Celebs can’t stop tweeting about DC

As the Indian Premier League gains momentum, micro-blogging site Twitter is helping fellow-feathered fans flock together and this includes some big birds from Bollywood too.

The tweeting’s getting louder and Hyderabadis have found that following celebrity tweets about their team is almost as much fun as watching the games themselves.

“Even though Dia Mirza is now working in the Bollywood industry she still shows her support for DC on Twitter,” enthuses Tanya Agarwal, a student at Villa Marie, “She tweeted ‘I am Dia. I am from Hyderabad. And I am supporting the Deccan Chargers’. It just goes to show that her home team still holds a great deal of importance for her. She could have shown her support to any celebrity’s team but when she tweets about DC, it makes you proud to call her a Hyderabadi.”

Saurabh Bose an employee in a recruitment agency was elated when hottie Sameera Reddy began to use Twitter to encourage and motivate the Chargers, “She tweeted that she was a Reddy at heart and supported DC which is great! When DC wins, her page is filled with replies to fans cheering the team and congratulating DC for their hard work. Plus it is always cute to see an actress talk about cricket.”

For some fans, it’s the sport pundits who make it interesting. Karan Mehra, a student at St Mary’s began following Harsha Bhogle for his tweets about DC, “Harsha is a great commentator who tweets about DC whenever they are playing and gives his opinion about the strategies and techniques used by them. It’s great to read some intellectual tweets about our team.”

And there are those, who despite their loyalties, can’t help be drawn in by the glitz of it all. Priya Sancheti, disarmingly admits that when she’s done with checking on DC tweets, she ambles over to Shah Rukh Khan’s page, “When celebs tweet about the IPL matches, it adds a glamour quotient to the sport. I follow SRK’s Twitter page as it gives me a sneak peek into an IPL team which is fascinating.”

UK panel:Hyderabad airport best in India

The Rajiv Gandhi Airport in Hyderabad is the best airport in India, according to Britain-based consultancy Skytrax, which judges the quality of air travel around the world.

At a ceremony in Brussels on Tuesday, the Hyderabad airport was given the Best Airport India award.

Singapore's Changi airport was named the world's best airport.

It was also called "Airport of the Year 2010", the best airport in Asia and also the best for leisure amenities.

Skytrax awards serve as the quality benchmark for the world airport industry.

The awards represent opinions of more than 8.6 million passengers from over 95 nationalities around the world who took part in a 10-month survey of 196 airports.

The awards are given after assessing more than 35 elements of the airport experience.

Seoul's Incheon International Airport was ranked the world's second best. It won awards as the best international transit airport and also for having the best staff service among all airports in Asia.

Kuala Lumpur was ranked fifth in the world. It was named the best airport for immigration service.

Beijing's Capital International Airport moved into the world's top 10 for the first time and received the best airport security processing title.

Munich Airport took the title as Europe's best airport and moved to the fourth position in the global airport rankings.

Hollywood Runs Behind Hyderabad’s Digiquest

This might come across as a surprise to you but did you know that Hyderabad is one place where even the best from Hollywood would like to come and work. The reason for that happens to be this noted company. It is called Digiquest and they are basically an SFX company.

Apparently, they have done the graphics for blockbuster like ‘Magadheera’ and here is the best part. It is said that they did the rope-work part for Hollywood blockbusters like ‘300’ and ‘Quantum Of Solace’ as well. Those who heard this find it hard to believe that this is true.

It seems that specialists came from Hollywood and worked in Hyderabad. This in a way is a mark of the Telugu greatness. Apart from Digiquest, the noted company Trikona is said to be another efficient and competent organization. Both offer best technical support for the entertainment circuit.

Deccan break Kingly jinx

Deccan Chargers broke a four-match jinx to beat Kings XI Punjab for the first time and record their first-ever win at “home”.

