Hyderabad: A 32-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her live-in partner in Banjarahills.
The 32-year-old victim, who is the mother of three children, divorced her spouse two years ago. She had been in a live-in relationship with a 30-year-old man from Asifnagar with her children since then, according to police. Since the last month, they had frequent arguments, with the suspect allegedly abusing and beating her.
In the absence of her children, he allegedly raped her on Tuesday after assaulting her. He then bolted from the scene.
Following a complaint, the Banjara Hills police have booked a case.
Hyderabad: Telangana minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao (KTR) said on Friday that Telangana was better at providing its citizens with basic amenities like electricity and water than the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Reacting to his statement, AP minister Botsa Satyanarayana said that he had personally witnessed “minor issues” like electricity cuts during his stay in Hyderabad.
At a meeting organised by CREDAI in Hyderabad, KTR said that a friend of his went to AP and returned with concerns. “My friend requested me to arrange buses from Telangana to AP, so that the people here will understand AP’s situation. He said that he was relieved when he returned to Telangana,” he said.
Reacting to KTR’s remarks, AP municipal minister Botsa Satyanarayana said that he recently visited Hyderabad and stayed in a hotel. “Hyderabad is facing troubles with electricity. When I was on a trip to the city, there was no electricity and we had to depend on a generator. Someone called KTR and complained, but I experienced this myself,” he said.
Botsa added that he never disclosed these minor issues to anyone. “A dutiful person may talk big about their own achievements, but it is wrong to talk down about others,” he remarked.
Hyderabad: A metropolitan magistrate court on Thursday jailed a man for drunk driving and cancelled his license for life.
The accused was sent to two-day imprisonment. In a special drive against drunk driving, at least 80 persons have been found guilty. This has resulted in the cancelation of their driving license. All traffic police stations have now begun filing charge sheets against vehicles being used without a license in drunken driving cases.
Similarly, the police have also begun booking negligent drivers, overspeeding, racing stunts, and vehicles without number plates. Joint commissioner of police, A V Ragnath in a statement said, “Once charged with drunk driving it will be very difficult for people to apply for government jobs or any government IDs and passports.”
Hyderabad: Responding to Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao’s comments on the situation in Andhra Pradesh, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) MLA Malladi Vishnu said that people from Andhra Pradesh were the ones who “gave culture to Hyderabad.”
KTR had said on Friday that a friend of his went to AP and returned with concerns, referring to the frequent power cuts the state is facing. “My friend requested me to arrange buses from Telangana to AP, so that the people here will understand AP’s situation. He said that he was relieved when he returned to Telangana,” he said.
Malladi expressed his displeasure over minister KTR’s comments about how the condition of roads, water and electricity in Andhra Pradesh. He said that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders had no right to talk about AP. “Hyderabad is developed today because of coastal people. We gave culture to the city, and now TRS leaders are boasting about the development in the region,” he said.
The YSRCP leader further remarked that TRS leaders are creating a situation where the people have to mobilize for a joint state again. “Has the Telangana government received as many awards as the AP government has?” he asked KTR.
Other ministers from AP have also expressed their ire over KTR’s comments. AP municipal minister Botsa Satyanarayana said that electricity was an issue in Hyderabad as well, and that it was not right of KTR to talk down about other states.
Hyderabad: The Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board on Thursday released two notifications regarding the vacancies for 667 constable posts.
All these vacancies include posts in all departments such as prohibition, excise, and transportation. The vacancies have been notified following chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s announcement of 80,000 government jobs in March this year.
Candidates appearing for government exams must fill out the prescribed application form which will be available online from May 2 to May 20.
Telangana government’s digital media wing took to Twitter to share the job notification and said, “Note: Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board issued two notifications for the recruitment of Constables in the Dept of Transport & Prohibition & Excise Dept Applicants can apply via http://tslprb.in from May 2 to 20th, 2022. Wishing the applicants all the best!”
Note:
Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board issued two notifications for the recruitment of Constables in the Dept of Transport & Prohibition & Excise Dept
— Telangana Digital Media Wing (@DigitalMediaTS) April 28, 2022
On April 26 the government also released notifications for Group-1 exams. As per the notification, the submission of online applications will begin on May 2, 2022, and the last date for applying for the recruitment is May 31, 2022.
For most of the posts, the candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree. However, for the post of Regional Transport Officer in Transport Service, the candidates must hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering or Automobile Engineering or equivalent qualification. Whereas, for the post of Assistant Treasury Officer / Assistant Accounts Officer / Assistant Lecturer in the Training College and School (Treasuries and Accounts Service), they must hold a degree in commerce, economics or mathematics.
