Telugu film indrustry cuts cost

For the moment, actors, directors and technicians can heave a sigh of relief. The eight-member Cost Committee of the Producers’ Council has resolved to put pay cuts on hold as it hopes to garner consensus on a broader strategy for cutting costs.

The 60-odd guidelines include a cutback on — caravans, pick up and drop for artistes, buffets, make-up artists provided by the company etc. The new norms also include — a 12-hour shift, limitation on rolls exposed, hourly payments after shift hours and above all insisting on proper accounting from art, costume and other departments. “Our primary focus is to protect the interests of films made on modest budgets. These measures could help save up between 30 per cent to 40 per cent. For instance, a Rs 2 crore film could save almost Rs 60 lakh if these guidelines are adhered to. Needless to say that mega bucks films are on autopilot to crash anyway,” says a reliable source in Producers’ Council.

Veteran director Sagar, president of Telugu Film Directors’ Association, however, is yet to take a decision on the new set of proposals. “We intend to have a detailed discussion on guidelines from various angles, before arriving at a decision. We may arrive at a solution by April 30,” he informs. Director Saikiran Adavi however feels that rules can be broken if there is no commitment. “I think everybody involved in a film should consciously work towards reducing cost. Besides content, small films would benefit from consultations among producers, distributor and exhibitors and every member in the chain of filmmaking to arrive at a viable solution. Not just by following some guidelines,” he reasons.

Nevertheless, the committee has come up with a novel idea (in practice in Bollywood) for reducing spiralling remunerations of superstars and top-ranking directors without the most predictable advisory of pay cuts across the board. Reportedly, it has floated the idea of ‘profit-sharing’ module for superstars and leading directors for each film. According to this, a superstar who is charging Rs 10 crore, would be given Rs 6 crore, and the remaining 40 per cent payout would come from the profits of the film’s business. “We have already implemented this profit sharing module for our films Vedham and Maryadaraman by director Rajamouli. We paid 50 per cent remuneration to top actors and chief technicians and the rest was paid from the profits made on the film. No doubt, it’s a viable module, but still the sky-high remuneration of the top layer should come down,” says producer Devineni Prasad.

Reportedly, the cost cutting initiative got a big fillip, when A-listers like Chiranjeevi’s family, Venkatesh and Balakrishna resolved to adhere to cost-cutting measures including pay cuts, if necessary for a year. “New Malayalam films have been stalled due to high payouts and even Tamil producers are demanding that stars should revise their pay packets. I hope even Telugu stars and directors will follow suit to save the industry from a slump,” says producer C Kalyan who’s also the president of South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

Rupanjana turns choosy

Eleven long years in Tollywood and she has already essayed more than 50 characters.

But now, Rupanjana Mitra wants to act only in meaningful projects. “I have cut down on work drastically. Recently, I turned down a lot of offers. Maybe, it’s a risk but I’m still willing to take it. At present, I’m only concentrating on Sanaka’s character that I play in the megaserial Behula. Playing a mythological character is not that easy and one has to really get under the skin of the character to make it look convincing,” says Rupanjana.

But what happened to her popular tracks in the serial Durga, Binnidhaner Khoi and Hero? “As I said, it’s my choice not to do more than one project now! Time has come when I need to be known as a performing actor,” she reasons. After two years, Rupanjana is again acting in films. This time around, it is for director Shukla Mitra’s Teen Tanaya. “It’s not that I don’t get offers to act in films. But sadly, they are all hero’s sister or heroine’s friend. With due respect, I refuse to say ‘yes’ to such offers. The problem is the directors here are not ready to experiment with the actors who act primarily in serials. Teen Tanaya is a tribute to 150 years of Rabindranath Tagore and it is a film based on three poems of Tagore. Of the three poems, I play Binu from Phaki and Shaheb has been cast opposite me,” she informs. Meanwhile, the buzz doing the rounds is that she has been roped in by director Shiboprasad Mukherjee for his next film. “Well, it’s too early to talk about it. But yes, Shibu did approach me. The film is a dialect-based comedy. I guess, I’ll have to talk like the way people in Purulia speak,” Rupanjana signs off.

