violence and to brace for this, COVA is offering to prepare people to ensure peace and harmony through its new programme, Hyderabad Peace Collision,” he said.

Through this initiative, COVA aims to go to different areas of the City to make people aware about the political reasons behind the disturbance and promote peace. The challenge is to bring the largely silent majority out of their homes and on to the streets to motivate and ensure harmony in their neighbourhood.

The dedication of its volunteers has borne fruit as around 30 youngsters who were involved in some incidents of violence, have started working for the organisation.

COVA is a network of 700 organisations spread across the country, which was set up in response to the early ’90s communal conflict in the Old City.

After successfully securing a female giraffe from a Malaysian zoo as a mate for lonely giraffe George, authorities of the Nehru Zoological Park are now on the lookout to populate the zoo with different kinds of animals — ones that are not indigenous to India.

The park’s aim is to be a dynamic one as far as species of animals is concerned. Deputy curator A Shankaran says that they have been trying for over six years to get a zebra from Africa. “Having different kinds of animals in the zoo gives our visitors a more fulfilling experience. Getting animals from other countries is a difficult process. This is why even after six months we have not been able to bring in a zebra,” he said.

But the park did have something to cheer about. In May, 25 years of labour bore fruit when cheetahs were brought in from Czechoslovakia. Not just that, two female ostriches were also brought in for the two male ostriches of the zoo. “We are hopeful that they will breed soon,” said Shankaran.

With an eye on bringing in more visitors, the natural history museum at the zoo has also been upgraded. The museum shows in detail the different stages of evolution of the Earth, animals, plants and a complete insight into tigers.

B Vijaya Prakash is a worried man. He fears for his life from his own family. The one-time producer, director and writer, who contributed to the film development corporation and the State health department, has been abandoned by his children and fights a daily battle for survival.

“My own wife and children are after my life. My wife and I separated 27 years back and my two daughters and son are mentally ill. My relatives are plotting against me and using my daughters to grab my property. The rent is my only source of income,” said Prakash.

Prakash, 67, had taken a loan to construct a four-storey house. He says that once the house was completed, his daughters filed a case against him and claimed stake. He was forced to sell the ground floor to make ends meet.

While his children stay in Malakpet, Prakash lives in Jawahar Nagar. The state human rights commission (SHRC) has offered him some relief. “I produced, directed and acted in films like Jeevana Ragam. I will get justice as my wife and sons-in-law are responsible for me receiving threatening calls,” said Vijaya Prakash. Chikkadpally ACP said that he hasn’t received instruction and “maybe orders are on the way.”

A trip to the Nehru Zoological Park now promises to be a different experience. Looking to undo the past, the once neglected and unkempt park has been revamped and now hosts a brand new food court and beefed up security.

To aid the beautification of the park, many changes had been made by the zoo authorities and the forest department to make it clean and green. One such initiative is the setting up of the orientation film programme. “The film has been introduced so that the visiting public is aware of how to keep the park clean. It is around 10 minutes long and shows the map of the zoo and educates people on the dos and don’ts within the premises,” Mallikarjun Rao, the director of the park, said.

A multi-cuisine food court, housing close to a 100 people, will be up and running by the end of the month. “In an effort to make the park more visitor-friendly, we have increased the number of drinking water facilities and benches,” Rao added.

The zoo has now also been made a no-plastic zone. Curator A Shankaran explains that this will help keep the animals of the park safe as many a times, visitors tend to leave behind plastic bags with food by the roads. “This is harmful as animals ingest the plastic. Moreover, plastic bags clog the drainage system, leading to bigger problems. We have also begun charging `10 for every plastic bottle brought into the park. This amount is refundable on exit and is a way to ensure that bottles are brought out and not throw inside the park,” Shankaran said.

With more initiatives in the pipeline, it looks like authorities of the park have set off in the right direction.

For once, it was children who had officials stumped with a volley of questions. At a face-to-face programme held for students by Confederation of Voluntary Association (COVA) and Indian Child Action Network (ICAN) at Enginebowli, Jahanuma, had around 50 students from 25 schools saw children throw some tough questions at officers from various civic departments and the corporator.

One of the primary concerns raised by the children was the rampant use of plastic bags despite the ban imposed by the GHMC in July 2011. The other topic in focus was that if the civic authorities could acquire and demolish buildings for the sake of road widening, then why couldn’t they do the same to provide parks and playgrounds for children. Asra Anjum, a Class V student of a government school asked Mohd Nazeer Ahmed, the state level academic monitoring officer, “Why is there such a long delay in appointing new teachers for government schools after the previous one had been transferred?”