Captain Adam Gilchrist smashed 33 (12b 2x6, 4x4), Symonds sizzled with 53 (38b, 3x4, 3x6) as Chargers made 170. Punjab fell six runs short, with Irfan Pathan providing a scare with a 29-ball 60 (3x4, 5x6).

The bowling came good with Chaminda Vaas taking out Kumara Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh. R.P. Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Rohit Sharma picked one each. Symonds snagged Mahela Jayawardane and held catches to dismiss top-scorers Ravi Bopara and Pathan.

Jaskaran Singh got the last over, with Punjab in touching distance and Pathan on a rampage. Singh calmly dismissed Pathan and bowl out the match. Gilchrist said later that he picked Singh as he had asked for a bowl. DC mascot Gayatri Reddy rated the win as “excellent.”

Gilchrist noted that wickets fell at key moments. Something he will rectify on Sunday when DC meet Delhi Daredevils here.

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SC asks AP govt to prove Maoist infiltration in OU

Questioning the Andhra Pradesh government's claim on Maoists infiltration in the Osmania University, Supreme Court on Monday, Feb 23 asked the state to furnish prove on reported intelligence inputs.


“Where is the input of the infiltration inside the campus? What is the proof available? We would like to have it,” a bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and Asok Kumar Ganguly observed while passing the direction.


The hearing of the matter has been scheduled for Feb 25 after senior counsel Harish Salve told the court that the inputs would be furnished within a day or two.

The Court's decision came following Salve reiteration of the state’s arguments justifying the deployment of paramilitary forces in the campus.

The state had argued that the paramilitary forces had to be deployed as the movement was prompted by the Naxals.

The apex court also extended the stay on withdrawal of the paramilitary forces from the university campus in accordance with the AP High Court order till Feb 25.

On Feb 16, the state government government had challenged the HC orders to withdraw special forces from the campus, which is the hotbed of Telangana agitation.

The bench upheld the direction of the single judge, stating that the deployment Rapid Action Force personnel was issued without grasping the situation in the campus.

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Cong MPs accuse police of molesting OU girls

After accusations of uncalled-for brutality during the protests in Osmania University, the Congress MPs from the Telangana region have now levelled shocking allegation of molestation against the Andhra police.

The MPs, who gathered at the Andhra Bhawan, alleged that the policemen entered the university girls’ hostel and molested some of them in the dark.


The battle between the pro-Telangana fraction and United Andhra Pradesh supporters took a different turn as the former turned its guns against police ever since the Osmania University protests were subdued with force earlier this week.

“Some 2,000 police personnel entered the University campus in Hyderabad on Monday and lathicharged the students who were protesting peacefully. The police dragged the students and beat them up. They even entered girls’ hostel and switched off the lights and molested some of them,” Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi and Pedapalli MP G Vivekanand told reporters on Thursday, Feb 18.

They have even sent a letter to the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to look into the matter and take action against the guilty.

Over the past week, Osmania University has turned into a battlefield as pro-Telangana students held protests against the Terms of Referance given to the Telangana Committee from the Centre.

During on such protests, the police and other security personnel were forced to resort to means such as lobbing tear gas shells and lathi charge to control the agitations.

This later lead to protests against the kind of police action taken to control the students.

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Telangana shuts down to protest Srikrishna panel guidelines

A day-long shutdown began in Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana region on Saturday in response to a call by the joint action committee (JAC) of students to protest the terms of reference of the Srikrishna panel on the issue of carving out a state of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

Shops and business establishments remained closed while state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation suspended bus services in the region.

Activists of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took to the streets at several places, staging demonstrations and blocking vehicles. The protesters turned violent at some places in Warangal and Medak districts, damaging buses and attacking the offices of the Congress party, police said.

As a preventive measure, police arrested dozens of pro-Telangana leaders since Friday night.

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Anticipating violent protests by students, police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at Osmania University campus here. The campus has been the nerve centre of the agitation for a separate state.

The students' JAC, which has given call for the shutdown, is likely to stage protests at the university later Saturday. The shutdown call has been backed by the JAC of all political parties.

