498-A or just 420?

By Desaraju Surya
Vijayawada: One of the most dreaded and abused sections of the Indian Penal Code is 498 (A) --husband or his relatives subjecting a woman to cruelty. A person convicted under this section could attract a prison term of three yearsand\or a fine of Rs 1000. In the Vijayawada police commissionerate,about 1000 cases get registered under this section of IPC every year.However, over 95 per cent of the cases end in compromise between the complainant and the accused. As soon as a case is registered under this section, police rush to arrest the accused -- be it the husband orhis close relatives like mother, father or sister. Though obtaining bail is not that difficult, the trauma of arrest remains. Deep investigations into such cases, over a period of time, revealed that most of the cases were false and filed for flimsy reasons.
Take this example. A couple was married for five years and their relationship was progressing happily. The couple had a child. The woman, somehow, established an illicit relationship with a young neighbour and the husband had no knowledge about the affair. Both the woman and her lover hatched a plan to extract money from the former's husband and promptly she rushed to the city police chief alleging that her husband had been harassing her physically. The police chief (not the incumbent) immediately directed the station house officer of the locality to arrest the husband and the order was promptly complied with. During the courseof the investigation, however, the police established that the husband,working as an executive in a private firm, was a soft-hearted man and had never harassed his wife. But the case dragged to the court and the hapless husband was forced to shell out Rs 3 lakh to his wife. The happy marriage ended in a divorce. "There are many such examples. In my experience I have seen several such falses cases filed against the husbands and in-laws only with ulterior motives. Not that there are no genuine cases but over 90 per cent of the 498 (A) cases are false," said a senior police officer. Of late, some women started filing harassment cases even against her husband's relatives who stayed abroad. This requires the police to investigate deeply into the case even requiring them to nab the accused from overseas. Against such backdrop, the new Commissioner of Police Umesh Sharaff issued clear instructions to the station house officers not to "rush" with the 498 (A) cases. The accused could be arrested only if charges were prima facie established, he told the SHOs. This is a big relief not only to the 'harassed' husbands but also to the investigating officers.

Tales of Love

By Desaraju Surya
Vijayawada: These are "love stories" of a different kind. Different in the sense that the love is more physical than emotional. There is no meeting of the hearts, clearly. And it's nothing but infatuation at best. These tales also reflect on a disturbing trend emerging in Vijayawada city of late. A 16-year-old daughter of a senior railway officer "falls" for a 21-year-old home-guard. After the initial sight exchange programme, they embark on a sight-seeing mission to various parts of the state. The girl sells her jewellery to meet the expenses for the "pleasure trip." The both elope from Vijayawada and roam around the city for two months before returning home "safely." The girl's parents meanwhile do the rounds of the police station seeking police help to trace their missing daughter. A 14-year-old girl studying in class IX in a local school, robs Rs 3000 in cash and jewellery worth Rs 20,000 from her house to elope with her lover, an apprentice painter. The pair goes off on a joy trip to places like Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad, enjoys a week and returns home quietly. In another case, an 18-year-old girl from a well-to-do family escapes from home with her 20-year-old lover boy and returns after a week of "honeymoon." The boys sells away his motorbike to please his sweetheart and give her company for a week. "These are only a few cases. Every month we come across at least three such cases of 'girl missing.' In the end, however, no case is registered as the girls go out on their own will," pointed out a station house officer. Such cases are reported in good number in police stations like Satyanarayanapuram, Machavaram, Suryaraopet and Governorpet in the heart of Vijayawada city. Interestingly, the number of such cases registered is high in winter and low in summer, the SHO observed. While the girls' parents spend sleepless nights, anxious over their kids whereabouts, the teenagers are clearly not perturbed. "For them nothing else probably matters. They just want to enjoy life. These days they are influenced a lot by cinema, television and also the Internet," a senior police official said. The police are finding it difficult to deal with such cases. There is no information whatsoever coming forth from the girls' parents. "The parents believe their kids are innocent. But our investigations reveal a different story," the police official said. Even after the girls return, no concrete case could be registered as there is no formal complaint. Most cases end up in "compromise." For example, a 19-year-old girl started an illicit relationship with a 38-year-old man a few months ago. She is now pregnant for three months. The man has a 14-year-old son as well. Following a squabble, the man was arrested and now the man's wife herself wants to settle for a "compromise" as her husband would take care of the teenager as well. "Once the two parties agree for a compromise, there is hardly anything we can do about it," the police say.

Nomads lose everything to tsunami

By Desaraju Surya
Manginapudi (Krishna district): Like many nomadic tribes of the country, fishermen from Uppada at Kakinada in East Godavari district come to Manginapudi every year during winter for fishing. This year too, some 80 families from Uppada came to Manginapudi and erected thatched houses at a small place called "Giripuram" on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. Seeing these people as a threat to their livelihood, local fishermen literally keep the Uppada nomads at bay and as such the latter build make-shift houses very close to the sea. They venture into the sea for fishing and sometimes return after three to four days. In the deadly tsunami that hit the Bay of Bengal coast on Sunday, these families have lost everything. All their fishing boats are damaged, their houses too have collapsed and in just a matter of minutes their survival has been threatened. Though they were lucky to be alive, in one go, life has turned bleak for these hapless families. "Fishing is the only source of our livelihood. What will we do now having lost all our boats," wondered Pandu, a nomad. He has faced rough seas several times in the past but tsunami was something which he didn't even known of. He plans to return to his native village but back home too there is nothing else he could do. Like Pandu, many other families now look towards the sea with blank faces unable to make out how life would be from now on.

They held on to each other and some floating cans

By Desaraju Surya
Machilipatnam: The killer tsunami claimed thousands of lives across several Asian countries, but 15 bravehearts from a tiny island village of Krishna district beat it back with their drive to battle all odds. These 15, from two fishing families of Sorlagondi village in Nagayalanka mandal, went into the jaws of death but used their determination to come out only with a few scars. "We fought death and came out triumphant," recalled Kopparati Lanka Raju showing scars left by the killer waves all over his body. On Sunday morning, Lanka Raju had set out to sea with his family and members of Panabaka Subba Rao’s family in two boats. The sea was rough around 8.30 am but they had no inkling of the impending danger. As they steered their boats deeper into the Bay of Bengal, the waves began rising menacingly. And, around 9.15 am, massive columns of water tossed their boats and threw them overboard. Though both the boats were destroyed, oil and water cans in the boats came to their rescue. Experts in swimming against the tide, these fishermen held on to each other even as the sea turned ferocious. Holding each other’s hands and latching on to the cans, they battled the waves for over three hours before they reached the shore. Exhausted when they reached shore, there was no one around to help them. So, they gathered courage, walked a few kilometres and reached an island village. By then they were bruised. Villagers came to their rescue and rushed them to a hospital in Nagayalanka. Doctors at there acted swiftly, gave them all help and tended to them. In one voice, Lanka Raju, Sivanageswara Rao, Subba Rao and Panabaka Ravulamma thanked the almighty for giving them a rebirth.

