A BLASPHEMOUS ACT BY HOOLIGANS

Desaraju Surya

Hyderabad: They were towering symbols of Telugu glory and stood immortalized in the form of life-size bronze statues on the picturesque Tank Bund on Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad.

Statues they may be, but they had ‘life’ in them.

Each one of them was a legend in his\her own right and contributed their might for enhancing and enriching the Telugu culture in varied forms over the ages.

But, this evening, 17 of the total 33 statues adorning the Tank Bund, one of the most-famous tourist spots in the Andhra Pradesh capital city, were vandalized by Telangana hooligans. As many as 11 statues were, in fact, uprooted and dumped in Hussain Sagar lake by the hooligans who stormed the Tank Bund road seeking statehood for Telangana.

The highhanded vandalism by Telangana ruffians has left every Telugu shocked and distraught.

The Tank Bund certainly presented a gory sight now.

What should one say of Emperor Srikrishnadevaraya, who ruled the famous Vijayanagara empire 500 years ago?

Annamacharya was the first Telugu vaaggeyakara who penned thousands of keertans glorifying Lord Venkateswara with deep devotion.

Siddhendra Yogi was the founder of the world-famous Kuchipudi classical dance form more than 600 years ago.

While Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu was a freedom fighter and social reformer, Gurazada Appa Rao was an acclaimed writer whose famous work Kanyasulkam itself was a legend in Telugu literature.

Yerrapragada was part of the triumvirate (Nannaya and Tikkana were the others) that translated the Mahabharata into Telugu.

Sir Arthur Cotton, a British national, was the darling of Telugu people’s hearts as he built barrages on rivers Godavari and Krishna that turned Andhra Pradesh into a rice bowl.

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, himself a legend, conceived the idea and installed the 33 statues on Tank Bund when he was Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in his second term between 1984 and 1989. In doing so, NTR’s main intention was to immortalize the lives of such legends and showcase them as an inspiration for future generations.

There were other lumaries like Palnati Brahma Naidu (a historic personality dated back to the Chola period), Raghupati Venkaiah (movies), Mutnuri Krishna Rao (journalist) and Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Choudary (reformer) whose statues too were destroyed today.

The statue of playwright and actor Ballari Raghava was also totally destroyed.

Statues of Shalivahana, Nannaya, Yogi Vemana, Kshetraya, Sri Sri, Gurram Jashua and CR Reddy have been partly damaged and desecrated.

Incidentally, the Telangana separatists did not touch statues of Suravaram Pratap Reddy, Rani Rudrama Devi, Molla, Maqdoom Moinuddin and a few others as they belonged to “Telangana.”

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu has strongly condemned the destruction of statues of the legends. Expressing serious anguish over the vandalism, Chandrababu held the Kiran Kumar Reddy government squarely responsible for it.

Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi also condemned the destruction of statues and said any protests should be organised in a peaceful manner.

Startling revelations about AP's industrial growth

DESARAJU SURYA

Hyderabad: Blame it on economic recession or political turmoil. Andhra Pradesh has lost industrial investments to the tune of Rs 1.12 lakh crore, resulting in loss of 2.99 lakh jobs till September last.
The Socio-Economic Survey 2010-11 by the state Planning Department, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly, has come out with this and other startling facts related to industrial growth in Andhra Pradesh.

Of the 6,910 proposals for large-scale industries received by the state in recent years, only 3,012 had gone into production generating an employment of 4.55 lakh with an investment of Rs 63,483 crore.

As many as 1,814 proposals with a proposed investment of Rs 1,12,218 crore and employment potential of 2,99,464 have been “dropped.”

Though the survey did not give any specific reason for the proposals being “dropped”, official sources indicated that both the economic recession and the political turmoil over the statehood issue have certainly left an impact on industrial investment in the state.

The survey revealed that Foreign Direct Investment too showed drastic decline between 2008 and 2009. As against an FDI flow of Rs 6,202.98 crore in 2008, only Rs 3,550.56 crore came to the state in the form of equity up to September in 2009.
The state that boasts of having the largest number of Special Economic Zones in the country has virtually failed in attracting investments into them.

