Star hotels not fire-safe

Hyderabad ,March 25: At least five star hotels in the city such as Taj Banjara, Mariott, Golconda at Masab Tank, Green Park and Amruta Castle opposite Secretariat are yet to obtain the No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the state fire and emergency department.According to fire department officials, they only have the provisional NOC, which was issued during the construction of the hotels.“We had suggested some basic fire norms to them to abide for the provisional NOC,” said the district fire officer, Mr P.V. Ramana.

“The fire NOC is required if the hotels have to apply for further upgradation,” said Mr Ramana.Officials said these hotels did apply for a fire NOC in the last two years but they were turned down due to lack of sufficient information related to fire safety measures in the hotels.“We had asked them to furnish sufficient information based on which we will conduct our inspections and if deemed fit, they will be provided the certificates,” added Mr Ramana.

Officials also mentioned that the hotel managements have been served notices to apply for the NOC’s at the earliest.According to rule, every hotel must have at least three fire extinguishers on its premises and a proper emergency exit.“We will ensure that the hotels obtain the required certificates from the concerned department at the earliest,” said Mr Pradeep Dutt, the secretary general of the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Andhra Pradesh.

Beware of con SMSes

Next time you get an SMS on your mobile, be on your guard lest your account balance becomes zero in a jiffy. Con SMSes are doing rounds in the name of Chiranjeevi Foundation and YSR Foundation and taking gullible cellphone users for a ride.

These SMSes claim to be promoting websites like http://www.chiranjeevifoundation.com/ and http://www.ysrfoundation.com/. The SMS claims that if the recipient forwards it to 16 friends, he or she will be rewarded with a free recharge worth Rs 42.55 and Rs 221.55 respectively. At the end of the message, there is an affirmation that says “It’s for real, I got the balance...”

The sms also claims that this is an offer from Y.S. Jagan and t. Devender Goud. But those who got lured by the message and forwarded it to 16 friends have been taken for one big ride.
Sougat Roy, an MNC employee, says, “There was no re-charge in my account balance as was promised. I got this message from a lot of friends so I thought it must be true. Later I found out that were were all fooled and no one knows the origin of these messages,” he said.

Some also tried to log in to the sites mentioned in the SMS but in vain. Vikky Dalmia, a student says, “I got the message and I forwarded it to 20 people. I was just testing my luck. When I realised I was fooled, I logged in to register a complaint on the site mentioned, but to no avail. Even the customer care executives said they have nothing to do with it.” When contacted, Praja Rajyam party leader, E. Peddi Reddy said, “We are not aware of these SMSes. people should not to waste money and get fooled by scamsters.”

City’s historic sites lack proper security

Hyderabad’s historic sites lie seeped in neglect, thanks to the negligence of the state Archeology and Museums department. Both the Qutub Shahi tombs and State Museum have no proper security system in place yet even though thousands of tourists visit these places every year .With just seven security personnel to guard the entire museum, there’s no one to keep an eye on the various galleries housing invaluable antiques.

“I visit the state museum with my students and it’s sad to see the rare antiques displayed in the state museum lying grossly undervalued. Just seven guards are not enough to look after such an important site. Going by the current trend of terror attacks, we cannot afford to be so unprepared,” says S. Sangeeta, a lecturer in CVR College of Engineering.

What’s more, the museum has no security alarm, automatic smoke detectors or even fire alarm systems. This in spite of last year’s fire mishap. Only one gallery is monitored by a surveillance camera. And shockingly, the department hardly seems bothered.The situation at the famous Qutub Shahi Tombs is even more pathetic. Lack of sufficient security guards at the tombs poses a great threat for unsuspecting tourists.The entrance, which is guarded by a few security personnel, has no metal detector. The guards don’t even possess the basic surveillance equipment.E. Sanjay, a student of Amity Business School, who visited the tombs with his friends recently, says he was amused at the state of affairs at the heritage site.

“There was only one watchman at the entrance. All you need to do is to give him Rs 10 or Rs 15 and he will allow cars and bikes to go in, right up to the tombs, without any checking,” he says.“No wonder the tombs have been reduced to a seedy place where it’s common to spot couples necking or kids playing cricket,” adds Manasa R., an engineering graduate from Vasavi.The newly opened AP Archeological museum too lacks security systems. There is only one guard without any security or surveillance equipment.The department’s apathy towards the protection and upkeep of Indian treasures is unnerving. Poor security arrangements in the museums reflect the steep neglect of these charms of Indian heritage.

Archaeology Department director, P. Chenna Reddy admits, “Because of lack of funds we were unable to install modern security systems or appoint security guards. We have sent a letter to the ministry concerned requesting for allocating funds to appoint guards as their are many vacancies. We need to upgrade the security system too. installation of surveillance cameras and metal detectors will commence in future.”

Tankbund, a smelly ordeal

Once a pleasant stretch, be it to take a lazy stroll or go on a long drive, Necklace Road has now become a smelly ordeal for people in the city, even for those who just have to pass by that area. Infested with water-hyacinths and aquatic weeds, the lake doesn’t just emanate a terrible odour, but has also turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

During this season, the lake is affected by the uncontrolled bloom of blue green algae. The obnoxious odour from dead algae floating on the lake’s surface, apart from the stench of rotting garbage thrown around it, has made life hell for residents in neighbouring areas and people going on that stretch. It has become a common sight to see people standing at bus stops on that road with their noses firmly covered.

