Karnataka to introduce helicopter tourism

Karnataka Government has set in motion the process of establishing helipads at 22 different locations in the State with a view to introducing helicopter tourism, a concept that seeks to provide helicopter service between different tourist destinations.

According to Karnataka Tourism’s Special Officer Sanjay Bijjur, the State Government has entrusted Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd, a Government of India enterprise, with the task of carrying out a feasibility survey for the heli-tourism concept and identify suitable spots for setting up helipads at 22 different places across the State.

Helicopter tourism, which has been christened as “Heli-tourism” by the Karnataka Government, is expected to provide helicopter services for tourists planning to visit different tourist destinations in the State. The helicopter service can also boost industrial development by linking different industrial hubs of the State with Bangalore.

The Government has proposed to set up helipads at major tourism locations like Hampi, Belur, Madikeri and Chickmagalur, besides Kollur, Udupi and Dharmasthala. The decision to set up helipads across the State was taken in view of the increase in the number of high-end tourists visiting these places.

Meanwhile, Deputy General Manager of Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd Sanjay Kumar, who is touring different parts of the State to identify suitable locations for helipads, participated in an interactive meeting on “Helicopter tourism potential in Karnataka” organized by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI).

“Gauging by the feedback we had received so far, there is immense potential for helicopter tourism in Karnataka”, he told the gathering at the interactive meeting. Sanjay Kumar has also emphasized the need to increase the density of civilian helicopters to realize the true potential of “heli-tourism”. “If the US had five civilian helicopters for every million people, in India there is just one helicopter for every ten million people”, he said.

Karunanidhi likely to skip Bangalore visit this summer

The simmering differences between Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery issue are likely to force Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to skip his annual summer visit to his daughter’s residence in Bangalore.

For years, the DMK chief has been regularly visiting his daughter at her residence in J P Nagar during summer vacations and spending time with his grand-children. But, DMK leaders in Bangalore are not sure whether Karunanidhi will be visiting Bangalore this summer when the tempers are running high on both sides of the border over the Cauvery dispute.

DMK leaders made it clear that their leader would not like to be booed by protestors when he comes on a private visit to Bangalore. “However, the DMK chief will weigh all pros and cons of his visit before deciding on his summer vacation”, said a DMK leader in Bangalore.

The DMK is also acutely concerned about Karunanidhi’s visit to Bangalore igniting anti-Tamil feelings and affect the safety and security of Tamil families residing in Bangalore and elsewhere in Karnataka.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who has already ruled out any talks with Karnataka on the Cauvery issue, would also be keen to avoid any meeting with his Karnataka counterpart H D Kumaraswamy. For, the Karnataka Chief Minister had surprised Karunanidhi by calling on him at her daughter’s residence in Bangalore last year and spending about 30 minutes with the DMK leader discussing a host of issues including Cauvery.

“We are not sure whether he would come or not this year. Any decision on visiting Bangalore will be taken after the ongoing Tamil Nadu Assembly sessions concludes”, said the DMK leader.

Municipal workers asphyxiated to death

Two municipal workers were asphyxiated to death yesterday after they entered a 15-feet deep manhole at Mandya near here for cleaning.

The death of the municipal workers in Mandya comes less than a day after a rescue workers extricated the dead body of a nine-year-old boy from an abandoned borewell at Neeramanavi village in north Karnataka’s Raichur district.

Police said municipal workers Shankarappa and Palani died after consuming poisonous gas in the manhole. Another municipal worker Mahadev, who fell unconscious, is recovering at a hospital in Mandya.
The tragedy took place after the municipal authorities deputed the trio to attend to a choked manhole in a residential area in Mandya yesterday. Shankarappa and Mahadev collapsed within seconds after entering the manhole. Palani managed to pull out Mahadev from the manhole. But, while trying to save Shankarappa, he too succumbed to the poisonous fumes emanating from the manhole

Record pass percentage in SSLC creates a shortage of seats in PUC

The record pass percentage achieved in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations in Karnataka may have cheered the students and their parents. But, the inadequate number seats in Pre University Course (PUC) colleges across State has become a source of concern for the education department authorities in the State.

With the overall pass percentage in the examination shooting up to 76.32 per cent this year against the 68.46 per cent last year, a total of 591,513 students have become eligible to join PUC colleges. But, the 3,010 PUC colleges in the State, with a combined intake of just 490,000 students, do not appear to be equipped to accommodate the fresh influx of students.

Though Pre University Department officials claim that all students, who passed the SSLC examinations, may not choose PUC and opt for other courses like diploma, the 150 diploma institutes across the State are estimated to accommodate a maximum of 30,000 students, which will still leave more than 70,000 in the lurch.

To add to the pressure on the PUC colleges, the supplementary examination for the students, who failed to clear the SSLC examinations, is scheduled to be held on May 28. The students, who clear the supplementary examinations, will become eligible to join the PUC colleges from coming academic year itself.

However, the only silver lining is Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti’s assurance to start 200 new junior colleges and grant permission to 236 private colleges from the coming academic year.