Rehan’s No Amanush

Reason enough why the model-turned-actor can’t be totally unruffled about his absence from the promos and posters. He tells TOI that his biggest publicity would be audience appreciation...

Your debut film, Amanush, will be releasing soon. Aren’t you jittery?

I’m both excited and nervous. Wish I could come down to Kolkata for the release, but I’m caught up with quite a few assignments in Mumbai. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it.

It’s heard, before Amanush happened, you were selected for Lakhindar’s role in the megaserial, Behula?

Yes. The company that’s producing both these projects saw my pictures and asked me to come down to Kolkata. Though I was not too keen on acting in Bengali serials, I thought of meeting the team once. The moment I entered the office, Rajibda (director of Amanush) said, ‘He is just the right guy to play Adi. I will freeze him.’ And my enthusiasm knew no limits after I read the script! I play the second lead, Adi, who thinks girls are easily available, but changes his outlook once he meets Ria (Srabanti).

And Adi ends up sacrificing his love for Binod (Soham)...

Sadly, I can’t disclose the story.

Did you dub your lines?

At first Rajibda was hesitant, but I convinced him. In fact, I had to let go of a soft drink commercial because of this.

Do you know that the director had auditioned many actors before he zeroed in on you?

(Laughs) Rajibda told me later on that the film had kept delaying because he couldn’t decide who will play Adi. I feel privileged!

But your mention is conspicuously absent from the promos and posters of the film that have only Srabanti and Soham...

I think, I’m the surprise element.

But still, deep down, aren’t you feeling bad that other actors are hogging all the limelight?

It’s not that I’m not feeling bad at all, but I fully respect the marketing strategy of the production house. Frankly, my biggest publicity will be if the audience likes my performance and not just my face on posters or my songs aired on several channels!

Have you appeared in any of the songs?

Oh, yes! I’m there in Jiboner Jolchobi and in Monta kore uru uru with Soham.

You also met with an accident while shooting for the film...

Yes, I had a head injury in Siliguri the day we were supposed to shoot the film’s climax. The team wanted to postpone the shoot, but I went ahead and did it since I didn’t want the production house to face any problem because of me.

How was it working with Srabanti and Soham?

Soham is extremely helpful and Srabanti is full of energy.

Anjali: Mahesh's only 'girl' friend

“I can’t believe the kind of response this film has evoked. I’ve had lots of people calling me to congratulate me for my performance. From popular directors to college students I do not know, people from all walks of life have been showering praises,” blushes Anjali, when we begin by posing a question on the impact the movie, Angadi Theru, has had on audiences across the state.

It’s evident the movie, which highlights the tough lives that salespersons in the city lead through its gripping story, has touched the hearts of the Tamil audience. But was its story one of the factors that made her agree to do this project? Smiles Anjali in return. “Actually, none of the artistes knew the story while accepting or working in the project. All that we knew were the names of our characters. But I accepted it because I had complete faith in Vasanthabalan sir and Arun Pandian sir. All that Arun Pandian sir said about this film when he was explaining about it was, ‘If all the movies produced by our company are considered a crown, Angadi Theru will be the jewel in it.’ That was all I required to agree to do this project,” she explains.

A movie, to succeed, needs a gripping story, a brilliant director and a gifted cast. Angadi Theru has all of them. Commenting on her co-artiste Mahesh, Anjali says, “Mahesh is very comfortable to work with. Initially, he was so shy that he would not speak with women. I still think I’m the only girl he has spoken to so far.”

The movie’s success and the co-operation of its crew members have now prompted the same producer to make another film with the same cast members. Discloses the actress, “Actually, I’ve just signed another film for the same producer with my same co-stars. Mahesh will play the lead role and Pandi too will be a part of this new film.”

Rettaisuzhi, Anjali’s next film after Angadi Theru, has also been making heads turn. So, how was it working on the movie, which features two of Tamil film industry’s most popular directors, Bharathirajaa and K Balachander?

