Hyderabad Traffic Police is all set to conduct a special drive from June 18 against those using tinted glass, temporary registration numbers, and irregular number plates on their vehicles.According to A V Ranganathan, Joint Commissioner of Traffic Police, violations of tinted glass, temporary registration numbers, and disfigured number plates are becoming one of the prime reasons for criminal activities.Ranganathan said that a special drive will be conducted from June 18 and cases will be booked against those found violating MV Act rules and charge sheets will be filed in court. He also added that new vehicles should get registered with the Road Transport Authority (RTA) and get a permanent number within a month.He said that in many cases, vehicle owners were found using the TR number for many months without permanent registration, which will not be tolerated now.

Special Drive From June 18 By City Traffic Police

Erla Cheruvu near Madinaguda is all set for a revamp with new walking tracks, lush greenery coupled with facilities to stay with exercises, and seating arrangements. GHMC (The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) is taking up beautification of the lake, and as a first step, cleaning of the entire water body and its premises is being taken care of.Tonnes of waste has accumulated in and around Erla Cheruvu apart from bush growth and water hyacinth. The GHMC officials say that the lake will be rejuvenated just like the Langer Houz lake, which recently got a new lease of life.The GHMC officials confirmed that required machinery and staff will be deployed to revamp the lake and if needed, excavators, floating trash collectors, and heavy vehicles will be pressed into service. Once the water body is cleaned, anti-larval operations along with sanitation activities will be taken up to control the mosquito population.During an inspection last week, Mayor Vijaya Laxmi saw that Erla Cheruvu is lying in neglect. And then the rejuvenation of the lake was proposed. This lake is being rejuvenated at a cost of Rs. 10.3 crore under SNDP (Strategic Nala Development Program).

Erla Cheruvu Set For a Major Revamp

The Jubilee Hills gang rape which created an outrage among Hyderabad citizens has been in the news as it involved allegedly ‘juvenile’ boys who were involved in the gruesome act. One of the accused happens to be the son of a MIM MLA and this has made headlines too.The police have been questioning the five boys and one major involved in the rape incident and they have taken the accused to Road No 44, to recreate the crime scene. The gang rape of a 17-yr-old girl happened in the posh Anniversary Hills in Hyderabad on May 28.Since then, the police have been on the task of getting the modus operandi of the crime. However, now the investigating officers say the crime was in fact pre-planned as the rapists used condoms while committing the crime.It is known that semen samples are collected from the victim which are used to track the culprits and prove them guilty. However, in this case, the boys were quite ‘smart’ and used condoms to ensure they do not get caught after the crime. While one of the boys was 18, the others were aged between 16 and 17. One boy, who happens to be the MLA’s son, is one month short of turning 18.Right now, the police are waiting for the potency report from Osmania General Hospital which will make the case stronger. The police are also trying to figure out where they got their condoms from and are tracking the call records to see who helped them in escaping and who all they spoke to during the period prior to the incident.

Jubilee Hills Gang Rape Was Pre-planned, Say Investigating Officers

Sustainable employment opportunities are important for any advanced city as a part of its people’s progression process. The GHMC is now involved in the process of providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for individuals from financially poor backgrounds. It will be holding programs to impart skill development training programs to youth from low-income settlement areas.The whole idea was inspired by a similar initiative by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The civic body will also be collaborating with the Lighthouse Communities Foundation (LCE) for the implementation of the initiative.As a beginning, the project will be implemented in Chandanagar which falls under the Serilingampally zone. It will be allotting the Model Market Building situated near the HUDA Colony for a period of one year to commence the Light House Programme (LHP). For the same, GHMC will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with LCF.LHP has various stakeholders such as the government, corporates, NGOs, and other implementing partners contributing to the social and economic betterment of the trainees and communities. The program works on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. Meanwhile, LCF has been training around 11,000 students in Pune.Youth will learn digital empowerment and spoken English, of which 60% will be women. In its initial project, 600 youth will be provided training each year through the foundation course. The course will help the youth to make informed choices about their life and acquire the necessary skills.The whole idea is to promote an inclusive and emotionally safe space for disadvantaged youth. The educators will also help trainees with CV making, and mock interviews and provide support and motivation for the youth. The administration will work as a conduit between trainees and industry partners to make jobs and opportunities accessible to youth.Post-placement mentoring and support for continuation in employment will also be provided.

