Well, if one were to think of one word that defines just about everything in today’s world, then it obviously will be ‘smart.’ From phones to cities to people, smart is totally the ‘it’ word for today’s generation. So, the lighting also needs to be smart and cannot remain dumb, feels like a top executive of a global lighting company.Sumit Joshi, vice chairman and MD of Signify Innovations India, formerly Philips Lighting India Ltd, shares that people have now realized the importance of lighting in their homes. So they are shifting from dumb lighting to intelligent lighting, he says.Presently, lighting is a part of home decor and connected devices. Though the metros top the chart when it comes to smart lighting, Joshi reveals that some tier-1 cities are also high on the trend. “When new technology comes in, it starts percolating from what we call early adopters. There are two kinds of early adopters – IT professionals and other progressive customers. Now we are in the second stage. We have crossed the stage of early adopters, but we haven’t yet reached mass adoption,” says Joshi.And to make people understand the relevance of ‘smart’ lighting, the company is setting up smart hubs in major cities. They already have 225 smart hubs across India, and they are planning to hit the target of 300. While 5 such hubs are in Hyderabad, the company intends to have 10-12 more hubs in the coming 6-7 months.Citing an example of router sales, he says the sales of connected devices increase after people shift to routers that are required for smart devices. He says the adoption of smart lighting has just started, and it will soon see vertical growth.

Smart Lights to Make Hyderabad Shine Brighter

The city is getting busier, and there are a lot of complaints with the traffic police regarding honking on the main roads. In some instances, it has become a public nuisance as the honks can lead to accidents. Following such incidents, the Hyderabad Traffic Police has launched a special drive to nab those using prohibited varieties of horns.Since Tuesday night, over 200 motorists were fined by the Traffic police for using prohibited air or multi-toned horns, with the devices being seized too. The traffic police are imposing a fine of Rs 1000 on the violators.Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) AV Ranganathan has shared that heavy vehicles like private buses and lorries were also checked, and horns were seized. “Our teams are checking vehicles and on finding multi-toned horns, are removing those and booking cases. The drive will continue,” he says, adding that as per Motor Vehicles Rule 119 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, no motor vehicle fitted with any multi-toned horn giving a succession of different notes or with any other sound producing device giving horn, shrill, loud or alarming noise unduly.In fact, the Indian Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, Section 52, bars alteration in horns.

Multi-toned Horns Will Now Cost You Dearly

Corruption levels have hit an all-time high in certain divisions under GHMC, thanks to the corrupt behavior of some corporators in using their authority for illegal activities. It has been noticed that the corporators use Enforcement and Town Planning officials for their illegal activities.In fact, a surprising majority of corporators in 150 GHMC divisions face such charges. It is being alleged that the corporators extort money for house construction activities through party workers. Corporators in Musheerabad, Amberpet, Kukatpally, Limgampally, LB Nagar, Sanath Nagar, and Uppal assembly constituencies are facing serious charges and complaints against corporators from Jubilee Hills, Rajendranagar, and Malakpet areas have been pouring in.In one such incident, the construction of a government project under the Sanath Nagar assembly constituency was stopped last year. It was said that while one of the corporators received a commission with regards to the expansion of a nala, another corporator did not, which led them to stall the development project.It is being said that the builders and house owners are kept under the radar through a network of informants. In case they fail to pay the extortion amount, Town Planning and Enforcement officials stop the construction activity. The activity is resumed once the amount is paid. Locals in the above-mentioned divisions complain that houses constructed on 100 yards or less are also not being spared from extortion.The corporators are not sparing the cart pullers and footpath traders as they extort weekly and monthly money through their party workers or close relatives who are under pressure to complete a set target. In case money is not paid, water and drainage connections are stopped forcing people to shell out hard-earned money.It is also being alleged that civic officials are hand in glove with the corporators who are fleecing money in the name of settlement and compromise.

Corrupt Corporators  Extorting From House Builders

A global enterprise IT solutions provider, Mouri Tech is all set to provide 10,000 new jobs in the next three years. Well, as for Hyderabad, it is good news as 3000 jobs will be created in the city alone. As of now, the company employs 1000 people.In the coming two years, the company with global operations will be adding 2000 new jobs in 2022-23. They intend to expand their employee base due to anticipated business growth over the long term. Presently, the company employs 3,500 people globally, with 3000 employees in India spread across cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, Kolhapur, and 500 in the US.The company hopes to hire mid-level and senior-level IT professionals along with fresh graduates through campus drives, job melas, and social media. For the uninitiated, Mouri Tech offers multi-domain IT solutions across industries and has a wide range of innovative products for its customers. And now, the company intends to expand its footprint in two-tier companies.Data sciences, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber security, infrastructure, cloud solutions, and automation are some of the areas where the company intends to hire. The hiring process will help their global and national customers accelerate digital transformation with faster execution.Anil Yerramreddy, the global CEO of Mouri Tech, shares that they have plans to hire from two-tier cities as they are brimming with talent that is waiting to be used.