All 10 legislators of TRS will submit their resignations to assembly speaker later in the day. TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao has already announced that both MPs, 10 MLAs and the lone MLC would quit to protest the terms of reference, which are "not favourable to formation of Telangana state".

The all-party JAC will meet later Saturday to take a decision on mass resignations. While several Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislators have expressed their willingness to quit, the opinion in the ruling Congress party is divided. Congress legislators said they would take a decision at the JAC meeting, which will also decide future course of the agitation.

JAC convenor M Kodandaram has rejected the terms of reference saying they were against the Dec 9 statement by the central government to initiate the process for formation of Telangana state.

According to the seven terms of reference announced by the central government Friday, the five-member panel will consider both the demands for separate Telangana state and for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh.

The committee, which has been asked to submit its report by Dec 31, is holding its first meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.

Building Collpased In Hyderabad

Same Story repeats like Ballary.
An under-construction building collapsed in Narayanguda, trapping many inside. Nine workers were found dead and another four of them have been rescued. Rescue operations are still on.

Three construction workers were rescued by the police and fire services personnel from the debris of the three-storeyed building. The mishap took place around 2.30 pm in the busy Narayanaguda area in the city centre.

"We don't know the exact numbers but six to 10 people may be trapped under the debris," Hyderabad district collector Naveen Mittal told reporters.

The fire services department and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) pressed their men and machinery into service to remove the debris. Ambulances rushed to the scene.

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Students, police clash in OU

Police and students fought pitched battles at the Osmania University on Wednesday as violence erupted during the funeral procession of K. Venugopal Reddy, a student who committed suicide on Tuesday pained at the delay in the formation of Telangana.

A mob at OU set fire to two police vehicles, damaged a third one and pelted stones at the police personnel. Cops then lathicharged the mob and and fired over 30 tear gas shells to disperse them. Over 40 people, including 15 cops were injured in the violence.

Following the clashes, the Telangana Joint Action Committee decided to extend the bandh to Thursday to protest against the lathicharge on students. The APSRTC, which resumed its services on Wednesday, is likely to cancel its services on Thursday in view of bandh.

However, Krishank, the OU JAC member, said RTC was being exempted from the bandh because of Samakka Jatara that will be held on Thursday at Warangal. “We are also exempting petrol bunks from the bandh,” he said.

Earlier in the day, thousands of Telangana activists gathered at the Arts College building where Venugopal’s body was kept. Police in riot gear was deployed in large numbers in the campus.

Trouble erupted near the Ladies Hostel around 11 am, after police prevented students from taking out a procession with the body from the NCC Gate. The situation spiralled out of control and students and police clashed with each other for over an hour.

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Mukesh, Anil condemn riots

The Ambani brothers have condemned the attacks on their business establishments by Congress workers in the wake of a report that they had a hand in YSR’s death.

The Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries said it would sue TV5 for telecasting a false report. Mr Anil Ambani’s Reliance ADA Group blamed its corporate rivals.

“We are shocked to see our corporate rivals stooping down to new levels of desperation by engaging in such imaginative and baseless rumour-mongering,” the spokesperson said.

The Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, termed the attacks as pre-planned and alleged that Mr Jagan and his henchmen were behind it.

The TD chief said that Jagan’s newspaper carried several reports on the alleged conspiracy but it did not evoke much response.

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Satyam case: CBI files fresh charge sheet

Investigation into the multi-crore accounting fraud by Satyam Computer former chairman B. Ramalinga Raju and others revealed that the accused filed false Income Tax returns with fraudulent and dishonest intentions of cheating shareholders thereby, causing wrongful loss to the company.

The multi-disciplinary team of the Central Bureau of Investigation has brought out evidence against the accused on allegations of filing false IT returns. The CBI filed a 30-page charge-sheet, citing 32 documents and 26 witnesses, before the designated court, XIV additional chief metropolitan magistrate court, here on Thursday.

