Three ‘Benamis’ of Siva Balakrishna arrested by ACB
Hyderabad: In continuation of crackdown against tainted officer Siva Balakrishna, Anti corruption Bureau(ACB) arrested three men who colluded with the tainted officer and assisted him to acquire properties illegally exploiting his government job. The arrests were made on Tuesday. This is the third series of arrests after Siva Balakrishna and his brother Siva Naveen. Siva Balakrishna held key positions during the previous regime in the state. He was Planning Officer in Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited at the time of arrest. He worked as a former Director in HMDA, Hyderabad.
The ACB officials who are investigating the Disproportionate Assets(DA) case of Siva Balakrishna unveiled the links of three men who assisted him. Preliminary probe indicated that the accused Godavarthi Satyanarayana Murthy aged 62 years, Penta Bharath Kumar, aged 34 years and Penta Bharani Kumar, aged 30 years actively assisted and abetted Siva Balakrishna to commit the offence of acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Further the tainted money was used to acquire properties and register them on their names in a way acting as the ‘benamis’ of Siva Balakrishna, said ACB in an official statement released on Tuesday. All the three accused were produced before the court and sent to judicial custody.
Searches conducted in January
It is pertinent to note that in the month of January this year, 2024, ACB conducted simultaneous searches in Siva Balakrishna’s house and Sixteen other places belonging to his relatives, friends and other associates recovered whooping Eight crores twenty six lakhs worth of properties. The unearth properties include one crore cash and Gold and silver ornaments.
ACB arrests Three Private accused persons in Ex HMDA Director Siva Balakrishna's Disproportionate Assets case
In continuation of the investigation of the Disproportionate assets case of Siva Balakrishna, Ex.Director, HMDA, on Tuesday; Anti-Corruption Bureau, Telangana arrested… pic.twitter.com/wo9NEVwmR2
— Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) April 23, 2024
Siva Balakrishna was questioned by ACB for four days and later sent to judicial custody in the month of February. Further ACB delved deep into the illegal properties of Siva Balakrishna which went unchecked for a long period of time.
Customer demands action after receiving spoiled samosas from Burfi Ghar
Hyderabad: A customer in Hyderabad reported a food safety violation after receiving spoiled samosas in a Zomato order from Burfi Ghar, a restaurant in Kondapur.
Abhishek Sengupta (@abhi_shek707) took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to bring the issue to the attention of relevant authorities.
Sengupta tagged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Commissionerate of Food Safety (CFS), Telangana, urging them to take action against Burfi Ghar, a restaurant located in Kondapur. “This shop, #burfighar, needs to be shut down,” Sengupta wrote. “I ordered samosa through @zomato, and they have sent spoilt food. On calling them, they’re only willing to send fresh samosas. Their quality has gone down the drain. Ban this FBO. #zomato #ghmc #FoodSafety.”
This shop, #burfighar needs to be shut down. Ordered samosa through @zomato and they have sent spoilt food. On calling them, they’re willing to send fresh samosas. Their quality has gone down the drains. Ban this FBO. #zomato #ghmc #FoodSafety pic.twitter.com/LlOKGBt0xj
— abhishek sengupta (@abhi_shek707) July 3, 2024
Sengupta urged Zomato, the food delivery platform, to take food safety seriously and remove such restaurants from their listings.
In a recent incident, a customer discovered a deep-fried plastic cover in their chicken biryani ordered from Mehfil Restaurant’s Manikonda branch in a series of food safety violations. This incident follows a recent complaint wherein another customer found a safety pin in a biryani from the same Manikonda Mehfil outlet.
Taking to ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter, Zelani S (@Zelani_A) expressed dismay, saying, “Yesterday I ordered Chicken Biryani from Mehfil and found a deep-fried plastic cover (completely fried plastic bag) in it. Unfortunately, it was at the bottom of the pack, so I had already eaten half before realizing.” @cfs_telangana was tagged in the tweet, highlighting this incident and the previous complaint about the safety pin found in food from the Manikonda Mehfil outlet.