As against the projected Rs 1.05 lakh crore, only Rs 12,000 crore has been invested in the SEZs so far, the survey pointed out.

There are 113 SEZs approved by the Government of India of which 74 are notified. Only 27 of them have become operational so far.

The SEZs were supposed generate 8,50,022 jobs directly but only 82,606 were created so far.

Exports from SEZs in the state too fell significantly between 2009-10 and 2010-11 – Rs 5,554 crore to Rs 3,720 crore till the end of September.

Overall exports from the state fell from Rs 77,605 crore in 2008-09 to Rs 73,143 crore in 2009-10, the Socio-Economic Survey said. Computer software contributed 45 per cent of the total exports from the state while other major exports were drugs and pharmaceuticals, animal, marine and leather products, minerals and mineral products, handlooms and handicrafts.

Hyderabad integral to all regions

DESARAJU SURYA

Hyderabad: Hyderabad has been the bone of contention ever since the demand for and against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh has reached a feverish pitch in recent years.

While the separatists maintained that Hyderabad was an integral part of Telangana, those from Andhra-Rayalaseema regions too staked their claim over the more than 400-year-old city saying it developed into a metropolis largely through their contribution.

“Migrants from the three regions, especially from coastal Andhra, have contributed substantially to the economic growth of the city (Hyderabad) and continue to hold a stake in important businesses,” the Justice Srikrishna Committee notes in its report on the statehood issue.

“The inmigration from within and outside the state indicates that the present character of Hyderabad is quite different from that inherited from the Nizam period or what it was even three decades ago. The recent profile of migrants has changed once again, with many now being from other parts of the country,” the report points out.

The Committee also observed that Hyderabad has now grown into the fifth largest centre after Bangalore, Mumbai, the National Capital Region and Chennai, and much ahead of locations such as Pune and Kolkata.

“Hyderabad has been able to attract investors from across the country and indeed across the globe. In fact, a sixth of Telangana’s GDP comes from Hyderabad. The pattern of Hyderabad’s migration and investment reflects a growing increase in its cosmopolitan identity and social diversity.

It is imperative to ensure that there is no de-stabilization of the economy of Hyderabad, flight of capital or erosion of business confidence and all stakeholders continue to have safe access to the city,” the Committee suggests.

“The current economic inter-linkages of Hyderabad with all regions need to be fostered and further developed especially in the context of Hyderabad now having become a hub of the “new economy”, with an international brand image and interface. It would be in the interest of all regions (of Andhra Pradesh) if the economy of Hyderabad, which is a growth engine for the state and the national economy, continues to grow rapidly as only economic growth can create an expansion of employment opportunities. To grow, it cannot afford a continued climate of uncertainty,” the Committee cautions in its report.

Hyderabad is home to as many as 28 establishments in defence or other strategically-important sectors with “national security significance.” In addition, there are about 40 institutions owned by Government of

India with national research, development and educational interest and nine educational institutions, mostly universities, supported by the state government, the reports points out.

Noting that the economic interdependencies between the key cities of AP like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kurnool and Tirupati and Hyderabad, the Committee says: “Hyderabad and each urban centre in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema appear to have their own economic base hinterland and growth drivers. Each of these urban centres is well integrated with the national and even global economy.”

“Hyderabad’s future is now vitally dependent on the ability of decision-makers to work out arrangements for effective and transparent governance for its all round growth and development,” the Committee sums up.

