Four Left parties and the BRS will stage a joint protest in Khammam on October 22 to protest alleged political bias in the selection of beneficiaries and allotment of houses under the Indiramma housing scheme.

Addressing a joint press conference in Khammam on Monday (October 19, 2026), CPI (M) district secretary Nunna Nageswara Rao alleged that houses were being allotted arbitrarily at the behest of ruling Congress leaders.

He further alleged that political interference and the misuse of power in the selection and allotment process were causing severe injustice to deserving poor families, depriving eligible poor people of the opportunity to secure housing under the  government scheme.

Mr. Nageswara Rao said the four Left parties — the CPI (M), CPI, CPI (ML) Mass Line and CPI (ML) New Democracy — along with the BRS would organise the dharna in front of the Integrated District Offices Complex (IDOC) in Khammam on Thursday, demanding a fair and impartial process free from political interference.

CPI district secretary D. Suresh, BRS district president and MLC Tata Madhu, and other leaders attended the press conference.

The State government is spending around ₹2,000 crore on developing temples along the Godavari and riverbank areas ahead of the Godavari Pushkaralu scheduled for next year, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said on Sunday.

He said ₹276 crore had been allocated for the development of Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple at Bhadrachalam and ₹354 crore for the Sri Gnana Saraswati temple at Basar.

In all, temple development works were being undertaken across the State at an estimated cost of ₹2,500 crore, he added.

Mr. Vikramarka was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a road at an estimated cost of ₹44 crore at Nacharam village in Enkoor mandal of Khammam district. He also offered prayers at the Adbhutha Venkateswara Swamy temple in the village.

He said the road would ensure easier access for devotees and create employment and livelihood opportunities for local youth.

Highlighting the Congress government’s welfare initiatives, he said fine rice was being distributed to 1.06 crore families, while Rajiv Aarogyasri provided free medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh per family. Rythu Bharosa assistance was being extended to 71 lakh farmers, and 53 lakh families were receiving free electricity for consumption of up to 200 units a month.

Other initiatives included interest-free loans to women, social security pensions for eligible beneficiaries, free bus travel for women and Indiramma houses for the poor, he said.

In the education sector, the State government was implementing a breakfast scheme for 27 lakh students of government schools, establishing Advanced Technology Centres and taking up construction of Young India Integrated Residential Schools in every Assembly constituency at an estimated cost of ₹200 crore.

The government was also undertaking road development works worth ₹90,000 crore across the State and taking steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply despite electricity demand exceeding 20,000 MW, he said.

Referring to the potential impact of El Nino, Mr. Vikramarka urged people to conserve water and appealed to farmers to monitor groundwater levels and use agricultural pumps judiciously.

Khammam MP Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to facilitate the early repatriation of the mortal remains of Kodumuru Supriya, 30, of Khammam, who died in a road accident in Missouri, U.S., on October 4 at about 1.40 a.m. (IST).

Mr. Reddy spoke to Ms. Supriya’s father, Daram Srinivas, a resident of Simhadrinagar in Khammam, over phone on Monday and conveyed his condolences, according to a press release.

In a letter to Mr. Jaishankar, the MP furnished the address and details of Ms. Supriya’s husband, Kodumuru Ranjith, who is currently residing in the U.S., and sought arrangements to bring her mortal remains to Khammam at the earliest at the expense of the Government of India.

Mr. Reddy also brought the matter to the notice of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and spoke to senior officials of the Protector of Emigrants (PoE), Hyderabad, seeking their assistance in the repatriation process, the release said.

Meanwhile, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy expressed shock and grief over the tragic death of Ms. Supriya.

He said efforts were being made to expedite the repatriation of her mortal remains to India and that the matter had been brought to the Chief Minister’s notice.

Privately owned Essar Oil & Gas Ltd has secured five coal bed methane (CBM) blocks under the government’s bidding rounds of 2025 and 2026, adding 1,281 sq km of acreage across West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.

The blocks hold an estimated 6.6 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas-in-place resources, strengthening the company’s presence in India’s unconventional gas sector.

Essar has secured two blocks each in West Bengal’s Raniganj and Telangana’s Godavari Valley, and one in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli.

The company already holds around 500 sq km of acreage in West Bengal’s Raniganj, with the two newly awarded blocks adding another 330 sq km.

