Jayamala reiterates entering Sabarimala and touching deity of Ayyappa

Amidst snowballing controversy over her “sacrilegious” entry into the hill shrine of Sabarimala in neighbouring Kerala, Kannada actress of yesteryear Jayamala has reiterated that she entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple and touched the deity of Ayyappa, kept out of bounds for women aged between 10 and 50 years.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Jayamala, an award-winning Kannada film personality, thanked her good fortune to have entered the revered shrine of Sabarimala in 1987 to pray for her first husband, the late “Tiger” Prabhakar’s speedy recovery, when she was around 28 years old.

But, Jayamala sought to lay the blame at the doorstep of the Temple authorities for furore created out of her confessional statement. “It is their mistake they went to the media with my letter. I sent the letter as a confession to God with sincere repentance”, she said.

Reacting to the doubts expressed over the veracity of her claims by the Temple authorities, Jayamala defiantly countered “How can they say I could not have done so ? I will draw a sketch of the Temple and how I went to it”.

Refusing to apologize to the Temple authorities for entering the hill shrine, revered by millions of devotees across India, Jayamala said “I will not apologize to any priest. It is their mistake to have gone to the press with the letter”.

Jayamala said her brother-in-law had recently called her up and told her that a newspaper report mentioned that a woman artiste was responsible for Ayyappa’s anger. “My family priest said this was the best time for repentance. It was a very personal thing for me. I faxed the letter myself. Now, I wish I had not been so sincere”, she said.

Jayamala said she was aware of her mistake since 1999 when she was told that she had offended the deity of Subramanya. “Since then, I have never touched an idol”, she said.

Unable to find a pilot, Karnataka Government puts up chopper for sale

After more than two years of unsuccessful search for an experienced pilot to fly its chopper, the Karnataka Government has finally put up its Dauphin helicopter for sale.

The State Government’s only helicopter, which was once used to ferry Chief Minister and other VVIPs, has remained grounded since the last twenty-eight months at the hangers of Pawan Hans in Mumbai, one of country’s biggest helicopter operators.

With the salary offered by the Government for pilots comparing poorly with the remuneration offered by the booming aviation industry, there are no takers for the post of pilot for the Government-owned helicopter, a Government official said.

But, even while lying idle, the chopper was costing the Government a hefty bill. “As we are unable to find pilots, the chopper is now with Pawan Hans. We are paying nearly Rs 250,000 every month towards maintenance charge. To avoid this recurring expenditure in the face of little or no response from candidates to fly the chopper, the Government has decided to sell it”, the official said.

Ever since the Dauphin helicopter was flown off to Mumbai during April 2004, the VVIPs in the State have been using private chartered choppers.

Apparently, the Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 monthly salary offered by the Government to pilots is turning out to be “peanuts” to the high-fliers, who are commanding a remuneration of Rs 100,000 to Rs 150,000 in private airliners, the Government official said.

In contrast, the Government finds its more economical to use chartered helicopters than owning one and maintaining it. “The high costs involved in hiring a pilot and maintaining a helicopter has forced the Government to sell its only official chopper and continue with chartered helicopters”, the official added.

BPO scam: Suspect received Rs 80,000 for leaking data

Even as the Cyber Crime Police in Bangalore plan to seek the assistance of Interpol and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the data theft case reported from HSBC’s off-shore data processing centre here, the accused HSBC staffer Nadeem Kashmiri has confessed to receiving an amount of Rs 80,000 from his co-fraudsters in London in return for parting confidential and sensitive information of account holders.

During interrogation, 24-year-old Nadeem Kashmiri told police that he he received Rs 4,000 for every fraudulent transaction he made at the behest of his accomplices in the UK. “An amount of over Rs 80,000 was transferred to his friend’s account in Bangalore through Western Union Money Transfer”, according to police sources.

Nadeem confessed that he was in touch with one Ershad in London at whose behest he continued to leak sensitive data of 20 HSBC customers in the UK to the his co-fraudsters. Ershad and his accomplices in London used the information to transfer money from HSBC customers’ accounts to other unknown accounts.

The HSBC has estimated that a total of 233,000 pounds had been swindled from 20 accounts during March and April this year. “The actual fraud had been committed between March 14 and April 3 after which the HSBC plugged his ID and suspended him on April 14”, Director General of Police, Corps of Detectives (CoD), K R Srinivasan told reporters.

Though Nadeem’s brother and his girl friend advised him to desist from such activity, the accused claimed that his accomplices in UK subjected him to blackmail. “The co-fraudsters are understood to have threatened him through an e-mail that they would inform the employers of his misconduct if he does not feed them with sensitive data of the bank’s account holders”, a police official said.

Though the suspect has claimed that he came across the accomplices through Internet and they had promised him a job in London, investigators are not ruling out the possibility of Nadeem having personally met the co-fraudsters.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Economic Offences, CoD, Sanjay Vir Singh said the modus operandi of the accused in passing on information about UK customers indicates that he could just be a pawn in a “whole syndicate”.

The investigators have also not ruled out the possibility of a terrorist group planning to break the security system of international banks. “In view of the international ramifications, we will seek assistance from Interpol to unravel the racket”, Srinivasan said.

Meanwhile, Nadeem was produced before a City magistrate, who remanded him in police custody till July 4. “If necessary, Nadeem will be subjected to narco-analysis after seeking permission from the court”, investigating officials said.

Siddaramaiah set to join Congress

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah is all set to join the Congress party in the wake of All India Congress Committee President Sonia Gandhi’s formal invitation to him in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Siddaramaiah, who had floated the All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) after severing his ties with JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, called on Sonia Gandhi at the latter’s residence in New Delhi.

During the thirty-minute meeting, which was also attended by Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and Congress Working Committee member in charge of Karnataka affairs A K Antony, the Congress President gave a green signal to induct Siddaramaiah into the party fold.

Confirming Sonia Gandhi’s invitation, Siddaramaiah told reporters that he would consult his party colleagues, including nine MLAs and a couple of MLCs, before finalizing his decision. The former Deputy Chief Minister is expected to return to New Delhi in a week’s time to finalize his entry into the Congress fold.

Congress leaders in Karnataka including former Chief Minister Dharam Singh are of the opinion that Siddaramaiah’s entry into the Congress party is “certain”. “There is no opposition in the party to his induction”, Singh told reporters.

Former Minister H M Revanna, who has been wooing Siddaramaiah into the Congress fold ever since his relationship with H D Deve Gowda soured about a year ago, said the former Deputy Chief Minister will make a formal announcement on his entry into the Congress shortly.

The Congress party is planning a mega event to be attended by Sonia Gandhi to mark Siddaramaiah’s into the party fold. Siddaramaiah’s close aides and AIPJD leaders including former Federal Minister C M Ibrahim are also scheduled to join the Congress.

Siddaramaiah is expected to resign from the Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Mysore, which he won as a JD (S) candidate, before joining the Congress. “Initially, Siddaramaiah will join the Congress alone. Later, the nine MLAs supporting him will follow suit”, a Congress leader said.

Although it is not known whether Siddaramaiah put any conditions to join the Congress, it is understood that the Congress leaders have agreed to provide him a “plum post” besides party tickets to all the MLAs supporting him.

BPO staffer in Bangalore compromises with HSBC data, 233,000 pounds stolen

A security breach at international bank HSBC’s off-shore data processing centre in Bangalore has come to light after twenty customers of the bank in London complained that their monies had been transferred without their knowledge.

A 24-year-old staffer at HSBC’s Electronic Data Processing India (HDPI) Nadeem Hamid Kashmiri has been charged with stealing confidential data of its customers in the UK to the illegally siphon off money from their accounts.

According to a complaint lodged by HDPI with the Bangalore Cyber Crime Police, Nadeem Hamid Kashmiri, who joined the company on December 12, 2005, is said to have accessed personal information, security information and debit card information of some customers in the UK from March to May this year.

These details were passed on to his “co-fraudsters” in UK, who diverted funds to the tune of 233,000 pounds through ATM, debit card and telephone banking services at the behest of Nadeem, the complaint said.

The fraud at HDPI comes barely a year after a similar security breach was reported from a BPO in Pune.

Soon after HSBC received complaints from its customers that funds had been transferred from their account without their knowledge, the HDPI initiated an internal inquiry and found Nadeem to be culprit. The system records showed that Nadeem had accessed confidential information without authorization. “To access such information for any business requirement, a prior permission is needed”, HDPI’s Vice President Pradeep Dar told reporters.

“Nadeem facilitated his accomplices to impersonate the actual customers to enable them to cheat the HDPI and HSBC customers”, Cyber Crime Inspector General of Police Mahapatra told reporters.

Soon after the internal inquiry was ordered, Nadeem went missing. Investigations have revealed that Nadeem had joined the company on “false records and misrepresentation”. He had furnished a false address and mobile number at the time of joining.

Mahapatra said the UK police, which was trying to nab the fraudsters there, would be contacted in the probe. “We have formed police teams to trace Nadeem”, he said.

HDPI officials said Nadeem had joined the company “with the intention to deceive and cheat the bank and its customers. He had begun accessing the accounts of customers without authorization from the day he was deputed to the processing unit on February 6 this year”.

