Kaiga nuclear power plant to begin supplying power by March-end

In a major milestone in India’s nuclear power generation, the third reactor of Kaiga Atomic Power Station near Karwar in Karnataka achieved its first self-sustained thermonuclear reaction on Monday, paving the way for supplying power to southern grid by March-end.

Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar and Chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India S K Jain witnessed the first criticality of the Atomic Power Station.

The construction of 220 MW unit had begun in March 2002 and had been completed in a record time of less than five years, braving all adverse climatic conditions, remarked Kakodkar. “Five years is the international benchmark for completing nuclear power plants”, he said.

The plant is located at Kaiga, a remote area of Karnataka, about 55 kms from the port City of Karwar. The area faces heavy rainfall, which had forced the disruption of the construction activity for several months.

The first and second reactor of Kaiga Atomic Power Station had been commissioned in 1999 and 2000 respectively. The fourth reactor is scheduled for commissioning later this year.

S K Jain said the major beneficiaries of the power generated from the Kaiga Atomic Power Station will be Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala.

Jain also told reporters that Nuclear Power Corporation of India is planning to construct eight 700 MW units and ten 1,000 MW units in the next five years. With the country’s nuclear power capacity expected to multiply, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India was looking at generating 65,000 MW by 2032, he added.

Karnataka Government in a knot over power shortage

With power cuts becoming inevitable in view of the huge shortfall in the availability of electricity across Karnataka, the Government authorities are facing a tough time trying to choose an ideal time for the power shutdown what with ICC World Cup 2007 as well as examinations to State and Central Board scheduled to be held during the same time.

The onset of summer has already seen the demand for power in the State shoot up to 130 million units against the power availability of 72 million units, forcing the Government to resort to power cuts. Several parts of Karnataka have started experiencing frequent unscheduled power-cuts including the 13-hour shutdown in Bangalore over the weekend.

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) authorities have held several rounds of talks with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to discuss the power situation in the State. Officials admit that the task of choosing an ideal time to shut down power will be a “tricky” one.

For, the industry will cry foul if there is a power cut is resorted to during day-time, affecting their productivity. If there is a power shutdown during evenings or mornings, the students, who are preparing for their exams, and their parents will curse the authorities.

Any move to turn off power around midnight is feared to trigger a violent reaction from the cricket-crazy fans, who will be glued to the television sets to watch the World Cup 2007. The telecast of World Cup matches, scheduled to commence from March 13, is expected to start around 7 pm and go on till 3 am. The World Cup is scheduled to conclude only on April 28.

Similiarly, Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) exams are scheduled to begin from March 1 and end on April 10. While SSLC examinations are scheduled to be held in the last week of March, the PUC examinations will conclude only on April 16. Millions of students are appearing for examinations in Karnataka during the period.

Power shutdown leads to unending telephone calls to the Control Room with angry residents hurling expletives at the KPTCL personnel. There have also been instances when angry cricket fans have gone on a rampage, damaging the KPTCL offices in the event of a power cut during a cricket match.

The power shortage in Karnataka is so severe this time that the authorities have been forced to resort to power cuts even in Bangalore, which has so far been insulated from power shutdowns. The demand for power in Bangalore alone has touched 22 million units against the 18 million units during 2004.

Pollution Control Board tries out “Gandhigiri” in Bangalore

Vehicle drivers in Bangalore were pleasantly surprised when they were stopped and offered a rose at the busy Brigade Road-M G Road junction instead of demand notes for payment of fine towards emitting more than the prescribed levels of smoke.

Soon, it dawned on them that Karnataka Pollution Control Board had taken a leaf out of Hindi potboiler Lage Raho Munnabhai and was trying out the “Gandhigiri” approach to bring down the levels of pollution in Bangalore.

With air pollution levels steadily rising in the City, the Pollution Control Board officials had roped in about 25 NCC cadets and City Traffic police to spread the message of curbing pollution. The cadets and traffic police approached vehicles emitting a lot of smoke at the traffic signal at the junction and promptly handed the drivers a rose and a chocolate, besides a pamphlet on the need to check air pollution.

During the two-hour long exercise conducted on Sunday, the Pollution Control Board officials identified almost 300 polluting vehicles, including 120 two wheelers, 146 autorickshaws and 23 four-wheelers.
The Pollution Control Board officials said they carried this type of a campaign on an experimental basis with the hope that vehicle drivers will respond positively and join the drive in keeping Bangalore clean and healthy

Karnataka lawmakers likely to lose salary for violating car loan rules

More than a hundred legislators of Karnataka, including three Ministers, are on the verge of losing their monthly salary and other allowances on account of their failure to submit bills for purchase cars after availing of soft loans for purpose.

After availing themselves of a Rs 500,000 loan from the Karnataka Legislature Secretariat more than two years ago, these legislators, including MLAs and MLCs, had not bothered to submit the bills for the purchase of cars, forcing the Assembly Speaker Krishna to direct the Secretariat to stop payment of salary to these legislators, which is around Rs 15,000 per month, besides the other allowances they are entitled to.

A total of 103 legislators, including Health Minister R Ashok, Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar and Water Resources Minister K S Eshwarappa, figure in the list of lawmakers found guilty of not providing proof for purchasing cars after availing the loan.

The legislators are entitled to a loan of Rs 500,000 for purchase of cars soon after their election to either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. The loan, which is given at a low rate of interest, is deducted from the monthly salary. “But, it is mandatory that the legislators use the funds only for purchase of a car and nothing else. Hence, the legislators should compulsorily submit the bills for purchase of a car”, said an official in the Legislative Secretariat.

These 103 legislators have neither submitted the bills nor have they bothered to respond to the notices issued by the Secretariat in the regard. Now, the issue has taken a serious turn with Speaker directing the officials to stop payment of salary and other allowances to these legislators.

The Secretariat officials are now issuing a final notice to the legislators to furnish the bills for purchase of the car and enclosing a copy of the Speaker’s letter. “We hope they understand the gravity of the situation and oblige”, the officer said.

Meanwhile, about 88 legislators of Karnataka have also been found guilty of not submitting bills for purchase of computers against a sanction of Rs 50,000 to each of them for the purpose. Unlike the vehicle loan, the money given for purchase of computers was released in the form of allowance and not repayable. But, the legislators had been asked to furnish bills for purchase of computers.

About 88 legislators are yet to submit the bills. “We are exploring various options to ensure that these legislators furnish the bills and ensure that the tax payers’ money is not misused”, Secretariat officials said.

Tragic end for British trekker in Kodagu

A British tourist, who went trekking the picturesque hillocks near Madikeri in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, died after developing breathing problems.

The 33-year-old British tourist David John Lord, a resident of Bristol in England, had arrived in India earlier this month with his girlfriend Lena Liyambe. The duo trekked through the forest ranges in Western Ghats and reached Madikeri in Kodagu on February 22.

After gathering information about the tourist places around Madikeri, Lord and his girlfriend Liyambe went trekking around Abbe falls on Friday morning with the help of a tourist guide and reached Devastur forests. When they resumed their trek after lunch, Lord, who had been an asthmatic patient, developed breathing difficulties in the evening and collapsed.

Deputy Superintendent of Kodagu district police H R S Shetty told reporters that Lord was declared dead by the time he was brought to the District Hospital in Madikeri. Hospital sources said Lord had died due to a heart attack. His girlfriend Liyambe was inconsolable in grief over the tragic end Lord.

Police said Ministry of External Affairs had been alerted. His body is expected to be flown to London from Mumbai.

Traditional Mysore turban to replace convocation caps in Karnataka

Students passing out of the Universities in Karnataka will no longer wear the academic caps at the convocation ceremonies. Instead, they can sport the traditional Mysore turban.

A decision to ban the British legacy of wearing the academic caps, which are called as mortarboard, was taken by the Inter University Board at its recent meeting. The Universities have been given the option of using the Mysore turban, which is expected to add local flavour to the annual academic exercise.

“We have banned the use of these academic caps by students as well as faculty during convocation ceremonies. Wearing of Mysore turban, however, will be optional. Wearing of Mysore turban is not mandatory. Our idea of banning the convocation caps is to discontinue the British legacy”, Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister D H Shankarmurthy told reporters.

However, there will no change in the wearing of the gowns by students and faculty during the convocations.

The IUB’s decision will apply to all the students passing out of the nine Universities in Karnataka. They will no longer be seen wearing the mortarboard while receiving their degree certificates during convocations.

Shankarmurthy said the decision to abandon the practice of wearing the convocation caps was taken after he was impressed with the sight of a few students adorning themselves with sparkling Mysore turbans at a recent convocation of Karnataka State Open University held in Mysore near here.

The practice of wearing mortarboard has already been dispensed with in many parts of the world. The Mysore turban, which is set to replace the mortarboard, had been the traditional headgear of people in the erstwhile Mysore state. Though a few old-timers still wear the head-gear, the Mysore turban routinely makes an appearance when distinguished personalities are honoured with it during formal ceremonies in different parts of Karnataka.

As a consequence of the Inter University Board’s decision, the ceremonial mortarboards were conspicuous by their absence at the sixth annual convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University held at Belgaum yesterday.

Neither the students nor the faculty and the VIPs including President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam attending the Visvesvaraya Technological University’s convocation were found sporting the ceremonial caps yesterday. However, students, faculty and the VIPs did not either wear the Mysore turban as the authorities were not able to arrange for the same.

Kalam moots World Knowledge Platform

President A P J Abdul Kalam has mooted the idea of creating a World Knowledge Platform that seeks to integrate the core competencies of partner countries to develop knowledge products.