BAD BLOOD

Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: There is always uneasiness of some sort or the other between the officers belonging to the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS).
A latest order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, making IAS officers eligible for promotion to supertime scale in 14 years of service has left the IPS officers sulking. And, the order has also caused fresh acrimony between the two All-India Service wings that are very crucial in the administrative set up.
The DoPT order issued early this month, it is being argued, gives undue advantage to the IAS officers and enlarges the gulf between the two services. Hitherto, IAS officers got elevated to the supertime scale after putting in 16 years of service while IPS officers got such promotion only after 18 years. Moreover, IAS men used to get the promotion upon entering the 16th year of service whereas the IPS officers were promoted only at the end of the 18th year. This way, a three-year gap in seniority was created between IAS and IPS officers of the same batch.
For example, IAS officers of the 1989 batch were promoted to the supertime scale on January 15, 2005 but the IPS men of the same batch were still waiting for their promotion. Now, with the Government of India cutting down the number of years of service from 16 to 14, IAS officers will rise much higher in ranks than their IPS counterparts, a senior bureaucrat analysed.
"The latest DoPT order makes even our own batchmates in the IAS four years senior to us straightaway. But in effect, they become five years senior to us as the state government has been delaying our promotions," a senior IPS officer pointed out.
For the IAS babus, getting into supertime scale actually makes little difference as they continue to be in the Secretary rank. But, for the IPS men it means a lot as they not only get some monetary benefit but also a change in the rank. "A rise in rank from say Deputy Inspector General to Inspector General of Police carries greater significance for us. Besides, it's also a question of boosting one's motivational levels," observed a top IPS officer who, incidentally, is now on the disadvantaged side.
The state government, on its part, too is leaving the IPS men high and dry over the matters of promotion. While IPS officers in other states, including Orissa, were promoted to the supertime scale, those eligible here have been eagerly awaiting the day for the past one year. Officials admit this factor was certainly having a bearing on the performance levels of the IPS officers and many are said to be planning to move out of the state.

Excuse me, please

By Desaraju Surya
For the past few days – few months, in fact – there has been widespread speculation about the likely political entry of Mega Star Chiranjeevi into politics by floating his own party.
As far as I know, there had been anticipation about Chiranjeevi’s political foray right from the mid-1990s when he was at the peak of his filmy career, delivering one major hit after the other. But never did Chiranjeevi leave a hint about his supposed political ambitions.
In the later years, the talk about Chiranjeevi’s political moves continued -- in a subdued manner though.
Suddenly, somewhere around August 2007, there was a report in a leading Telugu newspaper about Chiranjeevi’s meeting with the CPM leaders and thus started the fresh round of speculation. I could only laugh at that report as I had known about the meeting way back in October 2006 and also since I had good information about what actually transpired between the actor and the CPM leaders.
All said and done, the August 2007 news story was undoubtedly a ‘major break’ and this fuelled all theories about Chiranjeevi’s motives and the likely fallout on the state political scene if indeed he took the plunge.
October 2007 was a shocking period for Chiranjeevi and the world knows the reasons for it. Thus, he got a brief reprieve from the media over his supposed political moves but by the end of November Chiranjeevi hit the headlines once again, thanks to his over-zealous friend. Since then – even after the death of his father in January first week – the talk did not end and in fact reached some ridiculous heights. At some point, I too had suggested – going by certain reliable information – that Chiranjeevi would indeed be launching his political party sooner than later. But personally, I strongly believe that Chiranjeevi does not nourish any political ambitions. And, I have many reasons to say that he will indeed not come into the political field.
Basically, many who know him closely say, Chiranjeevi is an introvert. He is happy with what he is now and understands pretty well that politics is not his cup of tea.
Other reasons are not too far to seek: He is rather a timid person; also, he is not a “leader” as such; he can’t take criticism since he is sensitive and that he got used to everything “positive” as a Mega Star.
As a film star – a Mega one at that – you get all accolades in the media as well as the public domain. The same cannot be fancied in the political arena. There will be more brickbats than bouquets at every step. Chiranjeevi undoubtedly can’t take this.
The so-called fans created a lot of hungama over Chiranjeevi’s political arangetram and this has resulted in a certain amount of backlash from the women. Above all, Chiranjeevi got “branded” as a single caste leader and this virtually distanced him from other sections – though as an actor he is widely hailed without any barriers.
In some districts, particularly the coastal region where his caste is dominant, prospective leaders distributed the Assembly and Parliament constituencies they would be contesting from on behalf of Chiranjeevi’s party. And, many ‘rebels’ too had emerged in these constituencies and a virtual fight began over nothing. “Nothing,” literally.
All this became a negative feedback for Chiranjeevi even before he made up his mind over his political career. In the scenario, would he dare to venture into the field?
I spoke to a senior political leader – a minister in the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy Cabinet – on the Chiranjeevi issue. This minister is close to Chiranjeevi family. I quote him on what he told me: “It is all in the media and not Chiranjeevi’s mind. If at all he wanted to come, he would have joined politics in the 1990s itself. When P V Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister, he sent me to Chiranjeevi as an emissary in 1993 to request him to join the Congress. If he (Chiru) was not interested, PV wanted to rope in his brother-in-law and Man Friday Allu Aravind into the party. I could not meet Chiranjeevi at that time and not even Aravind. But I tried to prevail upon Aravind’s father and noted actor Allu Ramalingaiah to let his son join Congress. Our calculation was that if Aravind contested the elections, Chiranjeevi would pledge support to him and send a message across that he too was with the Congress. Ramalingaiah spoke to his son and informed me that Aravind was not at all interested. And, I conveyed the same to PV.”
“Even very recently, I interacted with Chiranjeevi personally after talk began doing rounds about his political plans. He simply laughed at all such suggestions.”
The entire thing is not out of place. It only strengthens the fact Chiranjeevi is in no mood to take the political plunge.
For now, he and his family are keeping a stoic silence over the issue only because any knee-jerk reaction could cause an adverse impact.
Some more days have to pass till the Mega Star finally opens his mouth – either to shut others’ or leave them in awe.

I may be proved right or wrong, ultimately, but I am entitled to my views!