CBM is an unconventional source of natural gas trapped within coal seams, unlike conventional gas, which accumulates in the pore spaces of reservoir rocks.

Announcing the signing of the contracts, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India has an estimated CBM resource base of 2,600 billion cubic metres (BCM), with “significant potential to boost domestic production”.

Pankaj Kalra, CEO of Essar Oil & Gas Ltd, said: “… Building on our proven track record at Raniganj, we see substantial opportunities to leverage our technical expertise, operational capabilities and established infrastructure to accelerate the development of these resources.”

A 46-year-old IT professional from Mehdipatnam in Hyderabad was killed in an attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while his two sons sustained injuries, one of whom required knee surgery. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi took to X and confirmed the death on Sunday (October 11), seeking assistance from the Indian Embassy for the family.

The deceased, identified as Mohammed Yousuf, had travelled from Hyderabad to Saudi Arabia with his family about a week ago to perform Umrah. The family was reportedly waiting at the airport to travel to Madinah when the attack occurred on Saturday (October 10).

According to preliminary information, Yousuf sustained critical injuries after debris fell on him during the attack. He reportedly suffered severe injuries to his legs and briefly regained consciousness before suffering a suspected heart attack. However, the exact medical cause of his death has not been officially confirmed.

Providing an update on the condition of the family, Owaisi said Yousuf’s death had been confirmed and that one of his sons was undergoing knee surgery. His other son was also hospitalised and had lost three toes in the attack.

He clarified that Yousuf’s wife and daughter were safe. The family was also accompanied by Yousuf’s aunt, who sustained head injuries but was out of danger.

Owaisi said he was in contact with Yousuf’s brother-in-law in Riyadh and had spoken to the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Indian Embassy, who assured him that the family was being looked after.

“I am in touch with Yousuf’s brother in law in Riyadh and the DCM has assured me that they’re taking care,” Owaisi wrote on X, urging External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to ensure that every possible assistance was extended to the family.

Yousuf, who was employed as an IT professional in Riyadh, reportedly visited Hyderabad every two to three months and worked remotely during his visits. His elder son was pursuing Hifz, the memorisation of the Quran, while his younger son had recently appeared for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). His daughter is a school student.

According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, the attack at King Khalid International Airport left 12 people dead and 309 injured. Airport operations were temporarily suspended on Saturday to assess the damage and inspect the safety of the facilities.

The Saudi-led coalition attributed the attack to Yemen’s Houthi movement and announced that it would respond. India condemned the attack and called for an immediate end to strikes targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Telangana has screened approximately 1.49 crore people for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), identifying around 18 lakh people with hypertension and more than nine lakh with diabetes, said Health Secretary Christina Z. Chongthu on Saturday.

Speaking at the 7th edition of the International Conference on Lifestyle Medicine (ISLMCON 2026) in Hyderabad, Ms. Chongthu highlighted the importance of preventive healthcare and addressing lifestyle-related risk factors to tackle the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.

The conference, organised by the Indian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (ISLM), was held under the theme ‘From Burnout to Balance: Health through Lifestyle Medicine’.

“Increasing workplace pressures, changing family structures and caregiving responsibilities are contributing to rising stress and burnout. There is a need to shift the focus of healthcare from treating diseases to addressing lifestyle factors through preventive interventions,” Ms. Chongthu said.

She identified nutrition, physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management and social connectedness as essential components of holistic well-being, particularly amid the pressures of modern life.

ISLM president Dr. Lakshmi Sundar said burnout is an often-overlooked factor contributing to several health conditions and called for addressing both the root causes and symptoms of illness. “Through lifestyle medicine, we can integrate nutrition, physical activity, stress management and other healthy practices into everyday life,” she added.

As many as 198 persons, including 31 minors, were apprehended by the Malkajgiri SHE Teams for harassing women and girls during September, with complaints ranging from stalking and physical harassment to online blackmail and threats to circulate private photographs.

The SHE Teams received 215 complaints during the month, of which 88 involved direct or physical harassment, 68 concerned harassment through social media platforms and 59 related to harassment over phone calls.

According to the Malkajgiri police, 16 criminal cases and 66 petty cases were registered, while counselling was provided in 133 instances. Among those apprehended were 167 adults and 31 minors.

Malkajgiri Police Commissioner B. Sumathi said the police would take stringent action against those harassing women and urged victims to report such incidents without fear.