Meanwhile, Nasscom (National Association of Software and Service companies), an industry body for Indian IT, has come out with a statement that “such security breaches are not unique to offshore operations and can happen in any country”.
Nasscom Vice President Sunil Mehta said Nasscom will work with legal authorities in the UK and India to ensure that those responsible for any criminal breaches promptly prosecuted and face the maximum penalty.

Kumaraswamy leaves for Singapore amid resentment among Opposition

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy left for a three-day visit to Singapore yesterday amid resentment among the Opposition Congress.

Kumaraswamy, who is scheduled to visit companies in Singapore at the invitation of its Minister for Trade and Industries Lim Hing Kiang, was criticized by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge for making the trip at a time when the state legislature session is underway.

“His visit to Singapore at a time when the legislature session is underway is inappropriate and a grave insult to parliamentary democracy”, Kharge told reporters. The Chief Minister did not heed to the advice given by Opposition party leaders during the Business Advisory Committee meeting that he should postpone the visit till the legislature session concludes.

With convention and precedent demanding that the Chief Minister and Minister compulsorily attend the legislature session and should not undertake any tour within or outside the state, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Krishna should not have allowed Kumaraswamy to proceed on the Singapore tour, Kharge said.

The Chief Minister’s visit to Singapore to attract foreign investment could have waited till the legislature session concludes, Kharge said.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Trade and Industries Ministry of Singapore said Kumarawamy’s visit seeks to foster greater business collaboration between Karnataka and Singapore. “Karnataka, in particular its capital Bangalore, is among the top three destinations in India for Singapore investors, who have invested in Information Technology Park, residential township and logistics sector”, the statement said.

Statistics showed that Foreign Direct Investment inflows from Singapore to India grew from 62.1 million dollars in 2004 to 231.4 million dollars during 2005. “This made Singapore the third largest source of FDI inflows into India for the year 2005. The presence of Indian companies in Singapore had also grown to reach over 1,600 companies at present”, the statement added.

Marathon lecture fetches Mangalore lecturer entry into Guinness

A lecturer in Mangalore University’s Department of Applied Botany has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering a non-stop lecture for 98 hours and 32 minutes.

Lecturer Annaiah Ramesh received an official communication confirming the entry of his feat in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Annaiah Ramesh had delivered a marathon lecture on “Molecular Logic of Life” at the Department of Applied Botany in Mangalore University campus during March 2006. By lecturing continuously for 98 hours and 32 minutes, Annaiah Ramesh had bettered the previous record held by Errol E T Muzawazi for 88 hours and four minutes.

Thirty-five-year-ol Annaiah Ramesh’s lecture, which was video recorded in the presence of academicians and expert Botanists, began on March 22 and ended on March 26 earlier this year. Before he embarked upon the challenging feat, Annaiah Ramesh had held three trial lectures stretching over durations of 12 hours, 36 hours and 45 hours.

Three months after the feat was recorded, Annaiah Ramesh received an e-mail from the official website of Guinness Book of World Records stating that a certificate endorsing his entry under the marathon lecture category will be handed over to him by an appropriate authority from the organization in the next four days.

A village accountant in Karnataka amasses illegal wealth worth Rs 100 million

A village accountant, who had officially earned about Rs 1.4 million throughout his 26 years of service, has managed to amass wealth amounting to a staggering Rs 100 million.

This came to light after the provincial ombudsman – Karnataka Lokayukta – carried out a surprise raid on the residence of T Hanumanthaiah, posted for duty at Bhirohalli village on the outskirts of Bangalore.

A palatial house in Vijaynagar area in Bangalore, worth Rs 10 million, six acres of wet-land in Bhirohalli, valued at Rs 2.5 million, a residential site in a prime locality in Banalore worth Rs 10 million, two cars worth more than a million rupees are just a portion of his ill-gotten wealth.

Sleuths of Lokayukta stumbled upon hard cash worth a total of Rs 6,67,350, which was found hidden under the tables and chairs in his premises. Gold and silver jewellery were also found in possession of the village accountant Hanumanthaiah.

Hanumanthaiah, who had not even taken a loan to construct his palatial house, turned out to be film producer as well. He had channelled a huge sum of funds towards the making of Kannada movie “Poojary”, which is due to release in film theatres across Karnataka shortly.

The Lokayukta led by N Venkatachaliah described Hanumanthaiah as a “prize catch”. “Village accountant Hanumanthaiah is the prize catch of the day. He had amassed hugely disproportionate to his known sources of income”, Venkatachalaiah told reporters.

The Lokayukta also raided the houses of Assistant Secretary of Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) N Nagaraj Naik and Deputy Superintendent of Excise, State Intelligence Bureau Thimme Gowda. While a search at Nagaraj Naik’s house revealed accounted assets amounting to Rs 70 million, Thimme Gowda was found to have amassed wealth worth Rs 80 million.

“I wonder how much money a human being needs”, said Venkatachalaiah after the raid. All the three officials were arrested under the Karnataka Prevention of Corruption Act and produced before the court.

Prime Minister’s pep talk on road discipline

The foundation stone laying ceremony for a ten-lane elevated expressway in Bangalore on Saturday gave Prime Minister Manmohan Singh an opportunity to give a pep talk on road discipline among countrymen.

“Mere wind-swept roads and fancy cars alone do not reflect progress. Good road manners and discipline are equally important”, he said.

The Prime Minister said people must learn road manners, which include giving way to pedestrians, observing rules while overtaking, know how to park and when not to blow a horn. “These are simple rules, but their observance makes a lot of difference to our daily lives”, Singh said.

“We Indians, behave with great courtesy with friends and relatives at home. But, sometimes, when we go out, we leave these good manners at home. On the road, we lose control of our good senses. Why should this be so? I think we must ask ourselves why can’t we be more polite to each other, more caring about each other, more respectful of each other”, the Prime Minister said.

Building modern roads and driving modern cars is not the end all and be all of progress. Good road manners and adherence to road discipline are equally important, Singh said.

Prime Minister launches ten-lane expressway and Metro in Bangalore

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched two major infrastructure projects in Bangalore aimed at decongesting the traffic-choked roads of the City.

After laying the foundation stone for a ten-lane 9.89 kilometre-long elevated expressway between Bangalore and the Electronic City on its outskirts, which is expected to facilitate faster road travel for software engineers heading to their workplace, the Prime Minister also launched the Bangalore Metro project aimed at reducing the traffic snarls on the roads in the City.

The Rs 4.5 billion expressway project, touted as the first of its kind in the country, will have a four-lane elevated highway in addition to a six-lane road on the ground, linking Bangalore with Electronic City, which houses hundreds of software firms.

The existing four-lane highway is currently overburdened with an estimated 100,000 vehicles driving in and out of Bangalore towards Electronics City and onwards to Hosur and Chennai in neighbouring Tamil Nadu every day. The mixed corridor is designed to take a load of upto 125,000 vehicles without causing traffic snarls.

The elevated expressway, which is expected to ferry software engineers faster to their workplace or home, is scheduled to be completed in 24 months time.

Flagging off the project, Manmohan Singh announced the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government’s decision to enlarge the funding to the National Highway project to a whopping Rs 2,220 billion.

The UPA Government has “speeded up” the construction and development of national highways. The National Highway Development Project costing Rs 2,220 billion will be implemented in the next 7 to 8 years.

He said the Federal Government will be six-laning the entire Golden Quadrilateral project connecting the four metros in the country. “I look forward to the day when the face of this nation will be changed by a dense network of world class highways, reaching out to the farthest corners of the country”, Manmohan Singh said.

Later in the day, the Prime Minister launched the Bangalore Metro project, which is expected to ease traffic congestion on the City’s thoroughfares that are chock-a-block with more than 2.5 million vehicles.

The Rs 63 billion Bangalore Metro envisages laying a 36-km-long rail network through the choked roads of Bangalore. The two-corridor Metrol rail project is scheduled for completion in 2010.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for inclusive growth process to build a prosperous, equitable and humane nation. “We want both our urban areas and rural areas to develop. We want to build an India in which scientists and engineers, farmers and workers, artists and entrepreneurs can all find the space to express their creativity and enterprise.”, Singh said.

Dinner meet for BJP MLAs over BMIC kicks up row

A dinner meet hosted by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) for a section of the BJP MLAs in Karnataka to highlight the benefits of the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) has kicked up a fresh row in the ruling coalition.

NICE Managing Director Ashok K Kheny’s dinner meet for BJP MLAs at a five star hotel in Bangalore comes less than a week after the JD (S) reluctantly decided to drop its proposal to bring in a piece of legislation to take over the Rs 23 billion BMIC project in the face of stiff opposition from the BJP leadership.

Clearly embarrassed over the attendance of more than twenty BJP MLAs at the dinner meeting, a few JD (S) leaders have decided to urge the party leadership to take up the issue seriously with its coalition partner during the next Co-ordination Committee meeting of the two parties.

NICE Managing Director is understood to have made a power presentation on the BMIC project to the BJP MLAs and explained to them the importance of the project for the development of State.

Curiously, it is not only the JD (S) MLAs, who have not been able to stomach the attendance of BJP legislators at the dinner meet, a section of the BJP too has taken serious exception to the development.

A few disgruntled BJP legislators, left out in the recent expansion of the coalition Ministry, have decided to lodge a complaint to senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu against Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa over the development. Questioning the political wisdom of his party colleagues for attending a dinner meet hosted by a private company, which is mired in a controversy, a disgruntled BJP legislator said he would take up the matter with the party’s state unit President D V Sadananda Gowda.

