In a special message, the Chief Minister said Mrs.Gandhi was a Universal Woman of Courage, Compassion, and Social Justice. “Smt. Indira Gandhi strived hard to keep the state united at any cost. After the 1969 and 1972 separatist agitations, Smt. Indira Gandhi was convinced that the best and everlasting solution to this ticklish problem would be to keep the state united. This was reflected in her statement made in parliament on December 21 1972. In order to address the problems relating to education and employment issues Article 371(D) was incorporated in the constitution by conferring special rights to the people of Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

Kiran Kumar Reddy said the charismatic and epoch-making personality of Indira Gandhi left her imprint not only in the affairs of India but also in international affairs. He said she belonged to that noble galaxy of great leaders who wielded extraordinary power. He said Indira Gandhi was an Indian to the core but at the same time her vision went far beyond her own nation and embraced the entire human race. “By virtue of being the Prime Minister of India, the largest democracy in the world, she was able to make a significant contribution to the practice of international relations,” he said.

The Chief Minister said Indira Gandhi was the champion of the poor and downtrodden. She was the leader who has introduced many a welfare schemes for the benefit of poor and downtrodden. He said his government was totally committed to the policies of the great leader and will implement it with all sincerity and transparency. He said uplift of the poor and downtrodden will be baseline of all our policies. He said Indira Gandhi is an inspiration for all leaders in the reckoning. INN

Talking to reporters after re-admitting Qutubullapur MLA K Srisailam Goud into the Congress party at Gandhi Bhavan here, Botsa said that the Congress leaders who joined other parties were felling suffocated in those parties. Citing an example, he said that the Qutubullapur MLA joined the YSRCP about two months. However, he could not tolerate the dictatorial attitude of party leadership and lack of democracy. Therefore, instead of working on the directions of a jailed leader, he decided to return to the Congress fold.

Botsa alleged that the YSRCP leaders were enacting political dramas in the name of Samaikhyandhra leaders. He said that the Congress MPs and legislators were working hard to keep the State united.

Union Minister of State Sarve Satyanarayana and other leaders welcomed Srisailam Goud into the party. INN

That is the message Lok Satta Party units in Greater Hyderabad have conveyed to their respective legislators on the eve of the Legislature’s budget session.

Giving this information in a media statement, Lok Satta Party’s Greater Hyderabad unit President Dosapati Ramu welcomed the State Cabinet’s decision to enact a law mandating installation of CCTVs by all business and industrial establishments in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. The Government should, however, set an example to others by being the first to install CCTV cameras at all public places.

In their representation, the Lok Satta units drew the legislators’ attention to the failure of the police to even identify, leave alone arrest, the culprits responsible for the Dilsukhnagar blasts on February 21, 2013 which left 17 people dead and one hundred others injured. Attributing the police failure partly to the absence of an effective surveillance network, the representation pointed out there are just 370 CCTV cameras in areas under the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad Police Commissioner and 51 in areas under the jurisdiction of the Cyberabad Police Commissioner. Of them, 34 cameras in Hyderabad and all the 51 in Cyberabad are dysfunctional.

The State Government has off and on announced its intention to install CCTV cameras all over the city. In the latest instance, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy told a Chief Ministers’ conference on internal security in New Delhi on June 5 that the State Government will install 5000 CCTVs as part of strengthening security in Hyderabad.

What is unfortunate is that the State Government has not taken any follow-up action like allocation of funds and calling for tenders for installation of the system.

The representation said: “Greater Hyderabad with a population of nearly one crore and spread over hundreds of square kilometers is a growing metropolis. It has become the home for world renowned software and pharmaceutical giants, and world-class research and development laboratories. Thanks to its infrastructure, Hyderabad has become a draw for prospective industrialists and global conferences.” No wonder, it has become a target for terrorists of all hues.

Installation of a surveillance network will help police identify and arrest culprits immediately after an incident, the Lok Satta said and pointed out that US police arrested Boston bombing culprits within 48 hours, thanks to CCTV footage.

The Lok Satta told the legislators to ensure that the State Government allocates adequate funds for installation of the promised 5000 CCTVs in the current year’s budget itself and calls for tenders for the network installation. INN

Naidu developed a sprain and doctors attending on him said that he needs rest. He has suspended the padayatra temporarily. Doctors from Vijayawada and Guntur will be attending on him and the future course will be decided then, TDP leader G Mohan Rao said. INN