Telangana

Crime

The police said that the accused barged into the house with a bottle of paint thinner, poured it on the victims, and threw a lit firecracker on them.

TNM Staff

A man in Telangana allegedly set his wife, her three relatives and his two children on fire late on Thursday night. The shocking incident took place at Khammampally village. The police said that the accused, identified as 40-year-old Laxmi Rajam, was married to Vimala for over 10 years. Laxmi Rajam allegedly used to harass Vimala, and the two got involved in a legal dispute. They separated, and Vimala had shifted to her maternal home with her children. Besides their 12-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son, Vimala's brother, sister-in-law and niece were also injured in the incident. The police said that Laxmi Rajam barged into the house on Thursday with a bottle of paint thinner – a combustible liquid – and poured it on the victims, before lighting a firecracker and throwing it on them. Speaking to reporters, a neighbour said that he heard a scream and rushed out of their home to find a person on fire on the street. Neighbours hurriedly doused the flames, and also found Vimala lying outside her home, also having suffered serious burn injuries. "He (the accused) was nowhere in sight. We called an ambulance but it was taking time to come. So, we put four of them in one of our vehicles and rushed them to the hospital," a local told reporters."We were not even able to touch them because their skin had been burnt. We wrapped them in cloth, and took them to the hospital. By then, the police arrived here, and the whole village had gathered as well," he added. Three of the injured, including Vimala, have been shifted to the state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, as their condition is critical with third degree burns. Three others are undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Siddipet. Police visited the spot of the crime, and collected forensic evidence. Speaking to TNM, Sub Inspector R Krishna from the Thoguta police station said, "We have registered a case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) of the IPC.""The accused is still absconding, and further investigation is ongoing," he added. Read: Telangana man’s parents burn him alive allegedly for harassing them for money

Body 2:

Controversy

Hearing a petition of the legislator challenging the order, the court granted a stay for four weeks and adjourned the case to December 16.

IANS

Image: Facebook/Ramesh Chennamaneni

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislator Chennamaneni Ramesh received some respite on Friday as the Telangana High Court stayed a recent order of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which had revoked his Indian citizenship. Hearing a petition of the legislator challenging the order, the court granted a stay for four weeks and adjourned the case for further hearing to December 16. The TRS leader, who is a member of state Assembly, had prayed for suspension of proceedings pending disposal of the plea for setting aside the order. The MLA contended that the Home Ministry did not take the orders passed by the High Court on the same issue earlier. The Home Ministry on Wednesday issued a fresh order cancelling the Indian citizenship of Ramesh for concealing facts pertaining to his visits to India during the 12-month period immediately preceding his application seeking citizenship."His misrepresentation/concealment of fact misled the government of India in making its decision initially. Had he revealed the fact that he had not resided in India for one year before making the application, the competent authority in this ministry would not have granted citizenship to him," the ministry order added. Ramesh was deprived of the citizenship by Home Ministry in 2017 on the grounds that he had held citizenship of Germany and had not fulfilled the stipulated norms while obtaining the Indian citizenship in 2009. In July this year, the High Court had set aside the order of the Home Ministry and had directed the ministry to hear afresh the submissions of Ramesh and complainant Adi Srinivas, the Congress leader who was defeated by Ramesh in Vemulawada in 2009 elections. Ramesh was elected as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in 2009. He later joined TRS and was re-elected in the by-election in 2010. He was elected again from the same constituency in 2014 and 2018. Read: Stripped off Indian citizenship by Centre, TRS MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh moves HC

Body 2:

TSRTC Strike

On Wednesday, after 47 days of struggle, the TSRTC JAC offered to call off the strike.

Balakrishna Ganeshan

The offer by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Wednesday to call off the almost 50-day strike — if the government accepts their demands without any preconditions — has led to a rift among the employees. While the JAC await the government’s response to this offer, a faction of employees, under the banner ‘JAC-1’--comprising six employee unions--have expressed displeasure and disappointment at the JAC’s announcement. And further have announced of leading the struggle. Co-convenor of JAC-1, Hanumanth Mudiraj from the Telangana Jathiya Mazdoor Union (TJMU) told TNM, “What was the need to offer to call off the strike unconditionally? Why weren’t employees consulted before taking such a huge decision? What about the employees who killed themselves? Why is no one talking about them?” TSRTC JAC-1 comprises of six small employee unions, most of which are Bahujan groups: Telangana Jathiya Mazdoor Union, Bahujan Kaarmika Union, Bahujan Workers’ Union, Kaarmika Parishad, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Samajika Telangana Mazdoor Union. Expressing disappointment at how the struggle has been led so far, Hanumanth said, “It was the JAC-1 which initially issued a strike notice on August 31, but the JAC overshadowed us. Yet, we supported them throughout, though we did not have any say in it.” JAC-1 has condemned Ashwathama Reddy of the JAC, who was spearheading the strike. It has also questioned his intent behind offering to call off the strike when their main demand – to merge TSRTC with the government to avail government job benefits like pensions – was not met. JAC had dropped the demand for the merger earlier, and the remaining 25 demands deal with subjects like women’s welfare, fewer working hours and so on. “When Ashwathama Reddy told the employees that they will drop the idea of merger, 90% of the workers were against it. Yet, he went ahead. The employees participated in the strike because they wanted the merger, that was their primary demand. Later, he completely surrendered, and said that they will re-join their duties without any of their demands being met. It is suspicious that he took such a decision, when the case was transferred to the Labour court,” Hanumanth said. He added, “We will continue to strike and demand the government to consider the idea of merger with the government. It is very vital to us. We don’t have any pensions and no job security.” According to Hanumanth, the Telangana High Court had given a favourable judgement to them. “The High Court said that it could not decide if the strike was illegal or not, and transferred the matter to Labour Court. While the court cases are ongoing, what was the need to call off the strike?” Earlier on Friday, JAC convenor, Ashwathama Reddy said, “It has been two days since we announced that we will join duties if the government ensures a peaceful environment, but the government or the TSRTC management did not take any steps towards it. The government said that it would hold another meeting. We are hopeful of a positive decision, and the strike would continue until then.” Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao held a meeting with Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay and TSRTC in-charge Managing Director, Sunil Sharma, on Thursday. However, they did not make any decision regarding the offer by the JAC to resume duties.

