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New Indian Express
28-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Pilgrims troubled as Bhadrachalam chokes on garbage amid sanitation staff protest over reduced salary
KHAMMAM: Due to poor sanitation, the temple town of Bhadrachalam has been in a state of disarray for the past two months. Sources said the outsourcing staff have not been discharging their duties because of reduced salaries. The unhygienic conditions are troubling pilgrims visiting from across the country. Locals have also criticised the government's inaction. Garbage has piled up across the town, including near the temple. Of the 285 sanitation and drainage workers, nearly 140 have stopped reporting to duty. Most of the absentees are from the drainage and road-cleaning sections. Officials said only seven out of 90 drainage workers are currently on duty. Earlier, the gram panchayat paid each worker Rs 12,000 per month. This was reduced to Rs 9,500 recently. 'We can't run our families on such low pay,' said worker K Ramana, adding that daily-wage labourers earn up to Rs 15,000 a month. 'Despite working 8 to 12 hours a day, we are paid just Rs 9,500,' he lamented. Local resident B Shanker Reddy said the mosquito menace has worsened, causing illness, especially among children and the elderly. Another resident, B Ramana Reddy, said the issue must be resolved urgently as Bhadrachalam is a temple town. Devotees have also raised complaints about the foul smell and garbage heaps. Gram Panchayat executive officer Ch Srinivas said the issue has been taken up with the government and that they are managing sanitation with the available staff.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Parents made to buy books from pvt publishers at double the cost
1 2 Hyderabad: With schools set to reopen on June 12 for the new academic year, many parents have complained that book prices are skyrocketing, forcing them to spend around Rs 10,000 on books for primary classes alone. They claim that schools are forcing them to purchase books from private publishers when more affordable options are available. "For two children under the age of 10, we paid over Rs 22,000 for books. Why are these books so expensive? What makes them different to books from the National Council of Educational Research and Training or state boards?" asked K Ramana, a parent. Another parent, Sri Lakshmi, said that she had paid Rs 7,000 for her son's nursery books. "I really don't understand what they are going to teach a three-year-old, apart from numbers, the alphabet and rhymes. Why do we have to pay so much just for his books? It just looks like another unregulated area where schools are making money," she added. Parents alleged that, although schools receive discounts from publishers, they do not pass these on to parents. This forces parents to pay the MRP printed on books, leaving managements with a profit margin of 40% to 50%, sometimes even more. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Venado Tuerto (ver precio) Verisure Undo "Schools are not supposed to sell books on their premises. However, many schools have stalls set up on campus. Parents are forced to buy books from these stalls at high prices, even though the same books are available more cheaply online or at stalls outside," said K Venkat Sainath, organising secretary of the Hyderabad Schools' Parents Association. The Telangana Education Commission said that they are aware of the issue, having received several complaints from parents. "This is a blatant violation of the rules. Schools are not allowed to sell books. They must release the names of publishers and vendors so that parents can buy from wherever they want. But schools are forcing parents to buy books and even book covers at exorbitant prices from the school itself. The same goes for uniforms, shoes and other items. We are going to raise this issue with the school education department," said PL Vishweshwer Rao, a member of the commission.