Along with the aforementioned categories, candidates must fulfill age criteria. They must be in the age group of 18-44 years as of July 1, 2022.
However, for the posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police Category – II (Police Service), Deputy Superintendent of Jails (Men) (Jails Service), and Assistant Excise Superintendent (Excise Service), candidates must be in the age group of 21-31 years.
Hyderabad: The Alair police station (PS) which comes under the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate was adjudged as the best police station in Telangana by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It also ranked 5 in the country.
The Station House Officer (SHO) and supervisory officers were felicitated by the Commissioner of Police (CP) Rachakonda Mahesh Bhagwat, on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the CP commended the staff of Alair Police station and stated that Telangana policing has been receiving appreciation from all quarters since the formation of the state. “Telangana Police forces striving to provide impeccable services to the citizens round the clock which ultimately bringing the crime rate down in the state” he added.
A special team of MHA had visited Alair PS and conducted an evaluation. The evaluation was carried out based on the performance, and infrastructure of the PS. Citizen feedback was also taken into consideration during the evaluation.
The Commissioner said that three police stations from Telangana had been nominated for the best police station award of MHA, of which Alair PS stood top among the three. Apart from being the best PS in the state, Alair PS ranked 5 among 75 other contenders across the country.
The CP lauded the staff of Alair PS for the recognition and encouraged the staff to work with more dedication.
Hyderabad: In an age when hotels and cafes in Hyderabad are in a race to monetize tea at a price no less than Rs 15, meet 85-year old Syed Habeeb Imandar, famously known as ‘Chacha Chaiwala’, who walks through the dingy lanes of Old City to earn a livelihood by selling tea at Rs 5 per cup.
Originally hailing from Solapur, Syed Habeeb came to Hyderabad 15 years ago. He has since established a fulfilling life for himself in the city with his business.
Speaking to Siasat.com, he boasts about his crowd-favorite ‘Rajasthani Masala Ajmeri Chai’ and explains how he single-handedly manages the business right from preparing the tea with various spices to selling it on his handcart in several areas of Old City.
Despite earning a meager Rs 300-350 per day, he stays grateful and owes the marriage of his five daughters to his business.
Syed Habeeb works mostly in areas near Hussaini Alam and starts his day at 6 am and wraps up by 12 pm. Owing to his old age, he says, he cannot work for longer hours.
Hyderabad: Last week, All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul (AIMIM) president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi drew the ire of heritage activists once again when he said that he has no love for the historical building of Osmania General Hospital (OGH). Many have taken that statement of his to believe that it is more or less a call to demolish the structure, which is a protected heritage site.
It was the second time that Owaisi made a statement about Osmania Hospital in recent times. Earlier, he called on the Telangana government to keep or demolish the old building, but asked it to construct a new modern structure. Back then too many citizens were unhappy that the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP did not speak up to save the heritage site. This time however, he indirectly called for it to be pulled down.
As of now, the Telangana High Court is hearing a case with regard to Osmania Hospital’s fate, as the state government had planned to demolish the structure, which is part of Hyderabad’s modern buildings built during the time of the city’s last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan (1911-48). It may be noted that the structure is also a listed and protected under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority’s laws. Owaisi calling for it to be razed, in fact is unlawful.
Demolition may cause more harm than good
But the question about the issue is this: Do we really need to raze down the heritage site to have a new building for Osmania General Hospital?
The Osmania Hospital campus is huge, and currently has two other blocks from which all the departments are functioning. The main or the old building has been shut since July 2020 after rain water flooded the ground floor, after which calls for its demolition grew (however it was later found that a choked drain in the premises was the culprit, and not the rain).
Hyderabad: Flooded floor of Osmania General Hospital due to drainage system failure, in Hyderabad, Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (PTI Photo)
More importantly, those who are calling for the old building to be demolished and for a new one to be built, also forget the fact that thousands or lakhs of people, mostly the poor, visit OGH daily. Plus, constructing a new building means shutting down operations and large scale disturbances in the hospital’s daily functioning.
According to a senior official from Osmania Hospital, about 2000 to 2500 patients are admitted in the Outpatient Section (OP) every day. Aside from that, there are about 200 to 250 daily admissions, and about 150 to 200 operations as well on a daily basis. “Several people from the districts even outside the state come. Shutting down the old building has not reduced numbers at all,” he told Siasat.com.
