Cash bait for canine in cage

Alarmed by stray dogs running amok, the Hyderabad municipal corporation has offered to pay Rs 445 for each canine caged.

Last week, a seven-month-old was mauled to death outside a slum.

Hungry stray dogs had ripped apart four babies last year.

The action came after the state human rights commission registered a case against the civic body, holding it responsible for the death of the baby last week.

Authorities blame people for dumping garbage, including kitchen waste, on the streets, which attracts the stray dogs. Some even feel it’s because of the Hyderabadis’ taste for things non-vegetarian. In Bangalore, where a baby was killed by strays in recent months, it was meat shops that drew fire.

The campaign in Hyderabad has a celebrity ring to it. Blue Cross, involved in sterilising and managing stray dogs, is headed by actress Amala, wife of Telugu star Nagarjuna.

Blog bug bites MLA

He was a popular theatre comedian until Jayalalithaa asked him to perform on a different stage — handing him the chance of becoming an Assembly member.

Ever since he won the election, S.V. Shekhar has been at the cutting edge of Internet fame as the MLA who has a blog dedicated to him and the development of Mylapore, his constituency.

“It’s tapping technology to connect with local politics,” chuckles the ADMK legislator.

The blog runs everything. It could be complaints of people having to pay bribes in the tehsildar’s office or the rudeness of staff.

“You can write comments or pose a query. But there should be no unparliamentary words,” says Shekhar, as he chats with his MLAs in the Assembly lobby over coffee.

But his drive to tap the Web hasn’t diminished his first love — theatre. “Do drop in for my drama too,” he smiles.

More space for airport

It’s a sight that greets frequent fliers to Mumbai, mostly when the plane touches down or takes off from the southern (Kurla) end — rows of slums hugging the airport wall.

Sometimes, as you land, you get the feeling you are descending on the shanties. Now, there is hope the ground reality might change.

Last week, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh asked the MMRDA, an agency tasked with the city’s development, to conduct a survey for relocation of the slums.

The two-month exercise is part of the larger effort to modernise an airport that’s among the country’s busiest.

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel was also present at the meeting where Deshmukh addressed MPs and MLAs on the modernisation. Slums being a sensitive issue, Patel urged all to think of Mumbai at large.

Power pacts

Power-starved Delhi might just escape a summer of discontent.

Last week, the government declared it had made all arrangements to meet the demand for electricity. The reassurance helped ease fears of erratic supply.

The chief of Delhi Transco, one of the companies that feeds the capital, said agreements signed with other states will help meet the peak- season demand.

Madhya Pradesh and Kerala will sell energy from July to October. The cost of power is likely to be around Rs 8, but the company said this would not mean a hike in tariffs.

But pacts to procure electricity for May and June haven’t been inked yet — but that’s precisely the period when the heat will make life miserable.

Chennai: Want to soak in some light Tamil theatre? You could troop into Hamsadhwani this Thursday for an evening of Meesai Aanalum Manaivi (Even with a moustache, she is still your wife). The venue is the Indira Nagar Youth Hostel in Adyar, south Chennai. The show starts at 7 pm.