No Fancy This

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: If you thought having a unique mobile phone number makes you a special person, you could be wrong. For, there is a flip side to this uniqueness.
Ask M Ramachandra (name changed on request) the travails of possessing a fancy mobile number. "Sometimes I feel like banging my head to the wall in desperation as some strange people call up and irritate me no end," laments Ramachandra who punched a hole in his pocket for paying Rs 1.5 lakh for a prized mobile number that ends with six 9s. He is now in such a helpless situation that he cannot use the phone nor discard the number having paid such a sum for it.
Presuming that it is being used by a celebrity, people constantly call up Ramachandra's number – sometimes even in the wee hours – and requests him to put them across to the so-called celebrity. "May I speak to Pavan Kalyan. I am his fan calling from Anakapalle," pleads a teenager one morning. Immediately, there could be a call from another remote place seeking to speak to NTR Jr. The next time it could be Mahesh Babu or someone else. "Since my number ends with many 9s, people suspect it to be of some celebrity. I can't blame them but have to curse my luck for having bought such a number," Ramachandra, a businessman rues.
Though he does not exactly possess a fancy number, one particular cell phone user in Vijayawada has a different kind of problem. Never did he suspect when he picked up a number (by not having to pay any premium) that it was once used by a top personality in the state – chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. During his 1500-km padayatra as the then leader of opposition, Rajasekhara Reddy reportedly used a particular mobile phone number that was subsequently discarded. Long after he became the chief minister, the cell company converted this number into a prepaid and promptly sold it to the Vijayawada guy. Many Congress leaders, including some MLAs, believed that the number was still being used by their boss and kept on calling this hapless person. "They never used to trust me when I disclosed my identity. They used to think I was joking and would constantly call me up even at odd hours. With great difficulty, I could get the number cancelled," this artisan said.
Though the film stars have for long stopped using the so-called fancy numbers as it became easier for people to "guess" and access them, the common people who are using such numbers seem to be facing the music nowadays. Numerous missed calls or wrong calls have become a most disturbing factor for those using the fancy numbers.
"It is difficult to screen the calls all the time. With too many fancy numbers on offer, there is little we can do about it," says a senior executive of AirTel. He admitted that complaints do pour in over the growing menace and the only option for such customers was to use the call barring facility.
But it's a rare option that the cell users make use of as most of them are into serious vocations which require them to be accessible. And, discarding the number too is an improbable option for them after shelling out exorbitant sums for acquiring one.

HEART-MELTING

"The vulture is waiting for the child to die so it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, not even the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken. Three months later he committed suicide due to depression." Courtesy:Sudan Watch

**** I had opened the webpage of Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Mr M J Akbar and found this horrific picture. I could not but resist the temptation of copying it and posting it on my blogspot as I felt it could stir many more hearts. The picture was a true reflection of one of the harsh realities of the world we live in.

All that glitters is not gold

By Desaraju Surya
Vijayawada: “If you are not making (earning) at least Rs 50 lakh a month, you are an idiot.”
This was what a relatively young IAS officer had to tell his fellow babus at a grand party he hosted upon his transfer to New Delhi on deputation to Government of India service very recently.
Apart from his batchmates, many of his junior IAS officers attended the party, hosted in the IAS Officers’ Association premises in Hyderabad. The joyous babu’s impulsive remark virtually flummoxed the fellow bureaucrats as the former was “till then” considered a rather upright officer, given his “successful” (pun) track record. Some junior babus tried to draw inferences to their senior’s remark while some others wondered how brazenly one could exhort others to tread a slushy path.
“I heard he comes from a very rich business family. Why still does he have such a lust for wealth,” a junior IAS officer wondered.
The IAS officer in question, during his junior stint in the late 1990s, told me that he joined the service only to fulfill his father’s desire. “He (father) wanted me to become an IAS officer and so I am here. Once I complete my stint as a district Collector and Magistrate, I will call it quits,” I remember him telling me. And, he always used to speak high about Swami Vivekananda and his lofty ideals. He had read the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda many a time and, in fact, even suggested that I read it. (Though I subsequently purchased the volumes, I haven’t yet read them. It’s a different matter).
During our interactions quite regularly, the officer would also recount his experiences in his previous stints as a bureaucrat. All this, coupled with his style of functioning, has left in me a rather ‘very good’ impression about him.
Years passed by and thereafter I met him on not more than four or five occasions – the notable one being in the house of a former Chief Minister. And, as he began approaching the end of his collectorship, I increasingly thought he would quit IAS very soon and genuinely felt that an “able and upright” officer would not be available for public service.
Another IAS officer, considered the aforementioned’s ‘Chela,’ however sought to allay my apprehensions and asserted that his “boss” was a “typical bureaucrat” and would never leave the service midway.
Between all these, there were many stories related to the officer’s dubious practices of making money. His foray into the booming real-estate and other issues became a point of debate not only in the bureaucratic circles but also in the media, though nothing much was reported about it actually. The kind of impression I had established on him made me discount any talk of wrongdoing on part of the officer and my assumption was that he was filthy rich enough to be corrupt. Since I look at life only in a particular way (largely positive), it did not take much time for my false notion to be broken.
And once that IAS party remark came to my light, I was left with no other option except to accept the harsh reality.
It’s time for me to wear a new set of glasses to look at things in the right perspective.

Madam’s visit leaves flood victims hungry

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: More than one lakh flood victims, majority of them tribals in the Bhadrachalam area, were forced to starve for a day when AICC president Sonia Gandhi made a whirlwind tour of the flood-affected parts of Khammam and East Godavari districts.
Reason: the Indian Air Force helicopters that were supposed to airdrop food packets in the flood-hit areas were denied permission to fly in view of the “VVIP” visit, ostensibly for security reasons. The helicopters were supposed to make 10 sorties for airdropping food in the flood-hit areas but only two sorties were allowed, that too for security check. This, in fact, is not an allegation being made by opposition parties but a bare fact revealed by a Chief Minister’s Office functionary. The authorities planned to complete their task at least after “Madam” left the scene but the weather deteriorated by evening, preventing the choppers to fly, top sources in the CMO said on condition of anonymity. This is one of the sad stories related to the flood relief operations in the worst-affected districts like Khammam, East Godavari, West Godavari and Adilabad. One other glaring aspect was the clear lack of co-ordination within the government administration and with external agencies like the non-government organisations (NGOs). Whenever there is a calamity of such magnitude, leading NGOs swing into action immediately to lend a helping hand to the government machinery in the relief operations. This time, however, no such NGO was in the picture anywhere in the flood-hit districts. One reason being cited for this was that there has been no initiative from the government to involve the NGOs in the relief operations. Even after the flood relief operations proved to be disastrous, the argument in the government is that there’s no need to involve NGOs when the official machinery itself has been “taking care of everything.” “Our officers and employees have been working round-theclock in all the flood-hit areas for over a week now. NGOs will only add to the trouble instead of mitigating the woes. So we decided not to encourage the NGOs,” observed a top revenue official.
Apart from these, “formalities” like filing of daily status reports and protocol duties also hamper the relief operations, official sources admit. Everyday, there is a VIP visit to the flood-hit areas and part of the official machinery is forced to take care of it. Besides, routine “reviews” through tele and video conferences are also diverting the attention of the district administrations thereby affecting the relief operations, the sources added.