“This platform will enable joint design, development, cost effective production and marketing of knowledge products in various domains, based on core competence of partner nations, to the international market”, said Kalam in his address to the sixth annual convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University at Belgaum in north Karnataka yesterday.

He cited as an example the successful joint venture between India and Russia that harnessed the core competencies of the two countries despite their different culture, language and design standards. “The product that has come out is of world class, much ahead of other countries, due to the joint working of best of minds from both the countries. This proves that if core competencies of nations are combined, best of knowledge products can emanate well ahead of time”, he said.

Kalam said the proposed World Knowledge Platform should take up missions in Energy, Water, Healthcare, Food, Knowledge Products and Automobile sector in a bid to make the world a safe, sustainable, peaceful and prosperous place to live in.

The World Knowledge Platform could well turn out be a launch pad for many innovations that are waiting to be unearthed only by the combined power of partnering countries.

The concept of convergence of technologies will also play a significant role in the creation of the World Knowledge Platform, he said. After Information Technology and Communication Technology converged to become Information and Communication Technology, Information Technology combined with Bio Technology, leading to Bio-informatics. “Now nano-technology is knocking on our doors. It is the field of the future that has tremendous application potential in the areas of medicine, electronics and material science”, he said.

Through convergence of technologies, Kalam spoke about the creation of a new science called “Intelligent Bio-Science” that promises to lead to a disease-free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities. “Convergence of bio-nano-info technologies can lead to development of nano robots, which when injected into a patient, are expected to diagnose and deliver treatment exclusively in the affected area”, he said.

Kalam revealed that India was working towards achieving energy security by 2010, leading to realization of energy independence by 2030.
Energy security has achieved importance with the era of wood and bio-mass almost nearing its end and the area of oil and natural gas predicted to be exhausted in the next few decades. The world energy forum has predicted that fossil-based oil, coal and gas reserves will last for another five to ten decades, he said.

Piped gas to be supplied to Bangalore and 60 towns in Karnataka

Karnataka Government has given the green signal to a natural gas distribution and infrastructure project by Reliance Industries, which paves the way for direct supply of piped gas to homes in Bangalore and sixty other towns across the state.

The Rs 120 billion project, cleared by a high level Investments Clearance Committee headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, envisages laying of natural gas pipelines in Bangalore and sixty other towns in the State. “Once the project is implemented, natural gas can be provided to all households through pipelines instead of cylinders”, Karnataka’s Industries Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu told reporters.

The project, which is scheduled to be completed in three years time from the date of commencement of work, seeks to supply natural gas from Reliance Industries’ Krishna-Godavari Block in Andhra Pradesh for power generation, transport, domestic, commercial and industrial use.

Naidu said the project was awaiting final approval from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to commence work. After securing the necessary approval, the company will start building a gas distribution pipeline from Bangalore. He said the Karnataka Government would be writing to the Federal Government to clear the company’s proposal, as Karnataka does not have a dedicated pipeline for supply of gas from the source.

The natural gas distribution and infrastructure project is not only expected to generate about 46,000 jobs, but also bring down the cost of booking gas considerably.

Apart from natural gas distribution project, Karnataka has also cleared a Rs 20 billion project of Reliance Industries to establish an integrated agricultural and retail business chain consisting of three food processing and distribution centers, 51 retail outlets or hypermarkets and 75 rural business hubs. “This project is expected to create employment for another 30,000 people”, Naidu said.

During the same high level Investment Clearance Committee Meeting, the Government cleared investment worth Rs 13.7 billion in Special Economic Zones. An electronics hardware Special Economic Zone will come up near Mysore with an investment of Rs 4.4 billion, Naidu said.

Karnataka rejects Cauvery verdict

An all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in Bangalore yesterday resolved to reject the final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal delivered recently.

Making the announcement after the meeting held at the State Secretariat Vidhana Soudha, Kumaraswamy said the State Government had decided to reject the Tribunal’s verdict as all the parties in Karnataka were of the unanimous view that the final award has been “unjust” to Karnataka.

The next course of action available for the State Government was to file an appeal before the Tribunal or move the Supreme Court for relief. “The State Government will take a final decision on the matter after consulting legal and constitutional experts in the matter”, he said.

The Tribunal has allocated 270 tmc feet of Cauvery water to Karnataka and directed the State to release 192 tmc feet of water annually to Tamil Nadu, which receives a total of 419 tmc feet.

Kumaraswamy said all the political parties in the State had extended support to the State Government on its future course of action on the Cauvery dispute. Saturday’s meeting was attended by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and former Chief Minister Dharam Singh, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, CPM legislator G V Sriram Reddy, Republican Party of India leader Rajendran, Cauvery Protection Committee President G Made Gowda and others.

Yesterday’s all party meeting was the second such exercise after the Tribunal delivered its verdict on February 5. The earlier meeting convened soon after the pronouncement of judgement had remained inconclusive, as many political party leaders had not received a copy of the 1,000-page order.

The all-party meeting in Bangalore comes close on the heels of a meeting of Karnataka MPs convened by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in New Delhi on Thursday. The meeting decided to raise the issue in both the Houses of the Parliament and bring pressure on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) not to notify the award.

Later, a delegation of all-party MPs from Karnataka met Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee seeking an early debate on the Cauvery issue in the Parliament, much to the resentment of Tamil Nadu’s political establishment. Members of various political parties from Karnataka have given notices to Rajya Sabha Chairman to raise the issue in the Upper House.

Army orders Court of Inquiry into Karwar ruckus by jawans

Even as the Karwar police registered a case of rioting against 30 Army jawans belonging to the Gurkha regiment, who were involved in a fracas with railway personnel and policemen at Karwar police station, the Commander of Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area has ordered a Court of Inquiry into the violence.

The Commander of Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area Brigadier Clement Samuel told reporters in Bangalore that the troops, who were due to leave for Chennai after completion of their training, had been detained at Karwar Naval base to facilitate the Court of Inquiry.

The Court of Inquiry headed by a officer of the rank of colonel would soon be dispatched to Karwar to obtain statements from all the jawans present during the incident at the Karwar railway station, besides the police and railway officials.

The army jawans have been accused of going on a rampage at the railway station, assaulting police and railway officials with knives, leaving ten persons injured.

However, Brigadier Samuel said Wednesday’s trouble took place because a railway policeman hit an Army officer with a baton when the latter was found smoking on the railway platform.

Meanwhile, Karwar Naval base Commander Waghan has regretted the disturbances taking place at the Karwar railway station. In a statement, he said the Army would hold a court martial and initiate disciplinary action against the jawans found guilty. “A team of senior Army officers is expected to arrive in Karwar in a day or two for the inquiry”, he said.

Karwar rural police has registered four First Information Reports (FIR) based on complaints lodged by Station Master of Karwar railway station, Railway Protection Force, Circle Inspector of Police and the District Armed Reserve.

Deputy Commissioner of Karwar Ritesh Kumar Singh told reporters that he had sent a detailed report to the Home Secretary of Karnataka Government. He said he had recommended that an inquiry against the army jawans be held in Karwar as any move to shift them out of the area would enrage the public.

The public, who were also at the receiving end of the jawans’ reported rudeness and belligerence at the railway station, had staged a road-blockade and set fire to a naval vehicle when the troops were shifted out the railway station on Wednesday evening.

About 40 jawans belonging to 5/5 Gurkha Regiment were waiting for a Mangalore-bound train enroute to Chennai on Wednesday when the ruckus took place. The jawans had completed a month-long training schedule at Karwar Naval base in connection with the commissioning of the INS Shardul warship, which supports the Army too. An estimated 800 army personnel are scheduled to undergo training on INS Shardul Warship in different batches.

Army jawans clash with police in Karwar, mob torches vehicle

A jeep belonging to the Indian Navy was set on fire by an irate mob protesting against the “bullying tactics” of a group of Army jawans, who had assaulted ten persons including police and railway officials at the Shirwada Railway Station in Karwar in coastal Karnataka on Wednesday evening.

Police said trouble began soon after 45 jawans belonging to the Gurkha Regiment arrived at the railway station to catch a train to Mangalore after completing their month-long training programme at Karwar Naval base.

When a railway police constable spotted a jawan smoking, he went up to him and warned him against smoking on the railway platform, triggering a row between the railway officials and the jawans. The railway constable was thrashed by the jawans. But, railway officials and passengers rushed to the rescue of the railway constable.

During the fracas, the train arrived at the platform, but the jawans, who were involved in a fracas with the railway police, pulled the chain and detained the train. Soon, police from Karwar arrived at the railway station and began holding discussions with railway police and jawans to defuse the tense situation.

But, the jawans assaulted several policemen including Karwar Rural Inspector Vinay Naik and Sub Inspector Vasanth Acharya with a knife. Many railway staff and passengers were also injured in the melee, police said.

With the situation showing signs of turning worse, additional police force too arrived at the railway station. The detained train was allowed to proceed and the army jawans were taken to a room. Soon, senior officials including Deputy Commissioner of Karwar Ritesh Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police Tavargi, senior officials from Karwar Naval Base and Konkan Railway officials arrived at the railway station and began holding talks.

When the senior officials decided to take the army jawans to the naval base, hundreds of locals, who had gathered at the railway station were enraged. They demanded that the army jawans be handed over to them. Several agitated youth were heard shouting that they wanted to teach the jawans a lesson.

