SAHI organises 'Walk To Hear'

Hyderabad, Sep 27 : Apollo Hospitals and Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI), an NGO striving to help poor children with hearing impairment, organised 'Walk to Hear'to express solidarity with the hearing impaired on the occasion of International Deaf Day.The walk which started from KBR Park and ended at Apollo Hospitals, was flagged off yesterday by Secunderabad MLA Jayasudha. Andhra Pradesh Chief Information Commissioner Jannat Hussain, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad A K Khan, Tollywood star Smitha, Ms Sangita Reddy, Executive Director, Apollo Hospitals, Dr E C Vinay Kumar, Secretary, SAHI also participated in the program.Several hearing impaired children, students, corporate employees and concerned citizens joined the walk. SAHI donated ear plugs for traffic policemen in the city to Mr Khan on the occasion.Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jannat Hussain said, ''we should try to support SAHI as much as possible in its noble endeavour. We should try to spread awareness amongst parents of 3 to 5 year old children about free cochlear implant surgeries done under Arogyashree and the free screening and tests done for neonatals by SAHI.''
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Auto fares will be revised soon: Commissioner

Hyderabad, Sep 27 : Transport Commissioner L Premachandra Reddy assured the delegation of Auto Parirakshana Porata Committee that the existing auto fares will be reasonably increased soon.The delegation led by Mohd Amanulla Khan met him yesterday and presented a memorandum demanding immediate increase in the auto-fares and settlement of other pending issues.They informed the Commissioner that in Bangalore city the auto-fares were already fixed at Rs 17 minimum fare and Rs 9 per kilometre rate with effect from August 1, 2010. They said it had been over two years since the fare for auto was revised in the city as Rs 12 minimum fare and Rs 7 per kilometre . Price of essential commodities had almost doubled and it was the high time for the government to hike the auto fare.Further the delegation informed that as per the government order, the autos converted and run on LPG/CNG were exempted from the payment of Green Tax for five years. But despite the tax exemption the Transport department was collecting the green tax illegally for last 4 years, they demanded that the tax should be refunded to the autodrivers forthwith.The Commissioner assured the delegation that the illegal collection of the tax would be stopped.Finally the Committee leaders informed the Commissioner that if their problems were not solved by the end of this month, auto-drivers would be forced to go on an indefinite strike from October 1, a release from Auto Parisakhana Porata Committee here said today.
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Rosaiah moots employment-intensive tourism projects

Hyderabad,Sep 26 : Planning Rs 1,500 crore investment on tourism inftrastructure, Andhra Pradesh Government is setting up a mega park near Nagarjuna Sagar on the lines of Brindavan and Lalbagh.The State Government was looking for a 16 per cent growth in the state over 129 million tourists in 2009-2010, ahead of releasing its new tourism policy, according to a press release here today Chief Ministrer K Rosaiah has asked the Tourism Department and Tourism Development Corporation to prepare a master plan for employment-intensive projects to achieve the twin objectives of promoting tourism and creating job opportunities, both direct and indirect. The Chief Minister said the year 2011 will be observed as 'Visit Andhra Pradesh' year in recognition of the roll out of dynamic tourist promotion initiatives in the realm of adventure, pilgrimage and beach tourism to attract more international tourists to the State.Dr Rosaiah has approved the final draft of the New Tourism Policy after discussions with Tourism Minister J Geetha Reddy, Chief Secretary Mr S V Prasad and Secretary Tourism Jayesh Ranjan at camp office today. He will release the new policy on September 27.The release said Andhra Pradesh proposes to develop a sprawling, modern garden on the lines of Brindavan in Mysore and Lalbagh at Bengaluru at Nagarjuna sagar. Around 400 acres of land has been identified in Nagalvaram village, Macherla Mandal of Guntur District. The Chief Minister said, ''I want this park to be both a tourist and an educational destination unique in the entire south India.Wherever possible such employment-intensive tourist projects should be promoted to provide jobs to skilled, unskilled and poor and illiterate people in rural areas.'' He said Andhra Pradesh's tourism policy would be the best in the country.The Chief Minister also congratulated officials of the Tourism Department and APTDC for putting the state on the top of tourism map of the country with a record number of 129 million tourists in 2009-10.He expressed happiness that the tourism sector had achieved a 16 per cent growth last year and retained its top position once again.''With the new initiatives and focused tourism policy, I have no doubt that Andhra Pradesh will continue as a preferred destination of both domestic and international tourists and retain its top position,'' he said.
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Comprehensive law to protect lakes and nallas

Hyderabad, Sep 26 : Andhra Pradesh government will bring in comprehensive law to protect lakes and nallas from encroachments Chief Minister K Rosaiah said today.

He responded positively to the proposal to bring in the new law to protect these water bodies in the city and surrounding areas.This law was also needed to protect the lives and property of the people. The officials concerned informed the Chief Minister that all tanks in and the surrounding areas in the city were full and further rains would inundate the nearby localities also putting many unauthorised dwellings also in danger. The Chief Minister said an empowered committee should look into this problem in detail and come out with a comprehensive law to protect the lakes and nallahs.The Chief Minister gave clear directions to all the officials of the GHMC, MA and UD, Health, Water Board, traffic police and the Collectors of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts to initiate necessary steps on a war footing to prevent inundation of low lying areas and colonies, traffic bottlenecks and spread of epidemics. The Chief Minister reviewed the situation following unprecedented rains in the city and surrounding areas with ministers, City Mayor and top officials of various departments.
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South Central Railway to run 129 Dassera/Holiday Special Trains

