NEW DELHI: Online hotel aggregator OYO continues to break new grounds as an innovator through its Townhouse offerings as the hospitality company on Wednesday introduced its category of OYO Townhouse in Hyderabad.

Bringing innovative hospitality, OYO has introduced its Townhouse hotels at the Banjara Hills, Hitech City, Gachibowli and Panjagutta.

The company has seen a steady expansion of footprint in the area since the launch of its first budget category hotel, OYO rooms in February 2015. The plan to introduce its mid-segment premium product Townhouse comes on the back of a fast-growing class of young consumers for whom price, convenience and a differentiated experience play an important role in determining choices.

“This is our first Townhouse offering outside Delhi NCR and we are excited to choose Hyderabad for our debut outside home turf,” said founder and CEO OYO, Ritesh Agarwal.

He said that Hyderabad has transformed into a cosmopolitan city representing a millennial outlook towards experiences and expectations.

“OYO Townhouse represents our ongoing commitment to innovate and create world-class hotel experiences from India,” added Agarwal.

“OYO’s strong performance is driven by our focus on delivering convenient access and superior guest experience. We are exploring partnerships with hotels that are willing to be transformed to OYO standards and come onto our platform,” added Ritesh while commenting on OYO’s business performance in the city.

The new Townhouse in Hyderabad will offer a compelling proposition to the impulse travellers.

OYO also announced its plans to engage with various stakeholders to create partnerships that help us make new experiences accessible to tourists.

Since its launch, OYO has become India’s largest hospitality company with its promise of standardized and predictable stays, which caters to the impulse-planning behaviour displayed by millennial traveller.

GHMC Commissioner Dr B. Janardhan Reddy has said sudden rain with strong winds and cyclonic winds lashed the city on Tuesday night and 96mm rainfall was recorded at Central zone areas like Yousufguda, Srinagar Colony and other areas.

The rain lasted for one-and-a-half hour. The GHMC, Police and other connected line departments, emergency teams swung into action immediately and tackled the emergency situation during late hours till this morning and almost all the works have been completed. The Commissioner said some 291 trees were uprooted and the GHMC emergency teams cleared them. As the rain occurred during night, there was no overflow of traffic for which no incidents occurred, said the Commissioner.

He said 32 electric poles have fallen and all the poles were removed and power supply was restored by the emergency teams. The GHMC has identified 54 water stagnation points and all of them cleared in the morning. The main cause of the water stagnation was due to plastic and other waste materials which were being thrown and dumped on the main roads.

The Commissioner appealed to the citizens not to throw plastic waste and other waster materials on the roads and water flow was being obstructed to enter manhole points. The Commissioner also appealed to the owners of shop keepers to inform about the water stagnation points which are in front of their shops to the concerned Assistant engineers or the emergency teams so that the teams may immediately tackle the problem. (NSS)

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today expressed grief at the demise of AP Minister Narayana’s son Nishith Narayana and his friend in a ghastly road accident in Jubilee Hills in the early hours of today.

The Chief Minister, in a message, conveyed his heart-felt condolences to the family of
AP Municipal Administration Minister (NSS)

Defending his allegations against the Telangana police, AICC general secretary in-charge of Telangana & AP party Affairs Digvijaya Singh reiterated he made the allegations as he has irrefutable evidence.

Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, Digvijaya Singh said he has his moles in the Union Home Department and got the information from them.  Digvijaya said his sources and police told him that the Telangana police created fake ISIS website to trap the Muslim youths and arrested them later. (NSS)

The Transport Ministers of two Telugu States today met here today and discussed on common problems and ended up without a breakthrough.

Telangana Minister P Mahender Reddy closeted with his Andhra Pradesh counterpart K Achchen Naidu along with the officials of the both the States for some time. Though the meeting focused on key issues of mutual cooperation for allowing the vehicles, it could not come out with a positive result.

Mahender Reddy told reporters later that they achieved consensus on some issues. He also said another round of meeting will be held next week to resolve other issues. While 700 AP buses are moving in Telangana, only 400 buses were plying in Andhra Pradesh to short distances, he said. There was no clarity yet on the actual number of buses coming and returning to home States, he said, adding that the next meeting might resolve amicably the rest of the issues pending.