State set for ‘battle-fit’ disaster response force

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh will soon have a state disaster response force — which will be a multi-disciplinary rapid action force dedicated exclusively for disaster management operations. The force will be ‘battle-fit’ at any given time and respond as promptly whenever disasters like bomb blasts, earthquakes, cyclones, floods, fires, etc. strike. Hyderabad will have the first such force followed by major cities like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati. The idea to raise such a force was formulated by the state disaster management department in view of the growing demands. Each battalion will have about 2,000 welltrained commandos who will be equipped with all modern gadgets to deal with any emergency situation. Each battalion will also comprise doctors, para-medical staff, swimmers, divers and such professionals whose services become critical during emergency.
The then state disaster management commissioner Debabrata Kantha presented a detailed report to the state government stressing the need for raising such a force and the issues involved in it. In fact, it was the Union government that has suggested to the state governments to constitute disaster management forces after it has put eight such battalions in place. Only, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa governments currently have some sort of a force to deal with disasters but mostly they consist of police and military personnel. Andhra Pradesh, however, proposes to have a unique model as it plans to recruit young candidates in the age group of 18 to 35 for a short-service commission and train them in all aspects relating to disaster management. “We require young and energetic people for disaster management operations. The current average age of firemen in the state is 46 years and they are unable to deal with the emergencies effectively,” senior government sources pointed out. The idea, hence, is to form exclusive battalions of “young professionals” specifically for disaster management operations. This will also ensure employment to a few hundred youngsters. The proposal is now awaiting clearance from chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, government sources said. The government is currently considering different options on raising and maintaining such battalions. “We are currently working on the logistics. The government may itself run the force or ‘outsource’ it to private agencies. We are also looking into whether it could be a public-private partnership initiative,” a top revenue official said.

AP to maintain dossier on criminals

Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: A first-of-its-kind criminal tracing system introduced in Vijayawada police commissionerate will soon be replicated across the state. The Integrated Mobile Photo Album (IMPA), which is a computerised data-base containing over 12,000 pictures of criminals and others (including about 7,000 auto drivers), has been installed in the clues unit that normally visits every scene of offence. The data-base helps the victims identify the criminals by browsing the pictures stored in the computer and simplifies the investigation process. Vijayawada police commissioner C V Anand explained the system during the recent conference of senior police officers which was appreciated by Director General of Police M A Basith and others. On the DGP’s suggestion, Vijayawada Special Investigation Unit officer A Pallapu Raju demonstrated the IMPA at a conference of fingerprint inspectors and other senior officials in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Additional director general of police (CID) M Ratan and women protection cell IG Umapathi were also present. Anand said in many police stations, photographs of criminals were not recorded in the last one decade making it difficult for police and crime victims to identify criminals in offences like house-breaks or dacoity. Besides, available photos were manually stored in albums that were almost worn out. “The process of taking photographs of criminals, printing and maintaining them has become cumbersome and expensive because of which most police units have given it up. Though the complainants identify the offenders, police are not in a position to show the latest photographs, which has led to desertion of a very important crime control technique,” Anand observed. With a small investment of about Rs 1.23 lakh, the IMPA could be effectively used in crime control and tracing. In this, pictures of the known offenders are stored in the computer data-base according to the modus operandi used by each one of them. The Vijayawada police succeeded in breaking five major cases recently and apprehending a four-member auto driver gang that robbed women passengers. In another case, a small girl identified a criminal with the help of the data-base which led to his arrest and recovery of booty.

Probe throws human rights rap at MFIs

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: The one-man inquiry commission constituted to probe the excesses of micro-finance institutions (MFIs) in the state has strongly recommended that the state government crack the whip on the MFIs for grossly violating the human rights of the poor borrowers in the name of recovery of loans. Special chief secretary V P Jauhari who headed the commission, in his findings, observed that the MFIs grossly violated the human rights of the poor and made huge profits at the expense of the borrowers. The state government should immediately take suitable action against the MFIs for violating the human rights. The special chief secretary also stressed the need for expediting the enactment of Money-lenders’ Act to rein in the MFIs. Also, they should not be allowed to operate without a valid licence. Significant among the recommendations made by Jauhari in his comprehensive report submitted to the state government last weekend is that lending should be henceforth confined only to the women self-help groups and not individual members. “The MFIs should be asked to cut down the interest rate to a maximum of 12 per cent per annum and no other charges should be levied. Besides, the repayment should be on a monthly basis and not the existing weekly basis. The loan repayment term should be between one year and three years. “The MFIs should send monthly reports to the project director of the respective District Rural Development Agency on the loan disbursals to the SHGs,” Jauhari recommended. Observing that several small private money-lenders have already come into the picture following the success of the MFIs, Jauhari cautioned that there was a possibility of “other criminal elements” entering the fray since “easy money” was involved. This could lead to law and order problems in the future, he added. The respective district collectors and superintendents of police should closely monitor the MFI activities. Noting that the Union finance ministry was thinking about involving MFIs in anti-poverty programmes and external funding agencies like the World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recommending to the states to involve MFIs, Jauhari wanted the state government to alert the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India about the “illegal and unethical practices” being adopted by the MFIs. “This will help other states learn from the sad experiences of AP,” he added.