Hyderabad, Sep 25 : South Central Railway (SCR) will run 129 special trains between various destinations from October to November, 2010, to clear the extra rush of passenger during the ensuing Dassera holiday season.Train No 0719 Secunderabad-Bikaner Special train will depart Secunderabad on October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3, 10, 17 and 24 at 2300 hrs and arrive Bikaner at 1700 hrs on the second day. In return direction Train No 0720 Bikaner-Secunderabad Special train will depart Bikaner on October 10, 17, 24, 31 and November 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 1515 hrs and arrive Secunderabad at 0850 hrs on the second day.
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Rosaiah recommends measures to renovate temples

Hyderabad, Sep 25 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today responded positively to the suggestions of the Technical Advisory Committee appointed by the State Government to assess the structural safety and soundness of major temple structures in the State and recommended remedial measures required to strengthen them.Dr Rosaiah held a meeting in this regard with the members of the Technical Committee and officials of the Endowments Department. He has approved in principle the renovation and reconstruction of 47 temples at a cost of about Rs 30 crore, which include Rajagopuarams.There are 37,000 temples in the State under the administrative control of the Endowments department. There are about 5,000 temples of historic nature constructed more than 100 years ago. The Technical Advisory Committee has inspected 47 major and important temples on priority basis. Thus the process of identifying old temples and assessing them will be a continuous process.
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Heavy rains in Rayalaseema, a few places in Coastal Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad, Sept 25 : Moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers may occur at many places over Rayalaseema and in the districts of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore of Coastal Andhra Pradesh.Light to moderate rain or thundershowers would occur at a few places over Telangana and in the remaining districts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, over next 48 hours.The sky would be generally cloudy over Hyderabad and neighbourhood. Rain or thundershowers may occur in parts of city next two days. Maximum and Minimum temperatures would be around 33 and 23 degrees Celsius respectively.Observations recorded till 830 hours said Southwest monsoon has been vigorous over Rayalaseema. Rain occurred at most places over Rayalaseema and at a few places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.The stations recorded heavy rainfall in cm are Thambalapalle 11, Palasa 9, Kadiri, Piduguralla, Vinjamur 8 each, Tirupathi AP, Bheemgal, Hindupur, Srikalahasti 7 each.The other chief amounts of rainfall recorded in cm are Pargi, Ramannapet 6 each, Atmakur and Pathikonda, Bhimadole, Kollapur, Pakala and Puttur, Penukonda 5 each, Chilamattur and Pamidi, Punganur and Venkatagiri Kota, Venkatagiri Town 4 each, Anantapur, Nalgonda, Armoor, Bhongir and Suryapet, Cumbum and Yerragondapalem, Gooty and Kalyandurg, Jangaon, Kalakada, Koilkuntla, Lakkireddipalli and Rayachoty, Nirmal, Veeraghattam 3 each, Arogyavaram, Chittoor, Medak, Atmakur, Dhone, Dubbak and Narayanakhed, Kamareddy and Navipet, Mandasa and Palakonda, Porumamilla 2 each.
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Volkswagen ex-official, five others charged with fraud

Hyderabad, Sep 25 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Saturday formally filed charges against six people, including former Volkswagen executive Helmuth Schuster, in a case of defrauding the Andhra Pradesh government.The investigating agency, which took up the probe in 2005, filed the 150-page charge sheet in the CBI court here. It examined 59 witnesses. The name of state Panchayati Raj Minister B. Satyanarayana, however, did not figure in the charge sheet. He was then holding the industries portfolio and the opposition had alleged his involvement. The 56-year-old Schuster is on the run since the scam broke, and has been placed on the wanted list of the CBI. An Interpol notice was issued against him in 2005. The other accused include Volkswagen's former India representative Ashok Jain, businessmen Bhuwan Kumar Chaturvedi, Jagdish Alaga Raja and his sister Gayatri, who in collusion with Schuster had floated a fictitious firm to cheat the state government. The accused have been charged under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code, CBI official S. Venkatesh told reporters outside Nampally Criminal Court complex. The accused started Vashishta Wahan Private Ltd (the firm's initials are VW, the same as that of the German car maker) to receive Rs.11 crore from the state government for setting up its plant at Visakhaptanam. The scam hit the headlines in 2005 when Volkswagen sacked Schuster on charges of corruption in some other dealings. Schuster was negotiating on behalf of Volkswagen with the state government for setting up the car plant since early 2004 when the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was in power. Later, the Congress government continued the talks. In January 2005, the state government received a letter from Schuster. Typed on Volkswagen letterhead, it confirmed that the company was going ahead with the project. For a joint venture with the government, Schuster sought transfer of 2 million Euros to Vashishta Wahan, which he claimed was the Indian arm of Volkswagen. The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), a government organisation, made the payment. Volkswagen later denied that Vashishta Wahan was its Indian arm or it received the payment. Ashok Jain had registered Vashishta Wahan with the Registrar of Companies. He wrote to the ROC in January 2005 that he was stepping down as promoter and director. The company was later registered in the name of Bhuwan Kumar Chaturvedi of Gurgaon and Jagdish Alaga Raja of Chennai. After the scam broke out top officials of Volkswagen had visited Hyderabad to clarify that the company had nothing to do with Vashishta Wahan. They tendered a moral apology for the wrongdoings of Schuster and offered to return the money the government paid to Schuster. Then Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy had refused to accept the money and instead urged Volkswagen to set up its plant in Andhra Pradesh. The auto giant later dumped the southern state and choose Maharashtra for locating its unit. Meanwhile, Satyanarayana told reporters that he was relieved at getting a clean chit. He accused the opposition TDP of resorting to character assassination by making baseless allegations against him.
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