The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Smart police

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Smart police

A battery of reporters of the print and electronic media, along with photographers and videographers, waited at the courts complex the other day on coming to know that Gurvinder Singh alias Laddu, the prime suspect in the case of murder of pharmacy student Ayesha Meera, was going to be produced in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. The police threw a thick security blanket around the courts complex. No sooner the vehicle that brought Laddu from the central prison at Rajahmundry reached the courts complex than the posse of reporters, photographers and videographers surrounded it in a bid to get a bite or two from Laddu. The police officer investigating the case immediately struck a bargain with the reporters: leave us now to take him into the court hall and we’ll allow you to speak to him while coming out. There was no reason for the scribes not to trust the gentleman’s assurance. They patiently waited for the court proceedings to be over and the police to bring Laddu out. And, when it happened, they were shocked to see the policemen taking away Laddu, giving them no opportunity to speak to him. They sighed and felt that it was a lesson to learn.

In the name of transparency

Several students who were denied entry into EAMCET examination hall due to late arrival had the shock of their lives. They could not appear for the examination for which they worked so hard for days and nights over the past two years. The authorities refused entry even if the delay was just a minute. When probed as to why such stringent rules were in force, the parents and everyone else were told that a decision had been taken to ensure total transparency in the conduct of EAMCET. If a student was allowed entry into the examination hall a minute late, there was every chance of him or her coming to know of one or two questions. With mobile phones being widely used by everybody now, there was every chance of questions being leaked from inside the examination hall to those waiting outside to enter a little late. And, so fierce is the competition that a candidate can move up or come down by a good number of ranks even if the difference in the total score is just a mark or two.

Health matters

Transfer of Chief Medical and Health Officer Kolli Srikaruna Murthy and Assistant Medical and Health Officer Sambasiva Rao appears to be a topic of animated discussion in the corridors of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC). The government, sometime ago, asked the then Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar to “surrender” the two officials to their parent department. But, Mr. Gulzar wrote to the government underlining the necessity to continue them in the city. As in-charge Commissioner Gaurav Uppal too reportedly took the same stand. The latest grapevine is that the government has finally agreed to continue them in the VMC. With monsoon said to be round the corner and the mosquitoes ready to unleash themselves, transfer of important officials in the public health wing of the VMC can only be a disaster.

Hot topic

The recent fire accident in the Chilli Market Yard in Guntur gave some new idea to politicians. At the public hearing held four days after the accident, representative of a political party expressed his concern over the likely spiralling effect on the price. Former Rajya Sabha member Yelamanchili Sivaji, vexed by this argument, questioned him as to how many kg of chilli does he consume per year.

“On an average, people in Andhra consume 4 kg per annum, and even if the price goes up by Rs.200 a quintal, you will spend only Rs.8 per year additionally,” he retorted, adding the loss of 2.5 lakh bags out of 1 crore traded in Guntur market alone was a minuscule quantum.

K. Srimali, G. Ravikiran, G.V.R. Subba Rao in Vijayawada and Ramesh Susarla in Guntur

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