Bangalore sitting on a potentially seismic fault: IISc

Boy trapped in borewell dead

Even as expert diggers from Hatti Gold Mines continued their efforts to extricate the eight-year-old boy from the depths of an abandoned borewell at Neeramanvi village in north Karnataka’s Raichur district, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy declared the trapped boy dead.

Kumaraswamy, who was initially scheduled to visit Neeramanvi village, where rescue operations are continuing for the last two days, cancelled his trip and announced a compensation of Rs 100,000 to the family of the boy Sandeep. “The boy is no more”, Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bijapur.

Sandeep had slipped into the open borewell while was running to catch a truck passing through a field on Tuesday. “The administration tried its best to save the boy”, the Chief Minister said.

However, in Neeramanvi, the personnel of Hatti Gold Mines continued their efforts to reach the boy, who is apparently stuck at a depth of around 39 feet in the 60-feet deep abandoned borewell, amidst fading hopes of rescuing the boy alive. The rescuers first dug 40 feet down from the surface, some 12 feet away from the original pit and began tunneling horizontally to reach the boy.

Though officials supervising the rescue operations remained tightlipped on the outcome of the efforts, the absence of any response from the boy, who has gone without any food or water in high temperatures, has diminished the hopes of the people. The foul smell emanating from the pit too had ebbed the morale of the villagers, who had gathered at the site in large numbers.

The boy’s father Nagaraj, who has been rendered immobile on account of an accident six months ago, has rejected the compensation amount announced by the Government. A visibly distraught Nagaraj told reporters that he wants his son alive. Sandeep’s mother, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, has been kept in the dark about the latest tragedy to hit the family.

Meanwhile, the anxiety among the villagers over the outcome of the rescue operations turned into anger yesterday when the authorities failed to bring out the trapped boy even 48 hours after he had slipped into the borewell. The failure of Minister in charge of Raichur District Alkod Hanumanthappa and the area MLA Mr Muniyappa Muddappa, both representing the ruling JD (S), to visit the site of mishap has added to their anger.

In view of the tense situation prevailing in Neeramanvi, a large number of police personnel had been deployed at the site to prevent any untoward incident. Deputy Commissioner Raichur Manjunath Prasad and Superintendent of Raichur district police D A Padmanayana are camping at the site with their staff to supervise the operations.

Karnataka’s luxury train to roll out on November 1

Karnataka’s first luxury train aimed at tapping the high-end traveller will roll out of the Bangalore City Railway station on November 1 this year.

Billed as Karnataka’s answer to Rajasthan’s Palace on Wheels and Maharashtra’s Deccan Odyssey, the luxury train likely to be christened as “The Golden Chariot” will take tourists on a journey through the rich, natural and cultural heritage of the state.

The six-night and seven-day trip across important tourist destinations in Karnataka will cost the traveller around $ 350 per day. The passengers on the luxury train will be taken to Mysore, Srirangapatna, Belur, Halebid, Hampi, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Dandeli with overnight stops at Mysore, Hassan, Hospet, Gadag and Londa before ending the journey in Goa.

The coaches, manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambur, near Chennai, will be handed over to Karnataka Government on April 25. The Government in turn has given a Mumbai-based agency the charge of furnishing the coaches to world- class standards.

In all, 19 coaches have been built by the ICF for the luxury train. Out of them eleven coaches are air-conditioned salon cars. The remaining coaches will house massage parlours, restaurant and a lounge.

Though Karnataka’s luxury train has seen many delays, the present Government headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is committed to launch the train this year owing to the fiftieth year celebrations of Karnataka’s formation. The Rs 380 million train will be run under a partnership between Karnataka Government and the Indian Railways.

In anticipation of the launch, the Tourism Department of Karnataka has begun promoting the train among national and international travel agents. The concept was appreciated at the International Tourism Bourse in Berlin recently and at a recent tourism event in Delhi, Karnataka’s Principal Secretary to the Department of Tourism I M Vittal Murthy said.

Vittal Murthy added that the Government would shortly commence work on networking the tourist bookings for the luxury train. “We hope to begin with an occupancy rate of 75 per cent that will gradually climb to 95 per cent in the third year”, he added.

Rescue operations in full swing to rescue 8 year-old trapped in 60 ft-deep pit

Rescue operations were in full swing on Wednesday to pull out an eight-year-old boy, who had accidentally fallen into 60 feet-deep abandoned borewell at Neeramanvi village in Raichur in north Karnataka.

Though the authorities had swung into action immediately after they learnt that the boy Sandeep had slipped into the open borewell while he was running to catch a truck passing through a field around noon on Tuesday, the rescue work was initially hampered by remote location of the mishap and later due to the presence of a large boulder that stood in the way of the diggers and the boy.

Anxiety was writ large on the faces of the officials supervising the rescue work as well as the hundreds of villagers, who had gathered at the spot. For, the condition of the Sandeep, who is stuck at a depth of around 39 feet, is not known. Though Sandeep was responding to the shouts of rescue workers initially on Tuesday, he has remained silent throughout the overnight operation, which was continued till late Wednesday afternoon.

The boy has spent more than 27 hours in the borewell, which is barely 12 inches in diameter, without any food or water. Though the authorities are supplying him oxygen, the absence of any movements by the boy has led to deep concern among the people.