But, the police ignored the protestors and began taking them towards a vehicle belonging to the Karwar Naval base. The agitated mob began pelting stones at the army vehicles, forcing the police to resort to caning. But, the angry mob set fire to the vehicle belonging to Navy and staged a road blockade. The police had to fire five rounds in the air to quell the mob fury and take the army jawans safely to the Naval Base.

Drinking water crisis in Mangalore, schools ordered to close

A serious drinking water crisis gripping the coastal town of Mangalore has forced the authorities to order the closure of schools and colleges and suspend construction activities till Monday.

The drinking water scarcity began in Mangalore from Tuesday after a major valve burst at pump house at Tumbe. With the pump sent away to Mysore for repairs, the authorities are not in a position to pump drinking water to the town till the pump is repaired and restored at the pump house.

The alternative arrangements made by the authorities to ensure supply of drinking water through tankers is proving to be grossly inadequate, forcing the district administration to order the closure of schools and colleges, besides directing civil contractors to suspend all construction activity till normal water supply is restored.

More than 90,000 households in Mangalore City Corporation have no water supply to their homes. Mayor of Mangalore Vijaya Arun has appealed to the people of Mangalore to use water sparingly. People having wells in their houses should share water with neighbours, she said.

Minister in charge of the Dakshina Kannada district B Nagaraj Shetty visited the pump house and convened a meeting of district administration officials to tide over the crisis. Apart from ordering the closure of schools and colleges and suspending construction activities, Shetty also issued directions to officials to vacate all inmates of hostels in Mangalore town that depend on drinking water supplied by the authorities.

The authorities are roping in private tankers and the vehicles that transport edible oils and other commodities to supply drinking water to the people of Mangalore. The general public has also been cautioned against using water for gardening. The authorities are also planning to take over private wells and bore-wells to ensure drinking water supply during the crisis period.

Speaking to reporters, Shetty said the drinking water scarcity had arisen due to breaking of the major valve into pieces at the pump house following sudden power failure. The entire pump house had been inundated due to the burst of the valve, which had been fixed more than 35 years ago.

Shetty was hopeful that repair work will be completed by Sunday evening and full-fledged water supply will be restored by Monday. But, engineering department officials were of the opinion that it would take at least a week for the water supply to be restored. For, Mangalore’s drinking water pipeline runs for more than 800 kms and the entire pipeline needs to be recharged after the pumps start functioning. At least 24 to 36 hours are required to charge the entire pipeline after the pumps are restored, the officials felt.

Kannada actress Radhika’s house raided by IT sleuths

Income Tax officials raided Popular Kannadafilm actress Radhika’s house in Banashankari inBangalore.

The Income Tax raid on Radhika’s house comes in thewake of reports that the 25-year-old actress recentlypurchased a mansion in upmarket Dollar’s colony inBangalore. Reports quoting highly placed Income Taxofficials said the raid, which continued till the weehours of Monday, yielded documents pertaining toundisclosed income.

Radhika stays at her Banashankari home with herfather, mother and an elder brother. Having acted inmore than twenty films since she entered the Kannadafilm industry six years ago, Radhika is among theleading actresses in Kannada film industry.

Radhika told reporters that Income Tax officials cameto her house late on Sunday night and sought documentspertaining to her account. “I showed them thedocuments and they were convinced that nothing wasamiss”, she said.However, Radhika admitted that she was surprised tofind IT sleuths at her door-step when they knocked onher door around 10.30 pm on Sunday.

“But, I regainedmy composure soon and welcomed them inside. These daysit is common for IT officials to pay visits to housesof artistes”, she said.Radhika also confessed that she received aremuneration of around Rs 800,000 to Rs 1 million foreach film she signed. When queried about thenewly-acquired mansion in Dollar’s colony, Radhikasaid she recently bought a house there on plot with adimension of 100 ft x 100 ft. “I did buy the house andI am getting it renovated”, she said.

Karnataka denied power from the Central Grid

After receiving an “adverse” verdict fromthe Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal over sharing ofCauvery river waters, Karnataka had to face themortification of its request for power from theCentral Grid being turned down by the FederalGovernment.

Sharing this “bad news” with reporters in Bangalore,Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy asked peopleof the State to brace themselves for load-shedding inthe coming summer when the power shortage in the Statewill become acute. Load-shedding will become inevitable as the Federal Government had expressed itsinability to bail out the State from its present powercrisis, he said.

Kumaraswamy said he had met Federal Minister for PowerSushil Kumar Shinde during his recent visit to NewDelhi and briefed him about the power shortage in theState. The Federal Power Minister had reportedly toldKumaraswamy that other states like Maharashtra,Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh too were facing acute powerscarcity in their respective states and added that itwas difficult to allow Karnataka to draw additionalpower from the Central Grid.

Against the power shortage of 500 MW in Karnataka, thepower shortage in Maharashtra and Gujarat was to thetune of 5,000 MW and 3,500 MW respectively. AndhraPradesh was also facing a power shortage of about2,300 MW. Sushil Kumar Shinde reportedly toldKumaraswamy that the Federal Government is not in aposition to sanction power to Karnataka from theCentral Grid as it has already allotted additionalpower to Andhra Pradesh.

The Karnataka Chief Minister told reporters that hehad already issued instructions to officials in theState to take appropriate steps to ensure that thefarmers and common people in the State were not put tohardship due to the load-shedding. The officials havebeen told to also explore the possibilities ofstepping up internal generation of power andpurchasing power from the neighbouring states to tideover the power crisis.

Skeletal remains of disappeared trekkers recovered in Western ghats

The skeletal remains of two of the three trekkers, who had disappeared in the forests of Western Ghats eight months ago, were recovered from Shiradi hill ranges in Hassan district of Karnataka yesterday.

A photography enthusiast Vikram Gowda stumbled upon two skeletons near a stream in the thick forests along the Shiradi hill ranges yesterday during a visit to region. After rummaging the area, Vikram Gowda and his friends found a kit bag containing a Driving License and a Bank Passbook, which helped them identify the skeletons.

During a trekking expedition to Western Ghats during June 2006, three trekkers – Tejmurthy, Vasanth Kumar and Bhaskar Babu – went missing after heavy rains lashed the area.

The kit bag recovered from the site contained a Bank’s Passbook in the name of Tejmurthy, besides the Driving License of Vasanthkumar. Both the missing trekkers were residents of Bangalore.

Police suspect the trekkers could have lost their way in the unprecedented rains that lashed the forest area for 24 hours after their departure from Sakleshpur in Hassan. Wild elephants also inhabit the forest area from where the two skeletons were recovered.

Hassan District Police visited the region and began combing operations looking for the remains of the third trekker, who went missing.

Tamil dailies burnt in Karnataka, banned from distribution

After Tamil television channels went off the air and theatres stopped screening Tamil movies in Bangalore and many parts of Karnataka in the wake of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s verdict, it was the turn of Tamil dailies to be burnt and banned from distribution in Karnataka.

Several bundles of Tamil newspapers meant for distribution in Bangalore were burnt at the Magadi Road Toll Gate in Bangalore. Eight newspaper bundles containing about 16,000 copies of Tamil daily Dina Thanthi were burnt by a group of people.

Bundles of the Tamil daily are dropped at the Magadi Road Toll Gate everyday in the morning for the newspaper agents to pick up. But, before the agent could take possession of the newspapers, a few persons arrived on the scene, took away the bundles of Dina Thanthi and set them on fire.

Similiarly, the members of Newspaper Distributors’ Association burnt copies of three Tamil dailies – Dina Thanthi, Dina Mani and Dinakaran – in Mysore to protest the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s verdict.

After setting fire to the Tamil dailies, the Association banned circulation of Tamil newspapers for one week, President of the Association B Suresh told reporters.

The Bangalore Tamil Sangam has resented the virtual black out of Tamil in Bangalore, which is home to more than two million Tamils. “We are with the people of Karnataka in their cause for Cauvery waters. But, we are sad that things are turning out this way”, said President of Bangalore Tamil Sangam Shanmugasundaram.

Tamil Sangam is planning to take up the issue of blacking out of Tamil in Bangalore and different parts of Karnataka with the Government. Karnataka’s Home Minister M P Prakash has sought to assure the Tamil community in Bangalore that the issue will be dealt with.

Though the black out of Tamil channels and Tamil movies in Karnataka was a voluntary decision by cable operators and theatre owners initially, several pro-Kannada groups are ensuring that the ban on Tamil channels and movies in enforced.

Meanwhile, several film buffs in Bangalore are reportedly going to Hosur, situated at a distance of 35 kms from Bangalore, across Karnataka’s border in Tamil Nadu to watch their favourite Tamil movies.
With a sizable Tamil population, at least one new Tamil movie is released in more than ten theatres across Bangalore every Friday. But, ever since the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal delivered the award on February 5, things had changed for the worse to the Tamil population in Bangalore.

Popular Front roots for naming Bangalore international airport after Tipu Sultan

Popular Front of India, an umbrella organization of South Indian outfits engaged in empowering marginalized sections of the society, has urged the Government to name the Bangalore international airport after eighteenth century warrior king Tipu Sultan.

The demand for naming the Bangalore international airport after Tipu Sultan was among the nine resolutions adopted at Empower India Conference organized at Palace Grounds in Bangalore by Popular Front of India. Thousands of people from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu attended the mammoth public meeting on Saturday.

The other resolutions adopted at the conference include reservation for Muslims in jobs and educational institutions, besides resistance to the “saffronization” of the cave shrine at Bababudangiri at Chickmagalur in Karnataka.

The conference, which began with poet Iqbal’s “Sare Jahan Se Achcha, Hindustan Hamara”, also sought “equitable sharing of Cauvery waters” and rebuilding the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya.

