Date:15/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/15/stories/2008071557920300.htm

Quite a few in the city are suffering from severe mental agony due to the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation imposing the building penalisation scheme in the city though it is not enforced in other cities in the State. The GVMC marking the houses reminds one of the Alibaba and 40 Thieves story, says Praja Spandana president C.S. Rao. According to MLC M.V.S. Sarma, the deadline fixed for July 15 is not going to be extended any further though the CPI (M) had requested it to be extended till December 31. It is obvious that the government will not be in favour of extending the scheme till the eve of elections and many residents’ associations are of the view that there is no harm postponing the payment till the matter is settled in court of law.

Role model

For a cinema star with a string of hits, Allu Arjun seems to be quite different from popular perception of stars. For instance, he says he does not know his earnings and is quite content with the pocket money his father gave him. It’s a different matter that Rs.50,000 a month pocket money may look quite fat for others. But a film star who is an eligible bachelor may not view it that way.

Even as he made his liking for the winsome Vidya Balan known, he is quite sure what he would do when it comes to tying the knot. ‘Papa/mama’s choice’ will get his nod. Off screen, Arjun appears quite a role model parents would love.

Cryptic remark

It was a day to remember for Administrative Reforms Commission Chairman M. Veerappa Moily who was on a day’s trip to Visakhapatnam on Sunday in his capacity as the Congress general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh.

At a time when he is strongly defending the civilian nuclear deal to make India a super power in a few years, he had to address a press conference at Circuit House amid candle lights after an impromptu power shutdown.

He had to wait for sometime after a Congress functionary was asked to arrange some candles on knowing the fact that the Circuit House where VVIPs like Chief Minister and Ministers stay during their official visit, has no generator. Even the emergency light failed to function making it difficult for the reporters to jot down the points.

Fortunately a few minutes later, Union Minister for Urban Development S. Jaipal Reddy arrived. Soon power supply was restored bringing smile on the face of everyone leading to a cryptic comment by Mr. Moily “Jaipal always carries luck along with him!”

(Prabhakkar Sharma, G.V. Prasada Sarma and Santosh Patnaik)