Five-month old flyover in shambles

Five-month old flyover in shambles
It might have taken nine long years for the Seethaphalmandi flyover to be built, but when it comes to its longevity, it seems five months is enough for signs of wear and tear to show. Far from the smooth sailing bridge it had promised to be, the stretch has now become a bumpy ride.

Not only are tiles on the pavements broken and missing, but the road itself is in a bad state. Meenal Tula, a professional who lives in the area says, “The approach way to the flyover is dismal. The roads have been widened, but there are no footpaths for pedestrians. That apart, there are narrow cracks developing at all support points on the flyover. In the middle of the flyover, a huge chunk of the concrete had dislodged last week, exposing the metal girders beneath. This is dangerous for passing vehicles.” The condition is further deteriorated by the heavy vehicles like trucks and buses that ply on it regularly, she adds.

Hanumanth Rao, ACP Traffic, however clarifies that there is no restriction on trucks plying on city flyovers.

“Except on the PVNR expressway, trucks and buses can ply on all other flyovers. However, since there are cracks developing and there are no pavements near the flyover approach way, we will inspect and see whether there are alternate routes that these vehicles can use.”

R.J. Sriman, believes the reason this flyover is in a bad state is because of poor quality of construction. “The bridge was under construction for 11 years. But most of the work was done only in the last five-six months, in a tearing hurry. In a bid to meet deadlines, they probably failed to take into account the possible problems that might occur later.”

The GHMC engineering chief, Pandu Ranga Rao, however, seemed clueless about the issue. However, after he deputed a team to inspect the area, he said, “The concrete came apart due to the expansion joint, which is placed to accommodate temperature variation. Due to heavy traffic on the flyover, the welding pried open. We will take action.”

Telangana meet ends without any decision

The all-party meeting on Telangana convened by Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday, Jan 5, ended inconclusively after parties failed to take any decision on the issue

Buzz up!
After the meeting, Chidambaram said, "Government of India will act on the sense of the Telangana meeting within a reasonable timeframe."


"It was clear at the meeting that political parties were divided on the issue. We will take these views to the Prime Minister and senior members of the Government and then we will formulate the further course of action," he added.

"We have expressed our views at the meeting and they have been noted by the Central government," said a joint statement, signed by leaders, issued at the end of the meeting.

"Meanwhile, it is our earnest appeal that peace, harmony and law and order should be maintained in the state," the joint statement said.

"No decision was taken at the meeting. We are waiting for the final response," TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao told reporters.

Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi said he had made clear his party's stand that it stood for a united Andhra Pradesh.

"It is only the beginning of the process," he said without elaborating.

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City is digitally handicapped

Hyderabad might boast of a Hitech City, but when it comes to its government offices, the IT hub fails to impress. Despite being “fully computerised” a few years ago, Hyderabadis complain that few government officials actually know how to operate computers or access digital data.

Anamika G., a BDS graduate who went to the AP State Dental Council at Afzalgunj to get herself registered, was shocked to find that they still relied on hand-written records to enter data on newly registered dentists in the state. “It is mandatory for all the qualified dentists in the state to register themselves with the Council. But when I went there, the process took forever. The data is still stored in files and registers,” she says.

However, Dr Mahendranath Reddy, president, AP State Dental Council, says, “We have all the required software in place. The problem is we don’t have enough funds to put it all together.”

The GHMC on the other hand, which is entirely computerised, doesn’t have trained personnel to operate the systems. When Radakrishnan Nair, a resident of Bolarum, received a notice from the GHMC, informing him that his house tax had not been paid for over two years, he was taken aback. “I had all the receipts to prove that I had paid the taxes on time. But the GHMC authorities claimed they couldn’t find my name in the computer, hence my receipts were invalid. When I went to the GHMC office and demanded proof, I was surprised to see them ruffling through a huge stack of papers. They kept insisting my name wasn’t in the ‘computer’,” he says, adding, “When I asked the officer incharge to run a computer search, he claimed that the papers were printouts taken from the computer. They obviously didn’t know how to operate the system and hadn’t ever heard of ctrl+F!”