Popular Front of India comprising like-minded organizations like Karnataka Forum for Dignity, Karnataka, Manitha Neethi Pasarai, Tamil Nadu, and National Development Front, Kerala, is striving for broad basing an alliance of all oppressed sections of the society including minorities, Dalits and backward classes. Saturday’s mammoth public meeting marked the conclusion of a three-day conference.

Delivering the presidential address at the Empower India Conference, Chairman of Popular Front of India E Abubacker said the objective of the conference is to bring all marginalized and underprivileged sections of the society to a common platform and ensure them an equal share in the development process.

Making a distinction between “Hinduism” and “Hindutva”, Abubacker said the Popular Front of India was never against Hindus or Hinduism. “We can’t equate Gandhi with those, who killed him”, he remarked.

Delivering the key-note address on the occasion, Afro-American social activist and journalist Hodari Abdul Ali called upon Indian Muslims to build alliances with other groups like Dalits and backward classes in the interest of “equality and true democracy”.

Journalist Gauri Lankesh, who is also convener of Communal Harmony Forum, and Moulana Mohammed Wali Rahmani, Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board also addressed the gathering.

Internationally acclaimed British writer addressed the gathering and emphasized the need for pursuing education, which he said was key to the development of the potential of each individual.
With the gathering comprising people from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the speeches were made in all the three regional languages – Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil – besides English.

More than 16,000 people in Karnataka go missing in last 2 years

A total of 16,778 people have been reported missing in Karnataka since the last two years.

Disclosing this in the State Legislative Council, Karnataka’s Home Minister M P Prakash said children accounted for 6,895 out of the total 16,778 persons missing in Karnataka during the last two years. Women accounted for 4,941 and men the remaining 4,942, Prakash said in response to a question raised by Congress MLC Shivashankar.
Bangalore urban district has the dubious distinction of topping the list with 4,524 missing children, 2,717 missing women and 2,643 missing men, followed by Bangalore rural district with 333 missing children, 348 missing women and 243 missing men. Next in the list is Mysore, where 243 children have been reported missing since two years. 231 women and 254 men have also been reported missing from Mysore, Prakash said.

Plans afoot to serve coffee to Indian military personnel in Himalayas

With Coffee Board of India and United Planters Association of South India (UPASI) jointly launching a campaign, highlighting the inherent health benefits of coffee consumption, the Indian troops deployed in the high altitudes of Himalayan ranges could well wake up to a fresh cuppa of coffee.

Coffee Board of India and UPASI will soon begin lobbying with the Federal Ministry of Defence and Army Headquarters to include coffee in the rations supplied to the Indian troops.

Fresh roasted coffee, a non narcotic stimulant, is supplied to troops of many Western countries like France, Switzerland and Denmark, given its inherent advantages such as increasing alertness, which is a crucial attribute for troops posted at high altitudes, where drowsiness sets in early. Coffee is known to energize drinkers, provide relief from stress, besides reducing the risk of diabetes.

At present, only officers in the army are entitled to a few grams of coffee and that too only in lieu of tea, which is the only beverage served to jawans.

According to Coffee Board of India’s Chairman G V Krishna Rau, consumption of coffee in the military market, especially among jawans is a good idea. But, Coffee Board of India has its own limitations, as the Board is no longer in the coffee trade. “However, we plan to write to the Ministry of Defence through the Commerce Ministry on the inherent benefits of consumption of fresh coffee. We are also looking at ways in which fresh coffee can be easily brewed”, he said.

Anil Bhandari, a coffee planter and member of Coffee Board, said a strategy would be worked out during the next meeting of the Coffee Board of India scheduled to be held in March “on how best to about the exercise”.

The Federal Commerce and Defence Ministry have to agree to the idea. “But, before that, we will have to prepare the ground, draft out papers on why coffee is good for our troops”, Bhandari said.

Underworld don claims responsibility for attack on realtors’ office in Bangalore

The gunning down of two persons in a real estate firm in Bangalore on Thursday by unidentified persons has taken a new twist with underworld don Ravi Pujari claiming responsibility for the attack.

Pujari, who called up media offices from an international number, said he had ordered the attack on the real estate office belonging to former Congress corporator Samiulla as the latter was involved with his rival Dawood Ibrahim.

Samiulla’s aide Ravi, 32, and typist Shylaja, 42, were shot dead in broad daylight by an unidentified gun man, wearing a full-masked helmet, who barged into the Samiulla’s office in Tilak Nagar in Bangalore and opened fire.

The gunman first shot Ravi in the head, killing him on the spot. When the lady typist seated in the other corner of the office stood up and raised an alarm, the gunman trained his gun on her and fired at her. She received bullet injuries in the abdomen and chest. A profusely bleeding Shylaja was rushed a private nursing home, where she succumbed to the injuries.

After firing at Ravi and Shylaja, the gunman raced out of the office and escaped on a motorcycle with an accomplice, who was waiting for him.

Samiulla, who was away on a site inspection at that time, was informed about the incident on his mobile. Though Samiulla claimed that he has no enemies, the Bangalore police are inquiring into his land dealings.

The police are also questioning him about his rivals and drawing up a list of his perceived enemies. The Central Crime Branch of Bangalore Police believe that Samiulla had been receiving threats from extortionists in the past few months, but had not informed the police.

Meanwhile, Kannada news television channel Eenadu TV claimed yesterday that Ravi Pujari called up their office to claim responsibility for the attack and vowed to eliminate associates of Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Shakeel.

The Times of India too claimed that their Mumbai office received a call from a person claiming to be Ravi Pujari. The person said he had ordered his boys to attack Samiulla’s office. “Samiulla is Dawood’s man, who is investing the latter’s money in Bangalore’s real estate market. I will eliminate whoever is associated with Dawood”, the caller is said to have told.

Karnataka MPs decide against quitting over Cauvery issue

Members of the Parliament from Karnataka have unanimously resolved against emulating film star turned politician Ambarish, who had resigned from the Lok Sabha and the Federal Ministry to protest the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s verdict.

A meeting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka convened in Bangalore decided that no member of the Parliament or Federal Minister from Karnataka needs to resign. For, such a move would serve not help Karnataka secure justice in the Cauvery issue, the meeting resolved.

The meeting also attended by two Federal Ministers from Karnataka – M V Rajashekaran and K H Muniyappa – decided to intensify the agitation inside and outside the Parliament. Presenting a united stand, the MPs declared that they would move an adjournment motion in both the houses of the Parliament when the session starts from February 23.

Former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party MP from Shimoga Lok Sabha segment in Karnataka S Bangarappa set the tone for the meeting by strongly arguing against the demand for resignation of all MPs from Karnataka. “Who will fight the State’s case if all the MPs resign? Resignation is not the solution”, he said.

Referring to the resignation of Federal Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ambarish, the MPs felt the move would not serve any purpose. Instead of submitting their resignations, the MPs felt it would be better to raise the issue in the Parliament and bring pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to notify the Tribunal’s award.

Federal Ministers M V Rajashekaran and K H Muniyappa, who are already under pressure from pro-Kannada outfits to come out the Federal Government, said they would abide by the decision taken at the meeting of the MPs.

The meeting, which was chaired by former MP and President of Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Forum G Made Gowda, passed a resolution to urge the farmers against pressing for the resignations of not only the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members, but also members of Karnataka’s Legislature.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who also attended the meeting, said he would convene an all-party meeting before the Parliament session begins on February 23. The decision taken at the all-party meeting would be the “Bible” for the State Government to decide its future course of action, he said.

Meanwhile, the MPs’ decision against submitting their resignations has not gone down well with the pro-Kannada outfits, who are in the vanguard of the Cauvery agitation. An angry President of Karnataka Protection Forum Narayan Gowda said the activists of the outfit will stop the MPs from participating in any programme and shout slogans against them at all functions. “The people will show them their place in the next elections”, he said.

Bangalore police arrest prime accused in TV news reader’s murder

The Bangalore police raided a house in Shanthinagar in the City in the early hours of yesterday and arrested Chandrashekar alias Chandu, who is the prime accused in the sensational murder of television news reader Lakshmi Sujata.

Police said Chandrashekar had arrived in Bangalore from Tirupathi on Wednesday and was staying in a house in Shanthinagar. Acting on a tip-off, the Bangalore police raided the house around 3 am on Thursday and took Chandrashekar into custody.

“He was not sleeping when we raided the house. He was pacing up and down the room when our personnel peeped through the window”, a police official said.

A team of policemen from Vijayawada arrived in Bangalore yesterday and took away Chandrashekar after completing the formalities, police said.

Chandrashekar, a former colleague of Lakshmi Sujatha, has been charged with murdering the television news reader in a lodge in Vijaywada earlier this month. The Vijaywada police have already arrested his accomplice in the crime Ravi.

Two killed in shoot-out in Bangalore

Two persons were killed when unidentified motorcycle-borne miscreants opened fire on a real estate office in Bangalore in broad daylight on Thursday.

Police said the office assistant Ravi, 32, and typist Geetha Shailaja, 42, were killed when the assailants, wearing masked helmets, rode up to Shabnam Developers in Tilak Nagar in Bangalore around 3.30 pm and fired at the office with a revolver.

Ravi died on the spot while Geetha Shailaja breathed her last at a private hospital to which she was rushed soon after the firing. The assailants managed to escape after opening fire at the real estate office, owned by Samiulla, a former corporator.

Police suspect a land dispute to be behind the gruesome shoot-out, which led to the death of two persons.

