Sunday, August 22, 2010
NRI fined for cutting trees in UK
An Indian-origin man who cut down protected trees in Leicestershire has been penalised with a fine of £1,500 for contravening a tree preservation order. Narborough-based Chanda Chawla pleaded guilty at Leicester magistrates' court to two charges of contravening a tree preservation order. Blaby District Council solicitor Joanne Devlin said the trees were cut down in the Narborough Conservation Area, reports said. She said Chawla had been sent three letters by the council advising him to check whether he was in a conservation area, or that any trees were covered by a preservation order before doing anything to them. "He showed a total disregard for the legislation and the preservation order," she added. One of the trees, a mature maple, was described in court as having been "drastically reduced, cropped in a crude manner and lost most of its visual amenity." Victoria Jones, representing Chawla, said he was deeply sorry and had initially just wanted to tidy up. But when he saw the amount of rubbish in the area, he felt he needed to do more. He was fined £500 for each offence and ordered to pay £560 costs with a £15 surcharge.
Cocaine list gives rich and famous the jitters
Hyderabad, Aug. 21: With the names of film stars and children of VIPs whose cellphone numbers featured in the call logs of arrested African drug dealers out in the open, Saturday saw a flurry of denials from several of these celebrities and politicians.
Sources said that the call logs of Nigerian and Ugandan drug peddlers Patrick, Donald and Clement featured phone numbers of film actors Daggubati Rana, Kamna Jethmalani, Trisha, Charmi, Poonam Kaur, Madhushalini, Saira Bhanu, Uppalapati Ravi Srinivas, Bobby alias Nanduri Uday, Raja, his friend Sushant and Nani of the film Ashta Chemma.
Phone numbers of MP Bhuma Nagi Reddy’s daughter Ms Mounika Reddy, Telugu Desam leader, Mr Aravind Goud’s son, Mr Vinod Goud, MP Mr Mohammed Azharuddin’s son, MP Mr Lagadapati Rajagopal’s son, Mr Asrit, MP Mr Harsha Kumar’s son, Mr Sriraj and MP Mr Anjani Kumar Yadav’s son were also found in the call logs of the drug peddlers as well as that of Mr Ravi
Teja’s brother Mr Bharat Raju.
Several of these film stars and VIPs said that they had nothing to do with the arrested drug dealers and that they were not involved in the issue.
Photographs of Trisha with several Nigerians are also doing the rounds on the Internet. On her Twitter account, Trisha stated, “News being spread about me is false. My lawyer is speaking with concerned authorities.”
Ms Mounika Reddy, daughter of Bhuma Nagi Reddy said, “I don’t know how my number figured in their mobile phone. I have no connections with them. For a day or two I remember I lost my cellphone and I got it again.”
'Landline phones should have 10-digit numbers'
NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator Trai on Friday recommended that fixed line telephones should have 10-digit numbers like mobile phones to avoid a situation in which there are not enough numbers due to growing demand.
Trai has called for the new phone number system to be implemented by December next year. However, Trai said, "The existing 10-digit numbering scheme for mobile telephony should be continued to avoid inconvenience to the customers that would accompany any move to shift to an 11-digit numbering scheme," in a statement.
In January this year, Trai had initiated a consultation process on several important issues related to numbering resources, as it was anticipated that there would be a shortage of numbers to be allocated given the explosive growth in the Indian telecom industry.
"Both fixed line and mobile phones will have a 10-digit number. This would make available enough numbers to cater to expansion of existing services and introduction of new services for the next 30-40 years," Trai added.
The move will also facilitate extension of number portability to fixed lines. The authority said that while all preparations for extension of the 10-digit numbering scheme to fixed lines will be complete by September 30, 2011, the actual migration should be completed by December 31, 2011. Once recommendations are accepted, Trai proposes to go ahead with the preparation of a detailed plan for migration to the integrated numbering scheme. pti
Trai has called for the new phone number system to be implemented by December next year. However, Trai said, "The existing 10-digit numbering scheme for mobile telephony should be continued to avoid inconvenience to the customers that would accompany any move to shift to an 11-digit numbering scheme," in a statement.
In January this year, Trai had initiated a consultation process on several important issues related to numbering resources, as it was anticipated that there would be a shortage of numbers to be allocated given the explosive growth in the Indian telecom industry.
"Both fixed line and mobile phones will have a 10-digit number. This would make available enough numbers to cater to expansion of existing services and introduction of new services for the next 30-40 years," Trai added.
