Hyderabad: The first batch of Haj pilgrims left Hyderabad for Saudi Arabia in the early hours of Tuesday. While around 280 pilgrims are travelling to Medina in the first batch, a total of nearly 7,000 people are expected to make the pilgrimage from Hyderabad in 31 batches over the next month. In addition, as many as 12,000 pilgrims from across the country have chosen Hyderabad as their embarking point, including 1,200 from Andhra Pradesh.
Hundreds of pilgrims from different parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, along with their family members and relatives, gathered at the Haj House in Nampally before leaving for the holy city. For the convenience of the pilgrims, various stalls were set up for the purchase of clothes, medicines, currency exchange and others.
Sheikh Basha Mohuddin from Prakasam district of AP was travelling along with his four family members. “It was my longstanding wish to visit (Mecca), but due to service, I could not manage to go. After I retired last year, I made the bookings for myself and my family members,” said an elated Mohuddin.
Moula B, a teacher from Hyderabad, said, “I wanted to go for Haj for a long time as it is the home of our religion. I hope that the whole next month will be the best of my life as I will carry the memories in my mind forever.”
The State Haj Committee has made several arrangements in the wake of high summer temperatures. Nearly 1,300 heat-related deaths occurred during the 2024 Haj, when temperatures exceeded 50⁰ Celsius. Around 200 Indian pilgrims were reportedly among the dead.
Telangana state Haj committee chairman Syed Ghulam Afzal Biyabani said, “Around 46 people have been deployed as Haj inspectors, with a ratio of one person to manage around 150 pilgrims. We have also provided CPR, fitness and other guidelines, especially for women, as the temperature in Saudi Arabia is extreme. They have also been advised to stay hydrated and take care of their health. A helpline app has also been launched for the convenience of these pilgrims.”
India has been allotted 1,75,025 pilgrim slots for this year’s Haj by the Saudi authorities.

Bengaluru: Special public prosecutor Ashok Naik alleged that former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna is trying to delay the trial in the rape case registered against him.
Arguing in the special court for elected representatives Monday, Naik termed these actions ‘delay tactics’ by the grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda and an attempt to prevent the victim-woman from appearing before the court and giving her statement.
Special judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat directed Prajwal to decide on appointing a new advocate by Tuesday after his counsel resigned last week. “You have been deferring the trial since Jan. If you don’t finalise, the court will appoint amicus curiae,” the special judge observed.
Prajwal’s mother, Bhavani Revanna, tried to make a submission in the court, which disallowed her from doing so, stating she had nothing to do with the case. Prajwal attempted to speak with her, but the court expressed dismay over it. Finally, Bhavani walked out of the court hall.
The judge said trial will commence on May 2.
Supplementary chargesheet against Munirathna filed
CID’s special investigation team Monday submitted a supplementary chargesheet in the rape case against Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA from BJP, Munirathna Naidu, to a special court for elected representatives.
The preliminary chargesheet against the accused was filed in Dec, accusing Naidu of raping a 40-year-old woman. Additionally, SIT charged his three associates, including a police inspector, with aiding Muniratna in honey-trapping his rivals with HIV-infected women.
According to SIT sources, the supplementary chargesheet contains documents, including forensic reports on digital evidence.

New Delhi: The busy Sarojini Nagar market may soon resolve its parking issues as a multilevel facility, built by National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), is likely to open in June. The parking project is part of the redevelopment plan of the nearby govt residential complex to address on-road parking and congestion.
“The ground-plus-four-storey building can accommodate 680 cars, and vehicles will access different floors using ramps. There are sensors on each floor to inform drivers about the occupancy status. While red lights mean occupied, green lights indicate space availability. Drivers will get details of the available parking space when they enter the building and also on every floor,” said an NBCC official.
While New Delhi Municipal Council will operate the facility, discussions are on between the housing and urban affairs ministry and NDMC for its management.
An NDMC official confirmed that the parking would be operated by the civic body, and they are waiting for the issuance of the completion certificate. “The handover process is simultaneously in progress,” said the official. Sources said NDMC was carrying out an assessment of the manpower needed to manage and maintain the parking lot.
Local traders, however, said the facility was constructed in Jan, but hadn’t been made operational. They also said a joint inspection of the site was undertaken by the authorities earlier.
“The market has a daily footfall of 50,000-60,000 people, and during weekends and festivities, the number doubles. In the given circumstances, chaos increases in the market, and illegal parking on roads adds to congestion. The haphazard parking often leads to fights among visitors,” said Ashok Randhawa of Mini Market Traders Association, Sarojini Nagar. The area currently has three surface parking lots, with with an overall capacity of 450 vehicles, which is not enough.
“The entry restrictions on certain roads have made an existing multilevel parking unusable. It also takes 15-20 minutes to park a vehicle at this fully automated parking, which is why people avoid using it,” claimed Randhawa. He pointed out that the NBCC parking lot would have ramps, and not lifts, to reach different floors. “This model will be more user friendly for visitors. We desperately need a solution and are expecting the facility to open soon,” he added.
New Delhi: The busy Sarojini Nagar market may soon resolve its parking issues as a multilevel facility, built by National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), is likely to open in June. The parking project is part of the redevelopment plan of the nearby govt residential complex to address on-road parking and congestion.
“The ground-plus-four-storey building can accommodate 680 cars, and vehicles will access different floors using ramps. There are sensors on each floor to inform drivers about the occupancy status. While red lights mean occupied, green lights indicate space availability. Drivers will get details of the available parking space when they enter the building and also on every floor,” said an NBCC official.
While New Delhi Municipal Council will operate the facility, discussions are on between the housing and urban affairs ministry and NDMC for its management.
An NDMC official confirmed that the parking would be operated by the civic body, and they are waiting for the issuance of the completion certificate. “The handover process is simultaneously in progress,” said the official. Sources said NDMC was carrying out an assessment of the manpower needed to manage and maintain the parking lot.
Local traders, however, said the facility was constructed in Jan, but hadn’t been made operational. They also said a joint inspection of the site was undertaken by the authorities earlier.
“The market has a daily footfall of 50,000-60,000 people, and during weekends and festivities, the number doubles. In the given circumstances, chaos increases in the market, and illegal parking on roads adds to congestion. The haphazard parking often leads to fights among visitors,” said Ashok Randhawa of Mini Market Traders Association, Sarojini Nagar. The area currently has three surface parking lots, with with an overall capacity of 450 vehicles, which is not enough.
“The entry restrictions on certain roads have made an existing multilevel parking unusable. It also takes 15-20 minutes to park a vehicle at this fully automated parking, which is why people avoid using it,” claimed Randhawa. He pointed out that the NBCC parking lot would have ramps, and not lifts, to reach different floors. “This model will be more user friendly for visitors. We desperately need a solution and are expecting the facility to open soon,” he added.