GHMC’s Inclusive LCF Program For Uplifting Disadvantaged Youth

The stretch between Musalamjung Bridge and Puranapul will be brimming with activity on Thursday. Incidentally, for the unversed, Jummerat Bazaar happens to be one of the oldest bazaars in Hyderabad, which goes back to the day of the Nizam. Hence, the place is a treasure trove for those looking for spare parts for vehicles and electronic goods.However, when the market started in the good old days, people went there to shop for used clothes, utensils, rickshaws, spare parts of bicycles, tools, etc. It was all about buying miscellaneous stuff, reminisces Farooq Taher, principal of a government school in Rein Bazaar.Jummerat Bazaar means Thursday night market in Urdu. It has been a weekly ritual in older parts of the city, even when there were no malls and shopping complexes. And now, the market is drawing crowds from the new city who want to head to the Musi river banks to see the weekly spectacle and soak in the culture.However, of late, the bazaar is more about finding plasticware, carpets, mats, tools, vehicle spare parts, second-hand electronic gadgets, mobile phones, chargers, etc. Over 500 vendors set up shop every Thursday, and the shopping begins at the break of dawn at 5 am. The rule of the market is – first come, first basis. Those who come early can find cheap bargains. Of late, most visitors include electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and others who hunt for spare parts of old and rare stuff. One can also find some antiques with some luck.But the market's main attraction is two stalls where pressure cookers, bed sheets, pillow covers, mattresses, electronic gadgets, and other things are put up for auction.

Do Visit Jummerat Bazaar On Thursday for Old Times' Sake

First, there was work from the office; then, the pandemic introduced work from home. And now, the latest trend is to work from anywhere. Though the companies want employees back, the employees are no longer interested in returning to their earlier routines.Also, in the case of many IT employees who had moved to their home towns during the pandemic, returning to metros seems a ‘not so good’ idea. So, the companies are opting for a hybrid model of work where they are reaching out to staff who are still fixated on the idea of working out of their hometowns.Hence to facilitate the smooth flow of work and to build a seamless work environment, many companies are looking to set up satellite offices in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. And swanky offices that can accommodate 50-100 employees or 100-plus seating spaces for bigger spaces have become a norm.Echoing the same thoughts is Bharani, ex-president of Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association and current CEO of Infopeers, who says that companies are now getting comfortable with the idea of working from anywhere. Already Accenture, IBM, TCS, Wipro, and Infosys are among the players who are working on setting up satellite offices in Jaipur, Coimbatore, Kochi, Visakhapatnam, and similar places. As for Hyderabad, companies like Cyient and Tech Mahindra have set up their own operations in smaller towns and cities of Telangana.Factors such as control over expenses, flexibility in lease terms, and allowing the workforce to work from anywhere have enabled organizations to be location agnostic and thus promote the concept of satellite offices, says Awfis CEO Sumit Lakhani.

IT Firms Look at Setting up Satellite Offices in Tier-1, Tier-2 Cities

Prathyusha Garimella, a fashion designer from Hyderabad, was found dead under suspicious circumstances on Saturday afternoon in her home in Banjara Hills.Prathyusha(35) stayed in Film Nagar under the Banjara Hills police station limits. When she did not respond to security checks on Saturday afternoon, the guards called the police, who reached the house. After opening the house door, the cops went inside and found her body in the bathroom. The police said that a chemical bottle was also recovered from the washroom.The police shifted Prathyusha's body to the Osmania General Hospital for autopsy and booked a case of a suspicious death. The police informed her relatives in Delhi.Prathyusha founded her fashion label, and her works were sold under the brand name Prathyusha Garimella.

