Musi beautification is confined only to papers. For two years, the authorities have been struggling with meager funding and temporary work. With proposals are not funded, work is not started in full. The funds are being wasted with temporary work being undertaken. The Musi River beautification has remained on paper for decades.&nbsp;It is estimated that at least Rs 16,000 crore is needed for Musi cleaning and beautification and no government can release those funds. Officials say less than 30 percent of the Rs 500 crore allocated in the last four years has been released. Authorities have been carrying out constructions under the name of Beautification in the Musi catchment area for over a year.&nbsp;Walking tracks gazebos were set up. Recent heavy rains have caused flooding and damaged structures. Environmentalists have expressed concern over the walking tracks laid in Musi without complying with the FTL. Activists claim that there is no point in undertaking any work without diverting the chemical waste from Musi and removing the occupations in the Musi catchment area.

Clean Musi To Remain A Dream Forever?

The GHMC Central Enforcement Cell (CEC) is entrusted to take the action against flexis, posters, banners, unauthorized hoardings and penalize those responsibly. It is known that there is a ban on flexi in the city. The issue is being overseen by the CEC under the leadership of Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM) at GHMC.&nbsp;After receiving complaints on flexi, banners, posters from netizens via Twitter, analyze them and identify those responsible. The Corporation fines the violators anywhere between Rs. 5000 to Rs. 50,000. But then, Central Enforcement Cell, GHMC has temporarily deactivated its account on Twitter. It was tweeted at midnight on Thursday that the cell is not receiving complaints because they are upgrading the software that generates e-challans. Not only that, EVDM Director Vishwajit Kompati went on leave for three days.The ruling party TRS Twenty Years celebrations will be held at the HICC today. The whole city got pinked against this backdrop. Starting from the city's gully road to the highways that runs through the city, every road is filled with Flexies and cutouts of TRS and KCR. But CEC is not receiving the complaints.&nbsp;In fact, the software update has nothing to do with the Twitter account. If the software is being updated, complaints can be received on Twitter. Once the software is available again, the challans can be generated. Congress and BJP leaders are alleging that CEC officials deliberately put the Twitter account on hold in the wake of the TRS plenary.

TRS Flexies Everywhere, GHMC Closes Eyes!

MLC Kavitha's Telangana Jagruthi was in news earlier this month by releasing a Bathukamma song with big names like Gautham Menon and AR Rahman. The organization has ensured yet another feat. Burj Khalifa - the highest tower in the World has screened a laser show about the Bathukamma festival.&nbsp;Along with the laser show of the festival, Jai Hind, Jai KCR and Jai Telangana slogans along with illustrations of KCR and Telangana maps were also screened. The show has happened at 9.30 PM IST on October 23rd and was viewed by Lakhs of people directly and on various platforms.&nbsp;Telangana Jagruthi also screened a documentary for the invited dignitaries and local people on the big screen. Meanwhile, the advertising atop Burj Khalifa is said to be one of the costliest advertisements in the World. According to MullenLowe MENA, the agency that handles Burj Khalija's advertisements. a single three-minute laser show on the top floor of Burj Khalifa will cost a whopping 250,000 dirhams. That comes around 51 Lakh in Indian Rupees.

Bathukamma Laser Show on Burj Khalifa - How Much Does It Costs?

MA &amp; UD minister <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._T._Rama_Rao">KT Rama Rao</a> is on an action spree based on tweets addressed to him regarding various civic issues. One such tweet came from Dammaiguda municipal chairperson Praneetha Goud who expressed anguish over the nauseating smell emanating from the dump yard in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawaharnagar,_Telangana">Jawahar Nagar</a>. She said the smell had gone up recently, and it was very difficult for people to breathe.Upon receiving the tweet, the MAUD minister directed city mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi and GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar to visit the dump yard personally and give him a report. Subsequently, MAUD principal secretary Arvind Kumar said that a permanent solution to the stench would be provided to the residents living in the area and adjoining places.He also shared that the government would be constructing a 28 MW waste-to-energy unit in addition to the existing 20MW unit. Arvind Kumar also stated that the unit would take 18 months to build once the union government gives environmental clearance, which is likely to come in November.As a first step, Kumar, who visited the site, suggested a few action points to local civic authorities that included spraying of chemicals to dampen the smell and to bring down the level of piled-up garbage, among others.KTR also shared that Rs 1.46 crore would be spent on capping the legacy garbage at the site. He further added that funds were sanctioned to treat the leachate that comes from the garbage.

28 MW Waste-to-Energy Unit to Come Up at Jawahar Nagar

Hyderabad is now the hotbed of street art. Like many culture-centric pockets across India, Hyderabad artists are trying their best to make the city colorful and vibrant. Various artists, both local and those who have moved to Hyderabad to contribute to the emerging art scene, have been doing commendable work. But one artist who recently caught the attention of netizens happens to be Girish Kumar.What sets Girish Kumar from other artists is the fact that he is 74 years of age and has recently painted an entire wall with his art. He labouriously spent hours painting the entire wall all by himself, braving the hot sun.The wall that Girish Kumar painted was full of musical instruments and was mostly in the shades of mustard and yellow. Having painted for the most part of his life, Girish Kumar took the opportunity provided by the civic authorities of Hyderabad to take up the task of painting the wall of a flyover.It is known that the civic authorities of Hyderabad have been giving massive support to unknown and lesser-known artists by allowing them to paint walls in neighborhoods, walls of flyovers, under bridges, and other public spaces.