However, it remains to be seen whether the attendance of BJP MLAs at the dinner meet will attract the ire of senior JD (S) leaders like former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who is strongly opposed to NICE.

But, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, when cornered by the reporters in the Legislative Assembly, refused to react on the issue. “It is an internal matter of the BJP. None of my MLAs attended the dinner meet”, he said.

M P Prakash clinches Home Ministry in Karnataka

Former Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash, who was inducted into the
coalition ministry in Karnataka recently, has managed to clinch the prestigious Home Ministry from Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

According to the notification on allocation of portfolios issued late on Thursday night, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had given up the Home Portfolio in favour of M P Prakash, but had retained the charge of police intelligence wing.

The decision to allocate Home portfolio to M P Prakash was taken by senior leadership of the JD (S).

Kumaraswamy’s elder brother H D Revanna, who also made a come-back to the coalition Ministry, was entrusted with the Public Works and Energy portfolios, which he had held in the erstwhile Dharam Singh Ministry.

The other JD (S) Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan was given independent charge of Wakf and Haj while his colleague H K Kumaraswamy was entrusted with the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.

The BJP too had to effect a minor reshuffle of portfolios while allocating charge of Ministries to its newly inducted Ministers. Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had to give up the Major and Medium Industries portfolios to party colleague Katta Subramanya Naidu, who was holding Small Scale Industries portfolio.

The Small Scale Industries portfolio went to Shivananda Naik, the newly inducted BJP Minister. Shashikanth Nayak has been allotted Horticuture Ministry while Revu Naik has been given the Animal Husbandry portfolio. S A Ravindranath will be the new Minister for Rural Water Supply and Sugar.

Though the Ministers were sworn in on Wednesday morning, a final decision on the allocation of portfolios was taken only late on Thursday due to the dissatisfaction among a few Ministers over their portfolios.

Zameer Ahmed’s ministerial oath lands him in a

First-time MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan is findinghimself in the thick of a controversy over the oath ofoffice and secrecy he took during his induction intothe coalition Ministry in Karnataka on Wednesday.
If the JD (S) legislator from Chamarajapet inBangalore has incurred the wrath of pro-Kannadaoutfits for taking the oath of office and secrecy inEnglish language, the Opposition leaders have pouredscorn over his decision to take oath in the name ofChief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in gross violation ofconstitutional norms.
Several pro-Kannada activists staged a demonstrationin front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Bangaloreyesterday and urged the Chief Minister to drop ZameerAhmed Khan from the coalition Ministry for the“insult” he meted out to Kannada by taking oath inEnglish.
The Kannada Protection Forum has contended that ZameerAhmed Khan’s decision to take oath in Kannada amountedto “insulting” the Kannada personalities residing inChamarajapet, who had championed the cause of Kannada.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s political detractorshave taken offense against the newly inducted Ministerfor taking oath in the name of H D Kumaraswamy andtouching his feet after being sworn in as a Ministerin the coalition Government.
All India ProgressiveJanata Dal (AIPJD) leader A K Subbaiah has takenserious exception to the “sycophancy and servility”displayed by Zameer Ahmed Khan and questioned themotive behind Kumaraswamy’s decision to induct the JD(S) legislator, who is a transport magnate owning afleet of private buses.
Zameer Ahmed Khan’s oath-taking figured even in theproceedings of the Legislative Council when rebel BJPleader Mukhyamantri Chandru said the coalitionGovernment owed the people of the state an apology forinducting a person in the Ministry, who was “ignorant”of Kannada.
It may be mentioned here that Zameer Ahmed Khan hadcreated a ripple during the swearing in ceremony onWednesday when he deviated from the convention oftaking oath in Kannada and in the name of God. He tookoath in English in the name of his mother and ChiefMinister H D Kumaraswamy.

Discontentment in JD (S), BJP spiralling out of

The discontentment in the JD (S) and BJP,triggered by Wednesday’s expansion of the coalitionMinistry appeared to be spiralling out of control withthe general Secretary of state JD (S) unit MahimaPatel tendering his resignation from the post and agroup of BJP legislators planning to write a detailedprotest letter to the party’s national leadership.
Peeved over being left out of the coalition Ministry,JD (S) MLA Mahima Patel, who is also the son of lateKarnataka Chief Minister J H Patel, has submitted hisresignation from the post of the party’s state unitgeneral secretary. “The party has lost its sense ofdirection. So, I have put in my papers”, said Patel,an aspirant for a ministerial berth, told reporters inBangalore.
Another former Minister belonging to the JD (S)Alangur Srinivas, who missed the ministerial busduring Wednesday’s expansion, too expressed his displeasure openly before meeting party supremo andformer Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and complainingabout the “humiliation” meted out to him.
JD (S) MLA G T Deve Gowda, who was also among thestrong claimants for a ministerial berth, complainedthat the party leadership had let him down.
Rebellion was also brewing in the ranks of the BJP,which is struggling hard to contain the widespreaddisenchantment among the aspirants. A group of seniorparty MLAs, including eight three-time MLAs, who hadbeen left out of the expansion exercise, met inBangalore and decided to write a detailed letter tothe party’s central leadership in New Delhi.
The disgruntled BJP leaders contended that DeputyChief Minister B S Yediyurappa and party’s state unitPresident D V Sadananda Gowda did not secure theapproval of the party’s national leadership beforeinducting the four partymen into the coalitionMinistry.
A section of these veteran MLAs, who have strong tieswith the Sangh Parivar, have also decided to bring thematter to the attention of RSS leadership. The MLAsfelt that newcomers to the party too had beenaccommodated in the Ministry at the cost of loyalparty workers, who have stood by the BJP since thelast several years.
The unrest among the party legislators, particularlyveteran MLAs, has become a source of concern to theparty’s state leadership, which is trying to quell thedissent, lest it assumes menacing proportions in thefuture.
Apart from facing the challenges of containing thedissent brewing in their respective parties, the JD(S) and BJP are also facing the charge of being“anti-women” by not inducting a single woman in thecoalition Ministry.
However, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy told reportersthat women will surely find a place in the coalitionMinistry during its next round of expansion to fillfour more vacancies.

Coalition Ministry in Karnataka expanded,

The JD (S)-BJP coalition Ministry inKarnataka was expanded yesterday with the induction ofeight Ministers – four each from both the parties.
As expected Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s elderbrother H D Revanna and JD (S) Karnataka unitPresident M P Prakash were inducted into the coalitionMinistry along with partymen Zameer Ahmed Khan and H KKumaraswamy.
The BJP brought in S A Ravindranath, Shivananda Naik,Revu Naik Belamagi and Shashikant Akkappa into theMinistry.
The new Ministers were administered oath of office andsecrecy by Governor T N Chaturvedi during a simplefunction at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha, theState Secretariat. Though the strength of thecoalition Ministry went up to 30 after Wednesday’sexercise against the optimal strength of 34, no womanmember has made it to the Ministry yet.
Also, the expansion of the Ministry sparked offdiscontentment in the coalition partner BJP with atleast two aspirants coming out strongly against theparty leadership’s refusal to accommodate them.
Three-time BJP MLA H S Shankarlinge Gowda was almost in tears when he told television channels that hesuspected a political conspiracy to keep him out ofMinistry. He lashed out publicly at Deputy ChiefMinister B S Yediyurappa and BJP’s state unitPresident Sadananda Gowda for ignoring his claim to aministerial berth.
“I have been elected thrice times consecutively. Wheneven the first-time MLAs are being given ministerialberths, there is no reason why I should be denied”, hesaid displaying a sense of hurt.
BJP’s Karnataka unit President of SC and ST wingRajendra Verma too publicly expressed his anger overbeing left out of the Ministry and threatened toresign from his party post.Though there were several others in the BJP as well asJD (S), who were aspiring for ministerial berths,their reaction remained muted and their emotions did not come into the open.
But, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy dismissed thediscontentment triggered by the expansion of theMinistry as “normal”. He referred to the four mor evacancies in the Ministry and said steps will be takento assuage the hurt feelings of the legislators by not only filling up the remaining berths in the coalitionMinistry, but also setting into motion the process ofappointment of chairpersons to various state-run Boards and Corporation.
BJP’s state President Sadananda Gowda too said theparty leadership will take steps to mollify theministerial aspirants, who were dejected after failing to make it to the coalition Ministry.

Man beheads sister, marches around village with

The residents of a village on the outskirtsof Bangalore woke up to the ghastly sight of a manwalking through the lanes holding the severed head ofhis sister.
Police said the incident took place at S Bingipuravillage, about 25 kms from Bangalore, on Monday morning.
Fifty three year old Hyder Sab alias Iqbal, a truckdriver, had a dispute with his sister Noor Jehan, agedabout fifty six years, over a little more than a acreof ancestral land in the village. The brother and sister were fighting the case in courts and had filedseveral civil suits in the regard.
On Monday morning, Hyder Sab went to the disputedproperty and began chopping into pieces a eucalyptustree that had been uprooted in the overnight rains.But, Noor Jehan learnt about and it and rushed todisputed site.
Claiming that the tree belonged to her,Noor Jehan prevented her brother from taking away thetree.When Hyder Sab argued that the court ruling had beenin his favour, Noor Jehan began shouting for herchildren and threatened to kill him. An enraged HyderSab pinned her sister down and chopped her head.
After severing Noor Jehan’s head from the body, HyderSab marched through the lanes of the village, carryingthe head, dripping with blood, in one hand and thechopper in the other. Shocked and frightened, thevillagers did not dare approach Hyder Sab, who startedwalking out of the village.
He sat on a stone bench outside the village and lit abidi, much to the bewilderment of the villagers. Later, he returned to the disputed property and stayedthere till the police arrived and took him intocustody. Police officials have expressed shock over the incident, as both of them were elderly persons.
WhileHyder Sab had two sons, his sister Noor Jehan, awidow, had a son and a daughter. The property disputebetween the brother and sister had been raging sincetheir parents died several years ago.