Says she, “I play Bharathirajaa sir’s granddaughter in the film. I was scared initially because I was told that he is known to lambast artistes who do not perform. So, on the very first day itself, I asked him if he was going to chide me. He burst out laughing. He replied, ‘I once chided an artiste when he did not perform. And that happened a long time ago. From then on, they’ve been writing only about it. I don’t know why.’ I think Bharthirajaa sir has an open heart. He may scold you but he will also appreciate you if you do a scene well. My role in Rettaisuzhi will prevent me from being stereotyped as it is a different role,” says the actress, who is also busy with Thambi Vettothi Sundaram, Magizhchi and Thoonga Nagaram.

Nayanthara excited for 'Electra'

It looks like sexy siren Nayanthara is in a mood to experiment. After essaying numerous glam-centric roles, she is all set to unveil a new dimension in the Malayalam film Electra.

“I am doing this film purely for creative satisfaction, as it offers me an opportunity to showcase my histrionics skills,” she confesses. She is joining hands with award-winning filmmaker Shyamprasad for her maiden off-beat movie. So, that means she needed to put in more homework for that role. “I am excited that I am going to explore a new genre and the director is insisting on spontaneity. So, I intend to go to the sets with an open mind,” she adds.

Another reason for the paradigm shift in her thinking process, she elaborates is because, “In most star centric movies (both Tamil and Telugu), actresses are confined to dancing around trees. I think there’s need to add something more substantial to our roles rather than making us mere glam props in big-ticket films, or else actresses like us will be deprived of the opportunity to showcase our versatility. Invariably, we have to fall back on either author-backed roles or significant roles in small budget films.”

So is she gravitating towards performance-oriented roles, due to stiff competition offered by upcoming starlets? “Every year innumerable girls take their maiden bow in films, but only a handful leave their mark. Also newcomers have to put in years of hard work and display their staying power. It will take most of them sometime before they can reach our position, so there’s no question of any comparison with them. However, there are filmmakers who want established actresses to add brand value to their mega bucks movies, invariably approach us,” she says with relish.

Nevertheless, the dusky actress is ready to acknowledge the competition among A-line actresses like Shriya, Trisha and Anushka. “Everybody has their own space and one needs to respect and appreciate that. But having said that, I am done with making statements on the everchanging numbers game,” she reasons. Despite being part of the fabulous five (female stars) of T-town, Nayan is sharing screen space with two relatively small actresses in her latest flick. “I am not exactly sharing screen space with them, my scenes are confined to the flashback episode. However, my new avatar will grip the audience,” she points out.

Nayan has also been thumbing down plum offers in Tollywood of late. Is her interest in the local film industry diminishing? “No way! Telugu audiences have always given me a warm response, but I couldn’t accept the films I was offered for one reason or the other. Also I had to allotted more dates for a Kannada film,” she says. But is it worth bartering fat pay cheques and big star films for a small Kannada film? “Commitment is sacrosanct for me. I’ll go to any lengths to keep up my word. If I was just fascinated with pay packets, I would have done many small films revolving around me and shored up my bank balance. Though I like to work with big stars in Telugu, I weigh other issues before signing on the dotted line,” she says.

And what about B-town? “I am well-established and respected in southern cinema. I don’t feel the necessity to move to Bollywood. Maybe, I would have considered doing it, if I had got an offer, during my initial years. But now after attaining stardom here, I don’t want to be treated as a newcomer in Bollywood,” she explains. Nevertheless, she concurs, on the issue of short career spans of actresses down south. Is the 27-year-old actress wary? “I have no worries since I am flooded with offers from the southern states. However, the career span of actresses in southern cinema is gradually diminishing from 10 years to 5 years, but that’s because heroines are not given appropriate footage in the films. That’s why, I prefer to juggle with the languages films,” she says.

While her peers like Trisha and Shreya are endorsing brands, Nayan hasn’t joined the bandwagon. “So far, I wasn’t interested,but now I may give endorsing a thought, if I come across an exciting brand,” she reveals.

Despite rumours floating around about her and Prabhu Deva, she hasn’t denied them. “Rumours don’t bother me anymore. Some rumours are so weird that I don’t even react. For instance, I may be shooting in a particular place and I get to know that I am with my boyfriend somewhere else. Initially, I used to be disturbed with such baseless rumours, but now I ignore them. I think it’s the price one pays for being a celebrity. I have occasionally denied the allegations but I can’t be issuing denials every second day,” she confesses.