In total, Osmania General Hospital has 23 departments under it, excluding those working out of other medical colleges. At present, patients have all been transferred to the OP and Quli Qutb Shah buildings in the Osmania Hospital premises. The main building, which requires repairs or restoration, will have its fate decided by the High Court soon.
A heritage activist from the city, who did not want to be named, asked why Owaisi has been gunning for the main building of Osmania Hospital to be demolished off-late. “It is unethical on his part. OGH is considered to be part of Hyderabad’s heritage due to its medical history. Moreover, they (Owaisi family) also run hospitals, so if OGH is shut due to reconstruction, many in the Old City will be forced to go to private hospitals like his,” he remarked.
History of Osmania General Hospital
OGH was completed in 1925, after Hyderabad was affected by the bubonic plague around 1911. The city administration then took care of the issue, following which the then Nizam Osman Ali Khan (1911-48) set up the City Improvement Board (CIB) in 1912 to improve Hyderabad’s infrastructure. It was designed by architect Vincent Esch, who also designed the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.
The OGH’s old building (along with others like High Court and City College) is a fine example of the Osmanian style or Indo-Saracenic genre of architecture and is an integral part of Hyderabad’s 20th century riverscape and skyline. The CIB during the reign of Osman Ali Khan had transformed the medieval city into a modern metropolis, complete with infrastructure like the High Court, railway stations, schools and OGH.
Lack of restoration over the years
In a 2013 report, a new building block was suggested to be built for Rs. 100 crore and restoration of the old structure was suggested for Rs.19 crore then. The new building was to have many other facilities, which were being run from other buildings. However, after Telangana was formed in 2014, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao visited OGH in 2015, which was followed by an announcement of OGH’s demolition.
The announcement of the demolition of OGH led to a public outcry, following which an expert team from the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture, and Heritage (INTACH) submitted after a structural, stability and safety study.
It summarized that the conservation of the in-patient block or the old heritage building should be restored based on heritage conservation principles. In 2019, state officials along with architects from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) also inspected OGH to look at restoration. But that also fell through.
Hyderabad: The XI Additional Chief Judge at city civil court on Friday passed an injunction order on releasing Ekta Kapoor’s reality show Lock Upp.
The court passed the order after a conducting a trial and checking the documents of the petitioner, Abdul Haleem Baig aka Sanober Baig who happens to be the sole rights holder of the story and the script of the concept The Jail.
According to the Pride India’s counsel D Jagdishwar Rao, in wake of the court passing injunction restraining the respondents Ekta Kapoor (Alt Balaji), MX Player, and Endemol Shine from exhibiting the “Lock Upp” series on any electronic media, social media, OTT platforms and other mediums.
In the last week of February this year, the Telangana High Court had set-aside the ad-interim injunction granted by the trial court against releasing, exhibiting and publishing the series.
The petitioner contended that the concept is owned by Pride Media through its proprietor, Sanober Baig, and was written by Shaantanu Ray and Sheershak Anand, registered under the copyright act on March 7 2018. It was registered with the Film Writers Association. In his petition, the plaintiff, Sanober Baig, has described how the concept was developed and also explained the concept giving the details of the money invested by him at various stages of concept development.
The court had earlier taken on record the video clip of the trailer of Lock Upp and passed an ad- interim injunction order with an urgent notice prohibiting the exhibition of the show.
“Since the show is not only similar to our concept but an absolute copy of the same, it’s total infringement of the copyright and I have got a permanent injunction order, I had full faith in the judiciary and now justice will have been served,” said Sanober Baig.
Hyderabad: Four persons were killed and few others were injured after the balcony of a two-storey building collapsed in Telangana’s Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district on Friday.
The incident occurred near the highway in Yadagirigutta town. Rescue work is on at the site as six more people are believed to be trapped under the debris.
The deceased have been identified as Dasarath, Srinu, Upender and Srinivas.
Hyderabad: Accusing the BJP of creating hatred against Muslims in the country, AIMIM (All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday alleged that the saffron party and Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre have declared a war against them.
Owaisi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop the incidents of hatred, saying it is weakening the country.
“In our country, BJP has created a storm of hatred against Muslims. Muslims don’t lose patience and courage. Fight this oppression by being within the Constitution, said the AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP.
