1. TRS in Favour of EVMs: Vinod Kumar
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP B Vinod Kumar has said that his party supports the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and they were satisfied with explanation of the Election Commission of India on the doubts raised by various political parties.
He ridiculed the Congress party for raising doubts over functioning of the EVMs in Telangana and asked whether they had similar views on their party’s win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. He reminded that it was the Congress that introduced EVMs in the country. Vinod Kumar asked the Central government to immediately notify the State roads as national highways as promised earlier and immediately give a gazette notification for the roads sanctioned.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Revenue Intelligence Seize Rs 66 Lakh Worth Smuggled Gold
There is a new modus operandi in town for gangs to smuggle in gold from the gulf countries. Case in point, the gold bars worth Rs 66 lakh seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence at the RGI Airport on Sunday. A preliminary investigation had revealed that the passenger had retrieved the said gold from inside the flight, where it was earlier left behind by another passenger who was travelling from Sharjah to Trivandrum on an international leg.
The attempt, however, was definitely not the first of its kind. At least four cases with similar modus operandi have been registered in major international airports across the country in January alone, the latest being at the Chennai International Airport on Monday. A rather safe method for smugglers and agents, such cases are hard to detect unless there is a tip-off, officials involved in the investigation say. The passenger arrested at the RGI airport on Sunday had retrieved two gold bars weighing more than 1.90 kilos from an Indigo airlines flight that was flying from Indore to Hyderabad.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Five Swine Flu Cases Under Treatment
As winter is coming to an end, five more swine flu cases have been reported at Gandhi Hospital. Out of the five, three cases were referred on January 21 to the hospital from private hospitals after the patients tested positive for H1N1, the swine flu virus.
Of the five patients, three are women and two men. One female patient’s condition is critical and she is now on non-invasive ventilator, doctors at Gandhi Hospital said. The other four patients are stable, the doctors said. As per Gandhi records, five more patients who had symptoms of the flu are now under observation. Their samples were sent to the Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) for testing and the results are awaited. Dr T Promod Kumar of Gandhi Hospital, who has been dealing with cases, said that no fresh cases were reported on Tuesday.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Visually Challenged to March Past on Republic Day
For the first time in Telangana, a contingent of visually challenged students will be participating in a Republic Day parade. A team of 50 visually students – 26 girls and 24 boys – of Nethra Vidyalaya junior and degree colleges have been training for the last few days at Parade Ground in Secunderabad ahead of their participation in the Republic Day Parade to be held at the same venue later this month.
It was in August last year that these students first participated in a march past in their college on the occasion of Independence Day, said Krishna Kumari, a committee member at the Nethra Vidyalaya junior and degree colleges, that are run by the Jeeyar Educational Trust.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Over 100 Kg of Ganja Seized, Two Held
The Prohibition and Excise Department apprehended two persons for allegedly being found in possession of over 100 kg ganja which they intended to sell. V Srinivas (26) and B Ashok Teja (26) were apprehended near the TV Tower area in Malakpet. Sleuths said during the course of investigation, they found out that Srinivas used to supply ganja to sellers in Dhoolpet, Katedan and Narayankhed for about a year.
After analysing call records of the accused, sleuths have identified receivers. In another case, the West Zone Task Force apprehended two students G Manikanta (19) and Md Sohail (20), both residents of Chappal Bazaar, for being in possession of 1 kg ganja which they intended to sell to potential customers.
(Source: The Hindu)
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