The Commissioner said SHE Teams were conducting decoy operations in plain clothes at bus stands, railway stations, metro stations, educational institutions, markets and other public places to identify offenders and gather evidence.

Among the cases handled during the month was that of a married woman who approached the SHE Team after a man she had known before her marriage allegedly threatened to circulate her personal photographs and videos on social media.

The accused had re-established contact with her and subsequently began threatening her. He also reportedly visited her residence repeatedly, leaving her distressed and concerned about the impact on her marital life. The police registered a criminal case following her complaint.

In another case, a minor girl was harassed by a man she had befriended on Instagram. After exchanging messages, phone calls and photographs, the accused allegedly demanded nude photographs from her and asked her to travel to Secunderabad. The SHE Team intervened, and the accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Another minor girl was allegedly blackmailed by a man she had met through mutual friends at a coffee shop in Jubilee Hills. The accused reportedly took her to another coffee shop on the pretext of celebrating his birthday, forcibly kissed her and recorded photographs and videos without her consent.

He subsequently threatened to share the footage with her parents. Although the harassment temporarily stopped after the girl’s mother approached his family, he allegedly resumed stalking her, making repeated calls and posting her photographs on Instagram. The accused was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

Decoy operations and awareness drives

During September, the Malkajgiri SHE Teams conducted 192 awareness programmes, reaching approximately 33,118 people with information on women’s rights, relevant laws and safety precautions.

In separate decoy operations on Hyderabad Metro trains, eight men were found travelling in women-only compartments and were fined through metro station authorities.

The police also conducted counselling sessions for offenders at the Commissioner’s Camp Office in LB Nagar, in the presence of their family members and professional counsellors.

The Commissioner appealed to women facing harassment to contact the Malkajgiri SHE Teams through WhatsApp on 8712662111 and assured them that complaints would be acted upon.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the State government was taking measures to prevent power shortages in Telangana amid El Nino conditions.

The government was prepared to purchase electricity from other States at ₹12 per unit, if necessary, to prevent shortage of electricity, he said.

It was also focusing on solar and wind energy projects to tap renewable energy sources and meet the State’s growing power demand, he added.

Mr. Reddy said the government had ensured drinking and irrigation water despite the prevailing El Nino conditions, with recent cyclone-induced rainfall providing some relief.

He said the recent State Cabinet meeting had primarily discussed measures to prevent power shortages.

Listing the Congress government’s welfare measures, Mr. Reddy mentioned the supply of fine rice, free electricity of up to 200 units to eligible households, farmers’ welfare initiatives and the Indiramma housing scheme.

He alleged that the BRS government had pursued ‘feudal rule’ and said the Congress government was offering pro-poor governance.

The Minister distributed Kalyanalaxmi and Shadimubarak cheques to beneficiaries in Nelakondapalli mandal and laid the foundation stone for a BT road at Kattukacharam.

Later, he visited Narayanapuram village in Sathupalli mandal and inspected the site of a cancer hospital being established by the Sri Shirdi Sai Jana Mangalam Trust, according to a press release.

He also participated in a cancer screening and awareness programme.

Sathupalli MLA Matta Ragamayee, Khammam Collector Divakara T.S. and others were present.

Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Jitesh V. Patil said the uniform service line charging system for low-tension (LT) and high-tension (HT) electricity connections would provide consumers with clarity on the charges payable in advance, while eliminating uncertainty arising from case-by-case estimation of service line costs. He thanked the TGERC for introducing what he described as a fair and transparent system for industries, commercial establishments, households and other consumers.

Addressing a media conference at the TGSPDCL headquarters on Wednesday, Mr. Patil said the estimated cost of HT connections earlier varied depending on the location of the service, distance over which the line had to be extended and transformer capacity. The new system provides fixed charges based on the sanctioned load, he said.

TGSPDCL’s Chairman and Managing Director Jitesh V. Patil addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday (September 30, 2026)
| Video Credit:
NAGARA GOPAL

The Uniform Service Line Charge (USLC) fixed by the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (TGERC) for 11-kV HT connections is ₹4,078 per kVA. Development charges, security deposit and other applicable expenses would be levied as per the prevailing rules.