There was a stark difference in the government officials’ approach when it came to developing and providing equipment for playgrounds in Old City and the rest of Hyderabad, observed Ravi Kumar, a student of Arvind Venkatesh Rao high school. While the recommended norm for open and recreational spaces in cities and towns is 10 to 20 sq m per person, the area for

playgrounds being provided by the GHMC is just 0.038 sq yard per person.

Students also demanded that the government work towards improving the lack of infrastructure and standard in schools and also ensure that the RTE is implemented successfully as soon as possible.

The Oxford Book Store will conduct a four-hour maths workshop for children on Sunday.

The Oxford Book Store will be conducting a four hour workshop in the memory of the great mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan on his 125th birth anniversary at its store located at Somajiguda in The Park hotel.

The Math T-20 workshop will be conducted by Vivek Prasad Mada, a well known genius of speed mathematics and the 40th Indian to solve a cube blind-folded on October 6 2012.

This workshop is open for children in the age group of 8 years to 15 years to learn multiplication in a fun and interesting way, as most children fear from the subject maths.

They will also learn the essential techniques required to learn the 20×20 tables. Children will also be taught the tricks of speed math as a part of the workshop.

The workshop has been given the name T-20 as it is a popular name among children who are fond of cricket and also because the workshop will train them in the 20×20 table. This workshop is one of its kind and aims to encourage children to learn maths in a fun way.

The workshop will be held on November 11, Sunday from 10am to 1pm at the store. In order to participate in the workshop, children need to register for the workshop by this evening.

The cost of the workshop is Rs.300.

The four-hour math T-20 workshop will help expand the minds of children and also help boost their confidence when it comes to solving maths questions in a short span of time.

Peeling walls and stinking corridors are just a few of the many problems that plague the State-run TB control centre at Dabeerpura. But authorities turn a blind eye to the crumbling structure.

The misery of TB patients or suspected TB patients is doubled. They seem to have a deadly choice — die of TB or die of snake bite! The situation in the Dabe­erpura government TB DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short course) is so horrible that light does not break in to the dilapidated buildings even during day. Nor is it properly lit. There are no in-patients here and even out-patients shy away from the healthcare centre. People who are suspected to have TB are asked to seek medical attention here, but they often turn away after seeing the spooky looking structure. “It’s horrible sir, it is stinking inside,” said a patient who came out of the building.

It is decades since the building has seen a touch of paint. No repair works have been carried out in years. The only consolation for the patients is that once they are diagnosed with TB, they are referred to the State TB Hospital in Erragadda.

The brick walls have become bare as the plaster peeled off long ago. The mossy surroundings with piled dirt and stagnant water add to the miserable conditions at the complex which is frequented by at least 200 people every day.

One doctor and six paramedical staff are all the hospital has. Anita Rani, the only doctor was found to be on leave and there is no replacement doctor. K Swaroop, senior treatment supervisor said many bigwigs including collectors, both present and past, had seen the situation and assured the hospital of help, but nothing has happened.

There are only eight CNG stations for over 80 lakh users in the City.

A young techie who had gone in for a CNG car for all its attractions has posted a blog advising friends not to opt for it due to lack of CNG stations in City. “It is a great option. But the stupid government is not making enough stations to cater to the demand. I find a kilometre-long queue when I go to Abids or any other five or so stations,” says a dejected car owner, who is now struggling to sell his car.

For over 80 lakh people there are only eight CNG stations, though governmental agencies frequently come out with a statement that a dozen more are coming. “When and where?” everybody asks.

Road transport department and auto drivers are crying foul of the shortage of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in Hyderabad. “Half the day is wasted at the pump, the other half I must earn,” laments Ibrahim Ghouse, an auto driver who runs between Jubilee Check Post and Punjagutta. Average waiting period at the pump is between one and three hours, drivers say. Often drivers forego sleep and park their vehicles before stations at night.

More then 80 per cent autorikshaw (50,000) drivers in Hyderabad ply hired autos. For them time is of essence and loss of time results in financial losses. K Raju, who was waiting in queue at the Tadband pump said, “Supervisors take advantage of the shortage and take Rs.5 to Rs.10 extra per vehicle.”

Talking to the Postnoon, chairman and MD of APSRTC, AK Khan said, “Considering the environmental and economic benefits of CNG the department plans to introduce 350 buses every year but lack of CNG supply discourage us.” He said the State has 371 CNG buses. He stressed on the need for more CNG filling stations in Hyderabad.