Snatching incidents, robberies jolt Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: A series of daylight robberies and incidents of snatching targeting morning walkers has left Chandigarh residents, especially senior citizens, feeling insecure and police red-faced.

In separate incidents April 19, four women on their morning walk in different parts of the city were robbed of their gold ornaments by motorcycle-borne youths in a span of just one hour. In one case, the woman tried to retaliate and even tore off the shirt of the accused but could not stop him from fleeing.

The next day, a 60-year-old morning walker was targeted by armed youths carrying pistols and her ornaments stolen.

This has aroused a feeling of insecurity among residents, especially senior citizens.

Sarita Mahajan, an elderly resident, said: "After reading reports of snatching incidents, I've stopped wearing gold. In fact, I have stopped going for morning walks alone and now I take my grandchildren along."

On April 21 night, robbers struck at 10 shops in Sectors 7, 24, 26 and 27 and decamped with cash and valuables worth lakhs of rupees. Although police have got some images of the robbers through CCTV cameras installed at one shop, they are yet to reach a breakthrough.

A 26-year-old man was arrested April 23 while allegedly running away on a scooter after snatching a woman's bag.

"The accused is a drug addict. He had done a bachelor of business administration from a Canadian university. We are interrogating him to know if he was involved in other snatching incidents," a police official said.

On Jan 23, eight incidents of snatching targeting elderly women occurred in quick succession. Last year, a robber severely injured a woman in the ears while attempting to snatch her earrings outside Terraced Garden in Sector 33.

Police admit there has been a spurt in such crimes.

"There has been some increase in snatching incidents and robberies in the last few days, but we are committed to solving all the cases and to ensure the prevention of such incidents in future. We have collected various clues and very soon the culprits will be behind bars," S.S. Srivastava, senior superintendent of police, Chandigarh, said.

"We are in touch with police of the neighbouring towns of Panchkula and Mohali. We have zeroed in on certain anti-social elements and are keeping an eye on them."

Chandigarh was originally designed for 500,000 people, but currently it has over 1.1 million residents.

Srivastava said they have intensified police patrolling and hundreds of police checkposts have been installed for morning and evening hours.

"We are keeping a close watch on the activities of criminals and those who were recently released from jail. Cops are also holding meetings with market welfare associations and residents welfare associations," he pointed out.

Airport Line trains to be in Delhi soon, tests to start

NEW DELHI: Having received the first lot of trains from Spain, the Delhi Airport Metro Express Limited will put them on tracks for testing by the middle of next month as it gears up to launch the much-awaited line connecting Connaught Place with the Airport by September.

The first set of trains, procured from CAF, Spain which also supplied trains to Hong Kong airport metro and London's Heathrow Express have arrived at the Mundra port and will reach Delhi in another three-four days, an official spokesperson of the Reliance Infrastructure-led Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd said.

The Airport Express Line, once operational, will cover the entire 23 km from New Delhi to Indira Gandhi International Airport in just about 20 minutes - that too in a luxury environment.

Once the trains reach Delhi, they will be stationed at the Dwarka depot for the mandatory tests to be conducted.

"Static tests will be done and it will take 4-5 days. After the static tests are over, the train will be put on test track for testing. Thereafter, the rake would be transferred to the mainline where low-speed and high-speed test would be carried out. Finally, oscillation trials will be carried out under the supervision of RDSO. The entire process will take 2 to 3 months," the spokesperson said.

Lalit Jalan, CEO, Reliance Infrastructure, said the Airport Express Line, which will be the showcase line of the capital, will be operational by September, a month before the Commonwealth Games.

"The Airport Line will be better than anything that the city has seen till now. We are going to use the best technologies available around the world and are completing work on a war footing to open the line by September," he said in a statement.

Once the tests are over, the trial runs on the line will begin. However, it is not yet clear when the trial runs will begin. The Airport Express Line is the first metro line in the country to come up on Public Private Partnership model.

Metro suicide bid foiled

KOLKATA: An alert RPF man prevented a 65-year-old retired schoolteacher from committing suicide on the Metro Railway tracks on Sunday by cutting off power supply to the third rail in the nick of time.

