Satire was thick in the air against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at the recent round-table against the design change of the Pranahita-Chevella project. Speakers packed punch into their remarks, all of which were loaded with the typical ‘Telangana sarcasm’.
The sarpanch of a village in Adilabad, Hemalatha, reminded the gathering of KCR’s statement that he would be a ‘watchdog’ against opencast mining, and commented that he had ended up as a ‘watch-fox’ instead.
Cheruku Sudhakar, presiding over the meeting, was at his best. “What do we know about water? He should know who boasted he would empty the Hussainsagar. He should know who offered to dig a waterhole in a park for Ganesh immersion. Though he said he would build skyscrapers in Hussainsagar, we never called him names,” he mocked.
Venkateshwar Rao from CPML-New Democracy sought to know what happened to ‘Manukonda Stones’ (stones thrown at Konda Surekha and Konda Murali by agitators) which were so valuable to KCR during the Telangana movement. Not to be left behind, CPI (M) State secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram derided the Chief Minister for mouthing a “factory of lies”!
Ruffled feathers
Journalists writing negative stories about government functionaries and incurring the wrath of the officials concerned is not new. The antagonism, as a rule, is not known to last for more than a few days.
However, there is this curious case of a higher official in the Energy Department of Telangana, who goes on blocking reporters on his mobile phone whenever a story appears against the department. This has become a source of humour not only among journalists, but also among officials. People are heard asking, “So, who has been blocked today?”
What happened to
Swachh Hyderabad?
With the municipal sanitation workers on strike for the last week and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) not in a position to come up with appropriate alternatives, most streets in the city remain un-swept.
Ironically, it was just two months back that the State government initiated Swachh Hyderabad, which had the GHMC going on a sanitation overdrive. Swachh units were formed with politicians, bureaucrats, officials and even celebrities, and crores of rupees were earmarked for the campaign.
Then, there were photo-ops with politicians and bureaucrats posing with brooms or lifting garbage and so on. “Since the GHMC is facing crisis with sanitation, why aren’t those 400 units, announced with so much publicity, being roped in?” wondered one of the municipal workers’ union leader!
How to make an MLA happy
Politicians’ obsession with seeing their photos on banners and hoardings is well-known. So, when recently, a city MLA failed to spot his face among a bevy of politicians’ photos on a huge hoarding, he seethed with anger. The occasion was the inauguration of a public utility and the private agency, who bagged the contract, was overseeing the arrangements. The MLA directed his anger at the company staff. He even accused them of discrimination since he is not from the ruling party. Anyway, all is well that ends well. As soon as the inauguration event started, the MLA cooled down as soon as the mic and cameras were placed before him.
The haleem dilemma
For the haleem lover in the city, buying a plate of haleem can be confounding. The number of haleem joints this Ramzan is higher and several small outlets have mushroomed across the city. Every hotelier worth his name or otherwise, claims to offer the best in terms of quality, quantity and price, while aggressively promoting his product.
Haleem, this season, is priced between Rs. 130 and Rs. 140 a plate across the city, leaving very little choice in terms of price. Though every passing year is a lesson learnt in health awareness for many, given the sheer number of new outlets coming up every season with glitzy signboards, neon-lights and obliging valets, one doesn’t have to think twice before buying a plate.
Mounting expectations
That civil services exam topper Ira Singhal is an inspiration for all, more specifically for the differently-abled, has become amply clear from the adoration she has received ever since results were announced.
It also seems that expectations from Ms. Singhal are much higher than what has been expected from other toppers.
During a gathering, Ms. Singhal was requested to become ambassador of social justice and the disabled by one speaker while another hoped she would serve in Telangana and yet another hoped she would start working in the PM’s office immediately after her training, so she could more effectively work for the disabled.
While she sat listening, her visage did not betray any surprise but many reporters were left wondering just how much more would be asked of Ms. Singhal, who is yet to start her 103-week training as an IAS trainee.Reporting by Swathi V., Lalith Singh, Rahul Devulapalli, Asif Yar Khan and Rohit P.S.
