Hyderabad, Apr 6 (IANS): The Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Friday condoled the passing away of the first Telugu TV news reader, Shanti Swaroop.

Swaroop, who started reading news on Doordarshan in 1983, passed away in Hyderabad on Friday at the age of 74. He breathed his last at a private hospital, where he was admitted two days ago after suffering a cardiac arrest.

A well-known face on television for Telugu viewers, he started reading news on November 14, 1983. There was no teleprompter then and he used to read the news from a paper script.

Swaroop served in Doordarshan till 2011.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said in his condolence message that as the first generation news reader, Swaroop became a household name for Telugu people.

The Chief Minister also remembered the services rendered by the news reader to the Telugu media, as he conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed grief over the demise of Swaroop, saying the pioneering efforts of Shanti Swaroop from the days of limited technology inspired many newscasters.

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, G. Kishan Reddy, former Telangana Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, and leaders from various political parties also condoled the demise of Swaroop.