Purnendu Dutta, who had suffered only minor bruises, was taken to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The suicide attempt at Belgachia station did not disrupt services.

Dutta jumped on the tracks immediately after the Dum Dum-bound train left Belgachia at 6.20 pm. The handful of passengers on the platform saw him moving towards the third rail, but could do nothing. An alert RPF man, however, switched off the power supply to the rail immediately. So even when Dutta touched the line, he was unharmed, said Metro Railway spokesman R N Mahapatra.

RPF personnel rescued the old man and handed him over to Metro Rail Police (MRP). He was immediately taken to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Preliminary investigation revealed that Dutta was suffering from acute depression because of financial insecurity. He has an unemployed son at home. Though he is from East Midnapore, he has been staying at his daughter's place at Baguiati.

Because of prompt action by RPF personnel, Metro services remained undisturbed. A few days ago, an alert motorman had saved the life of housewife Laxmi Agarwal, who had jumped before an approaching train. The motorman had reacted fast and applied the emergency brakes, leaving the woman safe.

Nine student nurses suspended for partying near ICU

JODHPUR: Nine student nurses were rusticated by S N Medical College administration here on Sunday for organising a high-voltage party adjacent to the ICU of Mahatma Gandhi School of Nursing.

Their principal Prahlad Singh Chaba has also been removed from the post. The incident occurred on Saturday night. The nursing school is affiliated to S N Medical College here.

According to sources, students of Mahatma Gandhi School of Nursing threw a farewell party for those completing their internship this year. However, the party turned into a high voltage bash without any consideration for the sanctity of the hospital or seriousness of the patients in the ICU. Generally, doctors at the hospital don’t allow any loud voice.

Superintendent of the nursing school, P D Motiani also participated in the party, from whom permission for the party was taken. But Motiani later claimed that he was kept in the dark about the party. He said students had sought permission for just a small farewell party with no noise and dance and that too for 1-2 hours.

“I had given permission on condition that no noise, no announcement or no music will be played. However, the students violated the conditions, which led to the massive inconvenience to patients in the ICU,” Motiani said.

About 30-40 nursing students had assembled in this farewell party which started at about 12 noon and Motiani himself was present for about half an hour. He claimed that when he was there, the party was going on as per the permitted lines.

However, it was unbelievable that any of the hospital staff could not learn about the nature of the party and report the matter to the responsible persons or even to Motiani.

Finally, the news reached him at about 4.00 pm and he forced the party to conclude. Till then, nobody emerged from the hospital to intervene and stop the students.

Meanwhile, the attendants of the patients also came out of the ICU and objected. However, the students did not lend ears to their requests and continued with high voltage music and dancing by closing down the gate of the lecture hall.

Motiani said they had ordered an inquiry, the report of which will be submitted to principal of the medical college, R K Aseri.

Fire at Thane industrial plant

THANE: A fire broke out in a blade manufacturing factory here in the Wagle estate locality on Monday, fire officials said.

The incident took place around 0230 hours destroying a major portion of the plant, they said.

More than two dozen fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the flames, fire brigade said.

Firemen are still fighting the blaze that engulfed the Panama company, they said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known and fire officers are on the spot to supervise the operations.

24-yr-old girl found dead in her car

NEW DELHI: A 24-year-old girl was found dead inside her car near Karkardooma Court on Sunday evening. Police said Deepshikha, a teacher, was stabbed to death.

‘‘The victim’s body was found in her grey Wagon-R car at CB Ground. She had multiple injuries and prima facie it seems that she was murdered somewhere else and her body was dumped in this ground. Deepshikha was a resident of Jhilmil Colony in east Delhi,’’ said a police officer.

The officer said that a letter written by the son of a high court lawyer has been found in the car. The boy reportedly had a three-year-old affair with the girl and the police suspect that Deepshikha was killed after differences cropped up between the two.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, a jewellery shop owner in Tilak Nagar area of west Delhi was stabbed to death inside his shop by robbers in the crowded market near Chand Nagar Gurdwara on Sunday. After killing Ashok Prajapati, the robber picked cash and jewellery from the shop and fled.