Addressing ‘Jalse Yaum-Ul-Quran’ on the Mecca Masjid premises here on the occasion of Jumat Ul-Vida (last Friday of Ramzan), Owaisi said, “The BJP wants to put so much pressure on Muslims, and hurt them so they will eventually take to arms…”
“We want to tell the Prime Minister to stop this hatred. This is weakening the country. Your party and your government/regime have declared a war against Indian Muslims, Owaisi alleged, saying, We are respectable citizens of this country. Our lives also matter .
Referring to the bulldozer row, Owaisi said houses of Muslims were demolished in Khargone city and Sendhwa in Madhya Pradesh. Calls are given to boycott Muslims and not to buy from their shops. Recently, in Haryana, those calling themselves ‘gau rakshaks’ (cow vigilantes) grabbed the beard of an elderly person and thrashed him. Similarly, another person was taken away from his house, alleging that he’d slaughtered a cow and he was thrashed, too, he said.
“We know several incidents are happening in our country. I get several phone calls and people tell me, Asaduddin Owaisi, our houses and shops are being demolished. We are being destroyed…some say they are scared and some others are saying they are worried. I am telling you there is no need to panic…be courageous,” Owaisi said.
Owaisi, who also got emotional during his address, told Muslims not to lose hope and courage.
Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday extended greetings of Ramzan at the Iftar party organized by the state government in Hyderabad.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Telangana Home Minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali, Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders, Muslim clerics, many MLAs and MLCs were among the dignitaries present at the event.
Mahmood Ali (Left) and KCR (Right) [Image: Telangana CMO Twitter]
TRS chief KCR said that the Telangana has completed several development initiatives and has become an example for the entire country,
“Telangana government has done some really constructive work and has become an example for the entire country. Telangana is the only state where we have 24/7 electricity. The centre is suffering from some disease and we have to fix it since we all are part of India,” he said.
KCR hosts Iftar party [Image: Telangana CMO Twitter]
Further slamming the central government, he said, “Telangana’s per-capita income was Rs 1,24,000 in the year 2014 and now it is Rs 2,78,000. Centre couldn’t match up to even half of what we have achieved.”
Expressing concern over communal violence recently witnessed in some parts of the country, the TRS chief said, “Few people are trying to instigate communal issues but they will not succeed. We can see how in Bengaluru, how they are spreading poison and it’s happening everywhere in the country.”
KCR hosts Iftar party [Image: Telangana CMO Twitter]
Expressing the party’s wishes to spread ahead of the southern state and assume the national role, KCR said, “We aim that throughout the country we will achieve the goal similar to the way we have achieved various goals in Telangana.”
Various dignitaries at Iftar party [Image: Telangana CMO Twitter]
Earlier, Telangana MLC K Kavitha on the occasion of 21-year anniversary of the party had said, “Today I believe that the country needs leaders like TRS and KCR ji (Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao).”
“We gave hope to the people and made sure that the state progressed well. The TRS will take up a good national role and we will work for the country,” she stated.
Hyderabad: The work on the Regional Ring Road (RRR) around Hyderabad will commence in three months, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Friday.
He said that the northern part of the RRR has already been sanctioned by the Centre and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) is in the final stage of preparation. He also assured the Telangana government that the Centre will consider its request for sanctioning the southern part of the project.
Gadkari was speaking at a programme in Hyderabad for laying foundation stone and dedication to the nation of 12 national highways and 7 Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) projects.
The projects of a total length of 460 km are estimated to cost Rs 8,000 crore.
The Union Minister praised the Telangana government for its offer to bear 50 per cent cost of the acquisition of lands for the project.
He suggested to the state government to have planned cities, industrial clusters, logistic parks along the RRR and acquire lands for them. He pointed out that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is also developing logistic parks.
The proposed RRR Ring Road will traverse around Hyderabad at an average distance of 40 km to 50 km and it will have a length of about 340 km. The overall cost of the project will be Rs 16,003 crore.
Telangana’s Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy said land acquisition work for the 158-km long northern part will be expedited and completed during the current financial year.
The southern part, which will be 182 km long, is yet to be notified as a National Highway by the Union Ministry.
Gadkari described Hyderabad as a world-class city in the information technology sector and a growth engine for the country. He said a lot of development is happening around the city.
He said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and $5 trillion economy is to be achieved, Telangana will also have to become a strong and prosperous state.
He assured that by the end of 2024, the road infrastructure of Telangana will be at par with the US.
He said from 2014 to 2024, a total amount of Rs 3 lakh crore would have been spent on national highway infrastructure in the state.
Stating that 26 green express highways are being developed in the country, he said 5 of them will pass through Telangana. the Indore-Hyderabad highway, which is 787 km long and being developed at a cost of 17,000 crore, will pass through Telangana to a length of 136 km.