Kumaraswamy moves into CM’s official residence with cows in toe

When H D Kumaraswamy moved into the newly renovated official residence of the Chief Minister of Karnataka in Bangalore earlier this week, three cows, a bull and two calves followed him, arousing the curiosity of the officials and the general public.

But, the Chief Minister told reporters during the house-warming ceremony that the bovines were a gift from the pontiff of a religious institution in Karnataka’s Shimoga district and he had promised to keep the cows with him and rear them.

One of the cows named Nandini, which will stay in the Chief Minister’s official residence, belongs to the Gir breed, known for its high milk-yield. “I come from an agriculture background and I am comfortable with a cow-shed in the backyard”, Kumaraswamy told reporters.

But, few people knew that the Chief Minister was particular on building a cow-shed in his backyard of his official residence when the renovation of was going on. The cow-shed in the “Vastu-compliant” official residence of the Chief Minister is big enough to accommodate more than a dozen cows.

Kumaraswamy was not just following in the footsteps of former Deputy Prime Minister of India Devi Lal and former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, both of whom reared cows in their residences. He was continuing with the tradition of his father H D Deve Gowda, who kept cows in the same residence when he was the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1994-96.

However, Deve Gowda’s successors – J H Patel, S M Krishna and Dharam Singh – did not have such interest in rearing cattle. They had got the cow-shed demolished, built during Gowda’s tenure.

Coalition Ministry expansion in Karnataka on Wednesday – Chief Minister

After burying their differences over the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC), the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government in Karnataka has decided to go ahead with its much-delayed cabinet expansion on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after participating in a co-ordination committee meeting of the coalition partners in Bangalore yesterday, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the two parties had agreed to carry out the four-and-a-half month-old coalition Government’s first Cabinet expansion on Wednesday.

Both the parties are expected to add four members each to their ministerial team during the expansion.

Though each coalition partner is entitled to having 17 ministers each in the 34-member ministry, the BJP had inducted eleven ministers while the JD (S) had brought in nine ministers soon after the H D Kumaraswamy-led Government was formed in February this year.

But, intense lobbying and threat of rebellion had forced the Government to postpone the Cabinet expansion several times in the last few months.

Though the BJP has kept its list of Ministers to be included during Wednesday’s exercise under wraps, the JD (S) sources did not rule out the possibility of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy roping in his brother and former Minister H D Revanna into his ministerial team. Former Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash is also widely expected to return to the Government.

BJP retains four legislative council seats, JD (S) and Congress bite the dust

The BJP managed to retain four seats during the elections to the Karnataka Legislative Council from six different teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies across the State.

Its coalition partner JD (S), which had contested the polls independently, and the Opposition Congress drew a blank while two independents emerged victorious in the keenly contested elections to the Legislative Council.

Though the JD (S) and the Congress too had campaigned aggressively in the elections, their hopes were dashed by two independents – A Narayanaswamy, who won the South East Teachers’ constituency, and Marithibbe Gowda, who was re-elected from South Teachers’ constituency.

Among the triumphant BJP candidates were two Ministers – D H Shankarmurthy, who retained the Karnataka South West Graduates’ constituency while Ramachandre Gowda was re-elected from the Bangalore Graduates’ constituency for a fourth term.

The other BJP candidates, who won the elections to the Legislative Council, are Manohar Maski from North East Graduates constituency and Ganesh Karnik from the South West Teachers’ constituency.

The elections to the six Legislative Council seats were held to fill up two vacancies arising in the wake of the death of the members and four members, who were due to retire this month.

JD (S)-BJP stand-off on BMIC row ends

The stand-off between the coalition partners JD (S) and BJP in Karnataka over the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project ended with the JD (S) deciding to drop its proposal to bring in a piece of legislation to take-over the controversial project.

A decision to back down on its bid to introduce a Bill in the ensuing session of the State Legislature was taken late on Sunday night at the JD (S) Legislature Party meeting attended by the party’s national President and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

JD (S) MLC and spokesperson Y S V Datta told reporters that the party had dropped the idea of introducing a Bill, but the added that the coalition Government would fight a legal battle against Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), which is implementing the BMIC project, and force it to confine its project to the original framework agreement.

JD (S) decision to back down on its proposal to take over the Rs 23 billion project comes in the face of stiff opposition from its coalition partner the BJP.

Meanwhile, the BJP remained steadfast on its stand against a Government take-over of the project. The BJP Legislature Party meeting held in Bangalore on Monday proposed a three-point formula to its coalition partner JD (S) on the BMIC project.

Speaking to reporters after the BJP’s Legislature Party meeting, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the party was of the firm opinion that the BMIC project should not be scrapped or taken over by the Government. Secondly, the excess land should be identified and handed back to the farmers. And thirdly, since NICE was making a “windfall”, the private company should undertake social responsibility by providing houses to the affected and taking up community services.

Naidu said the party would convey its stand to its coalition partner JD (S). “We are sure they will appreciate our view. In principle, we want the project”, he added.

The confrontation between the coalition partners JD (S) and the BJP on the BMIC issue ended just before the monsoon session of the Karnataka Legislature could begin on Monday.

But, proceedings of the Assembly began on a stormy note on Monday with the Opposition Congress mounting a scathing attack on the coalition Government on the BMIC issue and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

Soon after the House met, former Chief Minister Dharam Singh referred to the claims made by Kumaraswamy that the Managing Director of NICE Ashok K Kheny had tried to bribe him through a journalist. “The Chief Minister had no moral right to continue in power as he had failed to take action against the Managing Director of NICE and the journalist, who had tried to bribe him”.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge joined Dharam Singh and argued that a person who fails to report bribery cases to the police is also guilty under the Indian Penal Code. “The Chief Minister has committed an offence by not reporting the matter to the police. He may plead ignorance of the provisions of law. A person ignorant of law has no right to hold the office of the Chief Minister”, he said.

But, Kumaraswamy declared that he would not resign. “I will not run away. I am not a coward. I will reply to your allegation at an appropriate time”, he said. But, pandemonium broke out in the House with JD (S) members and Congress members clashing over the issue, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for some time.

Karnataka Government announces release of land for BMIC road

Even as senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu arrived in Bangalore in a bid to sort out the differences with its ally JD (S), the Karnataka Government announced its readiness to release the land required for the construction of a road under the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project.

However, the Karnataka Government made it clear that it would release only the land required for construction of 162 kms of road, including the 111-km-long expressway between Bangalore and Mysore. A decision on release of land for construction of five townships under the project has been withheld for the time being.

Out of the 20,193 acres of land required for the BMIC project, construction of road requires about 7,000 acres. The remaining land is meant for construction of five townships along the BMIC expressway, each with a capacity to accommodate a population of 100,000.

The Government’s decision on release of land for construction of the road comes not only close on the heels of the soft opening of a 9 km stretch of peripheral ring road by the private consortium Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), which is implementing the BMIC project, but also amid heightening differences between coalition partners JD (S) and BJP over a Government take-over of the Rs 23 billion project.

In a letter addressed to NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheny, Karnataka Government’s Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary to the Public Works Department (PWD) P B Mahishi said “Under the project, NICE has to construct 162 kms of road requiring 6,999 acres of land and the State is ready and willing to forthwith fulfill its obligations in view of the Supreme Court order”.

However, the 5-page letter asked NICE not to take up construction of the five townships until the 162-km road project was completed. The Government was taking emergent steps to make available the land required for the road component of the project, the letter added.

Confirming the receipt of the letter, Kheny told reporters that NICE had never intended to go for the townships before the completion of the road project. “If the Government releases the necessary land, the 111-km-long BMIC expressway will reach Mysore by December 2007”, he said.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu held several rounds of talks with senior BJP leaders in Bangalore on Sunday in an effort to prevent the collapse of the JD (S)-BJP coalition over the BMIC project.

He remained closetted with senior BJP leaders including Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, party’s state unit President D V Sadananda Gowda and former Federal Minister Ananthakumar.

Naidu is expected to provide suggestions to partymen at the BJP Legislature Party meeting scheduled for Monday. The senior BJP leader is also expected to call on former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who had lashed out at the BJP Ministers in the coalition for blocking the Government take-over of the BMIC project.

Amid the hectic efforts to save the JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Karnataka affairs A K Antony too arrived in Bangalore on Saturday to take stock of the situation.

Antony met senior party leaders in Bangalore including Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge. Speaking to reporters, Kharge said the “unholy” alliance between JD (S) and BJP was poised to split and pave the way for fresh elections shortly.

Prime Minister to lay foundation stone for Bangalore Metro on June 24

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the much-awaited Bangalore Metro project on June 24.