Martyred cop's widow rues her lot

PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s good governance probably doesn’t mean prompt help to the widow of the cop who died confronting Maoists.

Even almost two months after Mithilesh Prasad, the SHO of Gaya’s Tekari police station who fell to the bullets of Maoists during an encounter at Majhiyawa village on February 13, his widow Meena Prasad has not been paid ex gratia by the government. The job, promised on the compassionate ground, has also remained elusive to her.

None other than the then state DGP, Anand Shankar, announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a government job to the next of kin of the martyred SHO. This was when he and other police and administrative officers were in Daudnagar, Prasad’s native village in Aurangabad district, for his cremation on February 14. The DGP also handed Prasad’s widow a sum of Rs 29,000, raised through donations from Prasad’s colleagues.

Shankar has since retired. And over 50 days on, all Meena Prasad has received is another Rs 21,000 and a citation posthumously praising her husband’s bravery. This was at a function in Aurangabad to celebrate Bihar Diwas on March 22. “We had Bihar Diwas funds, and we utilised a part of it for the purpose,” Aurangabad SP Nishant K Tiwary told TOI on

Tuesday.

ADG (HQ) P K Thakur said the ex gratia amount has been sanctioned and the payment would be made soon. “The delay was caused due to the fact that the financial year 2009-10 was coming to a close and people were busy,” he said.

Meena Prasad, meanwhile, is all alone, looking after her three children — Nilesh Ranjan who just wrote CBSE’s Class X exam, Sunny Prakash who studies in Class IX and daughter Nishu who is in Class VIII. “No senior police officer has cared to visit us after my husband’s death,” she told this paper.

Her two sisters keep sending their husbands to do the legwork and get the files expedited. “I come from Patna, meet officials and am told things are in the process,” said Sanjay Kumar, a railway employee who is married to Meena’s younger sister.

Gaya DM Sanjay Kumar was kind enough to tell Meena to contact him whenever in need. But the DM’s staff won’t allow them access to him “anytime and every time”. Like, they went to the DM’s house twice on Tuesday but returned empty-handed because he was “inside, and not sitting in his residential office”.

The promised job and the money, thus, remain a dream for the widow— even in sushasan!

Eight killed in road mishaps near Pune

PUNE: Eight persons were killed and 12 others injured in two separate road accidents near here, police said on Wednesday.

Four persons died and eight were injured when their car rammed into a sand-laden truck near Yavat on Pune-Solapur highway last night.

The victims, who hailed from the city, were on their way to the temple town of Tuljapur when the mishap occurred, they said.

In another accident, a car collided with a truck at Wakad near here on the Mumbai-Bangalore Highway killing four of its occupants and injuring four others, police said.

Satish Shetty murder case transferred to CBI

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that it has decided to transfer the probe of Satish Shetty murder case to CBI.

A notification to this effect, requesting CBI to take over the case which was earlier being probed by Pune rural police, was issued yesterday, said government pleader N Deshpande.

Shetty, a Talegaon-based activist, who had unearthed many land-scams in Pune district using Right To Information (RTI) act, was murdered in January this year.

The High Court took a suo motu notice of the newspaper report on Shetty's murder, saying that attacks on social activists was a serious issue.

Shetty's brother, Sandip, had filed an intervention application in the matter, seeking CID or CBI inquiry.

The High Court has now issued notice to CBI, seeking its reply as to what steps it has taken regarding the probe by April 21.

DMRC chief Sreedharan hospitalised

NEW DELHI: DMRC chief E Sreedharan was on Wednesday hospitalised after he complained of uneasiness before he was to board a flight to Kolkata.

77-year-old Sreedharan was rushed to Apollo Hospital here at around 11 am, sources said.

"He was to go to Kolkata today and he was in the airport this morning. He felt little dizzy and immediately left for Apollo Hospital," the sources said.

1996 Delhi blast: Court verdict on April 8

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has deferred till April 8 the pronouncement of verdict in the case of the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blast in which 13 people were killed.

District and Sessions Judge S P Garg said that the judgement would be delivered on April 8.