Jagan pokes the Congress

DESARAJU SURYA

Hyderabad: Rebel leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy literally mocked at the Congress – the party he left early this month – by publicly parading at least 24 MLAs, four MLCs and an MP at his 48-hour hunger-strike camp on the banks of river Krishna in Vijayawada in the last two days. With this, Jagan sought to prove that it was indeed he who was in control of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh and threw a challenge at the party high command daring it to take action against its members who sided with him. Three MLAs from Praja Rajyam Party and an MLA suspended from the Telugu Desam also stood by Jagan at the so-called Lakshya Deeksha, hunger-strike for farmers. This brazen “show of strength” by Jagan has left his parent party totally shaken. Disarray will only be a mild word to describe the situation in the Congress circles in Hyderabad as the party MLAs so publicly sat with Jagan and spit venom at their own government. In fact, Congress leaders here did not even muster the courage to react to the situation as the number of legislators joining Jagan increased. “The party high command will look into it and take an appropriate decision,” was the only reaction by Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman N Tulasi Reddy. While state Health Minister D L Ravindra Reddy termed the Congress MLAs’ participation in the former MP’s fast as “unethical,” former minister Gade Venkat Reddy did not see anything wrong in it. “Jagan was trying to highlight the plight of farmers to the government. The MLAs only extended their solidarity but never said they will leave Congress,” Venkat Reddy said. While the Vijayawada development will not in any way affect the TDP, the PRP is certain to be worried as a few more of its MLAs are tilting towards Jagan. Will the Congress high command display the gall and act against its unruly MLAs is a puzzle for now.

Kiran Kumar Reddy: Driver without the steering in hand

DESARAJU SURYA

Hyderabad: Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy may have been seated in the driver’s (Chief Minister) seat but it is the Congress bosses in New Delhi who will actually hold all the controls of his vehicle (Andhra Pradesh government). A clear set of do’s and don’ts has been prescribed for Kiran Kumar to steer the government in a way to resurrect the Congress in the state through strict implementation of the schemes promised in the election manifesto. “It is only a move by the high command to resurrect Congress’ party in the state with trouble lurking in the form of Y S Jagan and Telangana. It is essentially to let Kiran Kumar focus primarily on governance and not let troubles, from any quarter, bog him down,” a top Congress leader and key government functionary maintained. Significantly, state Governor E S L Narasimhan is also being actively involved in the governance to lend stability to government. The Congress high command reportedly issued certain “guidelines” to the Chief Minister to be followed scrupulously. As per the guidelines, the Chief Minister will have to take any major policy decision only in consultation with the Pradesh Congress Committee president. The Chief Minister will have to tour at least two districts every week to improve mass contact and closely monitor implementation of the government programmes. While Kiran Kumar will have to submit a weekly performance report to state Governor Narasimhan and AICC president Sonia Gandhi, the Governor will in turn forward the report to the Union Home Secretary. State Chief Secretary S V Prasad and Director General of Police K Aravinda Rao have reportedly been directed to brief the Governor every week on the government’s performance in general and law and order in particular. Review of law and order by the Governor assumes significance as there is apprehension of trouble by separatist elements after the five-member Justice Srikrishna Committee submits its report to the Centre on the statehood issue. The Chief Minister has also been asked by the high command to have “constant and close co-ordination” with the party’s Manifesto Implementation Committee to ensure effective implementation of the flagship programmes. This makes Kiran Kumar’s task tough as the Congress government could not so far implement the three main promises it made in the 2009 election manifesto: extending free power supply to agriculture sector from seven to nine hours a day, enhancing the Rs 2-a-kg rice quota from 20 to 30 kilos a month to all below poverty line families and uninterrupted power supply to all sectors. While severe funds crunch did not allow the government to enhance the rice quota to 30 kilos a month, the acute power scarcity faced by the state forced it delay implementation of the other two promises. “We have sought Central assistance for the rice scheme but there has been no response from them yet. We could not generate additional electricity in tune with the growing demand because of which the promises related to power may not be kept in the immediate future,” a top government source pointed out. While these may be some worrying factors for the new Chief Minister, he can take comfort in the Congress high command’s assurance on party-related issues: “Look to us for any damage control.” In fact, the Congress high command appointed a six-member party sub-committee to exclusively handle AP affairs. That should make Kiran feel comfortable in the saddle for some time.