While private cars are few and far between autorikshaws are the worst hit. Mohd Yousuf, an auto driver said, “Public doesn’t know our woes. We hire an auto for Rs.300 a day. Fill gas for another Rs.300. Pay bribes worth Rs.50 or Rs.100 to the police. Repairs cost another Rs.100 and also earn enough to feed our families. To top it all off there is a shortage of CNG stations.”

Supervisor of a pump B Gajanand said, “If we get adequate CNG supply at the filling station, then autorickshaw drivers need not wait in long queues and suffer. The capacity of the cylinders for a tanker is 320 to 350 kilograms.” He further added, the fuel capacity in an auto is 4kgs whereas mileage per kilogram is 35kms. “So the auto drivers have no option but to make frequent trips to the filling stations.”

Repeated use of breathalysers can lead to infections experts say. Cops however, rubbish it.

The well-meaning act of the City traffic police in curbing drunken driving may be unwittingly leading to another health hazard. Considering the same breathalyser is used on several people, the chances of infections being transmitted is high. Especially, from people who are carriers of contagious diseases like tuberculosis.

The practice of the police using the same breathalyser strip to test several people leads to the possibility of air-borne diseases being passed on if it is used within seconds of using the device on an infected person. The traffic police are not trained beyond blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Postnoon’s reality check with the medical fraternity and stakeholders in the drunken driving cases reveal that the unhealthy use of breath analysers is something the police must check. Even if they use the disposable straw as they claim, this is not a safe practice, many say.

Senior pulmonary diseases specialist from Dabeelpura said, “Droplet infection can occur depending on an individual’s immune status. Besides, people suffering from infections like tuberculosis and other bacterial diseases can pass it on to a healthy person, if the device is unclean or used without being cleaned properly.”

Doctors say using the same device on many people could increase the chance of infection. Many things like the environment and the way it is used could affect the result and often lead to wrong results.

It however, remains a grim fact that drunk driving is a major cause of accidents on roads. Nearly 1.2 lakh deaths occur due to road accidents in India each year. Of late though, the spread of awareness has begun to show a salutary effect, say police.

Talking to Postnoon Ali Hussain Somali, vice president of CITU, said that the government should ban alcohol itself rather than trouble poor auto drivers with challans. “Police harass auto drivers in the name of drunken driving and forcing them to blow into a breathalyser. Drivers don’t know how these work and have to believe whatever the police says.”

Several auto drivers who spoke to Postnoon said the same. “Home guards don’t let us explain and force us to blow into the device without bothering to sterilise it.”

However, traffic inspector P Ravi Kiran said, “Breathalyser gives the perfect calculation of alcohol level. We only record the BAC and book them and it is the court that penalises them. Police say they use a disposable straw each time.”

Additional commissioner of police (Traffic) CV Anand, “It (health hazard) is a baseless allegation. Let the doctors come and convince themselves. There are medical practitioners too who were made to take the test, why couldn’t they object then?”

The illicit gudumba sale has affected both areas. Not only has property value come down but residents also complain that their children are not finding good nuptial matches.

Around three decades ago, people from the City were afraid to travel to Chaderghat as it was considered a far suburb of the City. The place had little night life and less transport. Today too people are afraid of going there after dark albeit for a different reason — ubiquitous gudumba (hooch) and its natural corollary drunkards abound. The unbridled growth of hooch sale has affected the once-upmarket neighbourhood of Malakpet too.

“We are paying for staying close to Chaderghat,’ bemoans Malik Mohammad Hassan, a provision shop owner in Malakpet. “Our property value has come down and our boys and girls are not finding good matches from other areas.” While no body has conducted a survey of this, seniors hazard a guess that at least 5,000 youths of marriageable age are affected. “Malakpet?” sneers the prudish from other areas when marriages are proposed, say many.

This indeed is a scary development. Enquiries reveal that boys and girls of marriageable age are finding it difficult to get decent matches from other parts of the City as they all look down on these areas. Fed up, concerned citizens and the Human Rights Forum, after having exhausted other avenues, are planning to stage a dharna before the MP and MLA.

People complain that gudumba business has registered a 10-fold increase in the past 10 years because the police and excise officials value mamool more than law.