At 74, Girish Kumar Adds to Hyderabad’s Charm With his Street Art

The pandemic, shift to remote working, and need for skill up-gradation haven’t been reasons enough to deter the employment sector in Hyderabad. In fact, as per a report by Monster.com, IT companies, big, medium, and small, have been on a recruiting spree. The companies are looking both for freshers and lateral entries. The city saw an average growth of 20 percent in hiring in September 2021.The IT sector has recorded a 44 percent year-on-year growth. Incidentally, Telangana has registered double-digit growth in the IT sector, and the companies are in an expansion mode. Topping the list are those with enhanced digital skills and knowledge of digital technologies.Tata Consultancy Services happens to be the biggest IT recruiter in Hyderabad and has over 62,000 employees in the city. Hyderabad’s IT sector has over 6lakh employees working presently, and the number is likely to cross 10 lakh as per the state government.It has been seen that the hiring for those with digital skills has increased from 8 to 25 percent this year, says Bharani K Aroll, president, Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (Hysea). However, while hiring has increased by 44%, the attrition rate too has been pretty high at 25%.IT firms such as MOURI Tech, Qentelli, and Ivanti have recently announced that they are looking to double and triple the headcount in the city. While MOURI is looking at hiring 3000 employees, Qentelli will be hiring 300 people, and Ivanti will double its 165 headcount.

Despite Pandemic, Hyderabad’s Job Market Looks Pretty Optimistic

The city of Hyderabad has been witnessing never-heard-before flooding, and added to that; there is the big problem of shrinking of lakes that have been around for hundreds of years. In fact, it is said that when Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore visited Hyderabad and Banjara Hills in 1933, he penned a poem, ‘Kohsar,’ after seeing the beauty of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durgam_Cheruvu">Durgam Cheruvu</a>. And historians say, had it not been for Viswabharati, Rabindranath would have settled down in Hyderabad.So, the big issue here is the issue of shrinking of lakes all over the city and many lakes actually vanishing. Up until a few decades back, Durgam Cheruvu lake was in a secluded and picturesque location surrounded by green pastures and protected by rocks. The rocks incidentally date back to 2.5 billion years. It is said that the water from the lake was used by the Qutb Shahi dynasty and residents of Golconda. However, today, the lake is in the heart of Hyderabad’s IT hub, and over it is suspended the city’s only hanging bridge.However, what’s disturbing is the fact that it has shrunk considerably since 1967. A media house has found the same along with Raj Bhagat P and Aakash Malik of the World Resources Institute (India). It’s not just Durgam Cheruvu, but four other lakes that have shrunk considerably, causing concern.Initially, Durgam Cheruvu had water spread over 4.7 lakh sq m in 1967, and its size has reduced to 15%, and it is now only 4 lakh sq m in 2021. So is the case with Mir Alam Tank, located adjacent to Hyderabad Zoo. The area of water decreased by almost 23%, from 18.8 lakh sqm in 1967 to 14.5 lakh sqm in 2021. Yet another example is that of the historical Hatim Talab located in Golconda. It decreased by 58% from 3.8 lakh sqm to 1.6 lakh sq m.Another lake that is a cause for monitoring is Gurram Cheruvu that has shrunk by 55%. The water area reduced from 3.3 lakh sq m to 1.5 lakh sq m during the same period. But the worst was the Ramanthapur Cheruvu that shrunk by 83%. From 1.2 lakh sq m, it is now a lake of a mere 20,000 sq m.It is rather obvious that the lakes did not shrink overnight. According to Dr. Anjal Prakash, research director, Bharathi Institute of Public Policy at the Indian School of Business, lakes were built during earlier times, keeping the topography in mind, and they were interlinked. Once water filled up, it would fall into the tanks located at a lower level and eventually drain out. Various dynasties that ruled Hyderabad understood this and kept the system going. However, when the British ruled India, they did not understand the system and opted for the canal system, as seen in Europe.This started the misuse of lakes, and in modern times, the nexus between local politicians, land mafia, and builders’ lobby took over most lakes and lake beds as it all came for free. Also, all lakes have a full tank level (FTL) and buffer zone. FTL is the maximum amount of water that a tank or lake holds. Any excess water beyond FTL is the buffer zone.Those who have been following the plight of lakes maintain that bringing in water from Krishna and Godavari rivers is too misguided as it blinds the need for lakes and their importance in the sustenance of the city. This is one of the reasons why flooding happens as the nalas and canals have been built upon, and the interconnection between lakes has been broken.Also, in cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad, massive construction has been taken up along valleys and floodplains that are supposed to be natural water conduits. As asphalt and concrete surfaces increase, they reduce the percolation of water into the soil. This loss of natural valley drains, and concretization have led to increased and repeated flooding, say specialists in the matter.HMDA is said to have submitted an action plan for the conservation and beautification of 258 lakes to the state government. However, neither funds have been released, or there has been a formal approval of the plan.