Another customer, @AnirudhActor, reported finding a safety pin in his biryani from Mehfil Restaurant in Manikonda on June 29th. This incident comes shortly after bugs were discovered in biryani served at Mehfil’s Kukatpally branch.
Hyderabad City Police replied to the post of @AnirudhActor, stating, “Please WhatsApp Cyberabad police at 8712663061, as the mentioned location falls under their jurisdiction. @GHMCOnline.”
In a separate incident, a customer named Sai Teja warned against ordering from Mehfil’s Kukatpally branch after finding bugs in the chicken pieces. He also shared his dissatisfaction with his refund experience via Swiggy.
Meanwhile, another customer found a strand of hair in their chutney at Chutneys in AS Rao Nagar. Srikhande Umesh Kumar, Founder and President of Know Your Rights NGO, shared the unpleasant experience on social media, mentioning that while the manager acknowledged the issue and replaced the dish, it remained a negative experience.
In response to Srikhande’s complaint, authorities swiftly fined Chutneys Rs. 5,000. The Commissioner of Food Safety in Telangana took action, prompting Srikhande to appreciate their swift response while raising concerns about the TDS water level served at the restaurant.
Hyderabad residents demand road repairs, trash removal in SR Nagar, Ameerpet
Hyderabad: Residents in SR Nagar, BK Guda, and Ameerpet are fuming over the deplorable condition of their local roads. Extensive potholes and damaged surfaces have made daily commutes a nightmare for motorists and pedestrians.
The situation is particularly severe along the stretch connecting SR Nagar and Ameerpet, where roads near computer training institutes have significantly deteriorated. Overflowing garbage accumulating along the roadside due to a lack of proper collection has compounded residents’ woes. This stagnant trash raises concerns about the potential spread of seasonal diseases.
Fearing for their safety, residents have demanded immediate action from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
While speaking to the Hyderabad Mail, MA Ahmed, a resident, said, “Our primary requests include patchwork repairs to address the immediate dangers posed by the dilapidated roads. We are concerned about accidents, particularly for two-wheeler riders who may lose control due to skids on uneven surfaces.”
Residents have also urged the GHMC to implement a more efficient sanitation system to prevent further trash buildup. They fear stagnant water accumulating around the garbage can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects, posing a public health risk.
Due to upcoming traffic diversion at Balkampet, SR nagar roads need patchwork + repairs @GHMCOnline @HiHyderabad @THHyderabad @ActivistTeja @AmitLeliSlayer @anusha_puppala @revathitweets @CoreenaSuares2 @krishna_avs @amksocialwork @Team_Road_Squad @ZC_Khairatabad @RVKRao2 pic.twitter.com/30oZFvs0sN
— Rusty (@Rusty_2001) July 2, 2024
With traffic diversions planned for Balkampet soon, residents like MA Ahmed have emphasized the urgency of patching and repairing SR Nagar roads. He has also reported the issue on social media to raise awareness.
Krishna Chaitanya, another resident, took to the ‘X’ social media platform (previously known as Twitter) to highlight the problem and tag relevant officials. “This is how in many parts of the city water is stagnating & there is no action from @GHMCOnline,” he wrote. “How can pedestrians walk when water stagnates like this? Left lane to ICICI Bank SR Nagar, Srinivasa Colony East. @gadwalvijayainc, @CommissionerGHMC.”
@revanth_anumula @TelanganaCMO This is how in many parts of the city water is stagnating & there is no action from @GHMCOnline.
How can pedestrians walk when water got stagnated like this?
Left lane to ICICI Bank SR Nagar, Srinivasa Colony East.@gadwalvijayainc @CommissionrGHMC pic.twitter.com/oSLmL8fOLL— Krishna Chaitanya 🌳♻️ (@krishna_avs) July 3, 2024
The residents have urged the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to prioritize these issues to ensure the safety and well-being of Hyderabad’s citizens.