But the GHMC is quick to pass the buck. Rajeshwar Rao, GHMC Additional Commissioner (IT), says, “We have ensured that every circle has trained clerks to operate these systems. But, taxes come under the finance department and you should check with them.” However, Ramesh Babu, additional commissioner (finance), puts the blame squarely on the IT department.

Surprisingly, even the Central Crime Records Bureau has limited digital access. While the department is computerised they don’t have online facilities, which sometimes poses to be a problem while relaying messages to other departments. “For inter-department communication we use the intranet. However, if we have to send details to someone else outside the department, we are forced to do so manually,” says Sharad Kumar, inspector of police, detective department.

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Tiwari episode a plot: Jaiswal

The Union minister, Mr Sri Prakash Jaiswal, said on Tuesday that the sex scandal charges levelled against the former Andhra Pradesh Governor, Mr N.D. Tiwari, were a conspiracy to defame him.

Speaking on the sidelines of a party function, he said that an inquiry would expose those behind the conspiracy and bring out the truth.

Earlier, Mr Jaiswal targeted regional parties, saying their sole interest was personal financial gains, leading to corruption.

Mr Tiwari himself is in no mood to relent. After his disgraceful exit from the Raj Bhavan, Mr Tiwari is now preparing for a legal and political battle to clear his name.

“I am innocent and have been framed in this conspiracy. But I will fight back — legally and politically — to clear my name,” he told reporters after his arrival in Dehradun where he will be staying for the next few days. He also made it clear that he would continue to remain in active politics, a clear rebuff to those who had thought that the veteran leader would call it quits after the disgrace over the alleged scandal.

Though Mr Tiwari refused to elaborate on his plans at the moment, one of his close aides said the former Governor was aware of the identity of the possible conspirators.

“We are aware of who these persons are and it is a matter of time before they get exposed. Mr Tiwari will fight back the charges in a court of law as well as politically to clear his name. The curtain is certainly not down on this drama,” the aide said.

The aide said that the veracity of the so-called sex tapes was highly questionable and with the VFX technique easily available, such tapes could easily be made.

“Scandals about Mr Tiwari are being thrown out only after he took over as AP Governor. First, it was the paternity suit and now this. Surely, there is someone who wanted him out of the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad,” the aide added. If sources are to be believed, the recent sex scandal has not demoralised the 86-year-old leader.

In fact, it has made him all the more determined to bounce back in politics.

“He resigned because he did not wish to embarrass the Congress leadership. He did not get time to clarify his position or get the tapes examined. But now that he is out of the post, he will hit back with renewed force,” the aide said.

Mr Tiwari is likely to return to Delhi in a few days to consult his lawyers against the channel that aired the alleged sex tapes. He will also seek an audience with the Congress high command with a request that he may be given a chance to clear his name.

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T threat ruins New year plans

Just when harried Hyderabadis were gearing up to say ‘good riddance’ to a nasty 2009, and ring in 2010 on the right note, T activists announced, “Not so soon...”

With the agitating students of OU and other student wings making it clear that they “will not tolerate” any New Year revelry that makes light of the current situation in the state, young party hoppers who hoped to wrap up 2009 in style, are a disappointed lot.

While some young ’uns are grounded, thanks to the security scare, others confess they have cancelled their New Year’s eve plans to avoid unpleasant run-ins with frenzied mobs, who are sure to play party poopers. And even though cops are doing their best to reassure the public, nothing seems to be working to ease the tension.

Youngsters are wary of heading to crowded bashes and are opting for risk-free private parties. Meenakshii Thakur, a second year student of CBIT, says, “My parents have asked me not to step out for any party this New Year. And considering how tense the situation has become of late, one can’t really blame anyone for feeling paranoid. I hate the thought of sitting cooped up indoors when the world is celebrating. I might go to Mumbai or plan a house party at a friend’s place. One thing is for sure, I want to avoid trouble.”
Permission problems don’t plague young girls alone this year. Boys too are being grounded by worried parents, says Firdous Majeed, a final year student of St Mary’s. “parents are apprehensive of letting us go out on New Year’s eve. House parties are the norm now as it doesn’t feel too safe to venture out. I am also planning to stay at home and ring the year in with my close friends.”