However, a dazed Samiulla, who had left his real estate office minutes before the attack, told reporters that he had no deep-rooted enmity with anybody. “There may have been minor differences with a few people, but I did not have any sort of serious enmity that would have warranted such an attack on my office”, he said. However, police have registered a case and are investigating.

Pressure mounts on Federal Ministers from Karnataka to quit

Even as Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee rejected Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting M H Ambarish’s resignation from the Parliament on “technical grounds”, pressure has begun to mount on the remaining three Federal Ministers from Karnataka to emulate Ambarish and lend support the cause of the state in the Cauvery water dispute.

Several activists of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike or Karnataka Protection Forum gathered in front of the residence of Federal Minister for Transport and Highways K H Muniyappa in Bangalore yesterday and held a demonstration seeking his resignation from the Federal Government.

The activists led by Vedike President K Narayankumar Gowda shouted slogans against Muniyappa for his continuation in the Government despite the “monumental injustice” caused to Karnataka by the Federal Government and the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. Narayankumar Gowda even urged Federal Minister of State for Planning and Statistics M V Rajashekaran and Federal Minister of State for Labour Oscar Fernandes to come out of the Government and join the protests.

Speaking to reporters, Muniyappa said he was prepared to take all necessary steps to secure justice to farmers of Karnataka. However, he did not give a categorical assurance to the Kannada activists that he would resign from the Ministry. “I will hold discussions with other leaders from Karnataka and take an appropriate decision. We will have to debate whether the cause of the state can be better served by resigning or continuing in the Government”, he said.

The Kannada activists have not only sought the resignation of Federal Ministers, but also all the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members elected from Karnataka in a bid to bring pressure on the Federal Government and prevent the gazette notification of the Cauvery verdict, which has allocated 419 tmc feet of water to Tamil Nadu and 270 tmc feet to Karnataka.

Meanwhile, a meeting of all Members of the Parliament from Karnataka was held at the Legislators’ Home in Bangalore yesterday to chalk out their future course of action on the Cauvery issue. Former MP and Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Forum convener G Made Gowda had convened the meeting.

The meeting is also expected to weigh the pros and cons of Members of Parliament submitting their resignation en-masse.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambarish’s sudden decision to resign from the Ministry and the Parliament on Wednesday had sparked a flurry of activities in Karnataka.

According to information reaching here, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had rejected Ambarish’s resignation, as it was not in the proper format. Ambarish, who represents the Cauvery heartland of Mandya in Karnataka, had even mentioned the reasons behind the resignation, which was not acceptable to the office of the Lok Sabha speaker. “A resignation letter should be simple letter informing the Speaker that he is resigning from the Lok Sabha. A resignation letter should not mention the reason”, said an official source.

Industry estimates cost of Karnataka shutdown at Rs 5 billion

The dawn to dusk shutdown of Karnataka on Monday over the Cauvery verdict is estimated to have cost the State a whopping Rs 5 billion.

According to a study carried out by Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), the state had incurred a loss of over Rs 5 billion in trading as well as production.

President of FKCCI R C Purohit told reporters that the loss in trading is roughly estimated to be around Rs 2 billion while the production and manufacturing sector had run up a loss of Rs 3 billion.

The loss incurred by Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) spread all over the state account for a major chunk of the trading losses. The losses would cover commodities like pulses, wheat, sugar, vegetables and vegetable oils, which had been brought to the State from outside and could not be sold on account of the shutdown.

The production or manufacturing loss refers to goods, which could not be produced or manufactured on the day of the shutdown. The sectors affected include apparel, engineering goods, electronic goods, steel, agarbathi and even the major public sector factories located in and around Bangalore.

However, Purohit said the worst hit by the shutdown were the small and medium enterprises, where work had come to a standstill. These small and medium enterprises take a longer time than major industries to return to their production cycle. “Production activity in these small industries will take two to three days to resume”, Purohit said.

“The trade and industry sector will have to wait for a couple of days for the normal climate to return”, said Purohit, who heads the FKCCI, which is the leading trade body in Karnataka.

21 Congress members suspended from Legislative Council in Karnataka

Angry with the Congress members of the Legislative Council in Karnataka for stalling the proceedings of the House for nine consecutive days, officiating Chairman N Thippanna ordered the suspension of 21 members, setting up a clash between the Opposition and the ruling coalition over the presiding officer’s constitutional propriety.

Thippanna named 21 Congress MLCs including Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H K Patil on Tuesday evening and ordered their suspension from the House for the rest of the session, forcing the Congress leaders to march to Raj Bhavan yesterday morning and seek Governor T N Chaturvedi’s intervention in the matter.

The Congress MLCs had been opposing the ruling JD (S)-BJP coalition’s “unilateral decision” to elevate senior JD (S) leader N Thippanna as the acting Chairman of Legislative Council in place of Vice Chairman Sachidanand Khot, who is indisposed. The term of earlier Chairman V R Sudarshan, a Congressman, ended a couple of months ago.

The Congress members had been disrupting the proceedings of the Legislative Council since the joint legislature session began ten days ago. The Congress, which enjoys a majority in the Legislative Council, has been seeking an election to choose a Chairman for the Legislative Council.

The suspension of 21 Congress members in the Legislative Council reverberated in the Legislative Assembly yesterday with Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Dharam Singh and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge taking strong exception to Thippanna’s “unprecedented” act.

After the Congress delegation met the Governor, Dharam Singh told reporters that Governor is the constitution head of the State and the party leaders had requested him to intervene in the matter.

Congress leader H K Patil said the Constitution was facing a threat from the ruling minority in the Legislative Council. “The ruling minority is indulging in an exhibition of muscle power against the majority Opposition. Thippanna has no locus standi to sit in the Chairman’s seat. He has committed a criminal offence”, Patil said.
But, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M P Prakash defended the Government’s decision to appoint Thippanna as the pro-tem Chairman of the Legislative Council. “We have followed the rules. Thippanna can discharge the duties of a Chairman under constitutional provisions and we have obtained a clarification from the Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha in the regard”, he said.

Kannada film stars take to streets over Cauvery dispute

A day after Karnataka was virtually shutdown to protest Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s verdict, it was the turn of Kannada film stars to take to streets to denounce the “injustice” meted out to the State in the century-old water dispute with lower riparian state of Tamil Nadu.

Leading lights of the Kannada filmdom including matinee idols Vishnuvardhan, Ravichandran and Shivarajkumar, besides film heroines Jayanthi, Tara and Jayamala marched through the streets of Bangalore yesterday accompanied by thousands of fans to register their opposition to the Tribunal’s judgement, which has allocated Karnataka 270 tmc feet of water against 419 tmc feet Tamil Nadu is entitled to.

The stars gathered at the office of Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce along with producers, directors and technicians, before marching through Race Course Road and reaching the Raj Bhavan. The march witnessed a heavy deployment of police personnel to control the large number of fans, who had turned up for the protest march.

After reaching Raj Bhavan, a delegation comprising leading Kannada stars was allowed to meet Governor T N Chaturvedi and submit a memorandum seeking justice for Karnataka in the Cauvery water dispute.

Vishnuvardhan told reporters that Kannada film stars are prepared to use every option to help Karnataka secure its rightful share of Cauvery waters. “We are prepared for a struggle to help our farmers secure justice”, he said. Film heroines Jayanthi and Jayamala echoed Vishnuvardhan’s views. “We are committed to the farmers of Karnataka”, Tara said.

Kannada film fans carried large cut-outs of late Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar during the mammoth march, which led to traffic snarls in the surrounding areas.

Kannada playback singers held a separate protest at the Town Hall in Bangalore to denounce the verdict of Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal. Well-known singers Ashwath, Shimoga Subbanna and a host of artistes participated in the demonstration.

Meanwhile, Kannada chauvinist and MLA Vatal Nagaraj took out a unique protest in Bangalore to condemn the Tribunal’s verdict. He led a herd of buffaloes through the streets of Bangalore. Vatal Nagaraj himself sat on a buffalo during the march, which started from Legislators’ Home and ended at Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat.

SMS alert system on exact location of buses

State-run Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has introduced an SMS alert system to help commuters find out the exact location of the bus they wish to board.

The SMS service allows commuters to send messages to the master control room of BMTC, which tracks the buses through the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) before dispatching a reply almost instantaneously.

The facility will help harried commuters waiting at the bus stop for the elusive bus, which could have been caught in a traffic jam. The SMS service will also help commuters find out the exact location of the bus they wish to travel by and schedule their arrival at the bus stop in time to catch the bus.

To avail oneself of the service, which has been appropriately named “Yelli Iddira” in Kannada, which means, “Where are you”, the commuters have to send an SMS message from the mobile phone to the master control room of BMTC, eliciting a reply on the exact location of the bus.

The SMS service is a brainchild of BMTC’s co-chairman of Commuter Comfort Task Force Muralidhar Rao. A Bangalore-based Information Technology (IT) company has designed the service, said a press statement issued by BMTC.

The service has initially been introduced on two Volvo routes, but will soon be expanded to cover the rest of the buses in Bangalore.

Shutdown cripples normal life in Karnataka

Normal life was crippled in Karnataka following a dawn to dusk shutdown called by pro-Kannada organizations yesterday to denounce the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final award delivered recently.

The shutdown evoked a near-total response in Bangalore and the Cauvery belt comprising the districts of Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar, where shops and business establishments remained closed and public transport was paralysed. Educational institutions remained shut for the day and attendance in Government offices was thin.