According to officials at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, the foundation stone laying ceremony will mark the start of work on the Phase I of the Rs 63 billion Metro Rail project, envisaging a 36.5 km long urban rail network through traffic-choked Bangalore.

Phase I of the project includes construction of 192 columns and two corridors connecting Mysore Road and Byappanahalli on one side and Yeshwanthpura and R V Road on the other. The Bangalore Metro project, modelled along the lines of Delhi Metro, is expected to ferry close to a million people back and forth each day after it is fully complete.

The foundation stone laying ceremony will take place at the BRV police parade grounds as the first underground interchange of the Metro Rail project will start from BRV grounds and pass through Minsk Square.

The pace of work on the Bangalore Metro project is expected to gain momentum by September this year after a final decision is taken on tenders, land acquisition and rehabilitation and payment of compensation to property owners. The Bangalore Metro will be implemented over a period of five years.

With more than 2.5 million vehicles plying on the roads of Bangalore, the Metro rail project is expected to decongest the technology hub and provide a solution to the traffic nightmares faced by commuters in the City.

World’s youngest CEO to shift office to Bangalore from California

Nineteen-year-old Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Inc Suhas Gopinath has decided to shift his office headquarters from California to his home city of Bangalore after Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy assured him of office space.

Suhas Gopinath, who is also recognized by various media as the world’s youngest CEO, met Kumaraswamy and requested him to use his good offices to locate a suitable office space in Bangalore. The Chief Minister responded to Suhas Gopinath’s request positively and assured him to provide office space in a week’s time.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Chief Minister, Suhas Gopinath said he had to set up his firm in the US during 2000 when he was just 14 years old as it was not possible for him to float a company in India before he attained the age of 18 years.

His IT firm Global Inc, which has branches in 13 different countries including US, UK, Canada and India, provides jobs to more than 600 people across the world. The company will recruit another 150 people for the Bangalore office, he said.

Suhas Gopinath’s Global Inc has recently bagged a contract from Federal Ministry for Human Resources in India for interlinking 947 Kendriya Vidyalaya schools.

Also, his company had recently been allotted office space in Karachi by the Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukath Aziz. The young entrepreneur has proposed to organize a conference of young leaders in Bangalore from September 1 to 3, 2006 in which 200 young leaders – 100 each from India and Pakistan – will participate.

Suhas Gopinath, who has been trying to get Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to inaugurate the conference, said Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukath Aziz will be prevailed upon to deliver an address through video-conferencing.

The nineteen-year-old CEO has also been invited by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to set up an entrepreneurial cell in Britain to promote entrepreneurial skills among prospective investors in his country. Suhas Gopinath is scheduled to meet Tony Blair on July 16 in the regard.

Gowda’s outbursts strain JD (S)-BJP relations in Karnataka

Former Prime Minister and JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s outbursts against BJP leaders in Karnataka has strained the relations between the coalition partners and threatened the survival of the H D Kumaraswamy-led JD (S)-BJP Government.

A day after Gowda accused “some” BJP Ministers in Karnataka of blocking the efforts to nationalize the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project for “other considerations”, hectic efforts were launched to save the four-month-old coalition Government.

Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu was scheduled to fly into Bangalore on Saturday after the JD (S) supremo assailed the saffron party’s leadership in New Delhi for remaining “mute spectators”. He is expected to assuage the ruffled feelings of the JD (S) leadership and prevent the premature collapse of the coalition Government.

Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader in Karnataka B S Yediyurappa, who is in touch with Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, said he would call on Gowda in Bangalore and sort out the matter.

Notwithstanding Gowda’s public threat that the BJP will have to face the consequence of opposing the Government take-over of the BMIC project, the Karnataka unit of BJP remains adamant against the proposal of the JD (S) in the matter. “There is no question of taking over the BMIC project at this stage”, BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda told reporters.

The BJP, however, is willing to go as far as reclaiming the “excess land” allocated for the BMIC project and return the same to the farmers. But, Gowda is firm not only on taking over the project by passing a piece of legislation in the Assembly, but also auctioning the excess land in the open market without returning the same to the farmers.

So firm is the BJP against the proposal to take-over the project that party’s Ministers boycotted a Cabinet meeting scheduled earlier this week to discuss the matter. “The JD (S) should not force the Government to be in a situation to be reprimanded by the courts as had already happened thrice”, he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP has convened a legislature party meeting shortly to discuss the issue. The party’s view on the matter will be placed during the co-ordination committee meeting of the coalition partners. However, Deputy Chief Minister Yediyurappa claimed that there was no threat to the coalition Government and expressed hope that the matter will be resolved at the co-ordination committee meeting of the coalition partners, which will be convened in a couple of days.

First phase of BMIC road thrown open to traffic amid Government opposition

The first phase of the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) was thrown open to vehicular traffic on Friday afternoon.

A section of the peripheral ring road, measuring about 9 kms, was inaugurated with a simple ceremony, attended by more than 10,000 people from nearby villages, at the Clover Leaf Interchange near the Hemmigepura village on the outskirts of Bangalore.

Ashok K Kheny, Managing Director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), which is implementing the project, told reporters that Friday afternoon’s inauguration of the BMIC project’s first phase was a “soft launch” with the entire stretch of peripheral ring road measuring 26 kms, scheduled for completion by August 15.

But, the lead-up to the soft launch of BMIC’s first phase was marked by high drama. Barely hours before the soft opening of the portion of peripheral ring road, the Karnataka Government dispatched a notice to NICE, cautioning the private promoter against going ahead with the scheduled inauguration on Friday without the mandatory clearance from the Public Works Department (PWD) of the State Government.

But, Kheny brushed aside the notice issued by the Government late on Thursday evening. “PWD interprets things in the way most convenient to them. I have complied with all rules and regulations. There will be violation of any rules if a portion of the peripheral ring road is opened as planned”, he told reporters.

Kheny’s angry reaction came after he received a notice from the Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka Government cautioning him against throwing open the road to traffic till PWD checks for its traffic-worthiness. The notice said “You are requested to please furnish the detailed completion report of the project comprising all items of works carried out, along with plans, designs, drawings etc as per the framework agreement for further needful in the matter. Hope, till the fulfillment of the aforesaid requirements, you will not proceed further towards opening the road for traffic as you intended”.

On Thursday evening, a day before the scheduled soft opening, NICE had to contend with agitated farmers of Hemmigepura, who were blocking the road demanding the construction of a link road from the peripheral road to their village. A few unidentified miscreants even dug a trench on the road and carted away material kept for road construction.

Police was soon summoned to the spot and the agitated crowd was pacified to withdraw their protest. NICE officials even managed to retrieve the material and refill the freshly dug up trench.
An obviously peeved Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy confessed that he was “too small a man” to stop the launch. He told a meeting in Bangalore that “No one has checked the road quality. The company is so big that we don’t even have the rights to check the quality. They have full control over the road and the area. It is a bad issue, let us not discuss it any further”, he said.

The inauguration of the first phase of the BMIC project come at a time when the coalition partners JD (S) and BJP are divided over their approach to the issue.

Times of India announces take-over of three publications in Karnataka

India’s largest media house – The Times of India – has announced the take over three publications in Karnataka including the largest circulated Kannada daily Vijaya Karnataka.

In an announcement appearing in the daily on Friday, Times of India Group has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent stake in Vijayanand Printers Ltd, which publishes to Kannada newspapers – Vijaya Karnataka and Usha Kirana – and the English daily Vijay Times.

“The move is part of Times Group’s efforts to deepen its local presence and develop a larger regional identity”, the announcement said.

An announcement on the sale of the three newspapers appeared in the publications of Vijayanand Printers Ltd also. “The ownership of the three proud publications of Vijayanand Printers Ltd, Vijaya Karnataka, Vijay Times and Usha Kirana has passed on to the Times of India group. An agreement to this effect has been signed by the two organizations”, Chairman of Vijayanand Printers Ltd Vijay Sankeshwar said in the announcement.

Sankeshwar said his group, having sold the media business, would focus on expanding its logistics venture, besides entering new businesses. “This sale will allow Vijayanand Roadlines Ltd, promoters of Vijayanand Publications Ltd, to focus on other major expansion and diversification plans for its logistics business as well as develop other new businesses”, he said.

All the three publications – Vijaya Karnataka, Usha Kirana and Vijay Times – have ten editions. While Vijaya Karnataka is the leader in Kannada newspaper segment with a circulation in excess of 550,000 copies per day, Vijay Times enjoys No. 1 position outside Bangalore in all the districts of Karnataka in the English language segment.

Helmet rule reintroduced in Karnataka

The Karnataka Government has reintroduced mandatory wearing of helmets by two wheeler riders and pillion riders with effect from July 31.

Karnataka’s Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Basavaraj Horatti told reporters that a decision to the effect was taken at the recent Cabinet meeting and a detailed notification in the regard will be issued by the Transport Department shortly.

He said the Government decision on compulsory wearing of helmets by two wheeler riders and pillion riders was taken in view of a High Court order in the regard.

The Karnataka High Court had passed an order in October 2003 on reintroduction of compulsory wearing of helmets following public interest litigation. But, the then S M Krishna Government had deferred a decision on the matter in view of the impending elections to the Assembly.

Though the Dharam Singh-led Government mooted the idea of reintroducing helmet wearing in May 2004, a number of MLAs opposed the idea and cautioned the Government against playing into the hands of the helmet manufacturers.