The Telangana Government has been demanding implementation of single permit policy for plying lorries though the AP Government is yet to take a decision. The AP Government has to take a decision with regard to Telangana demand to avoid disparity in number of buses and allow equal number of its buses in the State and allow to ply its RTC buses with state name rather than number of seats for which Rs 950 per seat being at check posts on the state borders. Probably a meeting next week will resolve these issues. (NSS)

Emphasizing on  the need for designing new certificate courses that provide jobs, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari today exhorted the Open Universities to shift focus on catering the needs of market and industry. As the  common varsities offer traditional courses,  the open universities should formulate a variety of new courses enabling the youth get jobs in various sectors,  he said. Since Telangana Government is giving priority to various sectors with job potential including the Agriculture, Health, Animal husbandry and others,   the open universities should work out a plan to devise new courses,  Srihari stated.

He was inaugurating the Centre for Staff Training and Development Building in Dr BR Ambedkar Open  University,  and wished  it to become the best institution at national level. Srihari stated that it was decided to fill up 1061 vacant posts and help provide quality education to the students to help them excel in  their future endeavours. As part of strengthening the varsities, Chief Minister K Chandhrasekhar Rao has allotted Rs 420 crore for the varsities and Ambedkar University  gets Rs 20 crore,  which should be used for providing basic amenities, practical knowledge using latest equipment for the students and for infrastructure and new buildings.

He said that it is prime time for the varsities to tap the drop outs and offer them special courses and introduce job-fetching courses in the fields of health, education, agriculture, industry, IT and others. Stating that Dr BR Ambedkar Open University was started in the year 1982 as the first open University in the country, he said   about 30 per cent of the students are being qualified from similar Universities.

Srihari said that the contribution of the Open Universities in the country is significant as they  cater to the changing needs of the drop outs. Pointing out that Keralites are dominating in the fields of education and health, Srihari sought the open university to formulate certificate courses to roll out trained veterinary and agriculture assistants and nurses to get jobs immediately and cater to the market demand.

On the allocation of Rs. 20 crores to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Vice Chancellor and Professor K.Seetharama Rao has thanked the Chief Minister and Srihari. He promised that  new courses will be designed as per the demand of market and industry. The VC said that in future more students will be attracted for the new courses in open universities.(NSS)

Hyderabad: Another case of people going abroad in dire need of money and then becoming a victim of their employers’ exploitation came to light, where a woman from Hyderabad is facing sexual harassment from her employer in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.

31-year-old Haleem unnisa went to Riyadh in March to work there as a beautician.

Her family has now appealed to the government for help.

A case was registered by the Falaknuma Police earlier on April 13 under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Haleem’s mother Habeeb Un Nisa said that her daughter’s employers tortures and beats her daily, and urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to rescue her daughter and bring her back to India.

“My daughter left from Hyderabad to Riyadh on March 19. The agents Ahmed and Viqar offered a good job.

After she reached there, her employer started torturing her, and beating her daily. They are not even giving adequate food to my daughter and the employer’s family is not even letting my daughter sleep. I request MEA Sushma Swaraj to rescue my daughter and bring her back to India,” Habeeb told ANI.

Haleem’s brother, Mohammed Asif said that the agent who took her is now saying that the employer wants Rs. six lakh and only then is he going to release Haleem from there.

He also said that he had registered the complaint in the police station after which the police called the agent, but later he was released.

“The agents offered a beautician job and after going there they made her maid servant and her employer is continuously torturing my sister since the day she landed in Riyadh. Now, the agent is asking for Rs. six lakh saying employer is demanding that amount. If we pay the amount then the employer will send our sister back to India. I have complained the issue to police and the Falaknuma police called the agent and released him. My sister said on phone that the employer is harassing her sexually and torturing her continuously. We request MEA Sushma Swaraj to rescue my sister,” Asif told ANI.

Earlier also, many such cases of Indians being harassed and exploited by their employers abroad have come to the fore.

(ANI)

Hyderabad: Police Jubilee Hills arrested four accused persons namely, S. Narender alias Kanna, G. Rajesh, P. Mahesh and G. Mahesh in connection with the murder case of Amer which occurred in Sri Ram Nagar Colony in Jubilee Hills on 7th May.

DCP of West Zone, Mr. Venkateshwar Rao told that the said accused persons had targeted Amer in Sanjay Nagar area when he was alone. He was stabbed to death. Police seized the weapons used in the murder. The arrested accused persons were sent to jail.