The mishap involving Sandeep becomes even more heart-rending as his father lost both his legs in an accident a couple of months ago and his mother, a cancer patient, is undergoing treatment at a hospital. Sandeep’s grandfather, who was present at the site, kept his fingers crossed and prayed that the rescue operation concludes on a successful note.

Meanwhile, the team of experts from Hatti Gold Mines, who had arrived at the spot with cranes and other earth digging equipments to assist the Raichur district administration in the rescue operations last evening, were hopeful of reaching the trapped boy. The rescuers first dug 40 feet down from the surface, some 12 feet away from the original pit and began tunneling horizontally to reach the boy.

But, the operation was hampered on Wednesday morning when the mine specialist encountered a large boulder while digging. Though they crossed the hurdle, the delay in the rescue operation became a matter of concern, particularly with the boy not responding to shouts since the last 24 hours.

However, superintendent of Raichur district police D A Padmanayana has expressed confidence that the rescue operation will be successful.

Advani cautions UPA against compromise on Kashmir

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani has cautioned the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) against “subtly preparing the ground” for a compromise on the Kashmir issue.

Participating in the valedictory of the Vikasa Yatra, a sixteen-day tour of Karnataka undertaken by the BJP’s state unit at Udupi on Tuesday, Advani urged the UPA Government to disclose to the country “what is happening behind the screen on the Kashmir issue”.

“The country will not tolerate any compromise on Kashmir issue”, he cautioned and appealed to the Federal Government to take the Parliament into confidence before taking any decision on Kashmir.

The recent developments including the demand for withdrawal of Army troops from Jammu and Kashmir by Congress party’s alliance partner People’s Democratic Front (PDF) point to the possibility of a compromise on Kashmir, the BJP leader said.

Advani also referred to the reported raising of anti-India slogans by leaders of banned terrorist outfits like Jaish E Mohammed and Lashkar E Toiba at a recent rally in Kashmir. “Hurriyat leader Geelani, who is acting at the behest of outside forces, was also present at the rally”, Advani said and demanded the arrest of Geelani.

Earlier, speaking to reporter at Mangalore enroute to Udupi, Advani claimed that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party in ensuing elections to Uttar Pradesh. Though BJP was not in the race initially, the picture has changed dramatically later. “I am confident that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party in the UP polls”, he said.

Lady doctor conned by online cheats

A 24-year-old lady doctor from Bangalore, who chased a job at the United Nations, ended up losing nearly Rs 500,000 to online cheats.

According to officials at the cyber crime police station in Bangalore, Deepa B M, an ayurveda doctor, who was looking for a job abroad, had posted her resume on a popular job portal during January 2007.

She was excited when she received an e-mail on January 23 from one David Cameron, who posed as a “Recruitment Officer, US Committee for UN”, and offered her a job. Deepa even received employment and interview forms for the post of health officer at Qatar though the e-mail from him.

The unsuspecting Deepa filled up the forms sent by David Cameron and e-mailed the same back to him. The next day, she received an e-mail asking her to send a scanned copy of her passport and a passport-sized photograph to him. He also asked her to get in touch one Blessing Libi, “a Training Manager”, for a month-long training and job orientation course in Paris.

On January 28, Deepa wrote to Blessing Libi, who replied with details of the training. She also asked Deepa to send US $ 1,700 (Rs 77,639) as training and registration fee to a particular account number in a bank in Taipei in Taiwan. Deepa sent the money through telegraphic transfer from her account in a bank in Bangalore.

On February 12, Blessing Libi asked Deepa to send another US $ 2,796 (Rs 1,25,198) for accommodation in Paris. Six days later, Deepa received another e-mail from one Albert Arkansas to send $ 3,550 (Rs 160,274) for processing her visa, flight tickets and courier charges. Deepa went on obliging the online cheats till she had sent a total of $ 10,476 (Rs 469,746).

The lady doctor realized that she had been conned only when the “UN officials” began giving her excuses for the delay in issuing her the visa, tickets and other papers.

Eventually, Deepa filed a case in the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court in Bangalore, which referred the case to the cyber crime police station. The cyber crime police station has taken up the case and registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the persons posing as representatives of the “US Committee for UN”, whose official address is given as “Two UN Plaza, 24th Floor, New York 10017, USA”.

Convict dies in Belgaum jail

A 41-year-old convict, serving a life sentence, has died under mysterious circumstances at the Hindalgi Central jail in Belgaum.

The deceased Kalappa Annapur of Hukkeri taluk in Belgaum district had been convicted for murder and was serving a life sentence since August 18, 2005.

Kalappa’s death comes at a time when more than a hundred inmates of the prison were sufferring from vommitting and diarrhoea after consuming a sweet dish prepared to mark Basava Jayanthi recently.

The condition of Kalappa, who was among the inmates of the jail who fell sick, turned worse and he was shifted to the Belgaum district hospital, where he died on Monday. A doctor Shankar, who had suspected consumption of contaminated water for the sickness afflicting the jail inmates, told reporters that he had treated more than hundred such sick inmates of the jail.

