HYDERABAD: With as many as 40 foreigners confined within its four walls, the the Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad has got an `international feel' but Indian inmates are not feeling safe anymore.

Remand prisoners, especially those from African countries, are the worst of the lot as they resort to violence attacking other inmates. "They are a menace. We have had instances of them getting into fights with other prisoners. Whenever we sense that the remand prisoners from African countries are in a belligerent mood, we post more guards to prevent any outbreak of violence," said Chanchalguda jail superintendent Chandrasekhar.

Sources said that in some instances, the jail staff have to physically deal with them and forcibly put them in solitary confinement.

Apart from remand prisoners from African countries, especially Nigeria, the Chanchalguda jail is home to undertrials belonging to Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Japan and European countries. The alleged crime that landed them in prison could be overstaying, include dealing in drugs, committing frauds and terror activities.

Almost all the Sri Lanka prisoners are fishermen who strayed into Indian waters and have been lodged here. The Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad has been designated as a place where foreigners have to be lodged irrespective of where they allegedly committed a crime in the state.

The remand prisoners from other countries apart from having a problem with local prisoners sometimes have a major problem with the food served in the jail.

Since the same provisions of the jail manual apply for foreign prisoners, they cannot be expected to get any special treatment. "Sometimes they angrily throw away their plates," a jail source said. Prison authorities, however, said that based on a recommendation of a jail doctor, the foreign prisoners are given bread.

The frustration of some of the foreign prisoners is also said to be because they have nobody to help them get out of prison. The jail authorities write to the embassies of the countries of the foreign prisoners to take up their case. "Some respond, some do not. Such prisoners get legal help as they are entitled to and given by the government," Chanchalguda jail superintendent Chandrasekhar said.

At the Charlapally Central Prison too, there are three foreigners spending their time as convicts. These include a Pakistani and two Nigerians. The Pakistani prisoner is undergoing a 14-year prison term in a terror-related crime.

Even at the Charlapally jail, the Nigerian convicts have reportedly become a `law and order' problem for the jail staff. Since the huge prison has more accommodation, whenever they posed a problem, they are segregated and isolated. It may be mentioned here that Nigerian nationals caught in the city were involved in financial frauds and cheating apart from peddling drugs. Two days ago, a Nigerian, Okechukwu Ohazuruke was arrested by the city police for selling cocaine.

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Hyderabad : More than a year after the state government scrapped the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project awarded to Maytas Infra, the government today decided to award the Rs 12,132 crore project to Larsen and Toubro Limited.

L&T had emerged as the lowest bidder after fresh bids were called for early this year.

The state Cabinet approved the recommendations of a three-member committee to award the project to L&T that has emerged as the lowest bidder.

L&T has sought Rs 1,458 crore as Viability Gap Funding for the project. The VGF amount would be released by the Government of India while the Andhra Pradesh government would spend Rs 1,980 crore towards the acquisition of 204 acres of land at two places in Hyderabad as well as relief and rehabilitation of the affected
people.

The state government would release Rs 500 crore as the first instalment in the current financial year, said Minister for Information J Geeta Reddy.

L&T would form a special purpose vehicle and enter into a concession agreement with the state government within a month of the Letter of Award.

It would have to provide bank guarantee for Rs 360 crore as performance security and achieve financial closure in six months, the Minister said.

Ground works for the project were scheduled to commence in January 2011, she added.

The project would be completed in five years, covering three high-density traffic corridors over a 70-km route.

Last July, the Government scrapped the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project after Maytas Infra failed to achieve financial closure.

A consortium led by Maytas Infra which was awarded the contract was unable to start the project for various reasons.

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The wedding reception of Justice Sardar Ali Khan’s nephew — Muqtadar Amir Khan with Tahoora Hafsa Khan was an evening of glitz and glam.

The city’s swish set turned up in their best attire to be a part of the celebrations. The décor of the venue at Secunderabad was in traditional style. Close friends took turns wishing the newly weds and clicked pictures with them to capture the moment. Guests were seen catching up with one another while relishing the yummy authentic Hyderabadi spread. Friends and relatives hung about till midnight at the soiree before bidding adieu.

Spotted were Minister Venkat Reddy with daughter Lohita, Aamer Javeed, Zafar Alam Khan, Khaja Khan and Hamed Khaleel among others.

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Mohammed Salahuddin Ayub

Hyderabad: Mohammed Salahuddin Ayub, director and principal of Parkwood International School, had sexually abused more than one girl student, according to Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths investigating one of the most heinous sexual crime cases in the city.

The 55-year-old-director, who has three sons in the same age group as his victims, was produced before the additional chief metropolitan court on Friday and was remanded in judicial custody till August 5. He was taken to Cherlapally jail.

Before producing him in the court, the sleuths took the accused to Osmania General Hospital to check his medical fitness and then APFSL to conduct a potency test. The seized a handycam with memory card in which the accused allegedly recorded all the sleazy videos of the victims and a .32 pistol, with which the accused had allegedly threatened the victim.

Police have also recorded statements from a doctor of Hyderabad Nursing Home near GHMC headquarters, to whom Ayub took the class XI student for abortion. In her statement, the doctor reportedly told the police that by the time Ayub brought the girl to hospital, her pregnancy had already got terminated by pills. As a result, they merely provided treatment to her.

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