Major Developments in Hyderabad – June 2013

The good thing about the month of June was, we got relief from the scorching summer heat and monsoon rains have arrived. Yes, it’s the monsoon time for which the city has been waiting eagerly. There were heavy downpours of rain in the first two weeks of June, the rains slowed down a bit in the last two weeks of the month, there was a complete change in the climate, it was more pleasant and better.

People in city were busy making the last purchases for their children, as schools were opened for the academic year in the second week of June. Then the ‘Chalo Assembly’ created a much havoc in the city, flyovers and roads were closed for traffic and huge barricades were erected, making it difficult for the office goers to reach their offices.

The steep rise in vegetable prices affected the middle and low income group families in Hyderabad. Then the bad news of this month was, many pilgrims who went to Uttarakhand from Hyderabad died or are still missing, the lucky ones who have survived are reunited with their families.

Let’s take a look at the major developments in the month of June.

General

• With the arrival of monsoon in the month of June, scorching summer is over. The city experienced thunder showers in the first week of June, due to depression in the northern region of the Bay of Bengal. Monsoon hit the city in the second week of June.

• Posh colonies get more drinking water – Even though the monsoon has arrived there is uneven distribution in the supply of drinking water. Areas in Hyderabad like Gachibowli, Madhapur and Miyapur are enjoying 24×7 water supply, whereas some areas in the core city are not even getting drinking water once in two days.

• The unreasonable hike in vegetable prices has badly affected the aam Hyderabadies. The rise in price is crossing the daily budget with basic vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, lady’s finger, beans and onion, are being sold at three times the regular price.

• According to the GHMC commissioner, all big establishments in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits should display the cost of the carry bags on their cash counters.

• Officials of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) stated that individuals or firms etc., who voluntarily disclose their Service Tax liabilities and file their returns under the Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme would enjoy exemption of interest on Service Tax dues and penalty.

• The upper age limit for government jobs is raised by two years. According to the government order (GO), the maximum limit for general candidates is increased to 36 years, for SCs, STs and BCs, the upper age limit is increased to 41 years and for physically handicapped candidates the upper age limit is increased to 46 years.

• Hyderabad police is on a high alert in order to check the increasing harassment of women passengers on trains. Railway stations and coaches in trains passing through the Secunderabad station will have police control room numbers. So, women can immediately call that number.

• New escalator has been set up on platform No 2/3 at Secunderabad Railway Station. This is the sixth escalator that was set up, in addition to it platform No 1, 6/7, 8/9 and 10 also have escalators.

• According to the state police date, Hyderabad and Cyberabad has topped in crime rate with highest number of cases of different offences. Hyderabad topped in offences like cheating, harassment and rioting, while Cyberabad registered most number of cases in murder, dacoity, kidnapping, burglary and robbery.

Services

• Newborns in the city will receive a digital welcome, as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has launched a new initiative to deliver digital birth certificates of the newborns at their doorstep.

• The state government has launched four more services under Mee Seva – Application for recounting of SSC marks, application for duplicate memo of marks, application for migration certificate and application for issue of age certificate.

• From July onwards, passport fee can be paid online. The ministry of external affairs has introduced a new service that permits an applicant to pay passport fee online while submitting the application. To speed up the process the ministry is also planning to introduce online appointments through Passport Seva Kendras.

• The LPG subsidy amount will be deposited in to the consumers bank account after 3 to 4 days of booking. The consumer will have to buy the gas cylinder at the current market price using the advanced subsidy. The second subsidy amount will be credited to the bank account on the receipt/delivery of the first cylinder. This process will continue only for a maximum of nine cylinders in a year.

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is planning to set up 1,400 permanent Aadhaar centres across all the districts in the state. Once the centres become functional, it will become easy for people, as they don’t have to book slots for appointment.

• Aadhar cards mandatory for Central Government Scholarships – College and university students who benefit under the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship (CSSS) are told to submit their Aadhaar card numbers at the banks where they hold an accounts before forwarding the renewal applications to BIE. The Union HRD ministry will transfer the amount to BIE scholarships account and the BIE will credit the scholarship amount to the students bank account.

• HMWSSB to accept payments in NEFT or RTGS – The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has decided to take payments that are more than Rs 50,000, only through Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS)/National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT).

Health

• The fish medicine that is said to cure asthma and other respiratory problems was distributed at Exhibition Grounds, Nampally, on June 8 and 9 this year. The Bathini family has been administering the fish medicine for the last 167 years and is given to patients free of cost.

Education

• The Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) has reduced the cut-off marks for admission to IITs. According to the revised list, the cut-off marks for general category students is 437 out of a maximum 530 in the 2nd year exams, 396 for STs, 387 for SCs, 428 for BCs and 292 for physically challenged students, to figure in the top-20 percentile list.

• Several engineering colleges ahead of Eamcet engineering counselling are luring students to take admissions in their colleges by offering various schemes – including money back offer, free laptop, etc. This is for the students who are eligible for state government’s fee reimbursement scheme. The state government is paying fees of Rs 35,000 per annum to 90 per cent of students who are taking admissions in engineering colleges through Eamcet counselling under the fee reimbursement scheme.

Roads and Transport

• The roads in the city are crammed with vehicles. Presently, the city has a total of nearly 34 lakh vehicles, of which about 23 lakh are private vehicles consisting of 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers. The total percentage of vehicles in the city are: 2 wheelers about 25% and 4 wheelers nearly 28%.

• Unauthorised gas kits will not be allowed for use in vehicles. The Transport Department has made it clear that any person using unauthorised gas kits in vehicles, action will be taken against that person. Once LPG and CNG kit details including valve and tank numbers are included in the registration certificate book, authorities can check the details in the database and take action in case of tampering or mismatch.

Real Estate

• According to a study, though Hyderabad is known as a city with low cost of living, the price of half of the houses ready for sale in the city is more than Rs 50 lakh. The study was conducted by Knight Frank, an independent property consultancy.

• Government has reintroduced the ‘Anywhere Registration’ of property project. Under this project, a citizen can register property anywhere across the State. This is for the convenience of property owners, process simplification, etc.

• State government proposed to introduce floor space index (FSI), a ratio of the total floor area of a building to the area of the plot. The changed norms apply to high-rise buildings in Hyderabad.

• Government had a proposal to amend the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporations Act 1955, to empower the corporation to penalize builders in case, the number of floors in buildings exceeds the sanctioned number.

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