Body 2:

TSRTC strike

The High Court observed that it cannot intervene in the government’s decision to privatise bus routes.

Charan Teja

In a major setback to protesting Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees the High Court of Telangana has disposed of the writ petition that was filed against the state governments' decision to privatise as many as 5100 routes in the state. The High Court while hearing a set of petitions pertaining to the matter observed that it can't intervene in the governments' decision to privatise the bus routes. Earlier, in the backdrop of the indefinite strike taken up by the RTC staff K Chandrasekhar’s government took a decision to privatise as many as 5100 routes. According to the reports available the High Court bench said that the petitioner has failed to prove the loops in the decision of state cabinet. The court also observed that the decision was as per the Section 102 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which deals with "cancellation or modification of scheme", and states that, "The state government may, at any time, if it considers necessary, in public interest, can modify any approved scheme." Speaking to TNM on the HC's verdict, Professor P L Vishweshwar Rao, the petitioner in the case, said, “The court has given a verdict in favour of the government to privatise the RTC routes. I am quite disappointed with it. The court stated that they are satisfied with the government’s argument. Being a petitioner, what exactly the government submitted in the sealed cover, I am not aware of. How could I defend my case, if I don’t know the contention of the government? I will now approach the Supreme Court.” This decision is being seen as a major setback to the employees who began their indefinite strike on October 5 with 26 demands including asking that they be treated as government employees, with the same benefits. On Wednesday, the TSRTC JAC announced that it was willing to give up its indefinite strike after 47 days if the government allowed them to return without any pre-conditions. However, KCR’s government withheld the decision on taking back the employees in view of the High Court verdict. It is unclear, however, whether the government will accommodate them (employees) after the HC order. The TSRTC employees protest has resulted in at least 20 deaths. The government and the employees have been locked in a bitter battle for weeks. Read: TSRTC strike: JAC’s offer to call off strike causes rift among protesting workers

Body 2:

Transport

The stretch covers a crucial part in the heart of the city's IT corridor, and is expected to provide a lot of relief to commuters.

TNM Staff

The stretch of the Hyderabad Metro Rail between Hitec City and Raidurg is all set to be thrown open to commuters, as authorities have finished conducting all test runs and are ready for safety clearance. Taking to Twitter, Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) Managing Director NVS Reddy said, "Hitec city-Raidurg metro stretch (1.5 km) is ready and Commission of Railway Safety (CMRS) inspection will be done soon. After this safety clearance, the stretch will be inaugurated by Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) KT Rama Rao and Transport Minister P Ajay Kumar in the morning of November 29.""Inauguration of Hitec city- Raidurg metro stretch will give major relief to a large number of employees working in this dense Information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enable Services (ITES) area," he added. The stretch covers a crucial part in the heart of the city's IT corridor, where several multinational corporations (MNCs) are located. Inspected Hitec city-Raidurg metro stretch today. It’s ready for CMRS inspection & after his safety clearance, it will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister @KTRTRS & Hon’ble Minister Mr. P Ajay Kumar in the morning of 29th of this month.#HMR #CorridorIII #HitechCity #Rayadurg pic.twitter.com/fu8ND3Dqru — MD HMRL (@md_hmrl) November 22, 2019 In March this year, the much-awaited metro service on the Ameerpet-Hitec City route was inaugurated, to cater to thousands of techies who travel to the IT cluster. The inauguration also completed the 27 km Nagole-Hitec City corridor, one of three in the project. The 16-km Ameerpet-LB Nagar line was inaugurated in September last year, while the 30-km stretch between Uppal and Miyapur has been operational since November 2017. Earlier this week, the metro authorities said that they would soon begin trial runs on Corridor II on the 10-km stretch between Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) via Parade Grounds. Once completed, the entire metro project would be thrown open to the public. Billed as the largest Metro project in the world in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, the Rs 14,132 crore project is being built by infrastructure giant L&T.

Body 2:

Controversy

The case has been registered over alleged inflammatory remarks made by Owaisi at a public meeting on July 23 in Karimnagar town.

TNM Staff

Just days after an order by a local court, the Saidabad police in Hyderabad registered a case against All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi. Owaisi has now been booked under Sections 153(A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153(B) (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 506 (Criminal Intimidation) of the IPC. The case has been registered over alleged inflammatory remarks made by Owaisi at a public meeting on July 23 in Karimnagar town. Akbaruddin Owaisi said, "The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) can't do anything. They can't even pluck a strand of hair," and went on to refer to his infamous '15 minute' comment. On December 22, 2012, Owaisi had addressed a massive rally in (then Andhra Pradesh's) Nirmal town, where he had made a comment about "removing the police for 15 minutes off the streets", suggesting violence would erupt between Hindus and Muslims. He was arrested in January 2013 on charges of hate speech, and granted conditional bail after 40 days in prison. Earlier this month, the 14th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court had issued orders to the Saidabad police, to investigate a complaint by an advocate associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and register a case and file a status report by December 23. The advocate had moved court, stating that the police were not investigating his complaint. In his petition, he also sought that Owaisi's conditional bail be cancelled. Owaisi's remarks earlier this year had also resulted in a similar complaint being filed in Karimnagar town at the time. The Karimnagar 3-Town police has also booked him under the same sections as the Saidabad police and is investigating the issue. As a video of the recent speech also went viral, Akbaruddin Owaisi issued a statement on July 26, where he said, "My speech doesn't constitute any offence; I have not contravened any provision of law.” Akbaruddin Owaisi is the younger brother of Hyderabad MP and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi.