BRTS for Vijayawada mooted

Desaraju Surya

Hyderabad: By next year, public transport in Vijayawada will transform. The Rs 152.64 crore Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project for the city, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) aims to do just that. Vijayawada becomes the fourth city in the country after Indore, Pune and Ahmedabad and the first in south India to get the project that aims at improving the public transport system. BRTS, an environment-friendly and cost-effective public transport system, is an alternative between ‘unreliable’ conventional bus transport and the high-cost metro rail. Usually, it is also referred to as the ‘surface metro’ system that has a dedicated rightof-way on prime roads enabling high operating speeds. In Vijayawada, BRTS will be introduced on a pilot basis along a 15.5-km ‘Green Corridor’; from the police control room to the railway station, Satyanarayanapuram, Eluru Road, Ring Road, Benz Circle, Mahatma Gandhi Road and back to PCR. Of the Rs 152.64 crore, 50 per cent will be sanctioned by the Centre and the state government will allocate 20 per cent. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation has to bear the remaining cost, sources in MAUD said. Work on the project is expected to start in two months, they added. The VMC plans to introduce BRTS buses, each costing Rs 40 lakh, in the next six months, sources said. The state government has approved the proposal to form the Vijayawada Metropolitan Transport Authority for operating the BRTS. The state capital too will have a Hyderabad Metropolitan Transport Authority for taking up the BRTS project, MAUD sources said. “We are in the process of preparing the DPR for BRTS in Hyderabad. Once it is ready, it will be submitted to the Central Sanctioning Committee of JNNURM for approval. The HMTA will take shape once the project is cleared,” a top MAUD official said. For now, Hyderabad, will have to wait as the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is not yet ready, sources in the municipal administration and urban development department said.

Indiramma houses find few takers

Desaraju Surya

Hyderabad: An unrealistic approach by the government is apparently hitting the most ambitious housing programme in the state very hard. Tall claims of the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy regime notwithstanding, the government is unlikely to achieve its target of building over 20 lakh houses across the state in the ensuing financial year. In fact, in the current financial year as well the targets are not going to be realised what with the housing programme proving a virtual non-starter in urban areas. As per the government’s records, of the 17,67,492 houses sanctioned in rural areas under the much-hyped Indiramma programme only 13,10,771 could be taken up in 2006-07 of which construction of only 2,22,968 houses has been completed. The remaining houses are under different stages of construction. Worse is the case in urban areas where, out of the sanctioned 2,34,028 houses, only 53,720 (23 %) could be taken up for construction. In the urban areas of Ranga Reddy district, for instance, only about 3,000 applications were received for Indiramma houses though 16,000 houses were sanctioned. Home minister K Jana Reddy, who also holds the housing portfolio, admitted that land problems, coupled with selection of beneficiaries, have been affecting the housing programme, especially in the urban areas. While required land is available for construction of 15 lakh houses, there is no land available for another five lakh houses in the state. In many districts, acquiring necessary land for the programme is proving difficult because of court litigation. In West Godavari district, for example, land cases relating to 59 villages are pending in courts largely affecting the programme, official sources said. Besides, beneficiaries are not so eagerly coming forward to derive the benefit as “they have their own priorities”. “The major flaw in the Indiramma housing programme is that it is not demand-driven, but rather supply-driven. As such, there are not many takers for it,” a district collector remarked. Moreover, the escalating construction costs are also proving a major deterrent as beneficiaries are required to spend at least Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 more on each house. The state government has fixed the unit cost at Rs 25,000 (Rs 7,000 subsidy, Rs 17,500 loan and Rs 500 beneficiary contribution) and providing an additional Rs 3,050 for individual sanitary latrine but still the beneficiaries are required to spend the extra amount to complete the house. In some districts, members of the women self-help groups are being extended an additional loan of Rs 10,000 from banks but the members are reportedly reluctant to avail of this as it could add to their financial burden. Another factor, according to some district collectors, that has been affecting the housing programme is “lack of confidence” on the housing department. “Given the department’s track record, many people believe the Indiramma houses too would end up being sub-standard. So, they are not so keen on putting their money in,” a district collector said. These factors, however, do not seem to be bothering the government as it has earmarked a whopping Rs 4,793 crore for the housing programmes. “These are just small issues but if one looks at the macro picture, this programme is by far the best in the entire country. Though difficult, we can certainly achieve the results overcoming all hurdles,” a senior official in the CMO said.

Making mega plans with one crore Shiva Lingams

Desaraju Surya

Hyderabad: No business school in the world could probably find any better business proposition than this one.

Gadde Prasad could well become a lecturer or counselor on money-making -- fat money at that -- in a rather easiest way.

Just read on:

Offering six-inch Siva Lingams at the price of Rs 693 each to one crore devotees, he expects to eventually garner a staggering Rs 693 crore. From being the owner of two petrol filling stations in Krishna and Guntur districts, Gadde Prasad is now styling himself as a messenger of gods. As founder of the Sri Siva Sai Ksethram, he has designed a grandiose plan to develop a Siva temple on a sprawling 100-acre site at Muktyala village on the banks of river Krishna near Jaggaiahpet in Krishna district. The land was bought by the petrol pump owner at a cost of Rs 50,000 per acre many years ago. Apart from 108 temples of various gods and goddesses, the Sri Siva Sai Kshetram will see the installation of one crore Siva Lingams. Each Siva Lingam—of 6x6 inch size—costs a mere Rs 693 but when added up, it becomes Rs 693 crore. Besides the cash-rich Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), ordinary devotees are making a beeline for the Siva Kshetram to get Siva Lingams installed in memory of their departed loved ones and ancestors. “As Rs 693 is not a big amount, many people are booking even three or four Siva Lingams each. It is mostly the NRIs who are showing keen interest in the project,” said a member of the Sri Koti Linga Maha Siva Kshetram Trust that is overseeing the project. Gadde Prasad said over 4,000 people have booked for the Siva Lingams so far. “It may take 10 years to complete the one crore Siva Lingams. We require 1500 workers to make 4,000 lingams a day to complete the target. The lingams would be procured from Varanasi,” he said. Not everyone is convinced. Many apprehend that the man could well be a fly-by-night operator. “Many years ago, a swami collected money for a similar project. But he collected the money and vanished,” said a local resident. Apart from offering the lingams, the trust is focusing on construction of the 108 temples of which about 80 are ready. Each temple costs approximately Rs 2 lakh, and interested persons can get the temple named after a person of their choice by donating Rs 1.25 lakh. “Foundation for the main temple — Panchamukheswara — will be laid on January 28 with the blessings of Swarupananda Saraswati of Vizag Sarada Peetham,” Prasad said. Prasad procured the 100-acre site belonging to a local Siva temple in an open auction and started developing the Koti Linga Maha Siva Kshetram after he built a sprawling temple complex in his native Kanchikacharla village where his mother is a village sarpanch) at a cost of Rs 2 crore which he claims came from his own pockets. Prasad admitted that they had not obtained any permission from the government for the project but claimed that he would be “too glad” to hand over the temples to the endowments department.

