Revenue rules over health
While on the one hand international medical bodies have started issuing dos and don’ts about mobile usage in view of their potential health hazard on the other civic authorities, especially in our state, are trying to look at the cell phone towers as a source of revenue and exploring ways of increasing their numbers.
The idea of raising revenue from telecom infrastructure assets was floated during the recent review meeting convened by Hyderabad Mayor B. Rammohan while expressing concern that a nominal fee was collected from just 500 of the more than 2,000 cell towers spread across Greater Hyderabad limits.
Acknowledging the resistance from the people on the plans to set up more cell towers which could raise the wireless radiation in the area, the meeting decided to consider a proposal to allow these towers only in the government lands as they could fetch more revenue in the shape of rentals to the civic body.
The decision comes at a time when the Public Health Department of California cautioned public about health hazards on account of excessive usage of mobiles and the radiation that they caused.
Telugu meet and English communication
The State government’s instructions to various agencies that all official communication in connection with World Telugu Conference should be in Telugu apparently went for a toss.
A circular issued by Education Department in English asking all teachers and head masters of government schools and colleges to attend the inaugural and valedictory of the conference as “on duty” is an example of the violation.
Further, the government mandated public and private institutions near the venues of the conference to display signboards in Telugu but even this was not followed by the concerned entities. It was not even enforced.
It is to the credit of the State owned Road Transport Corporation, which lived up to the occasion. The RTC buses that were deployed to transport the delegates and visitors displayed Telugu alphabets prominently on each bus to identify the routes of the particular transport vehicle.
Carelessly drafted Govt. Orders
It’s a general belief, if not a dictum, that everything — any communication, report, document, order or a letter — that comes in print from the government is checked thoroughly before it’s released or put in public domain.
However, such scrupulous practice seems to be given a go-by of late as blunders were committed twice in the span of one week.
In a government order issued on the subject of sanctioning eight new minor irrigation tanks to Sangareddy district on December 8 the area was mentioned as Krishna Basin whereas it completely lies in the Godavari Basin.
In another instance on December 15, two GOs were issued approving the annual maintenance estimates for Alisagar and Argula Rajaram Guthpa lift irrigation schemes.
Although the two orders were given separate numbers the content in them, including the area of work, remained same — that of Alisagar. In a hurried move to save the blushes, the GO 999 was replaced with the correct version the next day.
When contacted, a senior official simply attributed the blunders to “oversight”!
Visible change in Congress
Rahul Gandhi unites two ‘warring’ leaders. State Congress committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Nalgonda MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, a known vocal opponent of the TPCC president, were seen exchanging views and sharing some lighter moments in New Delhi when they met Mr. Gandhi after he assumed charge as president of the All India Congress Committee.
State leaders were surprised to see both the leaders leaving behind their ‘enmity’ and also speaking to the media personnel together.
Such public hobnobbing at least will send a positive signal to the Congress activists who look fired up after Mr. Gandhi’s elevation as the party president. The rivalry of both the senior leaders of the party is well known in the political circles and Mr. Venkat Reddy had been making his efforts to lead the party in Telangana.
(M. Rajeev, N. Rahul, B. Chandrasekhar and R. Ravikanth Reddy)