Mouri Tech To Create 3000 Jobs in Hyderabad

Summer holidays have started, and this means it’s time to take off on a holiday. However, if you are not in the mood or not prepared to go on long trips, then here are a few ways you can still enjoy your days. These places will cost you almost next to nothing barring the fuel charges, and trust us, all of them have instagrammable views.Driving away from the heavy traffic onto greenery-laced roads is a huge luxury in itself, and this summer, check out these places. For starters, there are the Gandipet and Shamirpet lakes. You can go out for a family picnic and make some happy memories. And both lakes have beautiful picture-worthy locales. In fact, while at Shamirpet lake, you can also go to Deer Park, which is nearby. Also, remember, the outing need not be just for you; you can also take your pets along as they can enjoy the outdoors.Just a few kilometers from Anantagiri Hills in Vikarabad, there’s Kotapally Reservoir, where you can go boating, kayaking, and picnic, of course. There are a good number of food stalls that sell Maggi, juices, and other snacks. So pitch your tent and gaze at the waters and the sky.About 169 km away from the city is Yelleswaragutta Island, which is in the middle of the backwaters of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam. Just remember to add Vizag colony boating to your GPS to go to the right spot. Known as the mysterious island, fishermen catch fresh produce here. Do buy fresh fish while there.And if you want a quiet place right in the heart of the city, then Durgam Cheruvu is the place for you. The place has benches and trees where you can relax and click some awesome pictures.There are also Nehru Zoological Park, Botanical Gardens, Golconda Fort, and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.

Places to Chill, While Staying in the City

The state government is planning for the Sunkishala Intake Project, and the foundation was laid by MA &amp; UD minister KT Rama Rao on May 14, 2022. It is known that the urban population of Hyderabad has increased manifold and is likely to increase in the coming years. To avoid drinking water problems and long queues for water, the government has decided to go ahead with Sunkishala Project.The project is expected to be completed by next summer and will solve the city's water problem under GHMC limits for the next 50 years. The present water requirement of Hyderabad in 2022 is 37 TMC which will go up to 70.97 TMC by 2072. The project will ensure that there will be adequate drinking water, even if the monsoons are not as per estimations for five years. Sunkishala will also be addressing industrial consumption in Hyderabad and its vicinities.As of now, water is being pumped to the city by drawing water from Krishna, Godavari, Manjira, and Singur sources. Sunkishala is to have a permanent arrangement for the existing Krishna Drinking Water Supply Project Schemes of Phase I, II, and III. Supply schemes for Phase IV and V are now in progress.While the water is now being drawn from the Alimineti Madhav Reddy Project irrigation canal, during emergencies, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board installs emergency pumping systems at the foreshore of Nagarjuna Sagar to draw water below the minimum draw down the level of 510 feet.The intake well and pumping station at Sunkisala will save Rs 5 to 6 crore for HMWSSB, which would otherwise be spent setting up motor pumps to draw Krishna water. Obviously, this means the Sunkishala project will do away with the need for emergency pump sets. The total length of the tunnel would be 650 meters running tunnel with eight diameter pipe. Of this, works of 320 meters have been completed. At the intake well, 12 pump sets would be kept running, and six pump sets would be kept as a stand-by. The intake well would spread in 125 acres.

Sunkishala Project To Quench Water Woes For Next 50 Years

If one had watched the film Mattu Vadalara, then one wouldn’t be surprised that there are people in Hyderabad who make and supply drugs from their homes. Well, the city police are on constant vigil to get hold of the kingpins in the drug trade and most active drug peddlers.So, homemade drugs are the latest challenge for city police as many drug peddlers are now giving the cops a tough time by making drugs in their homes or addas. On March 31, the H-NEW (Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing) personnel arrested one K Sreeram, 25, for manufacturing a high-quality batch of DMT (Di-Methyl Tryptomine) at his residence in Kondapur. And the most intriguing part is that Sreeram procured the required ingredients from Amazon and local pharmacies to manufacture the drug.Ironically, Sreeram has no chemistry background. Yet, he could make a pure batch of changa through the trial and error method. Though Sreeram had been doing drugs since his college days, he later learnt how to make them through the internet and social media. He apparently got the required ingredients from Amazon, Instamart, and chemical shops, saying he was a medico.He then extracted a batch of DMT/ changa, which he was selling for Rs 8000 per batch, says Chakravarthy Gummi, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), H-NEW. When the Jubilee Hills police arrested Sreeram’s client S Deepak Kumar Jadhav, 29, an employee of Regalix, they found drug-making equipment like glass jars, pipits, chemicals, and snorting pipes, etc.The H-NEW police say they are constantly on the vigil not for just drug sellers and makers but also for people procuring material for making drugs. The police are now keeping a tab on people buying correction fluids, paint thinners, and other such materials.