ORR corridor on growth path

Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: The much-delayed Hyderabad Outer Ring Road Growth Corridor (ORRGC) has finally been notified to give fresh impetus to economic activity along the 162-km stretch—a one-of-its-kind in the country. The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department issued the notification on Wednesday with a draft comprehensive master plan for a one-km belt on either side of the proposed ORR and a set of Special Development Regulations that are intended to “promote planned development and curb haphazard and ribbon development”. The government is planning to announce special incentives to encourage large projects that would cater to a larger population and also provide better infrastructure. Special incentives will be offered to large integrated townships and large educational institutions that come up on land up to 400 acres while other relaxations and incentives like tax concessions, single-window clearances and trunk infrastructure provision may be worked out for mega projects of 400 acres and above. For this, a special committee will be formed by the government and a separate policy drafted on the planning standards and public-private partnership models, highly placed official sources said. The government feels the development of ORR has had a significant effect on real estate in general and along the ORR in particular. With the ORR phase-I work on at a brisk pace to be completed by March 2008 and the Hyderabad international airport expected to become operational by then, the government feels construction activity will also get a push. “Hype around the ORR has so far only been speculative but with major projects going on in full steam, the entire stretch will become a popular destination for investment,” a senior MAUD official said. The government also wants to encash the opportunity to strengthen its financial resources and also ensure overall development of physical and social infrastructure within the ORRGC by levying “Value-Addition Charge-Building”. Land use in the ORRGC will be a “single multi-purpose and flexible use” zone called the Special Development Zone (SDZ). The ORRGC will be characterised by two SDZs of 500 mts wide each (SDZ-1 and SDZ-2). No expansion of existing industries and no new industries will be permitted within the SDZs while existing industrial estates will remain part of it only if they are “nonpolluting”. The ORRGC will, have three categories of zones: SDZs for residential, commercial and industrial development (non-polluting units), social infrastructure, institutional and work centres; open space and recreational zone for parks, green buffers, lakes, nalas and reserve forests; transportation and circulation zone for roads, parking lots, truck terminals, warehousing, wholesale market yards among others. The draft plan and development regulations will be displayed in the Huda office at Paigah Palace for 15 days for the public to raise objections or offer suggestions.

Financing deaths the micro way

By Surya Desaraju
Vijayawada: In a further twist to the microfinancing saga, the Krishna district administration has now sent a detailed report to the state government linking at least 10 deaths in the district to alleged harassment by micro finance firms due to nonrepayment of loans taken by them. Among the 10 people who allegedly committed suicide in Krishna district were two couples. These deaths are believed to have taken place over the last 5-6 months. “This is sad, microfinancing is a great idea. But the report of these deaths is bound to adversely affect the fledgling activity of microfinancing,” said an analyst. The names sent by the district officials to the state government are: Maddela Panduranga Rao and wife Kumari of Machilipatnam; Panchakarla Rama Rao and wife Sakuntala of Kanumolu village under Bapulapadu mandal; Mangisetti Sukanya of Mylavaram; Malakondaiah of Mustakanpet; Diyyala Roja of Allapuram village under Gannavaram mandal; Nuvvula Ananda Rao of Bandarugudem and Matangi Latha of Rangannagudem under Bapulapadu mandal and Setti Nageswara Rao of Payakapuram in Vijayawada. Official sources said until now, there was no other evidence except circumstantial to exactly determine that the deaths were suicides and specifically because of harassment by micro finance firms. “Only in the case of a couple from Machilipatnam, a case of suicide was registered by the police in November last. The reason cited for the couple’s death, however, was not linked to the micro financing issue but as caused due to financial misery,” the sources pointed out. But now that the circumstantial evidence established the reason for the deaths, officials have linked the cases to the micro financing menace. “We are now probing deep into these cases to exactly pinpoint the cause of the deaths. We are certainly relying on circumstantial evidence to build the cases strongly,” a top district official said. Both the revenue and the police authorities are speaking not only to the victims’ families but also to other members of the thrift groups and villagers to unearth the facts. Meanwhile, one J Subba Rao (55) of Nutalapadu village in Prakasam ended his life by hanging in his house last Sunday after he was allegedly harassed by a micro financing firm for loan repayment. Subba Rao ran a small tea canteen in his village and borrowed Rs 10,000 from the firm to meet his wife’s health care costs. He repaid the loan instalments promptly for 38 weeks but last Wednesday he could not. Sources said the microfin firm’s collection agent hounded Subba Rao seeking payment of the instalment. Unable to do so, Subba Rao hanged himself while his family was away, sources said.

Markfed’s scheme spells bounty for ryots

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: A novel initiative launched for the first time in the country by the Andhra Pradesh Co-operative Marketing Federation Limited (Markfed) is brining smiles to both farmers as well as the women members of the selfhelp groups in the villages. The “procurement at the doorstep” scheme launched on an experimental basis by Markfed in the last Kharif season for purchasing maize from farmers in seven districts of the state has proved so successful that it yielded an estimated Rs 100 crore more to the farmers, mostly the small and marginal ones, as they could sell their produce at a minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the Centre. In many cases, in fact, the farmers got more than the Rs 540 per quintal MSP besides eliminating other costs like transportation and handling charges, etc. Also, farmers had no need to wait for long hours at the agricultural market yards to sell their produce during the peak harvesting season as the produce is being directly purchased at the farmers’ doorsteps. This apart, the women self-help groups which acted as the link between Markfed and the farmers too derived huge benefit out of the procurement initiative with the g ove r n m e n t granting them an incentive of one per cent on the overall transactions. This way the 260-odd SHGs that took part in the procurement process earned over Rs 1.18 crore. “It’s a win-win situation for all. While farmers are the major beneficiaries of the programme, the women groups too have got their share of benefit. Markfed’s turnover too shot up because of maize procurement which will help us take up other activities to spread the benefits,” Markfed managing director M T Krishna Babu said. Maize occupies the second position after paddy in the overall agricultural production list in the state with a production of 16 lakh tonnes in Kharif and another six lakh tonnes in Rabi.

