Sitaram Yechuri asked not to smoke in model colony

Hyderabad, Jan 24, 2015: CPM top leader and Rajya Sabha member Sitaram Yechuri had faced an embarrassment on Friday when he was asked not to smoke by one of the drivers of the Pragati Nagar Panchayat office during his visit to the colony near here. As soon as he lighted the cigarette, V.Venkatesh, driver of the vice president of the Pachayat, swiftly told him not to smoke. "Sir. This is the alcohol and tobacco-free zone. You are not supposed to smoke here," he told the visiting dignitary without any hesitation and without thinking that he is an MP and the top CPM leader. Sitaram, always gentle and polite as he is, immediately obliged by throwing away the cigarette and saying ' I like it.' Sitaram Yechuri was in Hyderabad to participate in the CPM Politburo meeting.

VIPs too not allowed to violate rules in Pragati Nagar

Such was the discipline maintained in the colony by the Panchayat which fines anyone for violating the rules. Believe it or not, the Pragatinagar Panchayat, having a population of 40,000 people in an area of 850 acres, has strict guidelines for the residents and the shops. There are 400 shops but not even a single shop is allowed to sell alcohol, cigars, cigarettes, gutka, plastic or even carbonated drinks.The colony has well laid out roads with trees and if any one cuts a tree, he or she is fined up to Rs. 10,000. Vendors and shopkeepers are not allowed to litter the streets and cheat the public on weights. The Panchayat employs 27 security guards for guarding the entire colony and 43 employees to work in the office. The Panchayat has an excellent system to solve people's issues. Residents would make written complaints in a book meant for it and the Panchayat addresses them the same day. Most of the students of the colony use bicycles to move around and go to schools in and around the area. Women supervisors visit all the families with their staff to collect garbage daily. The residents have strict instructions to segregate the green and plastic waste and failure to do so will attract fines. While the Panchayat disposes off the plastic waste in a very scientific manner, green waste is converted into manure. The entire colony is equipped with 15 CCTVs and 50 more are being installed next month. The Panchayat gets an annual revenue of Rs. 1.5 Cr out of which 12 per cent is utilized for cleanliness and sanitation. If you visit Hyderabad next time, spare time to visit this model colony.