Rapid Action Force pickets have been deployed in the area after violent incidents which took place during the funeral procession of Amer Khan. Now the situation is reported to be normal.

–Siasat News

Hyderabad: AP Municipal Administration Minister Dr P. Narayana’s son Nishith Narayana, 22, and his friend Raja Ravi Varma, 23, were killed after their Benz rammed a Metro pillar on Road No 36 in Jubilee Hills in the early hours on Wednesday.
According to preliminary reports, Nishith Narayana and Ravi Varma, son of businessman M M Krishna, were returning home after attending a party at around 2.45 am in a Benz car (TS07 FK7117). The car rammed a Metro pillar at a high speed. Due to heavy rain in the city, the area was filled with water and darkness with no street lights. Both of them were rushed to the nearby Apollo hospitals where the doctors declared them dead.
Nishith was one of the directors of Narayana Group of Institutions. The cause of accident is believed to be due to high speed. Though the doctors said they were not drunk. Nishith, born on July 4, 1994, is survived by parents and two sisters. The body was being shifted to Nellore and the funeral will be performed on Thursday.
Minister Narayana, who is on a tour in London, is reported to have returned after being informed of the tragedy. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Ministers, MLAs and party leaders expressed grief over the death of Nishith. Most of them left for Hyderabad to console the family.
Telangana Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao rushed to the Apollo Hospital and consoled the family members. Several leaders, including IT Minister KT Rama Rao, Jana Sena president actor Pawan Kalyan and others condoled the death. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu expressed grief at the tragedy. Leader of Opposition in AP Assembly and YSR Congress Party chief YS agan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the death of Nishith and his friend. He expressed his deep-felt condolences to the bereaved families.
Apollo Hospital forensic expert Dr Surender Reddy, who examined the bodies of Nishith and Raja Ravi Varma, released a medical report and confirmed that the cause of the accident was due to high speed at which the car was being driven at the time of fatal accident. Though some eye-witnesses said the youths were drunk, the Apollo doctors said they found no remnants of alcohol in their bodies. Nishith sustained grievous injuries on chest and died instantly. His lever and lungs were totally damaged as the youths wore no seat belts. Dr Surender Reddy felt the two died within 10 minutes of the accident. The post-mortem was conducted by the doctors of Osmania General Hospital at the Apollo Hospital.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad city West Zone Deputy Commissioner Venkateshwara Rao said the youth met with death only due to rash and reckless driving near Peddamma Temple in Jubilee Hills. He said the impact was severe that the car after hitting the Metro pillar swerved back a few yards. The night patrolling police men, who rushed to the spot in the heavy rain, extricated the bodies with the help of GHMC personnel after breaking open the car doors, the DCP said.
It is strongly believed that heavy rain accompanied with strong winds lashing the city might be responsible for the ghastly accident. Heavy rain lashed parts of the city like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Madhapur, Punjagutta, Ameerpet, Yusufguda, Khairatabad, Begumpet and Secunderabad. Eye-witnessed said there were strong winds in the city at the time of the accident. The CC footage released by the police showed clearly that the speeding car hitting the Metro pillar. (NSS)

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Government today relieved 54 employees of Telangana origin working in AP Assembly.
According to the information, the AP government gave a green signal to shift the Telangana employees to their home State followed by a directive from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The Andhra Pradesh government issued orders to relieve 54 employees. Still, there are 28 more Telangana employees working in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, who will also be repatriated to their home State in second phase soon. The TS Employees have been pressing the officials concerned for quite some time and their wish is being fulfilled now. (NSS)

Hyderabad: Transport Ministers of AP and Telangana States met yesterday in Vijayawada. Mr. P. Mahendra Reddy of Telangana and Mr. K. Achan Naidu of A.P. attended the meeting. Present in the meeting were Principal Secretary of Transport, Telangana State, Mr. Sunil Sharma, MD of TSRTC, Mr. G.V. Ramana Rao and transport officials of A.P. The negotiations were held in a congenial atmosphere. Both the parties appraised of their issues. Issues pertaining to private buses and transfers of employees were resolved but the division of RTC buses could not be resolved. It is expected that this issue would be taken up in another meeting to be held at the end of this month.

