Hyderabad Blues

With Or Without You

The Telangana government is fuming over the step-motherly treatment to the new state in the Budget. A horticulture university and a debt recovery tribunal is all that it's got. Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, has received a large number of goodies. It has been promised an IIT, AIIMS, an agriculture university, Chennai-Vizag industrial corridor, a hardware park at Kakinada, development of Krishnapatnam and Kakinada ports, industrial smart city status for Krishnapatnam, a national customs and excise academy at Hindupur. TRS MP Kavitha has lashed out at the Narendra Modi government stating that Telangana will be developed whether there is central support or not.

Petitioning Prez

YSR Congress chief and AP opposition leader Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy is lying low at the moment. But that does not mean that he has stopped complaining about Chandrababu Naidu to anyone who's willing to lend him an ear. Jagan's latest petition is to President Pranab Mukherjee whom he met recently. Jagan complained about the "violence" unleashed by the ruling Telugu Desam during the municipal and zilla parishad elections. Submitting a memo to the President, he claimed that 17 YSR Congress activists had been killed and 113 maimed during the elections to local bodies. Jagan briefed the President that people were living in fear because of the ruling party's acts and that Naidu had chosen to remain silent on the matter. 

Bifurcation Blues

A visit to the Hyderabad Secretariat is quite an educational experience and an eye-opener on prevailing state of affairs after bifurcation. The teeming crowds at the A, B, C and D blocks present a sharp contrast to the blocks allotted to the Andhra Pradesh government where politicians and mediapersons comprise a major chunk of the visitors. Many bureaucrats working in the Telangana government complain that they are not getting a moment's peace to do their work as it is a veritable stampede outside their offices all the time. 

Andhra's Gain

The Polavaram Ordinance Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on July 11 despite strong opposition from MPs of Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Among other things, the Bill states that seven mandals in Khammam district around the Polavaram dam project will be merged with the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. The Polavaram (Indirasagar Project) is a multi-purpose one across the Godavari river near Polavaram village in West Godavari district. It would have reservoir strength of 75.2 TMC ft and is meant to irrigate 7.20 lakh acres on the left and right banks of the Godavari. It would generate 960 MW of hydro power. About 25 TMC ft of water from the project will supply drinking water to Visakhapatnam. It would also provide for diversion of 80 TMC ft of water to the Krishna barrage thereby linking the Krishna and Godavari rivers. While many are already displaced, it is estimated that the Polavaram project will displace 2 lakh tribals in Khammam district and also the neighbouring villages of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The seven mandals which will be merged with Andhra Pradesh include Kunavaram, V R Puram, Chintur, Bhadrachalam, Velerupadu, Kukunoor and Burgumpadu.

Krishna Water Blues

In its first meeting, the Krishna River Management Board has decided to release 26 TMC ft of water to both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In all Telangana will get 10 TMC ft and Andhra 16 TMC ft. The Board chairman A B Pandya assured Telangana officials that unilateral decisions will not be taken to release as was done last week. On the orders of the Central Water Tribunal, around 3.6 TMC feet of water were released from the Nagarjunasagar dam in Telangana to the Krishna delta in Andhra Pradesh to meet its drinking water needs. There were heated arguments between representatives of both states in the meeting as tempers flew over sharing of river water. Accusations were made by Telangana officials about Andhra using water supposedly meant for drinking purposes being used for irrigation.

Back with a Hit

After a long gap, actor Venkatesh is back with a hit. Drushyam, a remake of a Malayalam movie with the same name, has pleased Telugu audiences as Venkatesh shines in this role which appears tailor-made for him. He plays a simple family man, a cable operator who runs his business in a village near Vizianagaram. A young man shoots nude visuals of his older daughter during a nature camp and the family’s life undergoes a huge upheaval. Venkatesh does a superb job in a role which showcases how an ordinary man rises to the occasion to protect his family. Actress Meena too is seen on the Telugu screen after quite some time and pulls off a complicated role with great ease.

Badminton Blues

Hyderabadi star and doubles badminton player Jwala Gutta is doing everything she can to convince the Telangana government to sanction her land for starting a coaching academy. Her former mentor Pullela Gopichand runs a highly successful badminton coaching school in Gachibowli which has proven itself to be a hub of champions. Now, Jwala too wants a shot at the coaching scene with the support of her own coach S M Arif. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is these days being pretty strict about reclaiming land from societies which have not utilised government land properly. So it remains to be seen if this wish of Jwala's is granted. The player has also been complaining to certain ministers in the T government about Gopichand's "rude behaviour" towards her.

Bouncers Blues

A nasty scuffle between a group and two bouncers in one of Hyderabad’s popular pubs Cuba Libre resulted in the arrest of the bouncers. The group consisting of a businessman from Tirupati and three friends including a woman entered the Cuba Libre pub in Banjara Hills when the bouncers reportedly passed remarks about the young woman. In the ensuing scuffle, the businessman suffered injuries on his cheek. The pub management had to call in the police. Perhaps, managements at watering holes need to understand that bouncers are meant to protect customers and not assault them. Usually, the sight of bouncers is meant to act as a deterrent against unsocial elements. But what can one do if bouncers themselves turn into eve-teasers?