Inland water transport all set to take off in state

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: In what will be a major leap for the state in terms of shipping of goods, inland water transport is set to take off soon as the Centre is actively considering the AP government’s proposal to declare rivers Godavari (between Bhadrachalam and Rajahmundry) and Krishna (between Wazirabad and Vijayawada) as National Waterways. Besides, some main canals like Kakinada, Eluru, Commamuru and north and south Buckingham canal will also be integrated with the proposed National Waterways. In fact, the National Transport Policy Committee, set up in 1980, has identified and recommended rivers Krishna and Godavari as National Waterways. The working group of the IX and X Plans has identified port-hinterland connectivity through waterways as one of the prime areas to be developed. In all, the proposed water way will stretch to a length of 1,073 km in the state. The Centre has recently approved the state government’s proposal to take up a techno-economic feasibility study of eight canals for development of inland water ways in the state. The state government has decided to entrust the techno-economic feasibility survey work to the Rail India Technical and Engineering Services Company (Rites), for which the Union shipping ministry has sanctioned Rs 15 lakh as the first installment. The eight canals inlcude: backwaters of Gouthami and Godavari (50 km), Gannavaram bank canal between Rajahmundry and Sakhinetipalli (90 km), Amalapuram canal (80 km), Kotipalli canal between Rajahmundry and Yanam (90 km), Samarlakota canal (65 km), Korangi canal (90 km), Machilipatnam canal between Vijayawada and Machilipatnam (80 km) and Ryves canal from Vijayawada to Kaikaluru (100 km). Minister for mines and geology P Sabita Indra Reddy said the government of India has agreed to extend a financial assistance of Rs 550 crore for the inland water transport project on river Godavari between Charla in Khammam district and Rajahmundry. Meanwhile, government sources said the Centre has also cleared a project for development of inland water transport (IWT) on the Buckingham Canal linking Kakinada and Chennai (Mercaunum). The project is expected to give a major boost to the coastal economy as it envisages shipping of bulk goods, cement, chemicals, coal, fertilisers, foodgrains, general goods, iron and steel, rice, salt and other commodities using the IWT. Official sources monitoring the project proposals said the project would cost Rs 433 crore. While 20 per cent of the project cost of terminal construction will be taken up by the Inland Waterways Authority of India, the balance will be outsourced to private investors on a build-operate-transfer basis. The integrated waterway system provides connectivity to Kakinada, Chennai and Ennore ports. Of the total 971 km stretch of waterway, 887 km falls in Andhra Pradesh and the rest in Tamil Nadu. The project envisages development and maintenance of a fairway having 32 mts bottom width and 1.60m\1.8 m depth and construction of 13 inland water terminals. The Union secretary, shipping, had written to the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu requesting their participation in the project by way of transfer of government land on both sides of the canal to the IWAI to facilitate excavation for widening, bank protection etc. The AP government has already accepted the proposal and issued necessary instructions to the district collectors.

‘Dead’ land panel given extension

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: In a peculiar run of events, the Congress government in the state constituted a committee to identify land to be distributed among the landless poor, let its term expire and then gave it an extension almost a year after. During this period, none of the eight committee members were aware about the fate of the panel nor as to what it did. A high-level committee for “identification of assignment land” in the state was set up under the chairmanship of municipal administration minister Koneru Ranga Rao on December 23, 2004. It was constituted in the aftermath of the (failed) talks the government had with the Maoists in 2004. While constituting the committee, vide GO Ms. No. 1091, the government claimed its commitment towards distribution of government land among the landless poor. It is not clear what the committee did, but its six-month term expired on June 22, 2005. Now, out of the blue, the government on May 19, 2006, issued a GO (Rt. No. 1147) extending the tenure of the committee up to December 31, 2006. This raised many an eyebrow as to how could the government extend the term of a committee that no longer existed. The eight members of the panel are clueless about the fate of the committee. Social welfare minister Redya Naik, who is co-chairman of the committee, was all at sea when asked about the extension given to it. Asked as to what did the committee do, Naik claimed that it had already submitted a detailed report on the land issue to the state government. “So far, the state government has not taken any action on our report. But I think it will soon be placed before the cabinet,” he said over phone. A principal secretary to the government, who is a member of the committee, had something different to say. “The committee had a few meetings and we have drafted some recommendations. We will submit them to the government shortly,” he said. Another member of the committee and veteran journalist Potturi Venkateswara Rao said he had “absolutely no knowledge” about the affairs of the committee. “It’s news to me that the committee’s term has been extended. But as a member, I haven’t received any communication from the g ove r n m e n t , ” Venkateswara Rao told this reporter over phone from his native village in Guntur district. The committee was asked to assess the overall implementation of land distribution programmes of the government and suggest measures for more effective implementation; suggest required changes and amendments to the Acts\Rules for improved enforcement of land-related legislations; prepare an action plan along with time lines for implementation of the land distribution measures. Not one of this has happened going by the admission of some of the members of the committee. “When there is no basic data available, what does the government expect us to do,” questioned a member of the committee. Initially, the committee members toured three districts — Warangal, Krishna and Chittoor — to study landrelated issues. They met once to “fix modalities” for going about their task. Subsequently, nothing happened. The state government, on the other hand, went ahead with its much-publicised Indira Prabha programme and claimed to have “distributed” two lakh acres of land in two years. The high-level committee was never in the picture in this exercise. Redya Naik said there could be another round of land distribution in the month of August this year. With the committee chairman Koneru Ranga Rao ailing and unable to attend to his routine work as a minister, and some other members not even in the know of things, one wonders what will it achieve in the end. Will the extension serve any purpose is the moot question.

‘Jalayagnam’ project in deep water

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: Tall claims of the Congress notwithstanding, the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy government is unlikely to accomplish its muchhyped “Jalayagnam” fully by the time it completes its term in 2009. Funds and requisite clearances apart, land acquisition for the massive project is proving an uphill task for the government causing lot of worry to none other than the chief minister himself. Of the total 5.16 lakh acres of land required for 31 major irrigation projects, the government could not acquire even half the land while same is the case for the 22 medium irrigation projects. As per the figures provided by the irrigation department authorities, requisition has been placed for acquisition of 2.75 lakh acres for the major projects while consent award has been passed in case of just over 20,000 acres, meaning that the acquisition process has been completed without any hitch. Besides, 22,201 acres of government land was also available for the projects. Take the case of Indira Sagar (Polavaram): while 5,123 acres of the required 8,997 acres for the left main canal and 2,125 acres of the required 3,129 acres for the right main canal have been acquired, there is virtually no progress in respect of the Polavaram head work for which 83,819 acres is required. With people in Khammam district, where the main work will come up, totally opposing the project as it will lead to largescale displacement, land acquisition here may not happen that easily. Major irrigation minister Ponnala Laxmaiah admitted that the land acquisition process for Polavaram was fraught with many problems but hoped all hurdles would get cleared as a lucrative relief and resettlement package has been announced. Irrigation secretary (projects) Satish Chandra told this reporter that besides alternative land, house sites and houses under Indiramma scheme, each displaced family would get cash compensation to the tune of Rs 4 lakh. “As we are offering the best R&R package, people are gradually willing to part with their land,” he said. It’s, however, not just the case of Polavaram where land acquisition has become a Herculean task. Other major projects like Sripadasagar, Mid-Maner, Devadula (Godavari Lift Irrigation Scheme), Veligonda, Penna-Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir, Pulivendula, Flood Flow Canal, Taraka Rama Teertha, Veligonda and Chitravati Balancing Reservoir are also progressing at a snail’s pace as required land could not be acquired so far. In case of Alimineti Madhava Reddy Project, inaugurated by the CM last month, over 7,100 acres of land still needs to be acquired to make the project fully operational, sources in the irrigation department pointed out.