But, jail superintendent D B Kadli lent a new twist to the tale by claiming that the convict Kalappa Annapur had died due to cardiac arrest. He has ruled out the possibility of either food poisoning or water contamination.

Meanwhile, the authorities have decided to send a sample of water from the jail to the district laboratory and carry out a post-mortem of the deceased convict to arrive at the truth behind his death.

The jail authorities have submitted a preliminary report to the Belgaum Rural police station and a case has been registered.

Karnataka may declare holiday on Rajkumar’s birthday

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has assured to consider a proposal to declare popular Kannada film icon Rajkumar’s birthday as a state holiday.

Speaking at a function organized to commemorate the Kannada matinee idol’s 79th birthday in Bangalore yesterday, Kumaraswamy said the Government would discuss the proposal in the coming few months and take an appropriate decision. The Chief Minister was responding to a suggestion made by Rajkumar Fans’ Association President S R Govind during the function.

The Chief Minister also unveiled a bronze statue of the late thespian at Kempe Gowda Circle in Bangalore. Rajkumar’s widow Parvathamma Rajkumar was also present on the occasion.

Earlier, a large number of fans joined Rajkumar’s family members at the legendary actor’s memorial at Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore and paid their tributes. The actors’ family members organized a host of programmes including blood donation camps to mark Rajkumar’s birth anniversary.

Rajkumar’s 79th birthday, the second after his death on April 12, 2006, was also celebrated in various parts of the State including Mysore, where a twelve-hour-long musical show was organized. Selected songs from Rajkumar’s films were played while well-known litterateurs and leading television artistes paid tributes to the late actor.

Temple demolition sparks communal tension in Gangavathi

The demolition of an under-construction temple has sparked off communal tension in Gangavathi town in north Karnataka’s Koppal district.

Trouble began after various groups particularly BJP and pro-Hindutva organizations took out a march in the town on Monday to protest the demolition of an Ayyappa Temple by the authorities. The protestors held Labour Minister Iqbal Ansari responsible for the destruction of the temple.

During the march, the protestors appealed to the people of the town to close down their business establishments. When the procession reached a hardware shop owned by Iqbal Ansari, who is also the Minister in charge of Koppal district, the protestors forced the workers to down the shutters of the shop. But, the workers resisted, leading to stone throwing.

But, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control by caning the violent mob. Trouble erupted again when the police blocked the pro-Hindutva protestors from hoisting a flag on the disputed land, where the temple stood. Police had to baton charge the crowd injuring several people in the melee.
According to officials, the authorities decided to pull down the under-construction temple as it was coming up illegally on Government land. The protestors alleged that the temple had been demolished at the behest of Iqbal Ansari.

Petty shop turns coffin for vendor in Bangalore

A 45-year-old woman was washed away in her petty shop in the heavy rains that have been lashing Bangalore.

Lakshmi was asleep in her petty shop set up on the slab covering a storm water drain near Ulsoor lake when heavy rains lashed the City late on Saturday night and early hours of Sunday.

Due to flooding and water pressure, the slab over the drain caved in and the petty shop collapsed into the drain. Lakshmi, who had stayed behind in the shop due to the heavy rainfall, was swept in the gushing waters of the drain along with the petty shop.

The municipal authorities, who were struggling to extricate her body from the weeds and slush in the drain, said Lakshmi was trapped inside the shop and could not save herself. Fire force personnel, who accompanied the municipal authorities, fished out the box-shaped wooden shop that had been trapped in the slush of the drain.

Lakshmi, a widow, was a resident of a nearby Cox Town, who used to close the petty shop around 11.30 pm every night. But, on the fateful night, the rain fury prevented Lakshmi from venturing out of the shop. So, she had decided to stay put.

Her inconsolable mother Janakiamma received the tragic news only the next day on Sunday when she learnt that the shop had been washed away in the rain. She rushed to the spot along with her son Ramu to find Lakshmi’s body trapped in the slush and weeds in the drain.

Meanwhile, the heavy downpour had wrought havoc in various parts of Bangalore with water flooding several houses in low-lying areas, storm water drains overflowing with water, trees uprooted. Several roads in the City were also inundated with water and became unmotorable, causing inconvenience to a large number of people.

West coast states to ban fishing during monsoon

The states along the west coast of India will ban fishing for a 47-day period during monsoon.

This was decided at a conference on “Imposition of a uniform fishing ban along the west coast” held at Mysore near here and attended by representatives from Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, besides the union territory of Lakshadweep.

The ministers and top officials of fisheries departments of the west coast states agreed on the need for declaring fishing holiday to provide respite for rejuvenation and replenishment of fish stocks.

The conference favoured a fishing holiday during monsoon as it would not only prevent loss of human lives in the rough seas, but also facilitate the breeding of fish. For, the breeding season of most fish varieties falls during monsoon.

The conference decided that Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and Lakshadweep could have a fishing holiday between June 15 and July 31 while Maharashtra and Gujarat would also choose a period of 47 days depending on the local coastal conditions.

The meeting of representatives of fisheries departments of the states along west coast comes in the wake of recommendation made by an expert committee constituted by the Federal Government.

The west coast states also decided to urge the Federal Government to allow traditional fishermen to venture into high seas with boats fitted with 25 horsepower motors during the fishing holiday period. During fishing holiday only sustenance fishing is allowed.