Barring stray incidents of violence like pelting of stones at petrol stations in Chamarajanagar and torching of thirteen vehicles parked outside the Railway workshop in Mysore, the situation in the State has remained peaceful, according Director General of Karnataka Police K R Srinivasan. “The overall situation has been peaceful”, he told reporters.

Bangalore was virtually shut-down for the day with the normally busy roads wearing a deserted look. Buses, autorickshaws and taxis kept off the roads even as groups of Kannada activists staged protests outside the Bangalore airport and Bangalore Railway station.

Several in-bound and out-bound flights were rescheduled on account of the shutdown. Meanwhile, Kannada activists representing Karnataka Rakshana Vedike detained trains at Bangalore, Mysore, Hassan and Bangarpet in Kolar district. The police arrested hundreds of pro-Kannada activists including Vedike President Narayan Gowda in Bangalore.

With the police imposing prohibitory orders, which bans the assembly of more than four persons, several Kannada chauvinists including MLA Vatal Nagaraj and Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Chandrashekar Patil and their supporters courting arrest outside the Raj Bhavan in Bangalore during a demonstration.

Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms too announced a holiday on Monday, but made arrangements for their employees to work from homes.

The proceedings in Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council were adjourned due to lack of quorum. In the Legislative Assembly, Vatal Nagaraj urged the Speaker Krishna to adjourn the House in view of the statewide shut down. But, Home Minister M P Prakash opposed the demand for adjournment on the grounds that it would amount to Government supporting the shutdown.

The principal Opposition party Congress stayed away from the proceedings of the House. However, opinion was strongly divided among the rest of the Opposition and ruling coalition members over the demand for adjournment. Eventually, Speaker Krishna adjourned the House due to lack of quorum. Similiarly, proceedings in the Legislative Council too were adjourned for the day.

Cable television operators in Mysore extended support to the shutdown by blacking out all non-Kannada television channels.

Meanwhile, the police had made elaborate security arrangements throughout the State by deploying more than 75,000 personnel on duty. The pro-Kannada organizations had called for a statewide shutdown yesterday to protest the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final award delivered recently, apportioning 419 tmc feet of water to Tamil Nadu against Karnataka’s share of 270 tmc.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy convened a meeting of senior Government officials to review the law and order situation in the State. After chairing the meeting, Kumaraswamy told reporters that he would soon be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and brief him about the “injustice” meted out to Karnataka in the Cauvery dispute.

Leopard enters Mangalore, injures five

The coastal town of Mangalore had a rare visitor in the form of a leopard that had strayed into a nursing institute at Kankanady area from the adjoining forests.

The leopard was first spotted at the Colaco Institute of Nursing, where it was hiding near the elevator. Shocked by the presence of a big cat in the Nursing Institute, the locals raised a hue and cry, leading to commotion. In the melee, the leopard attacked five people, who suffered injuries and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The panic-stricken leopard soon raced out of the Nursing Institute and took shelter in a nearby shed. A large number of people, who had gathered at the spot to catch a glimpse of the rare visitor, sealed the shed and summoned the police and forest department officials.

According to Deputy Conservator of Forests Anita Arekal, the forest department personnel fired two tranquilizers at the animal, but in vain. “The first could not penetrate the skin and the second missed the target and hit the wall”, she said.

Attempts to overpower the leopard by using water canons too failed. “We called a fire tender and released water into the shed. But, that did not work”, she said. Finally, after seven hours of operation, the forest department personnel drilled a hole in the wall and fired the third tranquilizer shot, which found its mark. “The leopard was finally captured alive and sent to Pilikula Zoo. The leopard was spotted around 2 pm on Sunday and by the time it was captured it was 8 pm”, Arekal said.

A large crowd of people, who had gathered to witness the operation, made the task of police and forest department staff even more difficult. The police had to resort to caning the crowd to keep them at bay.
Arekal said the leopard could have strayed into Mangalore town from the nearby Kuthethur forest area. “There are many hyenas and leopards in the area. This one might have lost its way looking for food”, Arekal said.

Communal tension grips Maddur

Maddur town in Karnataka was gripped by communal tension after a saffron flag hoisted outside the office of Vishwa Hindu Parishat (VHP) was found burnt yesterday.

The VHP activists, who had hoisted the flag after the Virata Hindu Samavesha on Sunday, took out a protest march through the streets of Maddur town to protest the act. The marchers indulged in widespread stone pelting, leading to communal unrest in the town.

The agitation by VHP activists overshadowed the shutdown called by pro-Kannada organizations against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final order.
Police reinforcements were rushed to the troubled town to prevent the situation from going out of hand. Elected representatives and police held talks with leaders of the two communities to restore peace. Police promised to bring the culprits behind the burning of the saffron flag to book soon and imposed prohibitory orders in the town for the next three days.

Farmers set up community oven on railway tracks, cook food

The agitating farmers of Mandya district in Karnataka added a new flavour to the burning Cauvery cauldron by setting up an oven right on the railway track and preparing food items for the consumption of the protestors.

The farmers resorted to this novel form of protest at Gejjalgere in Mandya district along the Bangalore-Mysore railway track, which blocked train traffic for several hours on the route.

Several long distance trains, including Tamil Nadu-bound Tanjavur Express and Chamundi Express, were halted for several hours due to the protest. The farmers are protesting against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s recent order allocating 419 tmc feet to Tamil Nadu against Karnataka’s share of 270 tmc ft.

Similiar “community ovens” were set up even on the Bangalore-Mysore highway with farmers stirring up local delicacies, which were savoured by the protesting farmers. The blocking for the railway line and the highway prolonged the journey of road and train passengers between Bangalore and Mysore.

The virtual crawl of vehicles on the highway became the slowest between Mandya and Maddur, where farmers had put up road blockades at several places. The farmers had even herded cattle on the highway to block the traffic.

Karnataka’s Minister for Co-operation G T Deve Gowda, who left Mysore for Bangalore to attend the legislature session resuming on Monday, was detained at Hanakere near Maddur. He was forced by the protestors to alight from his car, join their protest and shout slogans against the Tribunal’s order.

During his three-hour-long detention in the highway, Gowda lent a hand in the cooking process by stirring the huge vessel. Later, he squatted on the highway and had food with hundreds of protestors.

KARNATAKA SHUTDOWN: Meanwhile, Karnataka Government has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure that there are no untoward incidents during the state-wide shutdown called by various Kannada organizations today.

Karnataka’s Home Minister M P Prakash told reporters that security has been tightened with the deployment of extra paramilitary forces, besides police personnel from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Additional forces will be deployed in the sensitive districts of Bangalore, Mandya and Mysore.

Kannada chauvinist and MLA Vatal Nagaraj has urged the Government not to hold the State Legislature session on Monday in view of the shutdown. “We will prevent the legislators and Ministers, who come to attend the legislature session, from entering the State Secretariat”, he said.

Train services are likely to be affected and public transport in urban areas is expected to be paralyzed. Schools and educational institutions have already declared a holiday in view of the shutdown.

Girish Karnad incurs Kannadigas’ ire

Renowned theatre personality and Jnanpeeth awardee Girish Karnad’s statement that people of Karnataka should accept the final award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal has set off a chain of angry reactions across the State with pro-Kannada outfits spitting fire at him.

After the plain-speaking Girish Karnad told a television channel that Karnataka should honour the verdict of the Tribunal, pro-Kannada outfits and farmers’ organizations went livid with rage and burnt the noted playwright’s effigies in Bangalore, Mysore and Mandya, the hot-bed of Cauvery agitation.

Police had to provide security to Karnad’s residence at J P Nagar in Bangalore after he reportedly received threatening phone calls. Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), Bangalore, Alok Kumar told reporters that security had been stepped up around the Jnanpith awardee’s house in the wake of the protests against him.

Anticipating trouble from pro-Kannada groups, theatre group Ranga Shankara, which was staging “Karnad company”, a compilation of plays written by Karnad, cancelled the shows.

With a strong anti-Karnad sentiment gripping the pro-Kannada protestors in the State, the eminent playwright, who is also a celebrated Kannada writer, was forced to issue a clarification to the newspapers.

In his statement, Karnad clarified that he never said that Karnataka should not appeal against the award. “The Tribunal provides for an appeal, but since this decision is up to the Government of Karnataka, I made no reference to it”, he said.

He claimed that he had merely said that Karnataka was bound to accept the award, “however unpalatable it may be”, as the Tribunal had been formed with the agreement of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry. “I did not say that that we should not appeal against the award”, he said.

Cauvery protestors’ brush with death

Several Karnataka farmers, who had gathered on the railway tracks at the Srirangapatna to halt the Superfast Mysore-Chennai Express to register their protest against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final award, had a brush with death when the speeding train did not stop.

The farmers, who were squatting on the railway track on Wednesday evening after obtaining permission from the railway authorities to detain the train, were forced to run helter-skelter when they saw the train approach them with menacing speed.

While many protestors managed to escape with minor injuries, one farmer, who was lying across the tracks, could not run. But, he used his presence of mind to squeeze himself between the rails. Finally, the train came to a halt after five compartments passed over the farmer. Much to everyone’s relief, the dazed farmer Ramamurthy crawled out from under the train with minor injuries.

Enraged by the train driver’s negligence, the protestors pelted stones at the engine driver’s cabin and damaged the windshield. But, a posse of policemen along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) moved in quickly to prevent the situation from going out of hand. The angry protestors, however, detained the train for more than two hours by placing stones on the tracks.