Surat-Solapur-Kurnool-Chennai highway, being developed at a cost of 50,000 crore, will pass through Telangana to a length of 78 km.
Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam highway is being developed at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore while Rs 12,000 crore will be spent on the Nagpur-Vijayawada highway.
Hyderabad: After assuming charge as Minister, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister Roja met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragathi Bhavan on Friday.
Accompanied by her family members, Roja presented ‘KCR Portrait’ to the Chief Minister.
The CM congratulated Roja for being inducted as Minister in Andhra Pradesh cabinet.
On the occasion, the chief minister’s wife Shobha Rao and MLC K Kavitha honoured Roja in a traditional way of putting tilak on her forehead.
Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing holy month of Ramzan, a Haleem store in Hyderabad has provided employment opportunities to more than a thousand unemployed people in the city, of which most are under-privileged college-going youngsters who work here part-time to meet their expenses.
“More than a thousand individuals have been employed at the store, of which maximum are the students working here part-time from 4 pm to 9 pm,” Mohd Abdul Musi, the owner of Pista House told ANI on Friday.
Speaking further, he said that more than 500 students have been provided with part-time opportunities to work as cashiers, supervisors, etc at over 25 outlets of the store in the state. “Since the preparation of haleem is a tough job, more than 400 people are employed specifically for this task,” he added.
Haleem is an Arabian dish prepared by cooking grains, meat, spices, dry fruits, ghee, and milk among other ingredients on a low flame. This dish eventually gained popularity in Hyderabad, Telangana, and Maharashtra with time.
Musi, further said, that it is a matter of immense pride that they are capable of sending it to the Middle East countries, from where the dish originated.
“It is full of so many proteins, vitamins, and minerals, so there are no disadvantages but only advantages of haleem,” said a customer at the store.
“After fasting for the whole during Ramzan, having haleem here is awesome as it gives instant energy because of its nutritional value,” said another epicure at the store.
The shop owners said that they are in the business of making haleem at the Pista House for 25 years, with 25 to 28 outlets in the city.
“We are trying our best to keep the legacy and quality of haleem maintained at the store. We are the largest makers and suppliers of haleem in the world,” said Musi.
According to him (owner), the haleem market has seen a revolution ever since they started making and selling it here.
“Haleem is a very healthy dish. It is a combination of pure ghee, mutton or chicken, and spices; when it all comes together, it makes a combination of a protein-packed dish,” he added.
Hyderabad: Telangana Industries and Information Technology Minister K. T. Rama Rao have clarified that his remarks about Andhra Pradesh were not meant to hurt anyone.
“It appears that an innocuous comment that I had made at a meeting may have caused some unintentional pain to my friends in Andhra Pradesh,” KTR tweeted.
It appears that an innocuous comment that I had made at a meeting earlier today may have caused some unintentional pain to my friends in AP
I enjoy a great brotherly equation with AP CM Jagan Garu & wish that the state prospers under his leadership
“I enjoy a great brotherly equation with AP CM Jagan Garu & wish that the state prospers under his leadership,” he wrote.
KTR’s comments at a property show of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) in Hyderabad on Friday had evoked strong reactions from several ministers in Andhra Pradesh.
They had condemned KTR for the remarks and asked him to withdraw the same.
While highlighting how the basic infrastructure has significantly improved in Hyderabad over the last seven years, KTR said people appreciate the value of this when they visit other states.
In an apparent reference to Andhra Pradesh, he said his friend, who went to a neighbouring state to celebrate Sankranti at his native place, shared with him his experience during the stay.
KTR said the friend told him that he stayed in the village for four days, there was no electricity, no drinking water while roads were in bad condition.
“He also suggested that I arrange a few buses and send people from here to the neighbouring state as then only they will realise the value of the work being done by the government in Telangana,” said KTR, who is son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
“If you feel this is an exaggeration, you may go to the neighbouring state, then only you will appreciate us more,” he added.
Andhra Pradesh’s Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana was quick to hit back at KTR.
Botsa Satyanarayana stated that he personally experienced power cuts during his stay in Hyderabad and claimed that he had to use a generator at home.
He said it was not proper on part of a responsible minister to speak like that about a neighbouring state and asked him to withdraw the remarks.
Hyderabad: A woman was allegedly gang raped by four men in Dundigal in the outskirts of Hyderabad, police said on Saturday.