“It’s terrible to walk along the Tank Bund road due to the foul smell emanating from the lake. Now-a-days, you don’t even see many people riding on the road, especially at night, due to the unbearable smell,” says Azeej Ahmed, a fitness trainer.

The lake may be evidently dirty and contaminated, but the authorities blame it solely on the algae. Chandra Mohan Reddy, OSD, Buddha Poornima Project, HMDA says, “The foul smell is due to the sudden bloom of blue green algae in the lake water, as a result of the sudden rise in temperature. We have appointed over 50 members to remove the algae. The work will be completed in 2 to 3 days. The workers have started the cleaning process that includes simple skimming up operation to remove dead algae.”

Even the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority officials are confident that the exercise can be completed in a day or two. “Once the sewerage treatment plants start working, this problem will be solved,” he adds.

When queried about what is being done about cleaning the lake, Chandra Mohan Reddy retorts with a generic reply. “It may take more than two years to complete the Hussain Sagar cleaning project. Till then, we are taking care of untreated sewage coming from nalas for better maintenance. Also, we are going to manually remove the hyacinth and other floating garbage from the lake to resolve the problem of the foul odour.”

Resume

Anubha Kumari Singh
Career Objective
Seeking professional enrichment as a Journalist with leading organisations in Electronic and Print Media.

Personal Attributes
Team Player
Positive Attitude
Strong Interpersonal Skills
Quick Learner
Effective CommunicatorResult Oriented

Career Snapshot:

• Presently working as a Reporter with Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad.
  
  Academic Credentials
  PGDBM (Journalism) 2006
  Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan’s College of Communication and Management, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
  Bachelor in Commerce 2005
  Kakatiya University, Andhra Pradesh
  
  Organisational Experience
  In Deccan Chronicle since September2008
  Role:
• Covering Events and Happenings around the town.
• Writing Features for Hyderabad Chronicle.
• Covering news of Hyderabad Metropolitan Developmenmt Authority(HMDA).
• Covering news on Archelogy department of Hyderabad.
• Covering news on Schools and educations in the city.
  
  Previous Experience
  Commenced career as a
• Feature reporter with Dainik jagran Cityplus since May2007 to August2008, Noida
• In-House Business Executive with HDFC Standard Life Insurance, Hyderabad.

As a Counsellor with Software Technology Solutions, Hyderabad.

Extra - Curricular Accomplishments
Awarded as a Best Student of college in co-curricular activities.
Anchored various functions at College and School level.
Completed Training program in Communication Skills from SISI, Hyderabad.

Floods Hit Bihar

Bihar under Water….

Kosi has drowned the whole area around Saharsa, between Madhepura and Supaul in Bihar one big saga of pain, anguish, grief and sorrow. Thousands remain trapped in outlying villages this is the worst ever disaster the state is facing and government is doing nothing serious but to simply distributing the food packets. Over 30 lakh people in 16 districts are in the grip of floods, with 23 lakh in worst-hit Supaul, Saharsa, Madhepura and Araria districts alone. The flood caused by the breach in the eastern afflux embankment at upstream Kuaha village in Nepal on August 18 is the worst in the region. The area was considered secure against the possibilities of floods after construction of hundreds of miles of embankments and Bheemnagar barrage more than four decades ago. Time and again it's proved now that root cause of this kind of disaster lies in rivers which originates from Nepal and sweep the plain of Bihar every year which results in loss of crops and human lives and the government is painfully slow in getting its act together. RANCHI- Steel giant Arcelor Mittal has offered help to the Nitish Kumar government to tackle the devastation caused by the Kosi. Officials of the company have decided to supply relief materials for flood victims through the department of disaster management in Bihar. Several media persons are even getting calls from friends across the country with requests to use their whack and rescue the kith and kin of acquaintances. But can the besieged officialdom listen to individual appeals? The scale of the cataclysm has also drowned away the difference between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

Information You cannot miss

Essence of Blood Banks in saving lives
“All we friends were returning from our Nainital trip suddenly we met with an accident at 3 am, one of our friend got seriously injured. We took him to a nearby hospital, where we were told that he is battling for life and needs blood. None of us matched his blood group. The worst part was that none of us were aware of any blood banks or how to locate the numbers.Somehow we could manage a blood bank’s number with help from the hospital and could save our friends life,” recalls Swetha Sinha.

This can be a learning experience for all us. How many of us are aware of important emergency numbers? Most homes will have contact details of takeaway outlets, at the most of the neighbourhood clinic. We don’t really think of storing emergency numbers but now you don’t need to worry as Cityplus gives you a chance to make a list of the blood banks that are open in the city, 24/7.

Bajaj Blood Bank, Karol Bagh, Delhi, 011-28712849, 5729849
Blood Bank Organisation, 11/6B Shanti Chambers, Pusa Road, New Delhi, 011-25721870 / 011-25730773
Batra Hospital and medical research centre, Tughlakabad, 011-29958747, 29051280.
Lions Blood Bank, AK 100, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi- 110088011, 011-42258080
Polyclinic Blood Bank, Lalchandani Pathology, Lajpat Nagar, 011-298400543
Parivarthan Blood bank, Faridabad (Also Serves in Delhi)-09990314690.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Badarpur,-011-26925858, 18003451066
Indian Red cross Society, Parliament Street - 01123711551.
Rotary Blood Bank, Tughlakabad, 011-29054066
Indian Red Cross Society, Golf link,-01124621023
Lions Blood Bank, Shalimar Bagh, 09350505770, 011-42258080.
· -Anubha K Singh