Police said the protestors had intimated the Station Master at Srirangapatna that they were planning to detain the train. But, the Station Master had apparently failed to inform the driver of Shatabdi Express about the protest. The engine driver told the protestors that he had been shown the green signal to move on. Police said the incident had taken place due to a communication gap between the driver and railway authorities.

IAF’s Sarang team back in action after losing mate

Indian Air Force’s formation flying team Sarang, which lost a colleague in the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) crash during rehearsals for the Aero India 2007 air show on February 2, was back in action, performing their trademark breathtaking manoevres at the Yehalanka air force base in Bangalore.

However, the four-chopper flying team performed with only three helicopters after substantially altering its formation. Squadron leader Priye Sharma was killed while Wing Commander V Jaitley was injured when the aircraft crashed during the rehearsals ahead of the air show.

But, the rest of the team took to the skies during the ensuing air show and entertained the spectators with a power-packed performance, dedicated to the memory of their mate Priye Sharma. The team staged nine manoevres in eight minutes against the eight drills they used to perform in eleven minutes earlier.

“Like true warriors, we have overcome the grief and resumed flying” said Sarang team leader Wing Commander Shashank Misra. However, he said the team members were missing the Priye Sharma, a shy but mature pilot, and the highly disciplined Jaitley, who is recovering form the injuries sufferred during the mishap.

The Priye Sharma and Jaitley team used to fly in the No. 2 position in Sarang team while the team leader flies in No. 1 spot.

Shashank Misra could not help, but recall how Jaitley and Sharma were keen to perform in the air show. The duo had last interacted with the rest of the team during a “walk in” briefing before they took off for rehearsals, which proved fatal.

Aero India takes to the skies

The six edition of India’s signature air show – Aero India 2007 – got off to a spectacular start at the Yelahanka air base on the outskirts of Bangalore yesterday with a scintillating flying display by the Indian Air Force (IAF) teams leaving the avid spectators soaked in the high-decibel action in the skies.

The five-day extravaganza began with a breath-taking display of aerial acrobatics and dare-devilry featuring nine supersonic trainer aircraft, part of IAF’s Surya Kiran team, three Advanced Light Helictopers (ALH) of Sarang Aerobatic team and the supersonic fighter Sukhoi-MK 130.

Aviation aficionados and the general public, armed with binoculars, digital cameras and handy cameras, glued their eyes to skies as the metallic machines as the Yelahanka air base reverberated with their supersonic drones.

Air-to-air refueling by two Mirage 2000 jets, five deep-penetration Jaguar jets, prototypes of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), besides transport planes Tuplov 142 N were also part of the hour-long flying display.

Unveiled by Defence Minister A K Antony, the five-day-long Aero India 2007 – a bi-annual international defence exposition cum seminar is being attended by forty foreign delegations and air chiefs of 28 nations. More than 500 companies, including 280 global firms major aerospace countries like US, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and Sweden are participating in the showpiece spectacle.

Speaking on the occasion, Antony sought overseas partnerships in India’s quest to match the nation’s increasing economic clout with military might. “India is poised to take a quantum jump, both in terms of economy and military”, Antony said.

The Defence Minister sought “strategic” and “long-term” relationships between Indian defence companies and overseas investors. India was in the process of acquiring fresh capabilities for all the three wings of its armed forces – Army, Navy and Air Force.

Aero India provides an ideal platform to Indian aerospace industry to showcase its capabilities to the global audience, he said. “It is also an excellent forum to explore business opportunities and facilitate joint ventures and collaborations for mutual benefits”, Antony said at the opening of the Aero India 2007.

Projecting India as a global outsourcing destination, offering not only competitive prices, but also a huge pool of skilled manpower, Antony told the foreign companies participating in the event that they could benefit from the large availability of skilled manpower. Also, the Indian defence industry had a lot to offer through its products and platforms, assemblies, sub-assemblies and components that are competitively priced.

He envisioned India’s defence sector becoming globally competitive and the best in business. “At the same time, we want to ensure self-reliance in our defence preparedness”, he added.

Kannada activists plan Karnataka shut-down on February 12

Even as the agitation against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final award intensified in the Cauvery basin districts of Mandya and Mysore in Karnataka yesterday with students taking to the streets and elected representatives courting arrest, the Kannada organizations, which had called for a Karnataka shut-down on February 8, have decided to put it off to February 12.

Kannada protagonist and MLA Vatal Nagaraj told reporters that the Kannada organizations had decided to postpone the Karnataka shut-down to February 12 to mobilize various organizations and sections of the society to make the shut-down “very successful”.

Essential services like hospitals, medical shops, milk supplies and press vehicles will be exempted from the shut-down, he said and appealed to the people of Karnataka to support the agitation.

The Kannada organizations decision to put off the planned shut-down to February 12 came after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s appeal to the sponsors to call off the February 8 shut-down in view of the prestigious Aero India 2007, which began yesterday.

Keen to avert any disruption to the air show, which has attracted hundreds of delegates from foreign countries, Kumaraswamy assured the Kannada organizations that the Government would debate the Tribunal order at the all-party meeting and take appropriate legal steps to protect the rights of Karnataka’s farmers.

Meanwhile, life came to a stand-still in Cauvery basin districts of Mandya and Mysore, where students boycotted classes and staged road and rail blockades. MLA M K Somashekar and his supporters courted arrest after staging a road blockade in Mysore. Activists halted a train plying between Mysore and Bangalore at Naguvanahalli on the outskirts of Mysore.

The highway between Mysore and Bangalore remained closed for the third day on Wednesday with farmers from Mandya blocking the road at several places.

The shut-down of Mandya called by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike elicited a good response with business and commercial establishments remaining closed throughout the district. Attendance was thin in Government offices.

The state-run road transport corporation withdrew buses from Mandya, a hot-bed for Cauvery agitation. The bus stands wore a deserted look.

Close 300 inmates of the prison in Mandya went on a fast to register their protest against the Tribunal’s decision. They abstained from the food served to them.

More than 2,000 farmers took out a protest march through the streets of Bangalore and submitted a memorandum to Governor T N Chaturvedi against the Tribunal’s order. Court proceedings were hit as most of the 16,000 lawyers of Bangalore boycotted work yesterday.

MLA U T Fareed passes away

Congress MLA U T Fareed, who represented Ullal assembly constituency in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, passed away at a private hospital in Mangalore after prolonged illness.

Fareed, 69, a four-time MLA from Ullal, had been admitted to a private hospital on January 1 after he sufferred a brain haemorrhage. He passed away on Tuesday. Soon after the news of Fareed’s death spread, a large number of well-wishers and supporters rushed to his residence at Kankanady and paid their last respects to the departed soul.

His body was taken to Syed Madani Durgah in Ullal, where the last rites were performed with state honours. He was laid to rest next to the tomb of his wife, who had passed away three years ago. Minister in charge of Dakshina Kannada district Nagaraj Shetty and senior officials of the State Government attended the funeral along with a large number of mourners.

Fareed is survived by four sons including U T Khader, who is a member of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and a daughter. During his political career, Fareed had served various Government bodies like Karnataka State Leather Corporation, Karnataka State Engineers Recruitment Board, besides Karnataka Haj Committee and Karnataka Wakf Board.

Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly condoled the death of Fareed and adjourned the proceedings on Tuesday after adopting a condolence motion. Senior Congress leaders Dharam Singh and Mallikarjun Kharge, besides Home Minister M P Prakash and BJP leaders K S Eshwarappa paid tributes to the Fareed

JD (S)-BJP coalition to impose fresh taxes in Karnataka

The JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka appears poised to impose fresh taxes in Karnataka to off-set the revenue loss arising out of its populist schemes like loan waiver, besides ban on sale of arrack and lotteries.

Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is also the Finance Minister, told reporters that the coalition Government’s decision to waive agricultural loans and ban arrack and lotteries will have an impact on the state finances.

“These programmes entailed a huge expenditure and could not be carried out without the support of additional resources. A section of the people, who have the ability to pay more taxes, will be tapped for more resources”, Yediyurappa said triggerring concerns about a imposition of fresh taxes in the Karnataka state budget scheduled to be presented later this month.

Apart from the loan waiver scheme, which will cost the Government a whopping Rs 40 billion, the ban on arrack will cause a loss of Rs 19 billion to the state exchequer every year. As if the loan waiver and ban on sale of arrack were not enough, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has promised to ban even lotteries, which he said had become a source of menace in the society.

Yediyurappa said the farmers, who had obtained agricultural loans from banks, had already stopped repaying their dues. However, he said the State Budget will unveil the finer details of the crop loan waiver scheme.

To a question, Yediyurappa denied that the Government was introducing populist schemes at the cost of the taxpayer’s money. He said the farmers deserved sympathy from the Government. “These decisions cannot be viewed as gimmicks. Elections are not round the corner”, he said.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy too corroborated his Finance Minister’s views and said the coming Budget could be somewhat dearer to the white-collared class. But, the Budget will be pro-farmer and pro-poor, he said.

Tight security in Bangalore and Cauvery basin districts of Karnataka

With Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal set to pronounce its final verdict today, the Bangalore police took more than 100 anti-social elements into preventive custody and deployed over 18,000 police personnel in sensitive areas of the City yesterday to thwart any possible outbreak of violence.

Security has been scaled up even in the Cauvery basin districts of Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar in Karnataka to maintain law and order after the Tribunal delivers its final order on the vexed dispute over sharing of Cauvery river waters between riparian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Cauvery river irrigates thousands of acres of land in Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar, besides meeting the drinking water requirements of residents of Bangalore. The river, which also flows through the lower riparian state of Tamil Nadu, irrigates thousands of acres of land in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Tiruchirapally and other districts of that state.