The victim, who had come from Sholapur, was sexually assaulted in Medchal district late Friday night.
All the accused, identified as Narasimha (23), Imam (20), Abdul Quddus (21) and Umruddin (21), are said to be auto-rickshaw drivers. They allegedly took the victim to an isolated place and committed the crime.
On the information given by the locals, police rushed to the scene of the crime and sent the victim for medical examination.
Based on a complaint by the victim, the police later arrested the accused.
Hyderabad: The Afzalgunj police on April 28 arrested a man for allegedly smuggling gold from Vijayawada to Mumbai.
The police seized gold worth 1.8 kilograms in the form of paste from the accused, identified as 32-year-old Hitesh Ashok Meghani. The accused had arrived in Hyderabad on April 27 and then traveled to Vijayawada the same day.
Meghani allegedly met an unidentified man outside the Vijayawada airport, who handed over the gold to him. He returned to Hyderabad and stayed in a hotel at Jambagh. The police further said that he was about to go to Mumbai, where the gold would be passed on to his accomplice identified as Sujith Debnath.
The Afzalgunj police have handed over Meghani to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence for further investigation.
Hyderabad: Despite the world slowly transitioning to digital payments, the tradition of handing over crisp currency notes to children as ‘eidie’ (gift) is unlikely to get affected.
With Eid ul Fitr around the corner, demand for newly printed currency notes has shot up in Hyderabad. As a practice, elders give currency notes as gifts to children on Eid ul Fitr every year after Ramzan.
Children often also ask for gifts from their grandparents followed by other relatives. Whenever they go to extend Eid wishes, elders hand over a few currency notes to children, and many prefer to hand over newly printed currency notes.
“Getting a Rs 10 denomination crispy note was something great during my childhood. Still, the practice is there in my family; the present generation gets a Rs 100 currency note. It is more of a tradition in families,” said Mohd Fareeduddin, who works as a manager at an apparel store.
Traders who exchange soiled notes in Hyderabad are now in great demand because their tribe helps people get new crisp notes of various denominations. They make profits by charging a small commission for the service.
“There is a huge demand for new currency notes in Ramzan. We charge a commission between five to ten percent, it basically depends on the currency,” said a money exchanger from the city who did not want to be named.
This time around, a hundred pieces of new Rs 10 notes (totaling ₹1000) are sold for between Rs 1,300 and Rs 1,400. A 100-piece bundle of Rs 50 notes is sold between Rs 5,400 and Rs 5,600, depending upon the demand and requirements. “There is a shortage of new currency notes in the market. The soiled note exchange counters are given to regular customers,” said Syed Tajuddin, a realtor from Misrigunj.
Banks in Hyderabad also have been flooded with requests from customers to arrange new currency notes. The request started pouring in from the beginning of Ramzan and still continues. “Unofficial restrictions are placed on it, and we are giving only one bundle of new currency notes to customers,” said a bank official at Shahalibanda.
In fact, in front of the Reserve Bank of India at Saifabad, a few agents sit and provide the new notes after collecting a few hundred rupees as commission. “We come early in the morning and queue up before the bank, only then do we get the money. So we should get some remuneration also,” said a woman who exchanges the notes when asked why they collect around Rs. 100 a commission for each bundle.
Hyderabad: For the first time since its inception, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) Early Bird scheme has surpassed Rs 600 crore in collections, with the civic body now expecting the scheme to bring roughly Rs 700 crore to the corporation’s coffers this year.
So far, the greatest tax collection under the scheme occurred in the fiscal year 2020-21, when Rs 572.29 crore was collected.
On April 28, the local authority collected almost Rs 50 crore in one day, the greatest amount of revenue collected under this system in a single day. With 6,50,415 people paying property tax, the GHMC has collected Rs 616.67 crore in just 29 days. Serilingampally circle (Rs 77.08 crore) collected the most tax, followed by Jubilee Hills (Rs 65.18 crore) and Khairatabad (Rs 65.18 crore) (Rs 53.26. crore).
Building owners are eligible for a 5% property tax discount through the GHMC’s Property Tax Early Bird Scheme, which runs through April 30. The reimbursement is solely for the current year’s tax, not for arrears, under the plan, which began on April 1. Property owners took advantage of the opportunity.
Officials from the GHMC indicated that most businesses have recovered from damages caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, with approximately Rs.294 crore collected online.
“Rs 294.33 crore of the total tax collected was collected online.” This means the property owners volunteered to pay tax and it is a sign that business establishments have bounced back,” a GHMC official said.