Body 2:

Crime

Narasimha, an assistant sub-inspector, had blamed his superior for his transfer and accused the latter of harassment.

TNM Staff

Angry over his transfer, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police on Friday attempted to kill himself near a police station in Hyderabad. Narasimha, attached to the Balapur police station, climbed on a water tank and set himself afire. Other police personnel doused the flames and rushed him to Apollo DRDO Hospital, where his condition is stated to be critical. The doctors said that he was already having health issues like diabetes and high blood pressure, which was making the treatment more challenging. The police official was recently transferred from Balapur police station under Rachakonda Police Commissionerate to Manchal police station under Cyberabad Commissionerate. Narasimha, a resident of Badangpet, had allegedly blamed his superior, Inspector Saidulu, for his transfer and accused him of harassment. Speaking to reporters, Narasimha's son alleged that he was being mentally harassed for several months by his superiors who were allegedly forcing him to collect 'mamool' (periodic bribes to any personnel in uniform). However, the accused police officers said that they had received a noise complaint on November 15 from a function hall, to find an allegedly drunk Narasimha at the spot, who went on to abuse the patrolling staff. They said that it was his conduct, even though he was not in uniform, which warranted the transfer orders. Meanwhile, Rachakonda commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said that he had taken note of the incident and ordered for an inquiry by the L B Nagar DCP."I am attaching the police personnel who have been accused, to the headquarters. I have spoken to his family and we are taking care of his treatment. We will look into the allegations and once a report is submitted, we will decide the future course of action," Bhagwat told reporters. Media reports also stated that Saidulu had earlier attempted to kill himself in 2015, after he was suspended over allegations of corruption. IANS inputs

Body 2:

Accident

The flyover, situated in the heart of the city’s IT sector, was inaugurated earlier this month by Municipal Minister KT Rama Rao.

Nitin B.

A major accident took place in Hyderabad’s Gachibowli area on Saturday after a speeding car travelling on the newly-opened Biodiversity flyover lost control and fell off the bridge, damaging two cars underneath the flyover. A woman was killed, while six others were injured in the incident. The Biodiversity junction is an arterial road in the city’s IT sector and several lakh vehicles pass through it everyday. The incident took place at 1.19 pm. Soon after the accident, many took to social media to complain about the design of the flyover, with its steep ascent and sharp curve, along with a lack of signages. According to police, the driver of the red Volkswagen GTI was speeding and lost control as the flyover has a steep turn. The driver, who has been identified as Milan, has survived the crash after air bags were deployed on impact. The victim has been identified as Satyaveni, who was with her daughter at the time of the accident. Her daughter, however, escaped with minor injuries. Speaking to TNM, Madhapur DCP, A Venkateswara Rao said, "The car was traveling at a high speed, and it lost control. As a result it went and hit the flyover's railing and fell off the flyover. A woman who was waiting under the flyover for a bus was crushed by the car." He also added, "In the accident a couple of new cars which were parked outside Nisan showroom were also damaged." A statement put out by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad states that the car was speeding, traveling at 104kmph. “On preliminary investigation, it is found out that the accident was due to the OVERSPEEDING car at 104 kmph instead of prescribed 40 kmph on the flyover,” reads the statement. CCTV visuals from the flyover shows the car traveling at high speed crashing into the wall of the flyover, before it falls over and lands on the road below. CCTV footage from the flyover. https://t.co/N7gRmMsuIt pic.twitter.com/pxun51kqrc — Bala (@naartthigan) November 23, 2019 Those injured were rushed to Care Hospital, located less than a kilometre from the accident spot. While two of those injured were shifted to another hospital, four others who suffered minor injuries were given first-aid and later discharged. Following the accident, the flyover has been temporarily closed down. This is the second major accident to take place on the flyover since it was inaugurated on November 4 by Municipal Minister KT Rama Rao. On November 10, a software employee from Cognizant, who was reportedly in an inebriated condition, killed two people and injured four persons after he rammed his car into two vehicles before knocking down two persons who were taking selfies after stopping their bike on the flyover. The 990-meter long flyover is a one-way, and begins at the DivyaSree Orion SEZ and ends after the Biodiversity Junction, heading towards IKEA. It is part of the state government's Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) and was constructed at a cost of Rs 69.47 crore. Another unidirectional flyover is also being constructed, that begins close to the Cyberabad Commissionerate office, which will allow commuters travelling towards Tolichowki and Mehdipatnam, to skip the Biodiversity junction. The police also issued an advisory following the accident, stating pedestrians are not allowed on the flyover, the maximum speed limit is 40 kmph, nobody should stand or stop on the flyover for selfies and other dangerous activities, people should follow lane discipline and not overtake at curves. Read: Car falls off newly-inaugurated Biodiversity flyover in Hyderabad, one dead

Body 2:

Accident

One woman was killed and six others injured in the accident at Biodiversity flyover.