Transport Minister of Telangana told that in Telangana more than 700 buses enter the state whereas only 400 buses from Telangana go to A.P.

–Siasat News

Hyderabad: TDP MP, Mr. P. Ravindra Babu went to KCR’s residence to invite him for his daughter’s marriage but met with a humiliating treatment by the security staff. He was made to stand outside the residence for an hour. He was not allowed to enter the premises even after showing his ID Card.

It is reported that the MP is a very close friend of KCR. Talking to newsmen waiting outside, Mr. Babu said that it is very regrettable that an MP is being treated like this. How can the common man think of approaching KCR for the getting his problems redressed?

–Siasat News

New delhi: YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy today said his party will offer support to any candidate that the BJP fields for the upcoming presidential election. He told this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with him which lasted for over half an hour at the latter’s official residence here.

“We will support any candidate the BJP fields as we have very less difference in opinion. Except for differences on the land acquisition bill and special status for Andhra Pradesh, we share similar opinions on various issues which we think are pro-people,” Jagan said.

“Also, the BJP has enough support for its candidate to win. Opposing their candidate and fielding another will not make sense,” he said.

Interestingly, Jagan is the leader of opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly where the ruling TDP is a partner of the BJP-led NDA alliance, which is in power at the Centre.

The presidential election is scheduled in July and opposition unity for contesting it may well be a precursor to an anti-NDA front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to explore the possibility of fielding a joint candidate for the presidential poll, even as RJD boss Lalu Prasad talked about cobbling together a Bihar-style ‘mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance).

During today’s meeting, Jagan raised several issues with the prime minister and also demanded disqualification of four MLAs from his party who switched over to the Telugu Desam Party and were made ministers in the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

He also sought justice for those affected in the Agri Gold Estates and Farms scam, better support price for chilli farmers in Andhra Pradesh and granting special status for the state.

“We also gave a booklet, ‘Emperor of Corruption’, brought out by the YSRCP, to the prime minister. The booklet talks about the corruption by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu,” he said.

PTI

Hyderabad: Lack of professional skills in job seekers moving to Gulf for jobs, are being exploited at workplace believes NGO’s Welfare Society.

NGO’s helping them to get job’s in Gulf are of the opinion that they should be certified in various technical skills in order to work there.

The first initiative taken up was by the YSR Government to help the job seekers with giving them training and certifying the candidates in various technical skills in order to get jobs in Gulf and it did so continued till Congress Government was in power said Ex- Minister Mohammed Shabbir Ali.

He quoted saying “We trained about 10,000 workers in construction works, plumbing, electrical works, carpentry and others at National Academy of Construction. Labour without skills or those who were semi-skilled got professional with 4-month courses. The government released funds for accommodation and other expenses for trainees during the training period. Based on these certificates, they got jobs in Gulf. The present government is neglecting such training programs.”

The government should establish a new body to train job seekers in Gulf says M. Kodandaram, Chairman of Telangana Joint Action Committee

Welfare NGO’s who are working towards the progress of job seekers in Gulf are warning them about the categories of visas and the local laws of the country they are moving to work with.

President Shaik Chand Pasha of Welfare Members Society advises candidates to be cautious to not fall into traps of agents who would mousetrap them by offering ‘Azad Visa’s’ which gives a permit to the worker to work for consistent two years.

He continued “Azad visa is for poor Arabs who are willing to establish a small scale unit. But, corrupt Arabs sell the Azad Visa to agents at 10,000 Saudi Riyals and the agents sell it to Telugus for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. Many victims feel that it is a royal visa but it is illegal”.

The Indian workers have to look out for a new job as the local who sells the Visa to the agents, takes it back by providing Akama.

Gulf Returnee Chand Pasha quoted “To avoid legal issues, they hand over the passport of the Indian worker and tell the local governments that the worker has run away. If the police catches the worker elsewhere during raids, they lodge him in jail”.

Workers are being exploited every now and then especially women by agents, who trick them to earn money from them as well as their Kafil’s.

He further explained “The agents collect Rs 1.6 lakh from women on the pretext of offering jobs as domestic helps at a salary of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month. Out of the Rs 1.6 lakh, the agent collects 50 percent as his commission and gives them a visit visa. Once in the Gulf, he hands the women over to another agent and collects up to Rs 1 lakh from them. The agent in the Gulf sells the women to any kafil, which does not give them a single penny towards salary and treats the worker as bonded labour”.