Court to attach Chief Secretary’s chair if compensation is not settled

A local court in Bangalore has threatened to attach the rotating chair of Karnataka’s Chief Secretary if the Government does not pay the compensation dues of an old woman amounting to Rs 500,000.

The aged woman Susheelamma, who lost her land 30 years ago to Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bangalore, had still not received the compensation amount from the Government.

But, the 27th Additional City Civil Court in Bangalore issued an ultimatum to the Karnataka Government to settle the compensation amount before June 12, failing which the rotating chair, air-conditioner, tables and fans in the Chief Secretary’s office will be attached.

Susheelamma, who is sufferring from diabetes-related ailments, had been running from pillar to post for the compensation amount in lieu of her 5 acres and 7 guntas of land that had been acquired. Though compensation amount fixed 30 years ago was Rs 30,000, the compensation payable now is around Rs 500,000 including the interest accrued. The land, however, is worth Rs 350 million presently.

Welcoming the court order, Susheelamma’s counsel S Siddappa said the lethargic bureaucrats would not respond to litigants unless the courts take certain drastic measures.

The Bangalore court’s order comes close on the heels of a similar order delivered by a court in Tumkur near here for attaching a train after the Railway’s had failed to disburse compensation to the next of kin of six persons, who had died in a train mishap.

Two Karnataka Minister’s face the sack

Pressure is building up on two Ministers in the JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka to quit in the wake of their failure to file statements of their assets and liabilities to the Lokayukta before the deadline.

Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde told reporters that he would write a letter to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to take appropriate action against Minister for Sorts and Youth Services Alkod Hanumanthappa and Minister for Agricultural Marketing Sharanabasappa Darshanpur for their lapses in filing statements of assets and liabilities.

The Lokayukta has already issued a notice to both the Ministers seeking an explanation as to why action should not be taken against them by April 21. The Lokayukta had rejected the replies of the Ministers that they had not received the notices. “We have records to show that the notices have been delivered”, the Lokayukta said.

Santosh Hegde said that under Section 13 (2) of the Lokayukta Act, the Ministers concerned should resign on their own or else removed once the recommendation of the Lokayukta is deemed accepted by the Governor. Eight years ago two Ministers of Karnataka had resigned on the same grounds.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy told reporters that action will be taken against the Ministers under the framework of law.

BJP MLA in Karnataka resigns over harassment charges

BJP legislator and Chairman of state-owned Karnataka Electronics Development Corporation M P Renukacharya has submitted his resignation in the wake of the furore over the blackmailing and harassment charges levelled against him by a nurse.

Renukacharya, who represents Honnali assembly constituency in Karnataka’s Davangere district, has resigned from the Legislative Assembly and as the Chairman of Karnataka Electronics Development Corporation after the nurse, attempted to committed suicide by consuming poison inside her locked car in Bangalore.

After sending his resignation letter to BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda yesterday, Renukacharya has urged the authorities to carry out a narco-analysis on the woman B R Jayalakshmi, who is presently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bangalore.

Renukacharya has sought a detailed inquiry into the allegations levelled against him. “I don’t want the allegations levelled against me to besmirch the reputation of my party. I will remain outside power till I am cleared of the charges levelled against me”, he said.

Claiming innocence, the BJP MLA said he had become a victim of a conspiracy hatched by his political opponents.

Renukacharya’s resignation comes after a large number of Youth Congress workers gathered outside the private hospital, where Jayalakshmi is undergoing treatment, seeking the immediate arrest of the BJP MLA.

Before attempting suicide, Jayalakshmi, who is also the Secretary of Green City Charitable and Education Trust, had sent a suicide note to the City police accusing the BJP MLA of forcing her to brink of suicide by continuously tormenting her.

In her suicide note to the police, Jayalakshmi claimed that she had come across the BJP legislator when she was working as a nurse in Honnalli a couple of years ago before shifting to Bangalore. Renukacharya kept visiting her even in Bangalore and had been pestering her to marry him since the last six months, she claimed.

Renukacharya’s supporters had even threatened to throw acid on her face and make public her obscene photographs if she failed to comply with his demands. Jayalakshmi said she had sought police intervention several times, but to no avail. The woman claimed that she had also brought the matter to the notice of senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. “But, nobody has come to my rescue”, she has claimed in the letter.

Vivek Oberoi at World Cow conference in Shimoga

Just when the attention of millions of bollywood fans was focused on the wedding of Aishwarya Rai with Abhishek Bachchan, the former beau of the actress Vivek Oberoi made a quiet appearance at Ramachandrapura Mutt in Shimoga in Karnataka along with his father Suresh Oberoi.

The Oberois were at the religious retreat, nestled in the midst of Sahyadri hills, which is bracing itself for the first global conference on the cow aimed at creating awareness about the unique traits of native cow breeds.

The Oberois refused to field any queries on the much-hyped bollywood wedding taking place in Mumbai. The Oberois touched the feet of the Seer of Ramachandrapura Mutt Raghaveshwara Bharathi and sought his blessings.

