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News from October 6, 2025

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Govt order on BC reservation: One more petition filed in Telangana High Court
Technology

Govt order on BC reservation: One more petition filed in Telangana High Court

By Legal Correspondent Hyderabad: Another petition has been filed in the Telangana High Court challenging the State government’s decision to provide 42 percent reservation to Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections through G.O. No. 9. The petition was filed by advocates C Shanthappa and S Lakshmaiah of Dharur village in Vikarabad district. The petitioners contended that granting 42 percent reservation to BCs as a single block was invalid under the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, which mandates category-wise allocation for BC groups A, B, C and D. They argued that issuing the G.O. without such division was arbitrary and unconstitutional. The petitioners pointed out that the Anantharaman Commission had classified BCs into four groups, and failing to distribute reservation accordingly would benefit only the dominant BC castes such as Munnur Kapu, Mudiraj, Yadava and Gowda, while depriving the most backward and economically weaker castes. They urged the Court to direct the Government to apportion BC reservations in local bodies category-wise as per Section 9(4) of the Panchayat Raj Act and to amend the G.O. accordingly before conducting elections. The matter is likely to be heard on October 8 along with previously filed petitions by B Madhav Reddy and others, which also challenge the same government order. Meanwhile, several implead petitions have been filed in support of the 42 percent BC reservation. MLC Teenmar Mallanna, Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, Mettu Saikumar, Lakshmana Yadav, BC Intellectuals Forum President T Chiranjeevulu and others have approached the Court defending the G.O. They argued that the 50 percent ceiling on total reservations applies only to education and employment, not to political representation. They also pointed out that the limit was already crossed in the case of EWS reservations provided by the Central Government. The petitioners maintained that the present BC reservations comply with Supreme Court guidelines. All these petitions are expected to come up for hearing before the High Court on October 8.

Telangana Today
RTC hike triggers passengers backlash/ Commuters fume over high cost and poor service
Technology

RTC hike triggers passengers backlash/ Commuters fume over high cost and poor service

Hyderabad: The steep increase in Hyderabad’s city bus fares, effective from Monday, has triggered a wave of frustration and financial concern among daily commuters, notwithstanding the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation’s (TGSRTC) claim that the hike is meant to fund green mobility. The sharp fare hike, ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 10 on city services, came into effect on Monday just as post-Dasara festival crowds began streaming back into the city, making an already tiring journey even more costly. The hike drew immediate reactions at major terminals like MGBS, JBS, and Lingampalli, where long queues marked the morning rush. Many passengers returning from their native places found the fares unexpectedly higher than when they had left. “We just came back from Karimnagar, and the city bus fare suddenly went up by Rs 10. It is unfair right after the holidays, but more importantly, it hits our monthly budget hard,” said Sravan, a private employee from Kukatpally. The TGSRTC announced on Saturday that the minimum fare for Ordinary and Metro Express buses has been increased by Rs 5 for the initial stages and by Rs 10 from the fourth stage onwards. Compounding the financial burden, bus pass fares were also recently increased by Rs 150 to Rs 300 across all categories. The cumulative effect of these hikes is placing significant stress on low and middle-income workers. “I spend about Rs 100 daily on buses. Now it is Rs 120, which means an extra Rs 400 a month. For a factory worker like me, that money is a major cut into my savings for essentials,” lamented Raju, a factory worker from Balanagar. While officials defended the fare hike as essential for maintaining operations and funding the new e-bus infrastructure, passengers argued that affordability should be the priority. Commuters also complained that overcrowding and delays persist despite the higher fares, leaving them with reduced service quality at increased cost. For many city residents, Monday’s return to routine began not just with traffic and fatigue, but with the immediate challenge of affording costlier bus rides.

C. Romeo
Officials gearing up for cotton procurement in erstwhile Khammam
Technology

Officials gearing up for cotton procurement in erstwhile Khammam

Khammam: District administrations in Khammam and Kothagudem have been gearing up for cotton procurement in the current season. According to agriculture officials, cotton was cultivated in 2.25 lakh acres in Khammam and about 27.07 lakh quintals yield is expected. It is proposed to procure the produce at five Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) centres and nine ginning mills. Agricultural Marketing Regional Deputy Director Padmavati said that in the wake of the falling price of cotton in the open market, action has been taken to purchase through CCI by paying the minimum support price. The support price for quality cotton with eight per cent moisture is Rs 8110 per quintal. If the moisture percentage decreases, the support price will decrease, and agricultural officials should create awareness among farmers about this, she said. Padmavati said cotton farmers could book a slot from home using the Kapas Kisan app. For cotton purchase-related services, farmers should contact toll-free number 18005995779 and WhatsApp number 8897281111. In Kothagudem, agriculture officials estimated that cotton crop was cultivated in 1.72 lakh acres and 26.56 lakh quintals yield is expected. Six CCI purchase centres have been set up in the district. Meanwhile, Telangana Rythu Sangham district secretary Bonthu Rambabu wanted the CCI to relax the rule of purchasing cotton only from farmers who registered their names in the Kapas Kisan app. The CCI decision might cause a loss for cotton farmers. He said that farmers in rural areas might not have access to smartphones or may not even know how to handle the app. Hence, the produce should be procured according to the records of farmers available with the agricultural department, he added.

Telangana Today
Oldest snow leopard in British zoo dies
Technology

Oldest snow leopard in British zoo dies

Pav's DNA has been donated to cryogenic preservation charity Nature's Safe, which aims to help save snow leopards from extinction. Mrs Marsden said Pav's enclosure would temporarily be turned into a Lynx enclosure, as it welcomed the animals on loan from Edinburgh Zoo. There are hopes the zoo will welcome more snow leopards next year. "We are hoping some cubs will be ready to come to us. The zoo feels very different without Pav," she said. Snow leopards are classified as vulnerable and on the red list of threatened animals due to loss of habitat, climate change, poaching and human-wildlife conflict. The cats are native to the mountains of Central Asia. According to the Snow Leopard Trust, their habitat range covers around the size of Greenland and Mexico, despite there only being between 3,920 and 6,390 snow leopards left in the wild.

Gemma Sherlock
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