The USLC system is applicable to eligible HT connections supplied through a common feeder in the existing 11-kV electrified network and located within one kilometre of the existing network. Connections requiring line extensions beyond one kilometre will continue to be sanctioned on an estimate basis under the existing rules.

The new system also provides standard rates for overhead and underground networks, eliminating variations in estimated costs. Earlier, the difference in estimates could be as high as 30% to 40%, Mr. Patil said.

He said that in the case of a 200-kVA HT connection, for instance, TGSPDCL would undertake the necessary network expansion and feeder-related works after the consumer paid the prescribed uniform service line charge.

Mr. Patil said the company was also making details of the power network available through GIS-based mapping. However, final technical decisions would be taken by TGSPDCL based on load feasibility and network capacity.

Online services would enable consumers to track the status of their applications, ascertain the charges payable and know the stage at which their files were pending. This would make the process of granting connections faster and more transparent, he said.

Load-based uniform service line charges have also been introduced for LT consumers. The simplified procedure would cover domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural and electric vehicle charging connections, among other categories.

Assembly constituencies in the peripheral areas of Hyderabad such as Qutbullapur, Kukatpally, Uppal, Medchal and Serilingampally witnessed a high proportion of electors receiving anomaly notices, with the rate reaching as high as 66.6% in Quthbullapur against a Telangana median of 28.7%. The highest share of Muslim names among notices was recorded for the reason of having six or more children, at 50.5%.

According to a SABAR Institute and Constitutional Guardians Forum report that analysed Special Intensive Revision data — including 92,85,255 anomaly notices sent from 36,169 polling stations across 119 constituencies, leading to the larger conclusion that one in three electors had received notices — the anomaly notice rate was 66.6% in Quthbullapur, 65.4% in Kukatpally, 57% in Uppal, 56% in Medchal and 55.8% in Serilingampally.

According to the report, the reason recorded for the largest share of notices was “Unmapped with Last SIR”, which accounted for 34.9% of all notices. The report describes this as a matching failure against the previous roll rather than a defect in the elector’s own record.The report also found wide variation in the share of Muslim names by stated reason.

Muslim names accounted for 50.5% of the 4,02,624 notices citing six or more children, which according to the Election Commission of India is an anomaly, nearly four times their 12.7% share of Telangana’s population in the 2011 Census, the report notes. They accounted for 22.3% of notices citing a progeny age gap of less than nine months, 18.3% where the parent age difference was above 50 years and 16.7% in cases of self-name mismatch. The share was 14.8% for parent-name mismatch and 13.8% for parent-age difference below 15 years. By contrast, Muslim names accounted for 7.5% of “Unmapped with Last SIR” notices.

“While a little over 50% of the notices sent to voters with Muslim names were for progeny equal to or greater than six, we have to be cognisant of the fact that the Muslim total fertility rate has been steadily declining over the years. So those who are listed as having six or more siblings are not young. They are an older generation. National Family Health Survey shows the TFR as 2.36,” Sabir Ahamed who is the lead researcher at SABAR Institute said.

Constituencies in Hyderabad district also showed wide variation in the anomaly notice rate and the share of Muslim names among notices. Secunderabad Cantonment recorded the highest anomaly notice rate among the 15 constituencies at 37.5%, followed by Secunderabad at 35.3% and Karwan at 34.8%. Nampally had the lowest rate at 23.3%.

The Muslim-name share was highest in Bahadurpura at 85.18%, followed by Chandrayangutta at 71.15%, Charminar at 61.32%, Yakutpura at 61.16% and Nampally at 57.35%. The report also identified several polling stations in Karwan, Bahadurpura, Chandrayangutta, Yakutpura and Charminar among those with the highest absolute numbers of notices carrying Muslim names.

Among the 20 “heaviest polling” stations by total notices, Part 91 in Kukatpally had 1,061 notices, Part 235 in Quthbullapur had 1,057, Part 139 in Qutbullapur had 1,038 and Part 446 in Medchal had 1,031 and Part 182 had 1,008. The report said the median polling station carried 226 notices, while the 20 heaviest booths carried between 973 and 1,061 notices. All 20 were located in Medchal Malkajgiri or Rangareddy districts.

The report clarified that 184 of the 36,353 polling stations were absent from the published data, with the missing stations concentrated in Sathupalle, Kollapur, Vemulawada and Bhupalpalle. The report said the totals and notice rates of these four constituencies were therefore understated.