During the week-long cow conference beginning on Saturday, 32 rare Indian cattle varieties will be exhibited to the visitors. The organizers have made arrangements to feed an estimated 5 million people.

Scientists and dairy experts from different parts of the world are expected to participate in the conference, which will discuss the historical, cultural, economic and legal aspects of cattle rearing.

Karnataka dumps sex education, to introduce moral education

Dumping the Federal Government’s proposal to impart sex education in schools, the Karnataka Government is planning to introduce moral education in schools from the coming academic year.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy made it clear that the Government was against introduction of sex education as a subject in schools as it would not be in the interests of young students. “My Government is totally against imparting sex education. It does not go well with our country’s culture and traditions”, he told reporters in Bangalore.

Maintaining that his Government was against aping Western culture in school syllabus, Kumaraswamy regretted that the Federal Government had been influenced by an UNESCO report in the matter. “Our state is not a foreign country”, he remarked.

Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti said the Government would introduce moral education in schools from June this year.

Horatti was speaking to reporters after addressing a meeting of social activists, representatives of NGOs in the educational field and medical experts to discuss the proposal on sex education.

A majority of the participants of the meeting stoutly opposed the idea of introducing sex education in schools. Veenadhari, an NGO activist engaged in creating awareness on AIDS ridiculed the proposal and said “AIDS control programme is the need of the hour for truck drivers and migrant labourers and not for school children”.

Karnataka to move Apex court over Cauvery verdict

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

The Cabinet meeting held on Thursday has taken a stand that the Tribunal’s final verdict delivered on February 5 this year was “unscientific” and “detrimental” to the interests of people in Karnataka.

The Tribunal had allocated Karnataka 270 tmc feet of Cauvery water against Tamil Nadu’s share of 419 tmc feet, triggering state-wide protests against the verdict. The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to urge the Supreme Court to annul the verdict.

Apart from filing a special leave petition before the Supreme Court, Karnataka Government has also decided to file a clarificatory petition before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

With barely a fortnight left for Karnataka to formally question the Tribunal’s verdict within the stipulated 90 days after the delivery of the final order, the Government has decided to take urgent steps to file the special leave petition in the Supreme Court. “The special leave petition will be filed in a day or two”, according to sources in the Government.

Karnataka Cabinet’s decision to move the Supreme Court comes within days of Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Committee criticizing the coalition Government for delaying the process of taking legal steps to protect the farmers’ interests. The Committee threatened to move the Apex court on its own apprehending that the 90 day deadline for filing an appeal would lapse.

Meanwhile, the Cauvery Water Users’ Association of Bangalore has already challenged the Tribunal’s verdict in the Supreme Court. However, the writ petition filed by the Association challenges the award to the limited extent that it does not provide adequate drinking water to Bangalore.

Brindavan Gardens still out of bounds for tourists

The famous Brindavan Gardens at KRS reservoir, which figures prominently on the itinerary of tourists visiting Karnataka, has remained out of bounds for more than twelve weeks now, thanks to the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The gates of the Brindavan Gardens, which were shut within minutes after the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal came out with its final award on February 5, are still locked for the visitors.

Irrigation Department authorities in Karnataka claim Brindavan Gardens has been closed for security reasons. Though the intensity of protests over the Cauvery water dispute had slowed down in State, the authorities feel that the situation in the Cauvery heartland is still volatile. “We can’t take any chances”, a senior police official said.

Brindavan Gardens, situated at a distance of about 150 kms from Bangalore, is a “must-see” spot for most tourists visiting the State. During the year 2006, an estimated 2 million tourists visited Brindavan Gardens to savour its fascinating ambience and revel in its musical fountains and neatly laid out gardens.

Unaware about its closure, hundreds of tourists still drive upto Brindavan Gardens, but return disappointed. The authorities claim that they have lost at least 5 million in gate collections on account of the closure, which has stretched to twelve weeks so far.

Drive against stray dogs resumes in Bangalore

The drive against stray dogs in Bangalore resumed yesterday in the wake of the Karnataka High Court’s direction to the municipal authorities to take “lightning” action to rid the City of its stray dog menace.

A team of expert dog-catchers from Ahmedabad began rounding up the canines in various localities of Bangalore along with personnel from the Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation (GBMC).

Acting on public interest litigation, a division bench of Karnataka High Court had directed the GBMC expeditiously tackle the stray dog menace in areas coming under its jurisdiction. The court also ordered that the authorities should spare no efforts to ensure human safety.

The GBMC authorities, which had launched a campaign to put to sleep diseased and mad dogs after three children were killed in canine attacks, had slowed down the drive in the face of stiff opposition from animal lovers objecting to the “cruelty” meted out to the canines.

But, the court order has left them with no option, but to resume the drive. The expert team from Ahmedabad had arrived in the City at the invitation of GBMC to take up animal birth control programme in Bangalore.

“We will be paying them (expert team from Ahmedabad) Rs 375 and Rs 395 for every male and female dog respectively they trap, neuter and release”, a statement issued by GBMC Deputy Commissioner (Health) Manu Baligar said.

The GBMC is also setting up new dog pounds and upgrading the existing ones in a bid to eradicate the stray dog menace in Bangalore.