Balakrishna Ganeshan

CCTV footage of the horrific accident in Hyderabad’s Gachibowli area shows a car flying off the newly-opened Biodiversity flyover and slamming into the road beneath the bridge around 1 pm on Saturday. A woman was killed in the accident and six others were injured. In videos of the incident, pedestrians and cars can be seen calmly traversing the road when the car, a red Volkswagen GTI, comes hurtling off the flyover overhead. In one video, some notice the vehicle in the air and try to run for cover. The shadow of the car can be seen crossing over the road momentarily before it smashes into the ground. Viewer discretion is advised. Hair raising videos of the car which fell off the newly opened biodiversity flyover. One woman was killed in the accident.https://t.co/qGwFmZAyXy pic.twitter.com/cM9daAGFlN — Bala (@naartthigan) November 23, 2019 A second video from a different angle shows the car landing with such force that it is immediately ejected into the air. It slams into two parked cars and a tree that comes crashing down. A road traffic sign, seemingly struck by the vehicle on impact as well, drops to the ground. People begin to disperse immediately, but many look back with shock at the accident site and some begin to approach it. pic.twitter.com/vAHW9F9yOy — Bala (@naartthigan) November 23, 2019 Another video footage from the flyover, the car can be seen travelling at high speeds down the flyover before crashing into the barrier and tumbling over the edge. Police officials said the car was speeding and is said to have lost control on the brand new flyover. The vehicle crushed a woman who was waiting for an auto on the road beneath, killing her on the spot. CCTV footage from the flyover. https://t.co/N7gRmMsuIt pic.twitter.com/pxun51kqrc — Bala (@naartthigan) November 23, 2019 Biodiversity junction is an arterial road in the city’s IT sector and lakhs of vehicles use it daily. The flyover has been temporarily shut down as a result of the accident. According to police, the driver, identified as Milan, survived the crash due to airbags that were deployed. The victim has been identified as Satyaveni, who was walking on the road with her daughter at the time of the accident. Her daughter, however, escaped with minor injuries. The 990-metre long flyover is a one-way and begins at Divya Sree Orion SEZ and ends after the Biodiversity Junction. It is part of the state government's Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) and was constructed at a cost of Rs 69.47 crore. Many have taken to social media to complain about the design of the flyover, which includes a steep ascent, sharp curves and few signs. Read also: Car falls off newly-inaugurated Biodiversity flyover in Hyderabad, one dead

Body 2:

Accident

A speeding car travelling on the newly-opened Biodiversity flyover in Hyderabad, lost control, and fell off the bridge, killing one woman underneath.

Nitin B.

It was like any other Saturday for M Shankar, an autorickshaw driver who ferries commuters from the Biodiversity junction to the Hitec city station in Hyderabad's IT corridor. But at around 1pm, that changed. "We heard a loud noise from the flyover above. We first saw a sign board fly straight towards us. Even as we ran in all directions, people starting yelling. I looked up and saw a car come crashing down from the flyover. It crushed a woman who was barely a few metres away from me. It happened in a second," he narrates, visibly shaken. A speeding car travelling at 104kmph on the newly-opened Biodiversity flyover lost control at 1.19 pm on Sunday and fell off the bridge, killing one and damaging other cars below. The police said that the driver, identified as Milan, survived the crash due to airbags that were deployed. Shankar was part of a large crowd that had gathered outside the Care Hospital, close to the accident spot, where six injured people were admitted and a few others received first aid. The incident took place close to an autorickshaw stand, and several drivers were witness to it. Pandu, another autorickshaw driver who witnessed the accident said, "I was looking at the road and saw the shadow of the car first. As I looked up, it was right over me. I was scared for my life. But it was hurtling in the air so fast, that it crossed the entire autorickshaw stand and rammed into a tree.""I was speaking on the phone and I had passed the same spot just seconds ago when I heard a deafening noise behind me. My phone fell from my hand and I turned around to see people running in all directions and a lot of dust. It took me a moment to realise what had actually happened," one eye-witness, who did not wish to be named, said. Eyewitnesses said that the car flipped over and fell on its roof, but the impact was such that it ricocheted and hit a tree, snapping its trunk. Several branches of the trees also came crashing down, injuring a few."The tree actually saved a car showroom right behind it. Otherwise the speed of the car was so high that it would have broken through the showroom's glass and damaged all the new vehicles inside," Pandu says. Viewer discretion is advised. Hair raising videos of the car which fell off the newly opened biodiversity flyover. One woman was killed in the accident.https://t.co/qGwFmZAyXy pic.twitter.com/cM9daAGFlN — Bala (@naartthigan) November 23, 2019 Those who gathered, said that an autorickshaw driver, Balaji, was still undergoing treatment at Care Hospital, after receiving injuries on his back. Many point out that the fatalities could have been more had it happened during a weekday."It was a weekend, so thankfully there was very little traffic in the area. Moreover, the signal from Biodiversity to Hitec City was red. If it had turned green, many more lives would have been lost," says Kranthi, a techie who witnessed the accident. The deceased woman has been identified as Satyaveni. Her daughter was present with her at the spot, but escaped with minor injuries. Visuals of the incident that first surfaced showed her daughter screaming in horror as her mother was crushed by the car in front of her eyes. At the hospital, she remained inconsolable as her family members huddled together. The police said that the car was going at a speed of 104 km/hr when the accident took place, instead of the prescribed speed limit of 40 km/hr. Distressed to hear about today’s accident on Biodiversity flyover. Prima facie it appears to be result of over speeding; have directed GHMC Engineer-in-Chief & @cpcybd to close the flyover & get speed control/safety measures in place & an independent expert committee evaluation— KTR (@KTRTRS) November 23, 2019 The Biodiversity flyover is one-way, and begins at the DivyaSree Orion SEZ and ends after the Biodiversity Junction, heading towards IKEA. It was inaugurated just earlier this month, as part of the state government's Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) and was constructed at a cost of Rs 69.47 crore. However, this is the second accident to take place on the flyover in less than two weeks, as an allegedly drunk techie, had killed two people who had stopped to take selfies on the flyover on November 10. The police have issued an advisory stating that "driving discipline and public behaviour play a crucial role in road safety." Read: Car falls off newly-inaugurated Biodiversity flyover in Hyderabad, one dead Video: Shocking CCTV footage shows car hurtling off new flyover in Hyderabad

Body 2:

Sports

Rayudu alleged corruption in the HCA one day after taking a break for a few weeks from playing first-class cricket for Hyderabad.