Death of City Fashion Designer in Suspicious Circumstances

With the southwest monsoon just around the corner, the GHMC is doing its duty by issuing a warning or a reminder to all builders, architects, structural engineers, and contractors, including site engineers and supervisors, for the prevention of falling of frameworks or scaffolding at construction sites. If they are found lacking in taking safety measures, action would be taken against them, and criminal cases of negligence would be registered against builders, developers, and owners.Notices are also being issued to builders and developers where there are ongoing constructions, and cellar excavation works are undertaken. The owners and the contractors should take care of slope stability and earth retention.GHMC also has some suggestions to cover risk points like no dumping of heavy loads or movement of heavy vehicles should be allowed close to excavations. The existing excavated portion should be stabilized temporarily by a grouted soil anchor/ mill with a pad system for temporarily stabilizing the slope with proper design and execution. Only after that can they build the retaining wall.In the cellars have been already dug, then any negligence will be served with action that could include cancellation of building permission, license of the builder, and filing of a criminal case of negligence upon the builder.In case of unauthorized, already dug cellars, the safety of surrounding buildings will be checked first, and then necessary measures will be taken. Also, the builders are expected to identify sites with sloppy terrains, or rock cutting is on to issue notices for taking precautionary measures.

GHMC Issues Precautionary Notices to Builders for Monsoons

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the state of Telangana is all set to have a cow shelter (gaushala) with around 500 cows maintained by Muslim community enthusiasts. An NGO, Bharat First, is proposing to start Qidmate Bakar Anjuman in Medak's district Toopran.The initiative's motto is to sensitize the public and the government against illegal cow slaughter and promote communal harmony among the masses. Shiraj Qureshi, an advocate, says that the illegal transport of the cows to the slaughterhouses hurt him a lot. And then, he started the tradition of donating cows. He slammed the slaughter of cows, which has been declared illegal by the constitution and also, it's against religious customs.Qureshi also added that the cow and its progeny are considered Allah's creation and are beneficial to all humans.He said that cow's milk is healthy, and they don't discriminate against it as something belonging to a particular religion. They respect all religions, and all are Allah's creations. He further added that they have taken the legal route to prevent the illegal slaughtering of cows.Khaiser Ansari, in charge at Bharat First, says the gaushala construction has already begun and will be opened soon.

Muslim-run Gaushala, a First of Its Kind in Hyderabad

Hyderabad-based vernacular short news app, Way2News, has raised about Rs 130 crore or $16.75 million as part of its Series-A round from investors WestBridge Capital and venture capitalist Sashi Reddy. The investment marks the entry of WestBridge Capital’s debut in the media and entertainment sector in India.The company now plans to expand its base in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. Flush with funds, the company will be hiring teams in editorial, sales, and marketing and scale up with AI-based technology to minimize human intervention in delivering news.According to founder, CEO Raju Vanapala, Way2News is enabling users to find news from small towns and villages while ensuring depth of coverage. “Our mobile-first, crowd-sourced news platform, couple with AI-based quality checks, is sustainable.“The user acquisition approach, engagement, and retention rates are unique, says Sumir Chadha, co-founder and managing director at WestBridge Capital.Way2News was founded in 2016 and provided short news updates. The media outfit allows verified stringers to write and contribute regularly. As of now, 30,000 people have contributed 5000 stories from 23 districts of AP and Telangana.

Way2News Raises Rs 130 Crore in Funding

Real Estate in Hyderabad is slowly picking up and is trying to get back to the Pre-COVID levels. RBI's decision to hike the repo rate means home loans and other loans are going to get costlier. RBI has hiked the repo rate by 0.40% — the first such hike in nearly four years. The repo rate is the rate at which RBI lends to commercial banks, which means the move will make borrowing expensive for banks.An increase in repo rate implies that banks will also increase their lending rates making the EMIs costlier. Cheaper Home Loans have prompted home buyers to enthusiastically make purchases that are no longer going to be the case in the future. For Instance, SBI now offers home loans at around 6.85 percent. It will now go up to 7.25%.For a loan amount of Rs 30 lakh and tenure of 20 years, the monthly EMI now is about Rs 22,990 per month. The total interest payable for 20 years will be about Rs 25,17,510 and the total payments made over the loan term will be Rs 55,17,510.At the new interest rate of 7.25 percent, the EMI will rise to Rs 23,711 per month, an increase of Rs 721 over the old EMI of Rs 22,990. The total interest outgo will be about Rs 26,90,707, higher by Rs 1,73,197 over the old rate. The total payment to be made will be Rs 56,90,707. Real estate is skeptical about this hike damaging the prospects in near future.