Interesting News

Family reunion’ brings Mukarram Jah to city

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad: Former Prince Mukarram Jah, the eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, who arrived here on Sunday, would be spending quiet some time in the city this time round, family sources said. He has been joined here by his former wife princess Esra, son Ezmat Jah and daughter Shahkiyar. It is sort of a family reunion after long time in the city, the source said. Former prince Mukarram Jah, who succeeded his grandfather Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1967, lives in Istanbul, Turkey, while princess Esra in Britain. The children shuttle between Europe and the US. The prince, who is staying at Chiran Palace, Banjara Hills, visited Mecca Masjid and Golconda Fort in the last couple of days. He is expected to visit Chowmohalla Palace and Falaknuma Palace soon. Chowmohalla Palace has been conserved and opened for public a few years ago while Taj Group of Hotels is converting the Falaknuma Palace into a heritage hotel. Part of Falaknuma Palace where restoration and conservation works are going on will be with the prince where he might like to stay during next visits to Hyderabad. The palace itself is likely to be opened as a hotel in the next two to three months, the sources said. Princess Esra had said earlier that the prince misses Hyderabad city a lot and he might want to spend more time here with his two children this time.


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IT firms log into Vizag

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Visakhapatnam: With several investors making a beeline to Visakhapatnam to set up IT units, the port city is fast emerging as a tier-II destination. Software giants like IBM and Microsoft are evincing keen interest to establish units here what with the state government announcing its resolve to develop the ‘city of destiny’ as the ideal base next only to Hyderabad for software and BPO units. A team of IBM representatives from America confabulated with the Andhra University authorities on Tuesday to enquire about the facilities to set up a global centre here. Sources said the IBM team enquired about the manpower, connectivity of rail, road and air, besides availability of power and water facilities. "The city has better connectivity than other cities like Vijayawada and Tirupati," AU registrar Prasada Reddy told the team, it was learnt. The team would meet the district authorities on Wednesday. Sources said another major player in the software industry, Microsoft would sign an MoU with AU on March 12 to train students for its new software, which would be released soon. The company would provide the new software to three lakh students of more than 600 colleges under the AU purview. "The IT major is willing to provide project work to our students and give training to the faculty," VC Beela Satyanarayana said. The city has IT bigwigs like Kenexa, Sutherland and HSBC, which have already established development centre here. Wipro constructed a centre in eight acres of land in the heart of the city and is expected to launch operations in a couple of months as the impact of the global meltdown is decreasing. The government allotted land to 27 companies in the two SEZs on the hilltops at Madhurawada and Rushikonda. Six companies have already started their operations with 2000 staff. "If all the companies launch operations, the manpower strength would cross more than 25,000," Symbiosis Technologies CEO O Naresh Kumar told TOI. Sources said software exports from Vizag was to the tune of Rs 504 crore in 2009.

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HC seeks govt response on bandhs

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad: The High Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a petition that sought a direction to the state government to appoint a high-powered committee to study the issue of state bifurcation. "It is a political domain and we do not intend to infringe on that domain," the court said. However, the court entertained a part of the petition that wanted the government to control bandhs in the state. The court sought to know the state government’s stand on bandhs that are frequently causing inconvenience to the people. The division bench comprising Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar directed the government to clearly state its stance within a week on providing relief to people from recurring bandhs. The bench perused the counter affidavit filed by a top ranking police official and said that what they need is not just a police response, and that they are looking forward to know about the government’s response on this matter. The bench is dealing with a writ filed by one Narayana, who sought a declaration that until article 371-D remained in the Constitution the question of separate Telangana does not arise. Earlier, another division bench refused to go into the said question but admitted the writ petition on the limited question of bandhs and the inconvenience caused to the public. HC issues notice to govt on Vijaynagar monument case: The High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the state and central governments and their archaeology wings to file their replies to the contentions raised in a petition filed by an advocate Gopalakrishna Kalanidhi, who charged the authorities with failure in protecting the monument built by Sri Krishnadevaraya of the erstwhile Vijayanagar empire in Penugonda of Anantapur district. Kalanidhi charged the authorities with negligence and connivance with dubious elements in this regard and cited the allotment of land in this fort to a baba of doubtful credentials. This baba, Sri Kaleswara Swamy, is now going ahead with construction of a huge multi-storied building inside the fort near a place which is said to be the tomb of Mahamantri Timmarusu of the Krishnadevaraya empire. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar, sought to know the status from the authorities and issued notices to them. HC admits petition against finance company: Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy of the High Court on Tuesday admitted a writ petition filed by one Kesavulu for ‘clubbing’ of all the cases by various depositors of Nagarjuna Finance. The case of the petitioner is that the deposits were not being collected by the finance company after the revised guidelines of the RBI. He also stated that he was only an employee director of the company and he was exonerated in a contempt case from having to make payments. He also stated that in another matter there was a direction to the police not to arrest him.

Courtesy: Times of India-Hyderabad-Dated 10-3-2010