Telephone facility for jail birds introduced in Bangalore

Karnataka Government has introduced a unique telephone facility for inmates of Bangalore Central Jail to get in touch with their families and friends.

Introduced on an experimental basis, the telephone facility will allow the 5,000 inmates of the sprawling jail situated at Parappana Agrahara on the outskirts of Bangalore to make telephone calls once a week for five minutes.

A total of ten telephone booths had been set up in the jail premises, including a separate one for women, besides one each at the hospital and quarantine room.

Karnataka’s Home Minister M P Prakash, who inaugurated the facility, said the jail inmates would have to purchase pre-paid cards to make the telephone calls. “The authorities are not interested in their personal conversations, but all calls will be taped for security reasons. If the facility is used for unlawful purposes, it will be withdrawn”, Prakash said.

He also added that the Government would extend the facility to all other jails in the State if it proves to be successful.

Inspector General of Prisons, Karnataka, Ramesh, told reporters that a majority of the prisoners merely want to speak to kith and kin, relieve their tensions and solve domestic problems.

Prison officials said the telephone facility has brought smiles on the faces of many jail inmates. “Many of them are looking forward to speaking to their children, wives and relatives. They are all just a telephone call away now”, an official said hoping the facility will relieve the inmates of the tension and loneliness.

Court stays ban on lotteries in Karnataka

The JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka suffered a setback yesterday when Karnataka High Court stayed the ban imposed by the Government on sale of lotteries in the State.

Hearing a batch of writ petitions filed against the ban on lotteries, the High Court ordered a stay on the grounds that the Government had not made any alternate arrangements for the more than 150,000 people engaged in business of selling lotteries.

The Karnataka State Lottery Dealers’ Association and the Gaming Federation, besides the states of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh had filed writ petitions questioning the Karnataka Government’s decision to ban lotteries.

The ban on lotteries came into force from April 1 this year. But, the stay order issued by the High Court yesterday will allow the lottery sellers to resume their business.

The Lottery Dealers’ Association in its writ petition had pointed out that the Government had banned sale of lotteries in Karnataka without providing alternative source of employment to the lottery sellers many of whom are physically handicapped persons.

The High Court had stayed the ban and issued a notice to Karnataka Government in the regard.

Every student will get a loan – P Chidambaram

Federal Minister for Finance P Chidambaram has said that every student of professional course in the country, who is facing a shortage of funds to pursue his education, will be provided with loans from the public sector banks.

Speaking after inaugurating a convention of Self Help Groups (SHGs) at Kolar near here, Chidambaram said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government is determined to ensure that students of professional courses, particularly those from rural areas, complete their education.

“If your son or daughter gets admission in a professional college, they will be given loans. I want to tell all bank managers clearly that no student, who gains admission to a recognized course, should be denied education loans under any circumstance”, the Finance Minister told the women from rural areas, who had gathered for the function.

“Every student, who wants to join an educational course – be it medicine, dental science, engineering, nursing, MSc or M Com – should get loans”, he said.

If the students are denied loans by the public sector banks, Chidambaram said the parents or the students themselves could write to him directly. “I will rush to your aid” he assured them. Chidambaram also advised the rural folk to treat daughters and sons alike when it comes to pursuing higher education.

He said the banks had so far extended loans amounting to Rs 130 billion to about 900,000 students in Karnataka.

Mysore prince drags British Airways to court

The prince of the erstwhile Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar has dragged British Airways to the consumer court for delaying the issue of two complimentary tickets to Europe.

The prince had allowed British Airways to use the Bangalore Palace for a dinner party on November 14, 2005, to promote their business. The airline paid for the use of the palace premises and also promised to issue him two complimentary first class tickets to any destination in the United Kingdom or the rest of Europe.

The tickets were to be valid for travel for one year from November 14, 2005, the date on which the British Airways party was held at Bangalore Palace.

According to Wadiyar, the airlines forgot the promise made to him after the party. He claimed that he contacted the airline several times, seeking the tickets, but there was no response. He sent a legal notice, but even that did not evoke any response.

The tickets were finally issued on October 24, 2006, when there were just 20 days left for the expiry of the promised one-year period. “I suffered both mental agony and financial loss”, Wadiyar told the Bangalore District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in his complaint.

The British Airways denied the charges and said that the complimentary tickets were offered only to keep a good relationship. The tickets had been issued as promised within the stipulated period, on October 24, 2006, but Wadiyar wanted to take the benefit of an unauthorized communication made by their marketing executive. The claim by Wadiyar was highly exaggerated and without reasonable justification, the airline contended before the Forum.

The Forum held that the tickets were delivered at the fag end of the promised period and the airline had did this just to shirk its responsibility. Hence, the Forum directed British Airways to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 as compensation to Wadiyar.

NAL planning to market Hansa in Australia

After successfully exhibiting and flying its two-seater trainer aircraft Hansa 3 at the Australian International Airshow held recently at Avalon near Melbourne, National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) is hoping to profitably market the aircraft in Australia.

NAL officials, who had been flooded with inquiries from Australia about the Hansa 3, which is estimated to be around 15 to 20 times cheaper than an aircraft of a similar class, have begun the process of securing the necessary certification from Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority to sell the sought-after aircraft in Australia.