He warned the job seekers to leave only when they get their Employment Visa’s, which will be provided by the Companies or the Gulf employer.

“Vakala visas given by employers are valid in Arab countries, but that given by agents are not valid” clarified Chand Pasha, as reported in DC.

HYDERABAD: Muslims around the city are expected to observe Shab-e-Barat or Laylatul Bara’ah (night of deliverance) on Thursday.

Falls on the 15th day of the Islamic month of Shabaan, Shab-e-barat is considered to be the most pious night when Muslims prays for the departed souls and seeks Allah’s blessings and forgiveness for their sins.

Arrangements were being for special prayers and sermons offered at different mosques around the City.

Religious leaders have urged youngsters not to turn Shab-e-Baraat or Night of Salvation into a night of revelry and nuisance.

The night of Shab-e-Baraat is sacred and should be spent in prayers. But the city  youths has taken it upon itself to rein in acts of hooliganism. The parents and guardians should stop and counsel these youngsters about the importance of the night.

The youngsters were appealed to avoid meaningless activities like bursting crackers and biking recklessly or  performing dangerous stunts on the road  thereby creating inconvenience to residents or commuters.

Also, City police are not willing to take chances. Elaborate arrangements are made and the cops will keep a tab on movement of vehicles to maintain law and order to prevent any untoward incident.

The devotees will pass the night through prayer, recitation from the Holy Quran, and seeking blessings from Allah, the Almighty, for peace and progress of their families and relatives.

People will visit the graves of their relatives and Muslim saints and offer special munajat on this night of fortune.

Hyderabad: Media institutions pay less attention towards the issues of minorities, backward classes and women. As a result their problems remain as they are. Negative reporting is done regarding the issues related to Muslims and issues such as triple talaq are exaggerated and sensationalized. These views were expressed by the participants of a session of workshop entitled “Covering Marginality and Minorities’ chaired by Mr. Amer Ali Khan news editor Siasat. The participants further said unless equal treatment is meted out towards them on institutional level, it is impossible to solve their problems.

Addressing on the occasion Mr. Amer Ali Khan, news editor Siasat, said that the basic reason behind plenty of negative reports regarding Muslims is the ideology; majority of the media organisations are run by the persons who do not have thorough knowledge of the issue. He said, giving space to the issues of minorities, backward classes and other marginalised communities without knowing about their issues, is sometimes damaging to the organisations and to the communities as well.

Besides Mr. Amer Ali Khan, the session was attended by Mr. M A Majid, Prof. B Bala Swami, Dr. Srinivas, Mr. C Vanaja, Mrs. Anjali Lal Gupta and Mrs. Rajita.

Dr. P Srinivas told that there is class bias in the selection of news also. Killings of Dalit or marginalised have news value only when 10 to 12 people are killed otherwise it is termed as a routine incident.

Mr. M A Majid said, English and Telugu newspapers usually present Muslim issues in negative way. He cited the debates held on TV channels on triple talaq issue, and asked, ‘is Triple Talaq a problem related to Muslims alone? If so how much percentage of Muslim population is affected by it? He stressed the need to change negative mindset.

Mrs. Vanaja, Anjali Lal Gupta and Rajneeta complained of less coverage given to inequality and women issues in media and stressed on the importance of professional training in journalism to improve the situation.

The two-day workshop titled “MEDIA ETHICS: Professional Preparation and Practice’ was organised by the Department of Communication, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad (UoH) with support from the U.S. Consulate General, Public Affairs Section, Hyderabad on May 9-10, 2017.

The thematic sessions of the workshop consisted of discussions and reflections among experienced journalists and academics from Hyderabad on the contemporary ethical practices globally and in India.

Hyderabad: EAMCET Aspirants across Telangana State preparing to face the upcoming entrance exam, are also annoyed as well as concerned about reaching the Entrance Exam Centres late, due to the implemented ‘One Minute Rule’ of TS EAMCET, for students who are late, even by a minute, shall not be allowed to write their exam.

The ‘One Minute Rule’ implemented by the TS EAMCET has annoyed State students appearing for the exam, while Andhra Pradesh has introduced online Entrance EAMCET exam from this year.