Even those who have their reservations and tickets in place are backing out. Aditi Gupta, an engineering graduate from Vasavi College of Engineering, says, “After I heard about the latest threat, I decided to scrap my original party plans. Instead, I’ll head to a private bash that doesn’t attract much attention.”

Commissioner of Police B. Prasada Rao, meanwhile, says cops will be able to keep things under control. “Telangana supporters cannot ruin celebrations. Starting today, Section 144 will be enforced for a week. Passes for New Year bashes are being sold at star hotels and upmarket commercial establishments only.

There will be continuous patrolling around hotels and nightclubs all through the night. Also, the control rooms have been instructed to take every call made to the helpline seriously.”

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Law student held for Nagam attack

The sleuths of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Monday arrested a law student in connection with the attack on the Telugu Desam MLA and former minister, Mr Nagam Janardhan Reddy.

The CID officials said more arrests — for damaging MLAs’ vehicles on December 24 — are on the cards.

T. Rahul Reddy, 20, a second year law student and the son of one Mr Hitendar Reddy was the fourth accused arrested in Nagam Janardhan Reddy attack case. He has been booked for unlawful assembly and rioting.

The DGP, Mr R.R. Girish Kumar, said, “Students have admitted that some ‘outsiders’ had come to the campus and resorted to violence. Students should not allow the entry of anti-social elements into the campus. Students may have to face criminal cases due to their association with the anti-social elements.”

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Earlier, the police had arrested one T. Nagaraju, alias Srikanth Raju, the prime accused in the MLA attack case, has been involved in 17 other cases including murder, robbery, extortion and kidnapping. K. Venkanna, 26, and R. Sattaiah, 29, were also arrested.

Meanwhile, the ABVP filed a petition in State Human Rights Commission alleging that Rahul, who was picked up on December 25, has not yet been produced before the court. The SHRC directed the police commissioner to submit a report by 11 am on Tuesday.

Students beat Nagam with chappals, hound out TDP leaders

Agitated students of Osmania University attacked and hounded out Telugu Desam Party leaders from Telangana, in protest against the party’s volte face on Telangana issue, that led to the Central government change its stand.

Senior TDP leaders Nagam Janardhan Reddy, Kadiam Srihari, E Dayakar Rao and others went to Osmania University to express their solidarity with the striking students, who were hurt in the police lathicharge on them. On seeing the TDP leaders, the students got agitated further and gheraoed them, demanding that they all come out of the TDP to express their support for Telangana. The students attacked 20 cars of the TDP leaders and their followers, damaged them with stones and turned them upside down.

While the students spared Srihari and Dayakar Rao, they targeted sturdy Nagam Janardhan Reddy, who they alleged, was acting like a stooge of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu. They beat him with chappals and as he started leaving the place, they chased him. Being a hefty personality, Nagam could not run further and fell down on the road. As he lost consciousness, he was taken to Kamineni Hospital on a motor bike. Others had left the place with a lot of insult.

TDP leaders Mothkupalli Narsimhulu and Devender Goud condemned the attack on the TDP leaders, stating that it was the handiwork of some anti-social elements and not the genuine students.

Ramu backs Lagadapati on Telagana

Filmmaker Ramgopal Varma has pledged his support to the Vijayawada MP, Mr Lagadapati Rajgopal, who is agitating for a united Andhra Pradesh.

Varma, wrote in his blog that Mr Rajgopal was his junior in Sidhartha College in Vijayawada and that he was a sincere student leader who always helped his fellow students.

Varma said that he and his friends used to help and shield Mr Rajagopal whenever there were fights among student groups.