Hello! This cell no. costs only Rs 10 lakh

By Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: The craze for fancy numbers has gone cellular. In perhaps the largest premium paid so far for any mobile number, a city resident shelled out Rs 10 lakh to get a prized number of 9 nines in the 10-digit number offered by a leading service provider. The number nine or numbers adding up to nine is considered lucky. While till now VVIPs and commoners alike paid heavy premiums for a fancy car number the mania has now spread to cellphone numbers. The owner of the prized cellphone number was identified only as Peter. Efforts to reach Peter on this number proved futile as the phone was switched off. Till recently, the fancy mobile numbers fetched anything between Rs 1,000 to Rs 2 lakh for the service providers. But with the launch of a new series by some companies, the prices have shot up as there is more variety. But Rs 10 lakh for a single number is a new high. “Going by the series, you may not get such a fanciful number in any other cell circle (state). So, obviously this could be the maximum that a mobile number could fetch for the companies,” said an official of a cell service provider. Home minister K Jana Reddy, however, is lucky to get one of the most unique mobile numbers without paying a single rupee as premium. Eight out of the 10 digits in his number are sixes. The number was originally priced at Rs 2 lakh but was given free to the home minister. With gross reduction in call charges, cell service providers are making up for it by selling fancy numbers for a premium. In any new series, there are nothing less than a thousand fancy numbers that are usually classified as golden, diamond and platinum. A golden number sometimes can be secured by paying just Rs 1,000 whereas platinum numbers cost nothing less than Rs 1 lakh. If the mobile number’s last five digits (or six in some cases) are 0, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 they command a price of over Rs 2 lakh each, while numbers like 12345, 23456, 34567, 45678, 56789 also fetch similar sums for cell companies.

Indiramma: No land for seven lakh houses

By Desaraju Surya
HYDERABAD: The state government's ambitious Indiramma housing programme is running into trouble with land availability turning out to be a major problem in many districts. The government proposed to build 18 lakh houses for the shelterless this year and earmarked a sum of Rs 500 crore. Earlier, the escalating price of cement and steel proved a hurdle for launching the programme but the government succeeded in prevailing upon the companies to supply the materials at a reasonable price. But now, it is facing a rough weather as securing over 20,000 acres of land is proving to be a daunting task. With land value going up many folds over the past few months, owners are reluctant to part with their land for the government programme, informed sources said. The biggest worry, of course, is for the ruling party which pinned lot of hopes on Indiramma, particularly in the context of ensuing panchayat raj elections. The programme is to be implemented in 8,000 villages across the state this year but going by the current estimates it is unlikely that these villages will get the benefit. Out of the 18 lakh houses proposed, six lakh are being built on government land. With regard to another five lakh houses, the government is required to settle the "ownership rights". "In many districts there are encroachments on these land. If they are government land, we can straightaway build permanent houses and hand them over to the beneficiaries. But if they are private land, we have to acquire them first," a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office said. The real trouble, however, is construction of another seven lakh houses for which there is no land at all. The state government has appointed price negotiation committees under the chairmanship of the joint-collectors of respective districts to "bargain" with the land owners and acquire the land. Normally, the government pays only the book value (registration value) to the owners as compensation despite the market value of the land being much higher. In such cases, the owners are refusing to give away their valuable land for a lesser price.
In Krishna district, for instance, the government has to acquire several hundred acres of land for building houses to 52,554 applicants. But so far, the district authorities could identify land only for 18,000 houses. In mandals like Kankipadu, Ibrahimpatnam, Penamaluru and Gannavaram — where an acre land is now commanding up to Rs 50 lakh — the authorities are unable to lay hands on even an acre of land as against the requirement of 170 acres. While the entire district got Rs 52.55 crore for the Indiramma programme, land acquisition in these four mandals alone would require more than Rs 50 crore as per prevailing market value. "We are trying to find a solution to this by trying to arrive at a via-media rate. We may have to go for compulsory acquisition if the land owners do not agree to a negotiated settlement," an official said. This will again stir up a controversy as most of the land owners have political backing. Given this kind of a scenario, doubts are being raised as to whether the programme could be completed as planned. "There'd be some delay but the programme will be implemented at all costs," government officials said.

Is Swagruha just a pipedream?

By Desaraju Surya
HYDERABAD: On the face of it, the Rajiv Swagruha project of the state government looks pretty impressive—making the housing "dreams" of the middle-class people a reality at an affordable cost. The ground reality, however, looks different and the project as such may literally end up as yet another "dream"of the YSR government. Just one factor, the sky-high prices of land in urban areas, may spell doom for the much-hyped programme, many fear. In a far-off municipality like Srikakulam, for example, government land is in short supply and the Andhra Pradesh Housing Board has to necessarily buy land from private owners for taking up the Swagruha project, that too a few kilometres away from the town. With an acre of land commanding anywhere between Rs 50 lakh and Rs one crore, investment on this component alone could make the project unviable. Be it Mangalagiri in Guntur district or Proddutur in Kadapa, land has become a 'priceless' commodity. Examples like this are one too many as the scenario is no different in all the small towns across the state. No special mention needs to made about the big cities like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Guntur, leave alone "Greater" Hyderabad, where a square yard of land is commanding a bare minimum of Rs 25,000. In such a situation, the promise of the government to make the "dream" houses available for 25 per cent less cost than the market rates is impractical to keep. "The Swagruha project too will end up like the previous LIG\MIG housing schemes of the APHB," remarked a senior bureaucrat involved in the project. Failure of the Rajiv Gruhakalpa (RGK) Phase-I should have served as an eye-opener for the government before announcing such a massive project for urban people but "political compulsions"clearly got the better of prudence, he said. In fact, during the recent conference of district collectors, the collectors had highlighted the land problems being faced under the Indiramma and RGK housing projects and kept the chief minister "informed" that the Swagruha project too might come a cropper as it was being taken up in haste. To overcome this problem, the government has decided to build only apartment complexes in six municipal corporations—Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Warangal and Tirupati—while independent houses and integrated townships have been proposed for smaller towns with a population of less than five lakh each. Another deterring factor in the project could be the mounting interest rate on housing loans which at present is around 10 per cent. The government is considering a proposal to "subsidise"the interest rate for non-gazetted officers while others will have no such option.