Students appearing for the exam say after working hard for two consecutive years for the entrance exam they fear of losing their chance just because they could not reach the centers on time.

“No student wants to be late for the exam. However, it might happen that due to some unforeseen circumstances a student might get late to the exam for which some time gap should be given to students. If some student loses on giving the exam for no fault of his then it is nothing short of injustice” says J Anirudh, one of the students appearing for the EAMCET this year.

Leaking of entrance question paper that has happened last year, forcing students to reappear for the exam is what concerning the students other than the rule.

The Telangana Government was embarrassed for the blunder and was obliged to conduct a re-exam. Officials say all measures have been taken care of this year to avoid the repetition.

About 2.2 lakh students are appearing for the entrance exam conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru technological University, this year. The Exam is scheduled for May 12 and will be conducted across 400 centers, as reported in The Indian Express.

TRS Parliament Member B Vinod Kumar today expressed happiness and said that the Centre has given its green signal to the land acquisition amendment Act 2016 of Telangana Government. Speaking to media persons in Delhi Vinod stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a Cabinet meeting and approved the land act of the Telangana state. Now it was sent to Rashtrapathi Bhavan for the assent of President Pranab Mukherjee the MP said. The President is likely to give his assent in a few days and a related Gazette will be notified in this regard, Vinod stated. The Central nod will sure prove handy as it paves way for land acquisition for development works in Telangana State. He also cited that states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujrath, Kerala and Odisha are also seeking to make some amendments for the 2013 land acquisition act of the Centre.

The decision of making amendments by Telangana will benefit farmers in a big way he said. It will also help us to acquire adequate land for projects to be completed on a war-footing Vinod said. Stating that the statehood movement took place for waters, resources and jobs he said that land acquisition is must for construction of the projects. It is pertinent to note here that the Telangana government conducted a special assembly session and made a few more amendments to the act it passed earlier as sought by the Centre. (NSS)

Minister for Roads and Buildings Tummala Nageshwar Rao today said that tenders have been called on Thursday for construction of integrated Collector buildings in new districts. He conducted a high level review meeting and sought the officials to speed up land acquisition and other works for the speedy completion of the works estimated to cost about Rs 1032 cr. He disclosed the design and plan of the works to the media. The integrated collector complexes will also accommodate, joint collectors and other revenue officials he maintained. He set a deadline to complete the works by year end and start functioning from the new premises. The minister also said that the government will complete the construction of residential and office complexes of MLAs in their segment by coming Dasara festival. We have directed the officials to plunge into immediate action for these works.

The minister said that the works of Integrated Collectorate complexes has been offered to Usha Reddy Architect and asked it to build world class and complying with the norms of Haritha Bhavan to provide more greenery and eco friendly environment. Chief Minister K Chandra sekhar Rao is planning to start these new complexes for district administration in one year he said. Nageshwar Rao also asked that the architect company and the officials concerned to coordinate for speedy completion of the works.

Referring to office and residential buildings for legislators, the minister said that the government has written to MLAs and the Collectors concerned. As per the directive of the chief minister the construction works should be completed at the earliest he said. It is being planned to complete and start functioning from the new premises from Dasara festival Rao said. Of 119 Assembly segments the government has earmarked Rs 104 cr for construction of 104 office and residential complexes.

The Minister said that the government is giving priority for road safety to avoid accidents and spending Rs 50 cr for a special plan. It is planned to construct a total of 511 bridges spending Rs 2495,50 cr for providing better connectivity between the state capital and district headquarters. He also said that they have so for built 130 bridges and 290 more are under construction. (NSS)

Five senior police officials have been suspended for their alleged links with gangster Nayeemuddin who was killed in an encounter with the police.

 According to sources, DGP Anurag Sharma has issued order suspending CID Additional SP M. Srinivas Rao, Mirchowk ACP P. Srinivas, CCS ACP Chintamani Srinivas Rao, Kothagudem Inspector Ramgopal and Sangareddy Traffic inspector Mastan. A probe has also been ordered into their assets and if they are found possessing wealth disproportionate to their assets, then further action is likely to be taken against them.

While five officials have been suspended, enquiry is reportedly going against four more police officials while 16 others are likely to face minor punishment for their alleged links with gangster Nayeem. (INN)