The move will also facilitate extension of number portability to fixed lines. The authority said that while all preparations for extension of the 10-digit numbering scheme to fixed lines will be complete by September 30, 2011, the actual migration should be completed by December 31, 2011. Once recommendations are accepted, Trai proposes to go ahead with the preparation of a detailed plan for migration to the integrated numbering scheme. pti
I’m no perfectionist: Aamir
'Mr Perfectionist' is a tag that has always been associated with Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan but the actor-producer says that he only tries to do work that he believes in.
"I don't see myself as a perfectionist. I don't think anyone is perfect and anyone can be. I am someone who enjoys doing what I am doing and I do it with lot of love and passion," Khan told PTI in an interview during his recent visit to Melbourne Film Festival 2010. The actor, who worked hard on his body for an eight-pack look in 'Ghajini' only to lose those muscles for a plump look in '3 Idiots', is also averse to being called a methodical actor.
"I don't know if being called as methodical is the right word to describe me. Each time I approach the material in a new way. So there is not one method for me, I m not a trained actor, so I don't know what method acting is," Khan said. His films 'Laagan', 'Taare Zameen Par', '3 Idiots', and now 'Peepli Live' have all made it big at the box office around the globe and he attributes his success to a talented team.
"I ve been successful in my career and I m grateful but you have to remember film making is a collective art form and all the films I have done and have been successful are not a result of me alone. They are result of a lot of talented people coming together and doing a good work."
His latest production stars a motley of theatre actors and depicts the growing rural and urban divide in India, but Khan says he does not think about awards while working on a movie. "I never have Oscar or any other awards ceremony in my mind when I m doing my film. I believe that I make my films for my audience and for myself and in the process if my film does get selected to the platform which showcases the film to an audience which does not get to see Indian films then thats great," Khan said.
On the query if he was trying to change the landscape for Bollywood by his meaningful cinema, Khan says he invests his energies into good movies. "I have been working in film industry for more than two decades and I am sure I have my energies into it. I found that in past 20 years, from that time till now. I am swimming against tide and I'm glad that I have certain amount of success in that. But I am not doing films to change anything," Khan said.
As far as naming his lady luck goes, he says,"Kiran and I have been working together for more than 4 years and she has helped me produce films like TZP, 'Jaane tu Ya Jaane Naa' and now 'Peepli Live'. She has contributed towards my success and she is someone who I regard and respect highly," Khan said.
"I don't see myself as a perfectionist. I don't think anyone is perfect and anyone can be. I am someone who enjoys doing what I am doing and I do it with lot of love and passion," Khan told PTI in an interview during his recent visit to Melbourne Film Festival 2010. The actor, who worked hard on his body for an eight-pack look in 'Ghajini' only to lose those muscles for a plump look in '3 Idiots', is also averse to being called a methodical actor.
"I don't know if being called as methodical is the right word to describe me. Each time I approach the material in a new way. So there is not one method for me, I m not a trained actor, so I don't know what method acting is," Khan said. His films 'Laagan', 'Taare Zameen Par', '3 Idiots', and now 'Peepli Live' have all made it big at the box office around the globe and he attributes his success to a talented team.
"I ve been successful in my career and I m grateful but you have to remember film making is a collective art form and all the films I have done and have been successful are not a result of me alone. They are result of a lot of talented people coming together and doing a good work."
His latest production stars a motley of theatre actors and depicts the growing rural and urban divide in India, but Khan says he does not think about awards while working on a movie. "I never have Oscar or any other awards ceremony in my mind when I m doing my film. I believe that I make my films for my audience and for myself and in the process if my film does get selected to the platform which showcases the film to an audience which does not get to see Indian films then thats great," Khan said.
On the query if he was trying to change the landscape for Bollywood by his meaningful cinema, Khan says he invests his energies into good movies. "I have been working in film industry for more than two decades and I am sure I have my energies into it. I found that in past 20 years, from that time till now. I am swimming against tide and I'm glad that I have certain amount of success in that. But I am not doing films to change anything," Khan said.
As far as naming his lady luck goes, he says,"Kiran and I have been working together for more than 4 years and she has helped me produce films like TZP, 'Jaane tu Ya Jaane Naa' and now 'Peepli Live'. She has contributed towards my success and she is someone who I regard and respect highly," Khan said.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Nims' image gets hit as jailbirds nest in comfort..
HYDERABAD: Ramalinga Raju's prolonged stay at the state-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) spanning almost a year is just one of the many episodes that have corroded the equity of this premier teaching hospital. Several VIPs have misused the hospital's `safe' private suites to evade gruelling prison stay.
