Hyderabad Blues

FAST Track

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, after his maiden cabinet meeting, announced a long list of welfare measures and promised to stand by the crop loan waiver. Around 39 lakh farmers would benefit which would cost the exchequer between Rs 17,000 to Rs 19,000 crore. The CM announced that families of martyrs who laid down their lives for a separate Telangana would be given Rs 10 lakh each and one eligible member would be given employment. Pensions of Rs 1,000 for the aged, an allowance of Rs 1,500 for the disabled, a gift of Rs 50,000 for SC, ST women at the time of marriage, regularisation of contract workers, abolition of motor vehicle tax on autos and tractors, a new master plan for Hyderabad, central pay scales for state government employees, the goodies just seemed to rain as KCR announced his cabinet's decisions. An important move, on behalf of his government, however, is that the fee reimbursement scheme has been scrapped. The Telangana government has instead introduced another scheme for students which is called FAST (Financial Assistance for Students of Telangana). This would not be quite as broad spectrum as the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy's pet scheme for students which KCR says is a big scam. "Both Jalayagnam and the fee reimbursement schemes were riddled by corruption and basically were scams. My government will stand by the weaker sections but not by corrupt middlemen," says KCR.  KCR has made it clear that students who want to avail the FAST scheme will have to prove that their parents or family were residents of Telangana since 1956 which is proving to be an uphill task for many.

Past Slights

KCR's tone and tenor throughout the press meet was one of aggression. When asked if he would talk to Naidu, KCR went on to say sarcastically that he respected Naidu as the CM of Andhra Pradesh just as he respected the CMs of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu and that the CM of AP was no less or more than anyone else. KCR's complete intolerance of Chandrababu Naidu was evident in his language and expressions when asked about the latter. Evidently, the scars between the two run deep and while Naidu has extended an olive branch twice, KCR is no mood to forget the time when his relationship with Chandrababu Naidu went sour after the latter refused to give him a ministerial berth when TDP was ruling in a united Andhra Pradesh.

Son Stroke

If Chandrababu Naidu was the IT brand model for Hyderabad when he was CM of a united Andhra Pradesh, it is now KCR's son and IT Minister K T Rama Rao. The Telangana CM's son is all over the place, attending meetings of IT bodies, inaugurating events, at fashion shows, cycling rallies, launching mobile phones. The media too seems to be lapping up this publicity overdrive but frankly it is getting to be a bit much. The citizens of Hyderabad would like it better if the government did something concrete, like laying better roads, improving drainage and ensuring regular supply of drinking water. Free WiFi and all the hi-tech IT talk is fine but can someone please improve the quality of my life in the city by ensuring some basic necessities?

Vaastu Matters

Meanwhile, KCR continues to be confused about where to house his camp office. A few days back, after much thought, consultation, astrological advice and a pooja, the Telangana Chief Minister started functioning from the Begumpet camp office. But now, sources say that the Telangana CM wants to build a new camp office a little ahead on the same road. The plot that KCR is eyeing has a judge's quarter currently. The perception that the Begumpet camp office's faulty vaastu does not allow CMs (YSR, Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy) to complete their full term is weighing heavily on KCR's mind, say sources.

Capital Matters

After taking over as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu had promised to spend more time in the districts than just staying put in Hyderabad. He has now begun his tour of West Godavari and would soon be going to other districts as well. The idea is to understand problems of the people at the grassroots level and ensure relief immediately. But Naidu is still being coy on announcing the new capital of Andhra Pradesh though he did encourage much talk of it being located between Vijayawada and Guntur. He now says that the new capital will be decided by the Sivaramakrishnan Committee which will submit a report to the centre.

Heal Thyself

Laser hair removal is quite the norm among many women these days. A number of clinics have sprouted in Hyderabad which offer these services. However, there is little one can do to verify the authenticity of technicians and doctors working at such clinics. An NRI woman who had come to Hyderabad recently, visited one such clinic in Madhapur. The inept technician botched up the procedure and the lady, Chandana Reddy, ended up with a severely burnt face. It turned out that Dr Konda Reddy, the man who conducted the procedure, was a physiotherapist, and was apparently unqualified for such a job. The police also rounded up the owner of Reshape Non-surgical Slimming and Cosmetic Clinic, Dr M Kiran Kumar. However, in a recent complaint to the police, Chandana Reddy says that the clinic continues to operate freely and no stringent action has been taken against the owners.

Face Savers

The idea of a perfect face is so drilled into women these days that many cannot help but succumb to the alluring ads of such clinics. A while back, this correspondent visited a dermatologist for a face rash. The young doctor after examining me and asking the usual questions of have you changed your soap or face cream etc, then dropped the cookie. "Why don't you come to my clinic in Madhapur? I will do some chemical peels and your face will be perfect as ever," he insisted. When I questioned him about the procedure, he asked me to google it! A few minutes later, his wife, also a dermatologist, walked in and threw in her own ad spiel. "You are in the print media now. If you get a chemical peel, you will get chances in TV channels," she stated. I quickly pocketed the prescription and left the clinic in a hurry. The rash went off on its own after a month but the nightmarish encounter with the dermatologist couple lingers on.