Government cheque to BMIC promoter bounces

The Karnataka Government suffered a major embarrassment when a cheque issued by it to the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enteprise (NICE), promoters of Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC), bounced.

The cheque worth Rs 500,000 was issued after the Supreme Court passed strictures against the Karnataka Government about two months ago for creating impediments to the BMIC project and directed payment of compensation for the same.

The cheque dated May 26, 2006, drawn on State Bank of Mysore, Treasury Branch, Bangalore, in favour of NICE, was bounced when it was presented for clearance earlier this week due to lack of funds. The cheque was returned from the bank with a remark “cheque not honoured due to insufficient funds”.

The cheque bounce episode has apparently left the Kumaraswamy regime red in the face. But, Government officials tried to pass the buck on the bank officials. “The bank has failed to reconcile the amount the in account and goofed up by sending the cheque back. We took the bank to task as soon as we came to know and requested NICE to present the cheque again”, Secretary to the Department of Public Works P B Mahishi told reporters.

Officials in the Finance Department of Karnataka Government said the cheque had been returned from the treasury due to a “technical snag” in the computer and not due to insufficient funds.

NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheny, who is engaged in a running feud with the H D Kumaraswamy regime over the project, said the Government had issued a cheque for Rs 500,000 as penalty imposed on it by the Supreme Court for blocking the BMIC project with malafide intentions. He said his lawyers were examining the legal aspects of the future course of action including pressing for criminal prosecution for a cheque bounce.

The cheque bounce case has also served as a cannon fodder for the Opposition Congress and All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD), which have called for Kumaraswamy’s resignation as Chief Minister.

BMIC project threatens JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka

Serious differences between the ruling alliance partners JD (S) and BJP over the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project have pushed the four-month-old coalition Government in Karnataka to the brink of a crisis.

With the BJP doggedly opposing a determined move by the JD (S) to take over the project Rs 22.5 billion BMIC project by bringing in a piece of legislation, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has threatened to resign from his post.

In view of the raging controversy over the BMIC project between the coalition partners, Kumaraswamy has publicly expressed his unwillingness to continue as Chief Minister if the BJP does not relent from its stand.

“I am not sure whether I will continue as the Chief Minister till the next fifteen days”, he said while participating in a public function in Kolar on Wednesday evening. “For me, it is not important whether I stay in office or not. What is important to me is service to the poor and downtrodden”, he said.

But, the BJP remains adamant on its stand against take over of the project by the Government. “Instead, we are in favour of the reclaiming the 2,400 acres of land deemed as excess allocation from the project promoters Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise”, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa told reporters in Gulbarga.

The BMIC controversy assumed serious proportions ever since it became public that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy owned 46 acres of land in Ramanagaram in Bangalore rural district, which will fall under the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Area Planning Authority.

The BMIC project, which is the country’s first private road infrastructure project, envisages construction of a 111-km-long expressway between Bangalore and Mysore, besides five townships enroute.

The Opposition Congress has not only accused the JD (S) of conspiring to take over the project with malafide intentions, but also submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission for filing a false affidavit on his assets at the time of elections to the Legislative Assembly in 2004.

A delegation of Congress leaders led by former Chief Minister Dharam Singh met the Chief Electoral Officer in Bangalore and submitted a petition seeking action against Kumaraswamy on the issue.

“Though Kumaraswamy had declared ownership of only 24 acres at the time of submitting his nomination papers to fight the Assembly elections from Ramanagaram constituency, it has now come to light that he owns more than 40 acres”, Dharam Singh told reporters.

Companies in UAE and Oman keen to invest in Karnataka projects - Kumaraswamy

Investors in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman had evinced keen interest in participating in infrastructure projects in Karnataka, particularly in developing five satellite townships around Bangalore, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has claimed.

Addressing a press conference after his five-day trip to the UAE and Oman, Kumaraswamy said the diaspora from Karnataka in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat had shown keen interest in the Karnataka Government’s proposal to develop satellite townships around Bangalore. “We are looking forward to further interaction with them in the regard”, Kumaraswamy said.

During his visit to UAE, Kumaraswamy said he and Minister for Medical Education V S Acharya met several business leaders and investors, who were impressed with the strides Karnataka was making in the area of infrastructure development.

The business leaders were informed that Karnataka Government was formulating a new industrial policy and would encourage public-private partnership in building flyovers, roads, bus stands, parking lots, besides traffic management and health.

Kumaraswamy said the Karnataka, which occupied the second position in milk production in the country, was planning to export milk and milk products to the countries in the Gulf. “Karnataka has surplus milk production so we are planning to export it to the countries in the Gulf”, he said.

Describing his visit to Oman also as “fruitful”, Kumaraswamy said a business delegation from Oman would be visiting Bangalore to attend the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) summit scheduled for January 2007.

During his visit to Muscat, the Chief Minister called on Oman’s Minister for Commerce and Industry Maqbool Ali Sultan and extended him an invitation to lead the business delegation to Bangalore.

Laloo looks to IIM-B to address railway finance

After shooting down a proposal to increase train fares in the wake of the latest hike in prices of diesel, Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav has instead come forward to set up a Chair on railway finance at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B).

Laloo, who is believed to be exploring the option of electrification of all train routes to reduce the impact of frequent fuel price hike, had himself come forward to set up the Chair at IIM-B, which already has several Chairs set up by the public and private sector.

Laloo Prasad Yadav’s plans to set up a Chair in railway finance at IIM-B comes close on the heels of his decision to entrust the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) with the job of carrying out a case study on Indian Railways’ turnaround.

The Chair on railway finance at IIM-B will focus on research and academic work in the field of railway finance and address the crucial issues relating to railway accountancy, infrastructure and business policy. Laloo is looking for a viable business module for the railways to make investment and a sustainable plan of action to address railway accounting in a bid to get rid of the debt trap.

According to sources, IIM-B has begun hunting for the Chair professor, who will work closely with the Railway Ministry.

Laloo Prasad Yadav’s move is significant for the railways to sustain its impressive growth, specially after he took over the Ministry. Indian Railways earned an additional Rs 150 billion last year, making it the country’s second largest public sector profit-maker.

Farmers pitch tent on BMIC road, begin indefinite agitation

After digging a trench across the newly laid Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) road, farmers from a village on the outskirts of Bangalore pitched a tent right in the middle of the highway and began an indefinite agitation seeking early payment of compensation for the lands acquired from them and construction of a link road to the access-controlled expressway.

The farmers shouted slogans against the project promoters – Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Limited (NICE) – and threatened to disrupt the scheduled inauguration of the first phase of the BMIC highway on June 16.

NICE Managing Director Ashok K Kheny, who is involved in a long-standing feud with former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda over the issue of acquisition of “excess land” for the project, was quick to attribute the ugly vandalism to the handiwork of JD (S) supporters.

Though he estimated the damage caused to the NICE on account of the digging up of the peripheral road to be around Rs 4 million, Kheny vowed to go ahead with the inauguration of the first phase of the project as scheduled on June 16. “It will cost us Rs 4 million to rebuild the road. The expressway has eight-inch thick asphalt and superior quality materials were used to make it”, he said.

Accusing the JD (S) of trying to scuttle the project by unleashing vandalism, Kheny said he had sought police protection during the implementation of the project, which has been cleared by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the state unit of BJP, the coalition partner of ruling JD (S), has criticized the “unwarranted destruction” of a portion of the BMIC road.

President of Karnataka unit of BJP D V Sadananda Gowda said the party will be convening a meeting shortly to discuss the controversy surrounding the BMIC project. Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa also came down heavily on the villagers for taking law into their own hands.

Farmers dig up a portion of newly laid BMIC road

Angry farmers dug up a portion of the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) road on the outskirts of Bangalore on Saturday evening protesting against the delay in release of compensation amount for their acquired land.

The digging up of close to 100 metres of the peripheral road on the outskirts of Bangalore, constructed as part of the BMIC project, comes less than a week ahead of the scheduled inauguration of the first phase of the expressway project.

Police said a large crowd of farmers gathered at Hemigepura near Bangalore on Saturday evening and staged a demonstration on the peripheral road, which is due to be thrown open to traffic on June 16. Later, the crowd went out of control and dug up trenches on the road using the earth excavator belonging to the project developers Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE).

Apart from the delay in release of compensation amount by the Government, the farmers were also cut up with the promoters for their failure to provide service road to the villagers. With NICE planning to fence the peripheral ring road, the farmers contended that they will be denied of access to the road.

The controversial BMIC project, which is already facing a hostile take-over bid by the Karnataka Government, has turned murkier with the recent incident of digging up of a portion of the road. The BMIC project envisages construction of a 111-km long world class expressway between Bangalore and Mysore, besides construction of five townships enroute.

Though NICE officials lodged a complaint with the police against the miscreants, NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheny told reporters that Saturday evening’s ugly incident will not come in the way of scheduled inauguration of the first phase of the project. “The first phase of the project comprising a link road between Kanakapura and Kengeri will be thrown open to traffic on June 16 as scheduled”, he said.

He sought to clarify that NICE had already deposited the land acquisition money with the Government. “It is the Government, which should pay the villagers the compensation amount. That apart, some of the villagers are expecting us to mend their roads, which is not possible for us to do”, he said.