Homemade Drugs, The New Challenge for Police

The year 2022 can be considered a big bang year in terms of realty in Hyderabad. Be it the prices of properties or the number of properties registered; the city seems to be at an all-time high. And if one were to look at the actual statistics, the first four months saw properties worth Rs 12,000 crore being transacted in the first quarter.Out of this, 5000 properties were registered in April 2022, while the first three months saw an average of 5000 to 7000 registered properties. The trend shows the positive sentiment in the market where both buyers and sellers were quite bullish. The total registrations in Q1 were about 24,797 units.Real estate consultancy Knight Frank India has observed the sale of 5331 properties registered in the city in April 2022, with the value of registrations standing at Rs 2767 crore, indicating a 10 percent rise year-on-year.The top residential markets included the districts of Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Rangareddy, and Sangareddy. While there was continued demand for properties worth Rs 50 lakh and more, there was a reduction in sales for Rs 25 lakh properties. Also, demand for 1000 sq ft to 2000 sq ft made up 72 percent of registrations.Though the rise in construction costs impacted the price-sensitive band, the higher segments remained buoyant and vibrant.

Rs 12,000 Cr Properties Sold Between Jan-April in Hyderabad

Not all holiday spots are bang on when it comes to popularity. However, some places are quaint, and this old-world charm makes them irresistible if you are a free-spirited traveler.Well, one such place happens to be just kilometers away from LB Nagar. Would you think there is a beautiful waterfall just 20km away from the city? Mostly the answer would be a no. But, of course, you will know the place if you are a local or a student at the nearby college.The small but beautiful waterfall here is called Antharaganga falls, making for a quick weekend trekking option. The best part is that one does not have to prepare for a long time to take this little trek up a small hill to reach the waterfall. Instead, you can simply drive up to the bottom of the hill and take the trekking trip.One has to head towards Vijayawada from LB Nagar on NH65, about 5km after crossing ORR Road. Then one gets to Abdullahpurmet, and about 1km after that, one comes across a petrol bunk. One can find a college arch right next to the bunk. Enter the arch and go straight ahead for another 2km to reach the bottom of the hill. However, if you are coming from the opposite direction, take the ORR and exit 11.The trek is simple as the path is quite obvious, and the uphill trek is not too tedious. However, one has to take along good shoes that have a good grip as the rocks can get slippery in some places. After about 30 minutes, one can reach the small waterfall. However, one can really enjoy the experience after rains as the water gushes from the falls.Also, expect to see some monkeys, peacocks, and reptiles on the way. And make sure that you don’t litter while there.

Trekking in Rustic Beauty of Antharaganga Falls

Gone are the days when the family favored good-old traditional marriages arranged through a family pundit or a marriage broker. Nowadays, gender equations have changed, women empowerment is everywhere to be seen, and both boys and girls are well-educated and can make informed choices.So, when the dating app TrulyMadly surveyed pan-Indian mothers, it was a pleasant surprise that 84 percent of mothers in Hyderabad were for love marriages vis-a-vis mothers in other parts of India. Just about 50 percent of mothers elsewhere were for love marriages.Also, about 37 percent of mothers from Hyderabad were receptive to their children finding their life partners through dating apps. The whole idea behind the survey was to gauge the stigmas attached to marriages in India.It was also found that about 45 percent of mothers worried more about the marriage of their children than their fathers. About 70 percent of female and 80 percent of male respondents from tier-1 and tier-2 cities said their mother preferred love marriages. Incidentally, mothers from non-metros like Jaipur, Indore, and Lucknow, among others, were supportive of their daughters’ choices. While 55 percent of mothers pressurized their sons, 53 percent of mothers pressurized their daughters for marriage.Snehil Khanor, CEO and co-founder of TrulyMadly, shares that mothers who were assumed to be shackled in age-old traditions have finally managed to shake them off.

City Mothers in Favor of Love Marriages

Russia’s war on Ukraine has started affecting global economies. The rupee hit an all-time low and was trading at Rs 77 a dollar after Brent crude – the global oil benchmark – surged to settle around $130 after touching $139 a barrel. Incidentally, the prices of crude oil are at the highest level since July 2008, after the US announced that it was discussing a potential ban on Russian supplies to other countries.At noon on March 7, the rupee was trading at 76.94 a dollar, down 1.03 percent from its previous close. It opened at 76.96 a dollar and touched a record low of 76.97 during the day. Higher crude prices will widen India’s current account deficit, which is likely to put pressure on the domestic currency.For the unversed, current account deficit is the measurement of a country’s trade where the value of goods and services it imports exceeds the value of the products it exports. A weak rupee or a strong dollar spells good news for exporting segments like pharmaceutical and IT exports. The IT exports from the state now stand at Rs 1.45lakh crore, and a higher-valued dollar will increase it correspondingly.Due to this, several companies might have better revenues in the coming quarters, though this will impact salaries as they are paid in Indian rupees.As for the pharma sector, the gains and losses will even out as the revenues secured by exports will be negated by prices of imports. The prices of electronic gadgets are likely to rise as the import costs increase. The impact will be obvious from the next quarter, and this will hinder the growth of the sector.Tangentially, the dollar-rupee crisis will hit students taking loans for higher education abroad. For example, a student taking Rs 40 lakh earlier will now have to take Rs 45 lakh.