“After college I lost touch with him as I moved into the Mumbai film industry and except occasionally bumping into him at some function I never really met him. But today when I see him on TV in the eye of the political storm raging across Andhra Pradesh in the context of the Samaikhyandhra movement, I see exactly the same Rajgopal who I used to move around with 25 years ago,” Varma has written in his blog.

The ace director also narrated a few incidents about their college days which showed Mr Rajagopal as a leader.

He claimed that though he doesn’t know anything about the current unrest in the state, he believes in a united Andhra Pradesh because Mr Rajgopal believes in it.

“I am neither into politics nor do I have any understanding of what the Samai-khyandhra or the Telangana movement is really all about, but one thing I
want to say now for sure is that if Rajgopal believes that Samaikhyandhra is good for Andhra Pradesh

then I also believe in it because I believe in his sincerity and capability which I witnessed firsthand and I believe there can be no better sincere leader than Rajgopal.”

Hong Kong model for Hyderabad?

The impasse continues with no signs of any way out. Lagadapati Rajagopal and others are still on fast for a United Andhra Pradesh,Chiranjeevi embarks on a yatra for the same purpose.

Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) pooh-poohs the United Andhra movement warning that there will be a bloodbath if the Telangana process is derailed. Both the sides show no signs of blinking even as the administration has come to a grinding halt. Hyderabad is showing signs of being severely impacted with potential investors looking at alternatives. The million dollar question then, is there no mutually acceptable solution that could lead a way out of this conundrum?

If one follows the voices on the debate clearly, it will be apparent that the fight is centred around the fate of Hyderabad. “Hyderabad was just a piece of land had it not been for migrants who came here and built the infrastructure. This is not merely buildings but also institutions like colleges, hospitals and industries that make a city great,” is the contention of the United Andhra protagonists. But the other side argues that Hyderabad was always big - the fifth largest city in 1956 when Andhra Pradesh came into being and is even now the fifth largest city. “So the growth is commensurate with other cities in the country, no more than elsewhere in urban India
. It was always part of Telangana and even now it should be,” say Telangana protagonists.

In the midst of this face off, the indications from New Delhi are that the decision to create Telangana is final. “It is a matter of time. Once the ongoing situation cools down, the process will start. It would take a few years to complete,” a high-level source indicated. It also seems that the earlier plan was that Hyderabad would go with Telangana, but now the bosses are wondering whether Hyderabad could be made a Union Territory (UT). The subject has been broached with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) representatives who have strongly opposed the idea. “Hyderabad is the heart of Telangana. There is no question of agreeing to UT status for the city,” assert TRS representatives. On the other hand, privately, many of those seeking a UT status for Telangana, confess that their main concern is securing investments in Hyderabad and ensuring the continuance of Brand Hyderabad. “It is not an issue of where Hyderabad will go. The real issue is of maintaining conditions for the continued prosperity of Hyderabad,” says a corporate representative.

China was faced with a similar problem when Hong Kong was ceded back to them by Britain in 1997. However in the 155 years that Hong Kong had been in British control, it had become a major trading hub transacting business of billions of pounds. Though China wanted Hong Kong, it did not want to damage Brand Hong Kong. Thus came the concept of ‘one country, two systems.’ Hong Kong became a special administrative region (SAR) of China, where different laws would apply. In the same fashion, Hyderabad could become a special administrative region (SAR) of Telangana where there is a different dispensation. For example there could be an autonmous elected city government of Hyderabad. This government headed by a principal minister could be responsible to a city assembly. But this city government would have limited powers granted to it by a constitutional amendment.

For instance, the powers could relate to land use within Hyderabad, powers for local taxation like land registration fees and maintenance of law and order. A part of the revenues collected will be kept by the city government and the rest will go to the state government. The fears of investors and others will be allayed by the establishment of an independent city government. This will protect Brand Hyderabad, a prospect that would please Telangana protagonists considering that Hyderabad is their main asset.

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