Raid on houses of six corrupt officials yields Rs 600 million

In a major crackdown on corrupt officials, the provincial ombudsman – Lokayukta – carried out simultaneous raids on the houses of six Government officials in Bangalore and seized ill-gotten wealth amounting to a whopping Rs 600 million.

The general manager of the state-run Karnataka State Finance Corporation (KSFC) and the Commandant of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) were among the six Government officers, who were arrested on charges of possessing property disproportionate to their known sources of income.

“It is a story of shameful exhibition of riches by corrupt Government officials”, Lokayukta Justice N Venkatachala told reporters while giving the details of the raids.

A raid on the residence of KSFC General Manager H V Krishnaswamy revealed that the official possessed property worth more than Rs 200 million. The confiscated property includes several sites in different parts of Bangalore and agricultural lands in his native in Malur. Cash worth a couple of million rupees was also recovered from the official.

A Commercial Tax officer posted at Koramangala in Bangalore Rangaswamy was found owning a fleet of luxury cars including Skoda, Hyundai Accent, Scorpio, Getz and Qualis, besides a palatial house in Bangalore and teak plantation. His property seized from him amounted to Rs 140 million. His colleague in the Commercial Tax office Gangadhariah also possess sites, houses and gold jewellery, whose value was disproportionate to his known sources of income.

A raid on the house of KSRP Commandant Krishnappa proved that the officer owned properties not only in Bangalore, but also in Davangere and Harihar, all valued at Rs 50 million. A junior engineer posted at Cauvery Guest House Narappa had amassed residential sites, houses, gold jewellery and automobiles worth Rs 50 million.

A village accountant in Tabaranahalli village on the outskirts of Bangalore owned two palatial houses in Bangalore, fourteen acres of land and three residential sites in Devanahalli, about 30 kms from Bangalore, two cards, besides even an educational institute. His property was estimated to be around Rs 150 million by the Lokayukta sleuths.

Bangalore International airport to be completed before April 2008 deadline

The Bangalore International Airport, which is the country’s first-ever Greenfield airport, will be completed within its deadline of April 2008.

According to Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) Chief Executive Officer Albert Brunner, about 23 per cent of the work on the international airport being constructed at Devanahalli, about 30 kms from Bangalore, had been completed within one year of project taking off. “By the end of the year, the progress of work is expected to touch 70 per cent”, he said.

The international airport is slowly taking shape and flights are expected to become operational before April 2008, the deadline set for the project to complete.

Brunner’s comments came during Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s visit to the airport site for an inspection. After visiting the excavation site, terminal block and the four-km-long runway, Yediyurappa, donning a safety helmet, expressed satisfaction over the progress of work.

The BIAL has also started work on the redesigned terminal block, which has been expanded to accommodate more passenger traffic. “By 2010, we are expecting 8.5 million passengers a year, a figure, which we had earlier predicted only for 2020. Therefore, we have redesigned the terminal block and excavation for the redesigned terminal block has commenced”, Brunner said.

Due to the redesigning of the terminal block, the cost of the project has shot up from Rs 14 billion to Rs 19 billion.

83-year-old man in Bellary marries woman half his age

An 83-year-old man created a sensation by marrying a woman half his age at Alipur village in Karnataka’s Bellary district.

The problems of old age and the need for a companion drove R G Sharabanna, a retired joint director in the department of public instruction, to tie the nuptial knot with 42-year-old Gangamma in a ceremony held at a religious retreat in the village last week.

Sharabanna, who was drawing a monthly pension of Rs 8,000, was leading a lonely life ever since his wife and daughter died a couple of years ago. His two sons are working in Bellary town. Hence, he chose Gangamma, a resident of Komballi village in Bellary district, to become his partner in the remaining part of his life.

Sharabanna was making no bones of the fact that he was entering into wedlock at such an advanced age in his life for the sake of security during his last days. “I need someone to take care of me in my last days. So, I decided to marry Gangamma”, he said.

But, Sharabanna incurred the wrath of his sons, who were opposing the marriage. Fearing that his sons would stop the wedding, which was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, Sharabanna advanced the wedding by a day on Friday.

His sons, who had got a wind of their father’s marital plans, arrived in the village on Saturday to stop the wedding. But, they were disappointed to learn that their father’s marriage was already over.

After picking up a quarrel with their father, the two sons of Sharabanna went to the local police station and lodged a complaint against his behaviour. Meanwhile, Sharabanna, who is adamant on keeping his wife, too has registered a complaint with the police seeking protection from his sons.

Naxals threaten to bomb courts in Shimoga in Karnataka

The courts in Shimoga and Sagar in Karnataka were provided with special security cover on Thursday in the wake of a threat from naxal outfits that the buildings will be bombed.

A large number of armed personnel were posted around the courts in Shimoga and nearby Sagar while the entry of advocates and clients into the premises was screened through a metal detector.

Security had been beefed up at the courts after a letter, purportedly written by a naxal outfit, threatened to blow up the buildings if proceedings were held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the two courts.

The letter claimed that members of the naxal outfit were taken on false cases to the two courts and were unnecessarily harassed. “It warned that no cases should be heard in any court in Shimoga and Sagar on June 8, 9 and 10. Or else, the buildings will be exploded”, a police official said quoting the letter written in the name of one Pavagada Gangareddy and posted in Thirthahalli in Shimoga district.

Soon after the courts received the threatening letters, the Presiding officers brought it to the notice of Superintendent of Shimoga district Arun Chakravarthi. The police, however, have chosen against taking the threat lightly and beefed security around the courts.

Meanwhile, the police said there were no police cases against members of naxal outfits, which were being heard in the courts of Shimoga and Sagar.

Government to take over BMIC project

Even as the first stretch of the controversy-ridden Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) highway is ready to be thrown open to traffic in about a week’s time, the Karnataka Government was preparing to take over the Rs 220 billion infrastructure project from the private entity, which is implementing the project, by bringing in a piece of legislation.

The Supreme Court had recently cleared the BMIC project, which has been mired in controversies for more than ten years since it was conceived in 1995. Just when the private promoter had resumed work and declared the opening of the first stretch of the peripheral road around Bangalore on June 16, the Karnataka Government, which had been stone-walling the project on various grounds, moved swiftly to conceive a bill envisaging the nationalization of the project.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bangalore on Wednesday that the Government would take over the BMIC project by enacting a Bill without dishonouring the Apex Court’s ruling in the dispute.

He had convened an emergency meeting of the State Cabinet on Tuesday night and secured the approval of coalition partner BJP to his proposal to take over the project by bringing in a bill.

Kumaraswamy contended that the Government was the appropriate agency to implement infrastructure projects in a way that benefits common mon. “But, we will take care that the court’s rulings are not dishonoured in any way”, he said.

The proposed Karnataka Infrastructure Development and Land Reforms Bill 2006 seeks to nationalize all infrastructure projects that require more than 5,000 acres of land. “Only BMIC falls into the ambit of the project”, an official said.

The Karnataka Government’s latest move is expected to place yet another hurdle in the implementation of the long-pending BMIC project, which envisages construction of a 111-km long state-of-the-art expressway between Bangalore and Mysore, besides five townships that can accommodate a population of 100,000 each.

The root cause of the dispute between the Government and the private promoter is the amount of land required for the project. While the Government in 1995 had signed a framework agreement to provide 20,153 acres of land for the project, the Government later contended the private company had acquired 2,541 acres of land in excess.

Bangalore Bio kicks off

The sixth edition of Bangalore Bio, an annual biotechnology event hosted by the Karnataka Government, began at the sprawling parade grounds in Bangalore yesterday with Federal Minister for Science and Biotechnology Kapil Sibal’s call for production of affordable medicines.

Kicking off the three-day Bangalore Bio on Wednesday, Sibal called upon the biotechnology companies engaged in the research and production of medicine to manufacture medicines, which are available to the common man at an affordable cost.

Sibal’s call for production of affordable medicines comes a day after President A P J Abdul Kalam dedicated to the nation India’s first indigenously developed drug for treating head and neck cancer.

Developed by scientists of Biocon India, the monoclonal antibody - BioMab EGFR – works by binding to all cancer-specific antigens and inducing an immunological response against the target cells. “The life-saving cancer drug will hit the market in the next few months”, Biocon India’s chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said.

Though a large number of monoclonal antibodies have been launched in the country, they are beyond the reach of a majority of cancer patients because of their prohibitive costs. Biocon’s drug is expected to come at an affordable rate to the cancer patients, Biocon officials said.

The Bangalore Bio, meanwhile, has attracted considerable interest from overseas with many foreign delegates from countries like the US, France, UK, Netherlands and Germany participating in the event.

The biotechnology industry in India, which is growing at an exponential pace, is expected to touch business worth $ 5 billion by 2010 and generate over a million jobs in the pharmaceutical, agricultural and allied sectors.

With unlimited opportunities in clinical research, clinical service, research and development of medicine, the biotechnology industry in India was growing at a rate of 30 per cent per annum, noted Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who is also the Chairperson of Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology.

Just ahead of Bangalore Bio, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had announced the setting up of a Biotechnology Park on a 106 acre plot at a cost of Rs one billion. “The Biotechnology Park would have a cascading effect and give a boost to the biotechnology industry in Bangalore”, Ms Shaw noted

Helicopter crash-lands in Bangalore

A Bell – 407 helicopter belonging to Deccan Aviation crash-landed in a lake bed on the outskirts of Bangalore on Monday evening minutes after take-off from the Jakkur aerodrome. Both the pilots in the helicopter escaped with minor injuries.

