&nbsp;Hyderabad Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy on Saturday regretted not carrying a handkerchief with her, especially when she needed it most.
She needed the handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose to escape the unbearable stench at the Begumbazaar fish market.
Ms Karthika Reddy was at the fish market as part of her planned tour to nine markets owned by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. Of these nine markets out of the 25 owned by the Corporation, the Mayor managed to visit only four on Saturday. The Mozzam Jahi Market has 189 shops at the rate of 62 paise per sq ft. The Begumbazaar Fish Market has 173 shops spread on one acre of land. These shops fetch 32 paise per sq ft to the GHMC. Apart from the Uppal Market, the rents were fixed in 1981 and have not been increased since.
Likewise, the Murgi Chowk has 210 shops which are charged 21 paise per sq ft. The Uppal Market has 196 shops. This was built in 1999 and allotted to the shopkeepers in 2000. Relatively in a much better condition, these shops fetch the GHMC Rs 4.71 per sq ft.
The tour was taken out to inspect the shops and then increase the rents after talking to the shopkeepers.
Ms Karthika Reddy&rsquo;s envy of the three Standing Committee members, Additional Commissioner Planning, Estates Officer, Zonal Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and other officials of having handkerchiefs on their person came at the Begumbazaar fish market and the Moazzam Jahi Markets when she was overpowered at the stench of rotting fish and vegetables.
The shopkeepers had been told about the trip beforehand, and they had arguments ready to counter the proposed hike of rentals.
The condition of the shops there, especially the leaking roofs at the Moazzam Jahi Market, stagnant sewerage water, lack of drinking water and toilets, absence of streetlights and the piles of garbage, made sure that these shopkeepers did not need to enter into any arguments.
The Mayor came, saw and left defeated. &nbsp;
After all, who could challenge the total neglect of the GHMC properties with the evidence not only before the eyes, but also in the nose?
The overwhelming evidence before the Mayor forced her to announce that these markets would be developed and also make her vow that the problems would be immediately addressed.
Ms Karthika Reddy promised to demolish the market in Murgi Chowk and rebuild it. This would be easy since the roof of the market had caved in a long time ago and only the four walls remain intact.
Former Mayor Mir Zulfiqar Ali suggested that the Murgi Chowk could be developed as part of the Charminar Pedestrian Project.
Mr Zulfiqar also suggested that the markets be developed through the Build-Operate-Transfer mode. Mr Zulfiqar&rsquo;s suggestions might have been very well meaning. But offering a suggestion when someone is making promises sometimes lead to the person making promises stop and reconsider. It is feared that these suggestions may have just acted like the proverbial spanner in the works.&nbsp;
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General News

Stench defeats purpose of Mayor's field trip 

As forecasted earlier, Mahesh Babu has shown his stamina at BO arriving after three years of gap with his &lsquo;Khaleja&rsquo; yesterday. Everywhere it was housefuls and Mahesh Fans thoroughly enjoyed the appearance of their Prince on the screen. Result is that, Mahesh Babu has created a new record with his first day collections, as said by Producer C. Kalyan.&nbsp;
Area&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Collection (Rs)
Nizam &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;1.3 Crores
Ceded &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 97 Lakhs
Guntur &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 59 Lakhs
West Godavari &nbsp; &nbsp;35 Lakhs&nbsp;
Krishna &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;31.5 Lakhs
East Godavari &nbsp; &nbsp; 28 Lakhs
Vizag &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 28 Lakhs &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Nellore &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 21 Lakhs
In total, first day share for &lsquo;Khaleja&rsquo; in Andhra Pradesh was known to be Rs. 4.3 Crores, an achievement by Mahesh Babu.

Khaleja First Day Record Collections

The phrase, &lsquo;Incredible India&rsquo; coined by the government to attract the attention of the world to the splendour, beauty and the culture of the country.
Seemingly, the government has concentrated too hard on attracting the attention of the world and neglecting the people of the country, especially the beggars.
The beggars not only harass the tourists for alms, but lately, this harassment has turned into torment.
The beggars somehow escape the eyes of the police department at the many historical places and literally chase the tourists, some even running after the auto-rickshaws ferrying them. The beggars even chase the tourists inside the Andhra Pradesh Tourisms buses.
&nbsp;With the currency exchange rate of the Indian Rupee being lower than that of many developed nations, the tourists hand over more money to the beggars than the locals.
As many as 400 to 500 foreign visitors come to see the Charminar each day, making it the preferred destination for tourists and beggars alike.
The tourists come to see the historic Charminar, while the beggars come to target easy money.
International tourists are not the only ones to become the beggars&rsquo; target.
Sandeep Shukla from Rajasthan said that, &ldquo;I came here to see the historical Hyderabad city and had stopped at the Charminar along with my family and my friend who is a native here. The moment I stepped foot from the car, I was surrounded by the beggars who did not let me through till I gave them some money.&rdquo;
A visitor from Delhi, Sheela Tandon told INN, &ldquo;Delhi which has many historical places and tourism spots is not plagued by the beggar menace to this extent. Even the Taj Mahal in Agra is free of beggars.&rdquo; &ldquo;I wish the government would do something to curb the menace, otherwise I for one would not want to get harassed again,&rdquo; Tandon adds.
Vandana, a beggar claimed that if she targets the foreign tourists, she gets more money. &ldquo;I earn between 300-400 rupees a day, sometimes some tourists even hand me foreign currency,&rdquo; Vandana adds.

Beggars mock 'Incredible India' slogan

The authorities of Goddess Kanaka Durga temple on Indrakeeladri are gearing up for the Navaratri (9 days) festival scheduled to begin on October 8.
According to sources, the Devasthanam authorities are planned to put in place five queues for smooth passage of devotees and pilgrims.
The authorities made two free darshan queues for regular devotees, Rs 50 and Rs 100 special darshan queues and Rs 250 queue for VIPs. The queues will begin from Vinayaka temple on Canal Road and continue up to hill shrine.
The Devasthanam has made special arrangements for transporting VIPs, aged people, physically challenged and media persons. On the Ghat road, only the vehicles of Temple authorities would be permitted.
The Devasthanam took a decision not to permit private vehicles and others due to shortage of space on the hill shrine as lakhs of devotees throng temple to mark Dasara celebrations.
The Goddess Durga is decorated and seen as she takes the avatar of 10 different Goddesses based on the lunar calendar. These Goddesses are, Sri Swarna Kavachalakruta Devi, Sri Annapurnaa Devi, Sri Gayatri Devi, Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi, Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi, Sri Saraswati Devi, Sri Maha Lakshmi Devi, Sri Durga Devi, Sri Mahishasura Mardhini Devi and Sri Raja Rajeshwari Devi.
The authorities have allocated Rs 1.50 crore for Dasara arrangements and proposed to give five laddus to each devotee at a cost of Rs 5 each.
Commissioner of Police P S R Anjaneyulu stated that 2,500 police persons were deputed from different parts of the state for foolproof security arrangements.&nbsp;

Stench defeats purpose of Mayor's field trip

Khaleja First Day Record Collections

Khaleja First Day Record Collections

Khaleja First Day Record Collections

Khaleja First Day Record Collections

Beggars mock 'Incredible India' slogan

Beggars mock 'Incredible India' slogan

Beggars mock 'Incredible India' slogan

Beggars mock 'Incredible India' slogan

Dasara preparations in full swing at Indrakeeladri

Dasara preparations in full swing at Indrakeeladri

Dasara preparations in full swing at Indrakeeladri