The court had on March 18 reserved the judgement in the case in which 10 alleged militants of Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front, including a woman, have faced the trial.

The blasts had rocked the market on the evening of May 21, 1996, killing 13 and injuring scores of people.

The accused were arrested soon after the incident by police which tracked the calls made by them to various media houses, claiming responsibility for the terror attack.

Those facing trial on various charges, including criminal conspiracy and murder, are Farooq Ahmed Khan, Mohd Naushad, Mirza Iftikhar, Mohd Ali Bhatt, Mirza Nissar Hussain, Latif Ahmed Waza, Syed Maqbool Shah, Javed Ahmed Khan, Abdul Gani and their woman associate Farida Dar.

Situation tense in old city area, curfew to continue till 6pm

HYDERABAD: Situation remained tense on Tuesday in several areas of the old city where curfew was clamped following incidents of communal violence, which left one dead and 80 injured since Saturday.

Curfew, imposed last evening, has been extended till 6 pm today, South Zone DCP Madhusudhan Reddy said.

Due to curfew, 10th class examinations in 140 centres in South Zone area have been postponed, he said.

The Centre has rushed 1,800 paramilitary personnel to restore peace in the sensitive areas. The entire force has been put on alert to maintain law and order in view of Hanuman Jayanti celebrations today.

Fresh violence erupted yesterday in Moghalpura, Shalibanda, Charminar, Aliabad, Falaknuma, Shamsheergunj and Lal Darwaja localities after a group of miscreants pelted stones at passersby which increased tension, police said.

One person was stabbed to death yesterday and another hurt in the Shalibanda area. Another person was injured when a vehicle was attacked at Khilwat Chowrasta, they said.

About 130 persons, suspected to be involved in the communal clashes, have been taken into custody so far, police added.

Scorching week ahead for Delhi

NEW DELHI: With the minimum temperature remaining well above average early Monday, the capital is set for yet another scorching week ahead, the weather office said.

"The minimum temperature recorded early Monday was five degrees above average, at 22 degrees Celsius. The maximum is expected to touch 38 degrees Celsius," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

On Sunday, the minimum and maximum temperature recorded here was 22.3 and 37.5 degrees Celsius respectively- both at least four notches above average for this time of the year.

Clash-hit Hyderabad tense; govt deploying additional forces

HYDERABAD: With situation in the old city remaining tense after communal clashes, the Andhra Pradesh government today said that additional forces, including nearly 1000 paramilitary personnel despatched by the Centre, were being deployed to restore peace in the trouble-hit areas.

The situation continued to be tense following the clashes that erupted last evening, Chief Minister K Rosaiah told the state assembly.

"We are constantly monitoring and reviewing the situation and also talking to the Centre on this. The Centre has sent 10 companies (about 1000 personnel) of paramilitary forces on my request to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram," he said.

At least 36 people were injured in stone-pelting and 70 others taken into custody after the clashes between two communities in the old city. Prohibitory orders were clamped in 18 police stations of south zone and four police stations of Goshamahal division of west zone of the city.

Rosaiah said the government was taking every step to ensure peace and appealed to all sections to observe restraint. "AICC President Sonia Gandhi called me over phone today and enquired about the situation. She has also appealed for peace," the Chief Minister added.

Home Minister P Sabita Reddy visited some of the trouble spots this morning while Director General of Police R R Girish Kumar was in the affected areas till late in the night.

Earlier, the opposition parties pressed for a discussion in the assembly through an adjournment motion on the issue but Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy disallowed it.

Agitated members of the Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen, however, remained insistent on a discussion.

MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said the situation in old city was so volatile that students were unable to venture out to go to the examination centres.

He wanted the government to postpone ongoing exams. The police force posted in old city was inadequate, Owaisi said.

Education Minister D Manikya Varaprasada Rao assured Owaisi that the government would take an appropriate decision on the examinations after obtaining a report on the situation.

The Home Minister, who drove to the assembly after visiting the old city, said the situation was gradually returning to normal.

Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu appealed to people to observe restraint and ensure that things did not flare up.

The MIM MLAs created a din and sought to block the proceedings, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 15 minutes.

YNE Regional