The pilots Captain Vishnu Rawal and Captian R Menon were on a routine flight in the helicopter, which is used as a VIP chartered chopper, when the mishap took place.

According to eyewitnesses, the helicopter was hovering over the Jakkur lake and suddenly came down. The cause for the snag was yet to be ascertained, according to officials of Deccan Aviation. A team of officials from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to arrive here from New Delhi to investigate the crash.

The helicopter is understood to have encountered technical snag within fifteen minutes after take off on Monday evening. The six-seater chopper was brought down on the lake-bed and slid down a mound before coming to rest. The heavy landing broke its tail. The pilots jumped out of the cockpit even as the rotor blades were rotating and ran to safety.

The pilots were immediately taken to a private hospital and given medical treatment for the minor injuries they suffered during the mishap. The doctors attending on them said the two pilots are out of danger.

Meanwhile, within seconds of the crash-landing, a large number of people started flocking to see the wreckage. The mishap generated much excitement in the villages nearby and groups of people made a beeline to the lake bed for a closer look at the helicopter.

The police had made arrangements for armed personnel to guard the helicopter throughout the night.

Deccan Aviation officials said the pilots were having a professional check sortie when the main rotor developed a loss of rotations per minute (RPM). The landing gear, tail rotor boom and blades, besides the canopy of the helicopter had been damaged.

Nude Jain priests provided police escort

Five Jain priests, whose nude trek through the parts of Tamil Nadu, sparked off protests by political activists and followers of late Periyar, were safely escorted to the borders of Karnataka by the police.

More than a hundred policemen held a long curtain on either side of the Jain priests’ path from Mettur in Tamil Nadu to Palar in Karnataka after their nude walk incurred the wrath of political activists.

The Jain priests, who were accompanied by three women priests, had visited to Tirumali in Tamil Nadu after participating in the Mahamastakabhisheka at Shravanabelaloga in Karnataka a couple of months ago. They were trekking towards Kanakagiri Kshetra, a centuries-old Jain centre in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district, when protests against their nudity began gathering steam in Tamil Nadu.

As part of their religious belief, Jain priests do not wear either clothes or travel in vehicles. They walk nude to their destinations.

But, their practice of nudity came under fire from people, who gathered in large numbers in parts of Tamil Nadu, raising concerns about their security.

The Jain Samajs in Karnataka have also expressed concern over the safety of the priests during their trek towards Kanakagiri Kshetra. They have appealed to the Government to provide adequate police security to the Jain priests during their stay at a location near Palar bridge and while they pass through Hanur, Kollegal and Santhemarahalli in Karnataka.

UN body discusses ethical practices in tourism

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) began its two-day meet on ethical practices in tourism industry in Bangalore yesterday amid mounting concerns over the fall-out of international tourist arrivals the world over touching 808 million during 2005.

The World Committee on Tourism Ethics of the UNWTO will deliberate on the impact of such travel and frame guidelines for ethical practices in the tourism industry. The meeting would discuss tourist safety and security, besides a host of other related issues including the implications of movement of such a large number people on social, cultural and environment aspects.

Special Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary General David De Villiers told reporters that the shift in international travel to Asian and African countries was putting pressure on airports, besides environmental, cultural and social aspects. “The meeting would also work towards drafting implementation parameters for Global Code of Ethics and Tourism”, he said.

Deputy Secretary General of the UNWTO Taiyeb Rifai said receipts from international tourism amounted to 500 billion euros by the end of 2005. Though Europe contributed substantially to tourism sector, the growth has been much faster in markets of Africa, Asia and West Asia. “This entailed enormous responsibilities on stakeholders and the Global Code of Ethics and Tourism would come in handy for the purpose”, he said.

The Global Code of Ethics and Tourism is a set of principles, whose purpose is to guide stakeholders in tourism development, governments and local communities.

Congress wins MLC seat in Karnataka, cracks surface in JD (S)-BJP coalition

In a major setback to the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government in Karnataka, the Opposition Congress party managed to win four seats during the exciting elections to the Legislative Council from the Assembly, capitalizing on the cracks in the ruling coalition.

Though the BJP also won four seats on the basis of its numerical strength in the Karnataka Assembly, the victory of four Congress candidates against the three belonging to the JD (S) has come as an embarrassment to the ruling coalition.

During the elections to the eleven vacant seats of the Legislative Council, all the three major political parties had fielded four candidates each. But, the Opposition Congress managed to take sweet revenge on Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy by defeating the JD (S) candidate Amarnath Shetty. Congress party’s V R Sudarshan romped home to victory.

The Congress party’s upset victory came about after nine rebel JD (S) MLAs led by former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah threw in their lot with the Congress. The BJP’s failure to allocate its second preference votes to the JD (S) candidate put paid to the ruling party’s hopes of winning four seats.

The results have also given a moral victory to Siddaramaiah and his group, who defied the JD (S) whip and supported the Congress in a bid to settle his long-standing political differences with former Prime Minister and JD (S) national President H D Deve Gowda.

The BJP, which had the numbers to ensure the victory of all its four candidates without any hiccup, however, had to keep its fingers crossed till the results were announced as its fourth candidate Vimala Gowda fell short of the required number of first preference votes during the first round of counting. The party leaders heaved a sigh of relief when Vimla Gowda scraped through after the second preference votes were counted.

A jubilant Congress party termed its success in the elections as a “defeat for communal forces”. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge said the election results indicated the “beginning of the end of the JD (S)-BJP rule in Karnataka”.

Meanwhile, the JD (S) spokesman Y S V Datta attributed the defeat of its fourth candidate to a “communication gap” with its coalition partner the BJP.

The victorious Congress candidates are K C Kondaiah, Arshad Ali, Motamma and V R Sudarshan. The triumphant BJP candidates are D S Veeraiah, Thontadarya, Karunakar Reddy and Vimla Gowda. The JD (S) candidates who were elected to the Legislative Council are H C Neeravari, Abdul Azeem and Chikkamadu.

Runaway leopard shot dead in Gadag

The leopard, which had escaped from a Zoo in Gadag in north Karnataka about a month ago, was finally traced and shot dead by the forest and police department personnel.

The leopard was gunned down when it had taken shelter in the bathroom of a house in a village on the outskirts of Gadag after attacking a 35-year-old household member.

Though the forest department officials had launched a hunt for the leopard, which had escaped from the Binkadkatte Zoo by breaking open a wooden floor of the cage and leaping across six feet high wall a month ago, the efforts remained futile.

But, the leopard strayed into the house of Basanagowda Patil on Wednesday and attacked him. An injured Patil ran out of the house and raised an alarm. A large number of people from the village gathered around the house and created a ruckus, forcing the big cat to take refuge in the bathroom.

Soon, police officials arrived in the village and opened fire at the leopard. Out of the four gun-shots, one hit the leopard’s eye and another his forehead. The police official’s decision to shoot the runaway leopard was justified by the forest department officials. For, there was a possibility of the big cat leaping out of the bathroom, which had no roof, and attacking more people.

The leopard, which was gunned down, had become part of the folklore in Gadag ever since it had accidentally strayed into a school compound in Hubli around two months ago. The forest department officials had managed to capture the leopard alive in a four-hour-long operation and shifted it to the Bindatkatte Zoo. But, the ferocious leopard had made good his escape, spreading panic among the residents of surrounding villages.

Fuel spill from damaged ship causes concern

A large quantity of fuel had reportedly leaked into the sea from the commercial ship Ocean Seraya, which was wreaked after crashing into a rock off the Karwar coast in Karnataka amid a stormy weather on Tuesday.

According to Indian Coast Guard officials, the ill-fated ship, which remains partly submerged in the seas, had over 700 tonnes of fuel. The oil spill had already raised environmental concerns along the coast of not only Karnataka, but beaches of adjoining Goa.

The threat to marine life and tourism on account of the oil leakage from the wreaked ship has become a source of concern along the coasts. However, Coast Guard officials in Goa, who have been monitoring the oil spread at regular intervals, said the fuel spill was not moving towards Goa.

The Coast Guard’s Chetak helicopter and Dornier aircraft were carrying out surveillance around the damaged ship, whose tank had been ruptured after hitting the rocks. “We have mobilized our equipments. Oil spill dispersants would be sprayed on the spill by the helicopter and the aircraft while a Coast Guard ship had been commissioned to control the spill”, Deputy Inspector General of India Coast Guard R M Sharma told reporters.

However, Sharma added that there was no need for panic on account of the oil spill as the 700 tonnes of fuel onboard the damaged ship had been distributed in various tanks in the ship. “Only one tank has been ruptured and there is no possibility of the entire fuel leaking into the sea”, he said.

The Karwar Port authorities too had visited the spot in the sea, where the damaged ship was stranded, and studied the implications of the oil spill.
It may be mentioned here that the 271-metre long and 35-metre high bulk carrier vessel from Singapore, with 20 people on board, was wreaked in the off the Karwar harbour in heavy rains on Tuesday. The Coast Guard helicopters had managed to evacuate nineteen of them while a sailor lost his life making a vain bid to escape from the sinking ship before the rescue operation was launched