The unbroken record of P V Ranga Rao, son of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who spent 513 days in a VIP suite of the hospital's Millennium Block between February 2001 and September 2002, is the most glaring instance. Hours after he was arrested for duping actor Rajnikanth for a huge sum, Rao complained of chest pain and happily landed at Nims.
Incidentally, apart from Rao, Ramalinga Raju and K S Raju of Nagarjuna Finance Limited too cashed in on `chest pain' to stay away from the cell and enjoyed the cool comforts of the private room at the hospital.
Recollecting Ranga Rao's stay, a senior official at Nims said that since he happened to be a VIP and the son of a VVIP, they could not get him to vacate the room. "The hospital authorities went to the extent of calling up the prime minister's office as he was not ready to leave the room even after getting bail. Rao, who was unwilling to pay the bills that ran into lakhs, was later forcefully evicted from the hospital," said the official.
Following Rao's footsteps was Telugu film actor Balakrishna who evaded prison stay after firing at two producers in 2004. Balakrishna, son of former chief minister and film star N T Rama Rao, was treated for depression and left Nims only after he got bail.
While Maddelacheruvu Suryanarayana Reddy, popularly known as Suri, accused in the murder of Paritala Ravi followed suit and took a two month `break' from Cherlapally jail to stay at a private room at Nims on the pretext of ill health, senior doctors say that in the melee, these unwarranted admissions cast a shadow on the hospital's image. "Nims is a state-un facility and if the jail authorities send such cases, it is obligatory on our part to accept them. However, the prisoners are taking advantage and manipulating from inside the hospital rooms," said a doctor.
Doctors say that since prisoners cannot be admitted to private hospitals, Osmania General Hospital or Gandhi Hospital are two other options. However, most VIPs prefer Nims. While VIP prisoners pay from their own pockets, for other prisoners who are here for a short stay, jail authorities pay, adds a source.
At the end of the day, it is the hospital and the patients who continue to be at the receiving end. After the chaos at the hospital during TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal's stay last December over Telangana, Nims, which incurred huge losses, is still facing the repercussions. Senior doctors who spent long hours unnecessarily on answering police queries, attending court when such VIPs are admitted, say that patients are the end losers with the hospital facing a shortage of doctors.
The unbroken record of P V Ranga Rao, son of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who spent 513 days in a VIP suite of the hospital's Millennium Block between February 2001 and September 2002, is the most glaring instance. Hours after he was arrested for duping actor Rajnikanth for a huge sum, Rao complained of chest pain and happily landed at Nims.
Incidentally, apart from Rao, Ramalinga Raju and K S Raju of Nagarjuna Finance Limited too cashed in on `chest pain' to stay away from the cell and enjoyed the cool comforts of the private room at the hospital.
Recollecting Ranga Rao's stay, a senior official at Nims said that since he happened to be a VIP and the son of a VVIP, they could not get him to vacate the room. "The hospital authorities went to the extent of calling up the prime minister's office as he was not ready to leave the room even after getting bail. Rao, who was unwilling to pay the bills that ran into lakhs, was later forcefully evicted from the hospital," said the official.
Following Rao's footsteps was Telugu film actor Balakrishna who evaded prison stay after firing at two producers in 2004. Balakrishna, son of former chief minister and film star N T Rama Rao, was treated for depression and left Nims only after he got bail.
While Maddelacheruvu Suryanarayana Reddy, popularly known as Suri, accused in the murder of Paritala Ravi followed suit and took a two month `break' from Cherlapally jail to stay at a private room at Nims on the pretext of ill health, senior doctors say that in the melee, these unwarranted admissions cast a shadow on the hospital's image. "Nims is a state-un facility and if the jail authorities send such cases, it is obligatory on our part to accept them. However, the prisoners are taking advantage and manipulating from inside the hospital rooms," said a doctor.
Doctors say that since prisoners cannot be admitted to private hospitals, Osmania General Hospital or Gandhi Hospital are two other options. However, most VIPs prefer Nims. While VIP prisoners pay from their own pockets, for other prisoners who are here for a short stay, jail authorities pay, adds a source.
At the end of the day, it is the hospital and the patients who continue to be at the receiving end. After the chaos at the hospital during TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal's stay last December over Telangana, Nims, which incurred huge losses, is still facing the repercussions. Senior doctors who spent long hours unnecessarily on answering police queries, attending court when such VIPs are admitted, say that patients are the end losers with the hospital facing a shortage of doctors.
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