Anxiety has gripped farmers in the Cauvery basin districts of Karnataka ahead of the final verdict, which will be delivered after holding 570 sittings during the last sixteen years. The Tribunal’s interim order on release of 205 tmc feet of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu in 1991 had sparked off a wave of violence in parts of Karnataka and Bangalore, which has a sizable Tamil population.

“We don’t want to take any chances this time around”, said Commissioner of Bangalore City Police N Achuta Rao. Apart from 18,000 police personnel, 600 home guards and 43 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) will also be deployed in the City. Additional forces have been sought from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Joint Commissioner of Bangalore City Police Bipin Gopalakrishna said the police has identified sensitive pockets in the City and posted policemen in plainclothes. CCTVs have been installed at sensitive spots and photographers have been hired to monitor the situation. “Any untoward incident will be captured in depth and footage will come in handy to nail the culprits”, Bipin Gopalakrishna said.

Security will be scaled up in areas of Bangalore, where Tamils are in a majority. The outskirts of Bangalore like Attibele and Anekal, besides Hosur, which are on Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border have also been declared as sensitive.

Mandya district, which is the hot-bed of Cauvery agitations has been declared as “hyper-sensitive” and the police has made elaborate security arrangements. Adequate security arrangements have also been made in Mysore and neighbouring Chamarajanagar districts, said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Shankar Bidri.

Almonds set to replace eggs in mid-day meals in Karnataka

After dropping boiled eggs from the menu for mid-day meals served to children studying in Government primary schools in Karnataka, the State Government is actively considering a proposal to enhance the nutritional element in the meals by providing children with almonds.

Giving almonds a run for its money are the groundnuts, the “poor man’s almonds”. Ever since the Government began considering almonds for inclusion in the mid-day meals, groundnuts have also entered the fray, making the Government’s task of choosing between the two a tough one.

The idea of providing almonds as a substitute to eggs emerged out of a recently held essay competition in Bangalore on almonds organized by Almond Board of California. Though the competition was part of a campaign to promote healthy dietary habits among children by consuming almonds, nutrition experts have sought to the convey to the Government that almonds hold the key to enhancing the nutritional level in mid-day meals.

Each teeny ounce of almonds provide about 12 per cent of the daily allowance of proteins, minus the cholesterol, besides meeting 35 per cent of the vitamin E requirement. Nutrition expert Sheela Krishnamurthy said almonds will even act as a deterrent against cardio-vascular diseases and even cancer.

But in view of the cost implications of providing almonds, which have to be imported, groundnuts are making a strong pitch for inclusion in the mid-day meals. Groundnuts not only provide more proteins than meat and two-and-a-half times more than egg. Besides, groundnuts are homegrown unlike almonds and less expensive.

But, for vegetarian groups, who had doggedly opposed the inclusion of eggs in the mid-day meals, almonds or groundnuts have emerged as a good substitute to eggs . Madhu Pandit Das, Chairman of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which provides mid-day meals to a few Government primary schools across the State, said almonds are a good alternative for inclusion in the mid-day meals.

Kumaraswamy holds videoconference with gram panchayat members to mark first anniversary

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy marked the completion of his first year in office yesterday by holding a videoconference with more than 96,000 elected representatives of panchayat raj institutions spread across the state.

Instead of celebrating the occasion, Kumaraswamy flew to the Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute for Rural Development in Mysore from where he interacted with the elected members of gram panchayats, taluk panchayats and zilla panchayats gathered at the 176 taluk headquarters through satellite communication facilities.

Kumaraswamy said he chose against holding grand celebrations to mark the JD (S)-BJP coalition’s first anniversary. “It is an occasion for us to introspect where we have gone wrong”, he told the elected representatives before fielding queries from them. “Instead of blowing our trumpet, we have reflect on how and why the administration had failed to reach the benefits of the Government’s welfare programmes to the poor rural masses”, he said.

Kumaraswamy not only reiterated his Government’s resolve to waive agricultural loans obtained by farmers from co-operative banks, but also said he was committed to prohibit sale of arrack in the State. The Chief Minister’s promise to ban arrack came after a woman elected representative complained about the disastrous effect consumption of arrack was having on the rural populace.

The Chief Minister admitted that he was not completely happy with his performance as Chief Minister in view of his inability to fulfill all the assurances. However, he promised to make an effort to reach his goal in the remaining eight months of his tenure at the helm of the coalition Government. He also added that a 20-month term for a Chief Minister was too short to achieve any tangible results.

Earlier, the Chief Minister sought to make it clear to coalition partner BJP that it need not harbour any apprehensions on transfer of power to the saffron party. “Let there be no doubt over JD (S) transferring power to the BJP after I complete 20 months in office in accordance with the power sharing agreement”, he said.

217 farmers committed suicide in Karnataka during 2006

A total of 217 farmers committed suicide in Karnataka during the year 2006.

Disclosing this in the Legislative Assembly, Karnataka’s Minister for Agriculture Bandeppa Kashempur said the maximum number of cases had been reported from the border district Belgaum, where 23 farmers had ended their lives followed by Hassan and Chickmagalur district with 21 and 19 respectively.

He said the Government had already paid compensation of Rs 100,000 to the next of kin of 99 farmers. A Committee set up to look into the claims of compensation from the families of the remaining farmers, who had committed suicide, had sought more information in respect of 47 cases for awarding compensation. The Committee had rejected 71 claims for compensation, he added.

Apart from the compensation of 100,000, the Karnataka Government was also providing Rs 10,000 for the education and medical expenses of the deceased farmer’s family from an amount of Rs 5 million released through Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

Kashempur said the Government was planning to double the compensation for the next of kin of the farmers, who had committed suicide, from the existing 100,000 to 200,000 from the next financial year. The Federal Government too has been sounded in this regard, he said.

Apart from Belgaum, Hassan and Chikmagalur districts, farmers’ suicides had also been reported from Shimoga, Kodagu and Chitradurga. Not a single case had been reported from Bangalore Urban, Dharwad, Mandya, Mysore and Udupi districts.

Former Minister’s son murdered in Bidar

Former Forest Minister and Congress MLA Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli’s son Vijaykumar was murdered in broad daylight in north Karnataka’s Bidar district yesterday.

President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee M Mallikarjun Kharge broke the news in the Legislative Assembly and urged the Government to take action against the culprits.

Police said the murder took place when Vijaykumar and his associates went to a dhaba to vacate the premises after securing a favourable verdict over the ownership of the disputed place from a court.

Eight persons launched a murderous assault on Vijaykumar with lethal weapons when the latter whipped out a revolver.

Home Minister M P Prakash told the Legislative Assembly that the police have already taken into custody four of the accused persons. He assured the Congress members that the police will nab the remaining miscreants also soon.

Helicopter crashes in Bangalore, co-pilot killed

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crashed at Yelahanka Air Force station in Bangalore yesterday, killing the co-pilot and critically injuring the pilot.

According to IAF officials, the ill-fated Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) named Dhruv was rehearsing for the upcoming Air Show – Aero India 2007 – scheduled to begin in Bangalore from February 7 when the mishap took place.

Co-pilot Squadron Leader Priye Sharma died on the spot while the pilot Wing Commander V Jaitley sufferred grievious injuries. The injured pilot was rushed to the Air Force Command Hospital nearby. IAF officials said the injured pilot will kept under observation for 24 hours.

IAF officials suspect a technical snag for the helicopter crash. But, a team of IAF officials will conduct a detailed investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash.

The crash took place in the Yelahanka air field, which had been cleared for the air show rehearsals. More than 40 countries and over 80 aircraft are expected to participate in the Air Show, which has been billed as the biggest among the four Aero India air shows held so far.

Security tightened in Cauvery basin ahead of Tribunal award

The Karnataka police have stepped up security in the Cauvery basin areas of the State ahead of the crucial final award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal scheduled for February 5.

The sharing of Cauvery waters between Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu has been an emotional issue in Cauvery basin districts of Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar, where farmers have routinely resorted to violence against release of Cauvery water to downstream Tamil Nadu.

The state police is evaluating the situation and elaborate security arrangements will be in place in sensitive areas, particularly in Bangalore, which has even witnessed linguistic violence over the Cauvery issue. Additional forces will be deployed in Bangalore and other Cauvery basin areas to pre-empt trouble.

The Karnataka Tamil Federation has sought security for Tamils in view of the final verdict on the vexed issue of sharing of Cauvery waters between the two states.

In a press statement, President of the Federation Shanmuga Sundaram said an appeal has already been made to President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Governor T N Chaturvedi and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to provide security to Tamils living in Karnataka.

Recalling the bloody riots in Bangalore after the Tribunal delivered the interim order in 1991, Shanmuga Sundaram said people from all parts of India live in Karnataka, but some politically motivated persons caused disturbances in the name of Cauvery dispute. “The riots had ruined many Tamil families”, he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has convened an all-party meeting in Bangalore to discuss the issue, expressed confidence that the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal will pronounce its final verdict on apportioning of Cauvery waters without harming the interests of either of the riparian state.

Ahead of the final verdict of the Tribunal, which has held more than 500 sittings during the last 16 sixteen years, the Cauvery Family, a dialogue group comprising of farmers from both the states met at Mandya, and resolved to look forward to the award with an open mind and appealed to the farmers of both the states to maintain restraint.

Convener of the Cauvery Family Dr Janakarajan told reporters that the members of the Cauvery family have resolved to come back to the family forum even if there are differences after the verdict and resolve the issues in the best interest of the farmers of both the states.