Detailed Conservation Plan Needed As City Lakes Shrink by 83%

Climbing the eighth highest mountain or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaslu">Mt Manaslu</a> is no easy task for sure. And imagine if one would risk it without having a companion, read sherpa, or supplemental oxygen. But Hyderabad-bred Anurag Nallavelli managed to achieve the feat and is prepping himself to climb Mt Kanchenjunga and Mt Everest, also without supplemental oxygen.However, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anurag-nallavelli-1b3165223/">Anurag Nallavelli</a> shares that it was not by no means a simple task. He did a lot of groundwork before embarking on the journey and hopes to take up mountaineering as a viable option if he gets a good sponsor.It all began when Anurag landed in the US in 2016. There, he got involved with local hiking clubs, and the more he hiked, the more he got interested in mountains and mountaineering. For starters, he climbed Mt Hood in Oregon, his first-ever mountain. Then, he undertook a 45-day journey to Leadville (about 12,000 ft above sea level) in Colorado to familiarise himself with higher altitudes. He says he spent one or two hours on the summit and even biked and ran from mountain tops with a heavy backpack.He also started a vegan diet for faster muscular recovery. However, when he began his climb to Mt Manaslu, he saw a dead body being carried down the mountain. This totally shook him, and he returned to base camp 4. Anurag says it took him two days to recover from the shock, and he started out on the third day.At 8000 feet, Anurag says it is a death zone, and not having a companion surely bothers you. He adds that he would jump into cold showers to keep himself going despite heavy clothing. But one of the best experiences of going to Mt Manaslu was the warmth with which he was received by local sherpas and the Nepali cooks he met en route.Before targetting Mt Kanchenjunga, Anurag intends to climb Mt Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain in the world, and Mt Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world, by 2023. And in the future, he hopes to quit his job to completely focus on his passion.

City-Bred Techie, First Civilian to Climb 8000 Mtrs Peak Without Oxygen

GHMC, which is mired in debt, is preparing to borrow for another project. Finance department officials are in talks with several banks for a loan of at least 500 Crore in the wake of a lack of funding for new projects. The government has focused on the development of Nala to stop inundation during the floods. To this end, a special unit has been set up under the Strategic Nala Development Program (SNDP).The government has also issued administrative clearances for the first phase of the Rs 858 crore project. While the tender process for works in many places has been completed, in some zones, there is no response to the tenders. So, re-notification is being announced. So, GHMC has recently decided to take a loan due to a lack of funds for the project.Rs 10,000 crore is required for the development/expansion of Nalas to improve the flood drainage system in the city. It is almost impossible to spend that amount all at once. GHMC has launched an exercise to mobilize the required amount through self-financing resources in the absence of government funding for the project.Officials are in talks with representatives of various banks in order to get the loan. Finance ministry sources said it expects to borrow at least Rs 500 crore. The orders state that the impact fee collected during the issuance of building permits on commercial corridors recently announced by the municipality should be utilized for SNDP works. It is estimated that this could fetch around Rs 120-150 crore annually. The impact fee will be shown as a source of income and the loan will be taken.

Debt Mired GHMC Looking For 500 Crore Loan

MLC Kalvakuntla <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Kavitha">Kavitha</a>’s Telangana Jagruthi has been doing a phenomenal job promoting Telangana and Bathukamma culture. Recently <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathukamma">Bathukamma</a> Special song was also released as a part of this program. The song has been composed, produced, and arranged by Oscar-Winning Music Director and Pride of India AR Rahman. The video directed by Gautham Menon has hogged the limelight across the nation. Kavitha is going a notch higher now and has worked out something very big.&nbsp;A video of Bathukamma will be played on the iconic Burj Khalifa towers in Dubai tomorrow. Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower globally.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa">Burj Khalifa</a> is one of the&nbsp;top attractions in the world.&nbsp;Lakhs of people will witness it directly and through the internet once the video is screened there.This phenomenal event will also attract international press, which will be a fitting tribute to the floral festival of Telangana. So the world will be able to witness the event twice on October 23rd evening at 9.40 PM and 10.40 PM IST.

MLC Kavitha Puts Bathukamma On Global Platform

A horrific accident took place in Madhapur on Saturday evening. A young man has succumbed to his injuries while trying to escape Cyberabad Police's drunk and drive checks. Going into details, the Police conducted a drink and drive check in Madhapur on Saturday evening.The youths, who were speeding on a two-wheeler in order to escape from the police. They tried to speed away and collided with a car taking a U-Turn at the NIA office, closer to the Cyber Towers Junction. One died on the spot and another was seriously injured in the accident.Both the driver and the pillion rider were not wearing a helmet. The injured person has been shifted to a local hospital. The car driver has lodged a complaint about the rash driving of the youth and the damage caused to his car in the accident. Police have registered a case and are investigating the incident.