TNM Staff

PTI

Ambati Rayudu on Saturday accused the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) of indulging in corrupt practices and appealed to Telangana’s Industry and Municipal Administration minister KT Rama Rao to look into the matter. Rayudu alleged corruption in the HCA one day after taking a break for a few weeks from playing first-class cricket for Hyderabad. "Hello sir @KTRTRS, I request u to plz look into nd address the rampant corruption prevailing in hca. Hw can hyderabad be great when it's cricket team is influenced by money and corrupt people who have numerous ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) cases against them which are being swept under the carpet," Rayudu tweeted. This was Rayudu's first tweet after his ‘3D glasses' tweet after the World Cup 2019 squad selection when all-rounder Vijay Shankar was chosen over him. Rayudu opted out of the Ranji Trophy team this season. In an interview to Telangana Today, he said, “In all honesty, I was looking forward to play for Hyderabad in Ranji Trophy this season. But unfortunately the script did not go on the expected lines. There is a lot of politics in the team and the atmosphere was not conducive for good cricket. I felt very uncomfortable.” Rayudu announced his exit from all formats of cricket during the World Cup, but a few months later, did a U-turn and said that he is open to play for national cricket as well as the Indian Premier League. In an interview to Sportstar at the time, the batsman then said that his decision wasn’t emotional, and could have been spurred by being dropped from the World Cup. After being snubbed by the Indian cricket selectors twice, Rayudu announced his exit from the game. “Not really an emotional decision. No. I mean I had worked a lot for the World Cup for four to five years. Obviously, you will be a bit disappointed. But I had thought maybe it was time, not because it was rejection or emotion, but you work towards something and maybe then you want something else,” he was quoted as saying. With IANS inputs

Body 2:

Accident

The Biodiversity flyover has been temporarily closed down, after a speeding car fell off the flyover killing a bystander.

Balakrishna Ganeshan

Following the horrific accident which took place at Biodiversity junction, Gachibowli on Saturday, Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, KT Rama Rao has announced of setting up an independent expert evaluation committee to study the flyover's design. Further the minister directed the Cyberabad police and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to close down the newly constructed Biodiversity flyover, and install speed control devices on it. Distressed to hear about today’s accident on Biodiversity flyover. Prima facie it appears to be result of over speeding; have directed GHMC Engineer-in-Chief & @cpcybd to close the flyover & get speed control/safety measures in place & an independent expert committee evaluation— KTR (@KTRTRS) November 23, 2019 Speed limit on the flyover is 40kmph and it's clearly shown in sign boards The car that lost control was driving at over 100kmph, way beyond prescribed speed limit. Nevertheless, innocent bystander's death is tragic. We will rectify any design issues too to prevent recurrence https://t.co/Q2XoVCmSg7— KTR (@KTRTRS) November 23, 2019 He further said, “The car that lost control was driving at over 100kmph, way beyond prescribed speed limit. Nevertheless, innocent bystander's death is tragic. We will rectify any design issues too to prevent recurrence.” The prescribed limit is 40kmph. On Saturday at around 1.19 pm, a Volkswagen GT car which was at a speed of 104 kmph travelling towards Madhapur on the one-way flyover lost control, hit the barrier and then crashed on the ground. A woman identified as Satyaveni, waiting under the flyover for an autorickshaw was crushed by the car, killing her almost instantaneously. Six others were injured in the incident. Following the accident, several blamed the flawed design of the flyover, which has a steep curve on the junction. This is the second accident at Biodiversity flyover, since it was inaugurated on November 4. Six days later, on November 10, an accident took place on the flyover after a techie was reportedly inebriated rammed his car into other vehicles. In the accident, two people who stopped on the flyover to take selfies were killed. In the aftermath of Saturday’s accident, the police issued a fresh advisory: "Pedestrians are not allowed on the flyover. Maximum speed limit is 40 kmph. Nobody should stand or stop on the flyover for selfies and other dangerous activities." Police further said, "Cyberabad traffic police has installed cctv cameras and Public Address system(PAS) to alert people who stand or stop dangerously on the flyover. Overspeeding cases are being booked against vehicles moving beyond 40 kmph using a new software based on cctv footage. People should follow lane discipline and not to overtake at curves." Meanwhile, Madhapur DCP, A Venkateswara Rao told TNM, "The car was at a high speed, and it lost control. As a result it went and hit the flyover's barrier and fell off. A woman who was waiting under the flyover was crushed by the car.” The car was driven by a man identified as Milan, he is out of danger. In the accident a couple of new cars which were parked outside Nissan showroom were also damaged, he said. Read: 'Happened in a second': Eyewitnesses recount horrific car accident on Hyd flyover Read: Video: Shocking CCTV footage shows car hurtling off new flyover in Hyderabad

Body 2:

Sexual abuse

The victim had left the school in June this year and filed a complaint against the duo last week.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

