Month: December 2009

Hyderabad, December 31: Senior IAS officer S V Prasad today assumed the charge of Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh. Prasad, an officer of the 1975 batch, succeeds P Ramakanth Reddy, who retired from service today after the completion of a three-month extension.

A formal order to this effect was issued this afternoon. An amiable officer, Prasad previously served as Principal Secretary to Chief Ministers N Janardhana Reddy, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu.

Hyderabad, December 31: The State police today offered to provide protection for resorts and hotels to organise New Year parties across Telangana region on December 31 night, in the wake of Joint Action Committee of students appealing to public not to celebrate New Year eve.

Additional Director General of Police (law and order) AK Khan stated that the police will neither encourage nor discourage any hotel or resort to organise a new party but will provide required security upon prior request as part of their duty.

Hyderabad, December 31: Disgraced Narayan Dutt Tiwari’s ‘‘sleazy night outs’’ in the city date back to the 80s, a good quarter of a century before he landed in the Raj Bhavan.

Hyderabad, December 31: All the fasting students of Osmania University, who were shifted to the Gandhi General Hospital a couple of days ago, today withdrew their fast after the Centre invited all the political parties for a discussion on separate Telangana issue.

Seventeen OU students, who sat on an indefinite fast soon after Centre’s second statement on Telangana, were forcibly shifted to hospital a couple of days back.

Hyderabad, December 31: After 10 years, Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Kutumba Rao was looking forward to celebrating New Year and Pongal with his parents and childhood friends at his native Anakapalli in Visakhapatnam district. But all his plans went awry as he found himself stranded at the Secunderabad railway station along with his family since Tuesday evening, thanks to the bandh called by the Joint Action Committee (JAC).

He flew down to Hyderabad from America in about 20 hours, but had to wait for 24 hours to buy tickets to reach Anakapalli.

Hyderabad, December 31: The Government Textbook Press Employees Union has opposed the government’s decision to outsource printing of textbooks to 82 contractors.

In a statement here today, the union said that the government’s decision can be inferred as a move to close down the press which prints textbooks that are distributed freely in government schools.

“If the press is shut down, nearly 600 families will lose their livelihood,’’ it said and demanded that they would protest if the government implemented its decision.

Hyderabad, December 31: A six-year-old boy died after being hit by a motorcycle at Singareni colony in Saidabad colony today.

Mahender, a resident of Chaderghat, came to his uncle’s house at Singareni Colony along with his mother Shoba.

While playing on the road, Mahender was hit by a motorist. The victim suffered internal injuries and died while being shifted to a local hospital.

Saidabad police said the accused fled from the scene after hitting the boy.

The police, however, seized the vehicle and efforts are on to nab the accused.

Hyderabad, December 31: The National Congress of Indian Christians (NCIC) today urged the Home Minister and the Hyderabad Police Commissioner to provide security at major churches in the City on December 31 night. They also wanted the police to patrol on major roads during the night as the Christians will be participating in `Night Service’.

Hyderabad, December 31: While welcoming the Centre’s announcement to hold talks with political parties on the Telangana issue, the Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee (JAC) insists that political parties should first ensure that the cases against students are withdrawn before the talks begin.

“Politicians should ensure that the cases against students are withdrawn before they go for the talks with the Centre,” JAC member D Yellanna said here today.