A local resident, M Haji Qureshi said, “The illegal business of alcohol, ganja, charas is flourishing and many lives are going astray. Families are being destroyed. Violence and quarrel linked to hooch-drinking habit are common in many homes today.” But Qureshi says that fearing retribution of the ruthless, many are afraid to talk against the hooch makers.

However, collective complaints were given to excise and police but nothing happened.

A senior citizen said that on receiving the complaint, the officials would browbeat the persons named and force them to raise the mamool. That’s it!

The worst affected are Shankar Nagar, Kamal Nagar, Padma Nagar, Musa Nagar and other localities.

A local resident, J Indira said, “girls can’t walk on the street after dark. Vulgar comments, catcalls, molestation attempts are common. Indira says, “whenever we complain, excise officials say that action would be taken. But we know it is not true.”

Human Rights Forum member S Bilal said, “a memorandum was submitted to the commissioner of exercise more than once to end this misery of the people. For four years we have been continuously complaining to the excise authorities and police. We are putting our lives in danger and yet for common good we muster the courage and complaint but what’s the use? There are at least 20 shops making big business out of sale of hooch and people here know the names of the most dreaded ones.” Unfortunately, said Bilal, many of these hooch-makers are women.

Sales are done right outside mosques, temples and such other holy places. When contacted, the excise deputy superintendent said, “The department has formed special teams to curb illegal business, the teams are very active and result oriented.”

Points the rights activists raised

• Even boys in the area are finding it difficult to find a match
• Women are afraid to step out at night.
• Youth increasingly get addicted and shirk work.
• Need to look into gudumba sale near religious places.
• Special vigilance team should be formed to control this menace.
• Most people in Malakpet are house owners, not tenants, so shifting to another area is not easy.

Citizens complain about the online passport appointments system, which was touted to be a revolutionary step for people to get quick service and bypass middlemen, but the opposite is happening.

Jayaprakash Nambaru, the green man who vociferously bats for environment protection in the City, is vexed to the core. For many days, he has been trying without success to use the passport authorities’ online appointment system, which was launched as a measure of empowering the general public.

“The passport appointment slot opens every day at an appointed time, which varies for different locations: Hyderabad at 4pm and for Vijayawada, it is 5pm. You wait eagerly for the clock to strike 5 and try. It shows a message ‘The appointment is already selected, please select another appointment’. But this is a red herring. You get no appointment. Frustrated, I called up the office and was told to try the next day. The game continued for a week, after which I gave up,” says Jayaprakash.

Inquiries revealed that hundreds have been frustrated in a similar manner. But, intriguingly, agents are getting appointments. “The idea was to relieve the common man of the tedium of making rounds of the passport office, but instead, it proves a smokescreen for babudom to operate,” says DD Reddy, a businessman, who too has been trying in vain for the same.

A long-term agent at the passport office premises at Secunderabad said, “Only the fastest finger in the world gets through.” Officials refuse to entertain public inquiries, but the FAQ and public notices put up on the passport public notice website proclaims the online service as a ‘revolutionary’ step to help public to get quick service bypassing agents and middlemen.

No official solution

There are passport seva kendras all over India. According to the website, of the 77 kendras, 50 are working full-time across the country for the benefit of the citizens and for the convenience of the people. The same website proclaims that last week, 87,726 applications were processed and 82,095 are pending. The number of applications received was not known. The online passport project is being taken care of by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which bagged the mission mode of the governance project and passport seva project for a period of seven years in October 2008 from the ministry of external affairs (MEA).

Postnoon went to the Secunderabad passport office to inquire about the online situation, but the officials refused to comment.

The Care for Lonely event saw a large number of women participants in comparison to its last meet.

Senior women are coming out of the shadows. They too demand a right to choose the type of life and partner. The clear evidence came out at the ‘Care for Lonely Elders’ organised by Thodu Needa on Sunday. The first such meeting held in 2010 had just six women participating, but on Sunday, two years after the organisation came into being, 30 women participated.

“It is revolutionary,” remarked the founder-president NM Rajeshwari. Of the 400 members of Thodu Needa, 120 are elderly women. In two years, the organisation also blazed a trail by helping 40 elders get married. The selection is left to the individuals. The only condition the organisation puts in is that the man and woman seeking to live-in together or get married is that either their spouse should be deceased or they should be unmarried. The divorcee, another category, must be legally divorced to be eligible.

Loneliness is not a disease or something to be ashamed of, Rajeshwari said. Often, seniors live a miserable life as their wards are either settled elsewhere or are busy with their lives and have little time for the parents. The organisation has conducted 16 such get-togethers in two years.