The Hyderabad police along with the SHE Teams arrested a headmaster of a residential school and his wife for allegedly raping a minor student and forcing her to do household chores. K Prasada Rao (51), headmaster of Janet George Memorial Residential School, Batasingaram, and his wife K Saradhi, a teacher from the same school, have been arrested. According to the complaint filed by the victim on Friday through a child helpine, the 15-year-old had joined the school in 2015 and was residing at the school hostel. One day, while she was sleeping, Prasad Rao, who was also the hostel warden, entered the room and allegedly raped the girl. According to the police, he raped the girl repeatedly and also mentally harassed her, reported Telangana Today. Prasads Rao’s wife Saradhi, too, harassed the girl and forced her to do household chores at the couple’s house. She was allegedly beaten up when she refused to work. The headmaster is also reportedly said to have abused other girls in the hostel. Unable to bear the harassment, the victim left the school in June this year. According to a report in the Times of India, the girl dialled the child helpline on Friday and made the complaint. The police and the SHE team reached the spot. A case relating to rape charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act was registered against the couple. A teacher from a school at Ghatkesar was arrested in April this year after a student complained of sexual abuse after attending an awareness programme on child sexual abuse. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat requested citizens to reach out to the Rachakonda police on WhatsApp on 9490617111 or Dial 100 in case of child abuse in institutions.

Body 2:

Crime

The 46-year-old pastor was also reportedly into real estate business and owned three plots in Hyderabad.

TNM Staff

Satyanarayana Reddy

A pastor was found brutally murdered in Kondapur on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Friday. According to reports, 46-year-old Satyanarayana Reddy was found murdered near a badminton academy in Masjid Banda of Kondapur. Satyanarayana was a pastor at a church in Anantapur town of Andhra Pradesh. Police suspect that the murder could have been the result of a land dispute. According to the Times of India, apart from being a pastor, Satyanarayana Reddy was also into real estate business. The Hindu reported that he owned three plots in Kanna Rao Basti in Hyderabad’s Hafeezpet. Around 11 pm on Friday, two persons who were on their way to the Venu Badminton Academy found the pastor’s body lying in a pool of blood and informed the Gachibowli police. Police identified the victim through identity proofs found on his body. He was then shifted to the hospital, where he was declared to have been brought dead. Police said that the victim was stabbed thrice in the abdomen. The assailants are yet to be identified. Earlier in July, a YSRCP leader was attacked with knives in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur town. Police suspected that he was killed by his former aides over a land settlement issue. The leader, Pamidipati Kotaiah, was believed to have been involved in several land settlement cases. His scooter was hit by a car, after which two assailants got out of the car and stabbed Kotaiah. In 2018, a father and son from a Dalit community were murdered by men from an OBC (Mudiraj) community in Rajanna Sircilla district of Telangana. The murders were believed to have been committed over a long-standing dispute over 39 guntas of land. Activists alleged that the land originally belonged to the victims’ family but was fraudulently seized by the attackers, after which the victims were allegedly assaulted multiple times for trying to claim their land.

Body 2:

Accident

The accident occurred near Cheeturu village early on Sunday when the Minister was headed to his assembly constituency of Palakurty in Jangaon district for an official programme.

TNM Staff

Two staff of the Telangana Minister for Panchayati Raj, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, were killed in a road accident in the wee hours of Sunday as one of the vehicles in the minister’s convoy turned upside down after losing control. The deceased were identified as Armed Reserve Constable (ARC) driver Parthasarathy (43) and Social Media In-charge T Poornendar (27). The accident took place near Cheeturu village in the Lingalaghanpur mandal limits in Jangaon district when the Minister was headed to his assembly constituency of Palakurty in the district for an official programme. One of the vehicles took a break after starting from the district headquarters and started a few minutes later to re-join the convoy, as per reports. According to the police, the bulletproof vehicle turned turtle after losing control near Cheeturu and crashed claiming two lives. Minutes after the incident, the Minister rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operations. The bodies of the deceased were shifted to the Jangaon Government Hospital for post-mortem. At least three other men, including a bodyguard and the Minister’s PA, were seriously injured and have been shifted to a hospital in Hyderabad for further treatment. District police authorities and the Minister’s security officials are looking into the incident. In September this year, an Innova car in which ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLA G Jaipal Yadav was travelling ran over and killed a man in Ranga Reddy district. At that time, the police booked the driver under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. The Kalwakurthy MLA was in the car at the time of the accident and escaped unhurt. However, the 40-year-old victim, identified as K Jaganath, a teacher at a local school, died on the spot. In August, a BJP leader from Telangana K Kishore Chari, his wife and son died in a car accident at Shamirpet in the outskirts of the Hyderabad city. The CCTV footage of the accident showed that the car lost control at an intersection and rammed into a concrete divider. The car was flung into the air and hit another car coming from the opposite direction. Three other passengers, including the leader’s second son, survived the crash.

Body 2:

Arrest

The driver, identified as Krishna Milan Rao Kalvakuntla, is the director of the gaming company Empower Labs.

TNM Staff

The Cyberabad Commissionerate has filed a case against Krishna Milan Rao Kalvakuntla for over speeding and killing a woman in the horrific accident that took place at the biodiversity flyover on Saturday. The car, which was allegedly driven at a speed of 104 kmph, lost control and rammed the divider and hurtled down almost 60 feet down onto the road. The vehicle hit three people who were waiting at an auto stand, killing a woman named Satyaveni, who was with her daughter, and injuring two other persons. According to reports, the Raidurgam police under the Cyberabad Commissionerate have filed a case against Krishna Milan under the charges of causing death due to negligent driving and the traffic cops have also issued a challan for over speeding on the flyover (the permissible speed on the flyover is 40 kmph). The police are now probing whether the driver had a valid license and if he was in an inebriated condition. Though the initial probe found it wasn’t a case of drunk driving, blood samples of the driver has been collected for further investigation. Krishna Milan is currently being treated at a private hospital in the city. According to a health bulletin released on Saturday night, he has scalpel laceration (blunt injury on the head), multiple abrasions and right clavicular fracture (bone between shoulder and breastbone). The police is yet to record his statement. Krishna Milan Rao Kalvakuntla 27-year-old Krishna Milan, a resident of Jubilee Hills, is the director-founder of the Hyderabad based gaming company Empower labs. The company has six directors and is touted to be the first augmented reality gaming company. Following the accident, the biodiversity flyover has been shut for the next three days. This is the second accident to take place on the flyover within 2 weeks of the flyover’s inauguration. The 990-meter long flyover is a one-way, and begins at the DivyaSree Orion SEZ and ends after the Biodiversity Junction, heading towards IKEA. It is part of the state government's Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) and was constructed at a cost of Rs 69.47 crore.

Body 2:

TSRTC strike

The employees had said they are ready to call off their strike if the government allows them to resume duties without any precondition.

Charan Teja

Image: Twitter/@CityOrdinary

The ongoing indefinite strike of the TSRTC employees entered its 51st day on Sunday, even as the government is yet to take a decision on the offer made by the RTC Joint Action Committee (JAC). TSRTC JAC Convenor Ashwathama Reddy reiterated that the employees will continue to strike and hold protests across the state till the government agrees to a climbdown and holds an unconditional dialogue with the employees. In a brief conversation with TNM, Ashwathama said that workers strike is still on and will continue till their demands are met."Earlier, we temporarily dropped the merger demand. We also offered to end the strike if they are willing to have us back without any preconditions, and start a dialogue… but there is no response from the government so far. We are still open to the dialogue process and the government has the opportunity to do so,” he said. “Today, we held Manavaharams (human chains) across bus depots. Tomorrow, the RTC employees will hold protests in front of all bus stands,” he added. Earlier this week, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the TSRTC announced that they are ready to call off their indefinite strike if the government allows them to resume duties without any precondition. The government has not given any indication on whether the employees will be taken back or whether it will hold a dialogue with the employees. According to reports, there will be clarity on the issue after KCR's next review meeting. Earlier this week, even as the JAC made an offer to end the strike, the Telangana High Court disposed of a writ petition that was filed against the state governments' decision to privatise 5,100 routes, which is half of the bus routes in Telangana. As many as 48,000 TSRTC staff (drivers, conductors, mechanics, etc) have been on an indefinite strike for the last 50 days, seeking a set of demands. Earlier, out of the many demands, the employees had agreed to drop their main demand for a merger of the corporation with the government, which would essentially make them government employees with the same benefits. In the past 50 days, more than 20 RTC workers have died, with many dying due to strokes. Also read : Telangana RTC workers offer to end strike, but it’s a loss for democratic struggles

Body 2:

Accident

The police said that the boy had opened the grill door of the lift and was looking down from the third floor, when he lost his balance and fell.

TNM Staff

A pall of gloom descended over a residential apartment in Hyderabad's Raidurgam area after a nine-year-old boy fell into an elevator shaft and died on Sunday. The incident took place at TVS Lake View Apartments, where his family had been living for close to two months. The police said that the boy, identified as Dhanush, was playing with his sister on the third floor when he opened the grill of the lift and looked down. He lost his balance and though his sister tried to pull him back, the lift, which was coming from above, hit him. He fell down the elevator shaft and was crushed. The family heard a loud sound and rushed out to see what happened. But Dhanush was killed on the spot. Dhanush's father is a priest, and he was the couple's third child. The death has left the family heartbroken and several relatives and neighbours visited their house to offer their condolences. The Raidurgam police said that Dhanush's father did not file a police complaint, but they registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPC, which deals with suspicious death. The body was shifted to the mortuary of the state-run Osmania General Hospital (OGH) for an autopsy and later handed over to the family. Investigation officials also said that they might book the lift company, as the grill is not supposed to open unless the lift is on the corresponding floor. This is not the first such incident to be reported from the city. In February this year, a 10-year-old boy died after his head got stuck in the grill door of an elevator at an apartment in Balaji Nagar in Hyderabad. The boy, a Class 5 student at a nearby school, was reported to be the son of the apartment's watchman and was living on the ground floor with his family. Read: Hyderabad tragedy: 10-year-old dies after getting stuck in elevator

Body 2:

Civic Issues

The gate was supposed to be reopened after due repair on September 15, but residents had complained that even after repairs, it remained shut, forcing them to take a much longer detour.

TNM Staff

In a major relief to commuters in Secunderabad's Malkajgiri suburb and its surrounding areas, the South Central Railways (SCR) reopened the Safilguda railway gate road on Saturday evening, just days after it was reported that many were facing inconvenience due to the closure. The road was closed on August 30 and a notice was put up informing the general public that the gate will be reopened after due repair on September 15. However, citizens said that it remained shut even after the repair work was completed, forcing several commuters to take a longer detour."About one lakh denizens use this crossing every day, which passes through the heart of the Malkajgiri suburb. It has become an arduous and strenuous task for commuters as they have been taking a detour every day since then," a delegation of the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (UFRWA) said in a letter to Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway, Secunderabad earlier this week. Following the reopening of the road, BT Srinivasan, General Secretary of UFRWA thanked the official. During a meeting last week between Gajanan and members of the federation, they had also asked for a feasibility study to look into the expansion of the existing flyover at Ramakrishna Puram Railway Station, to ease the traffic flow. The citizens also sought that the official intervene to ensure that work being carried out as part of the Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) Phase II project would be completed soon, thereby connecting Moula-Ali and Hitec City via Sanathnagar by local train. At present, locals in the region have also been demanding expedition of construction of a road under bridge (RuB) at Anandbagh. Read: Tired of apathy, citizens name road project in Secunderabad after KTR

Body 2:

Controversy

GHMC says additional warning signboards have been installed on the flyover under pressure from the city traffic police.

Mithun MK

A Volkswagen GT car that overshot the Biodiversity flyover in Hyderabad on Saturday resulting in the death of a woman and injuring three others was travelling at the speed of 104 kmph (kilometre per hour) while the permissible speed on the flyover is just 40 kmph. On November 11, another car, with its driver in an inebriated condition, caused an accident killing two people. While the drivers of both cars have been unequivocally condemned, some have raised questions on the design of the flyover too. Officials with the GHMC and the private construction firm that built the flyover however categorically state that there is nothing wrong with the design of the flyover. Venkata Rama, the Superintendent engineer for Serilingampally zone under the GHMC limits, says the “typical mentality” of people when it comes to driving and road safety is the cause for both the accidents. “The statements calling into question the design of the flyover are immature. No expert or human being can comment on that curve without going into AutoCAD drawings." Every infrastructure and building project is first designed over software such as AutoCAD and then approved by the concerned authorities before the construction begins. “There are enough and more signboards to inform drivers to reduce speed on the bridge as per Indian Road Congress (IRC) rules. The rule specifies where to place which signboard, these things are well-defined,” Venkata Rama adds. GHMC says they had installed additional warning signboards than necessary on the flyover under pressure from the city traffic police. “The local police intervened and asked us to provide more signboards. In fact, that flyover is full of signboards and that too is a problem, signboards have to be placed as per standards. Too many signboards also mean there will be unnecessary activity in the mind of the driver,” he adds. The Biodiversity flyover has witnessed two accidents since it opened for the public on November 4. On Saturday around 1.19 pm, the Volkswagen car lost control, hit the barrier and then plunged 60 feet on to the ground. Forty-year-old Venkata Satyaveni, who was waiting under the flyover with her daughter for an autorickshaw, was crushed by the car. Her daughter Parneetha reportedly even witnessed her mother's tragic death. On November 11, a software employee from Cognizant, reportedly in an inebriated condition, killed two people and injured four others after he rammed his car against two vehicles before knocking down two persons who were taking selfies. The breathalyser test of the driver revealed he had a Blood Alcohol Content of 223 mg/100 ml -- seven times more than the permissible limit. The Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development KT Rama Rao has constituted a technical committee, which will be led by former director of CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) TS Reddy, to look into the design. The officials from M Venkata Rao Infra Projects Private Limited, the firm that built the flyover, will also be attending the committee meeting on Monday. In 2016, M Venkata Rao Infra Projects Private Limited won the tender for the construction of multi-level flyovers/grade separators at four junctions -- the Biodiversity junction, Mindspace junction, Ayyappa Society and the Rajiv Gandhi statue junction for an estimated Rs 379 crore under the package four of the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP). The firm, when asked about the discussion in Hyderabad forums questioning the design flaws in the flyover, also pointed out that the two accidents that happened on the flyover were due to drunken driving and overspeeding. Speaking to TNM, Nichal K , General Manager Infra Projects Private Limited and Coordinator for the project, says, "The flyover is designed for a maximum of 60 kmph speed and the suggested 40 kmph is safe speed. This accident surely happened because of overspeeding and visible distraction of the driver, the visuals clearly show that the driver didn't even try to turn the vehicle at the point despite the high speed." According to the Cyberabad city traffic police, in the last six days alone over 550 speed challans were given to vehicles passing through the Biodiversity flyover. The GHMC says they are working out how to deal with lawlessness on the road. "We are struggling as there are no standards for road safety,” says Venkata Rama. As for the technical committee appointed by the MAUD Minister, the GHMC hopes the committee will arrive at conclusions on Monday itself. “We are bringing in experts in the field of road design. At the end of the day, we have to follow instructions from those who research road safety and not go by public opinion. The flyover is designed for law-abiding citizens, not law-breaking citizens,” the officer adds. (With inputs from Charan Teja) Also Read: Biodiversity flyover mishap: Case against driver for death due to negligence

Body 2:

Six injured as Telangana man allegedly sets wife and children on fire

HC stays Home Ministry order revoking TRS MLA Ramesh Chennamaneni's Indian citizenship

TSRTC strike: JAC’s offer to call off strike causes rift among protesting workers

Setback for TSRTC employees: Telangana HC allows privatisation of bus routes

Hitec city-Raidurg stretch of Hyderabad metro to open for commuters from Nov 29

Akbar Owaisi booked for alleged hate speech, after complaint in Telangana court

Upset over transfer, Hyderabad cop attempts immolation near police station

Speeding car falls off newly-inaugurated Biodiversity flyover in Hyderabad, one dead

Video: Shocking CCTV footage shows car hurtling off new flyover in Hyderabad

'Happened in a second': Eyewitnesses recount horrific car accident on Hyd flyover

Ambati Rayudu alleges corruption in Hyd Cricket Association, asks KTR to intervene

After horrific crash, KTR appoints expert panel to evaluate newly-opened flyover in Hyd

Headmaster, wife arrested for sexually abusing minor in Hyd school, making her do chores

Andhra pastor found murdered in Hyderabad, police suspect land dispute

Two staff die as car in Telangana minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao’s convoy overturns

Biodiversity flyover mishap: Case against driver for death due to negligence

TSRTC JAC vows to continue protests until govt agrees to ‘unconditional’ talks

9-year-old dies after falling into lift shaft in Hyderabad, police register case

Safilguda railway crossing reopened after complaint by Secunderabad residents

GHMC denies Biodiversity flyover has design flaw, says drivers responsible for accidents