Market surveys had also indicated to the presence of a good market for two-seater trainer aircraft in Australia, which has a number of flying clubs and aviation enthusiasts, NAL officials claimed.

Meanwhile, Head of NAL’s Centre for Civil Aircraft Design Development K Yegnanarayan told reporters that NAL is also planning to make Hansa’s shell in India and later equip the aircraft after shipping it to Australia. “We will source the equipment for Hansa and fit out the aircraft in Australia”, he said.

Experts in the aviation industry pointed out that the main competition for Hansa could come from Cessna 152 and Cessna 172. But, NAL officials pointed out that Hansa, which is priced at around Rs 6 million, has several attractive features including excellent visibility, full dual controls and a proven and reliable engine.

Designed, developed and manufactured by NAL, Hansa is being projected as a rugged, cost-effective and easy-to-maintain aircraft, primarily designed for training, private flying, sport and aerobatics. In addition, Hansa can be used for surveillance missions, aerial photography and coast guard duties, NAL officials said.

Elephant census in South India from May 7 to 9

An elaborate census of elephants roaming the forests of South India will be carried out from May 7 to 9.

According to Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Bangalore, Anur Reddy, forest officials of Karnataka along with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh will carry out a synchronized census of elephants for three days to estimate their numbers in South India.

The forest department officials were carrying out a synchronized head-count of the pachyderms in view of their tendency to migrate across state borders.

Hundreds of forest department officials along with wildlife enthusiasts and volunteers will scour the forests areas to assess the approximate number of wild elephants. The census will be carried out direct counting based on sighting of elephants or indirect method like dung counting. The teams will be looking for elephants near ponds and other water bodies.

The census assumes importance in Karnataka as the State probably has the best and most secure elephant numbers in the country, accounting for around 4,500 elephants, which is the highest for any state in India.

During the 2005 elephant census, the country had a total of 21,300 elephants. South India alone account for more than 12,000 elephants during the 2005 census, forest officials said. Karnataka’s elephant count was closely followed by Tamil Nadu’s elephant population of around 4,000 and Kerala’s 3,500.

In Karnataka elephants are found in Bandipur and Nagarhole forest range, besides the hill ranges of Nilgiris and Western Ghats.

Country’s first branded train flagged off

The first branded train of Indian Railways named after a corporate brand – Kurkure – pulled out of the railway station in Bangalore on Thursday evening enroute to Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu.

The Nagercoil-bound train will henceforth be called as “Kurkure Bangalore-Nagercoil Express” as part of the Indian Railways’ new initiative to brand trains under which the brand name would feature along with the train’s name in all announcements, reserved tickets, reservation charts, destination boards etc.

In return, the corporates will not only provide cleaner coaches and toilets on the special trains, but also pay an advertisement fee to the Railways. However, passengers on board the Nagercoil-bound train received free sachets of Kurkure as a first-day gesture on Thursday.

After flagging off the tri-weekly Kurkure Bangalore-Nagercoil Express, Divisional Railway Manager of Bangalore Division Mahesh Mangal told reporters that two more branded trains would follow from Bangalore. They are Kurkure Bangalore-Hubli Summer Special and Kurkure Bangalore-Chennai weekly train.

The Pepsi-owned Kurkure bagged the brand train tender floated by the Railways. Though companies like Airtel, Tata Tele and Sony Ericsson had also participated in the bid, Kurkure had the highest bid for all the three trains, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of South Western Railway, Bangalore, Anwar Hussain told reporters.

The Railways is expected to earn around Rs one million from the these brand trains during the next three months.

Air Deccan offers 500,000 free tickets

Low cost airlines Air Deccan will be offering 500,000 tickets free of cost for travel on all its 350 flights between July 1 and October 27. However, taxes and surcharge will have to be paid by the travellers.

According to a press statement from Air Deccan, booking for these tickets would open at 8 am on April 14 along with regular bookings across all flights and sectors for travel during the same period.

Air Deccan’s Chief Revenue Officer and Marketing Head Samyukth Sridharan said this was the first time the company was making an offer of free air tickets. Earlier, the low-cost airlines had introduced various innovative pricing policies with tickets ranging between Re 1 to Rs 500.

The company has also come out with a new cancellation policy that envisages no refund for any new tickets booked on and after April 14. “The tickets can, however, be rescheduled to another date, flight or sector”, according to the new terms and conditions.

Air Deccan tickets can be purchased through Air Deccan website, Air Deccan airport counters and travel agents across the country.

“We have the widest destination network in India and our aim is to cater to every traveler within the country. We were the first to release Rs 500 tickets and Re 1 tickets and this time we have taken a step forward by releasing free tickets”, Sridharan said.

Fans throng Rajkumar’s memorial on death anniversary

Thousands of fans poured into the Kanteerava Studio premises in Bangalore to pay homage to Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar’s memorial on his first death anniversary yesterday.

Rajkumar’s wife and sons – Shivarajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar and Puneet – and other family members visited the memorial and offered floral tributes, besides lighting lamps as part of a religious ritual.

Fans had started thronging the venue since early morning as police made elaborate security arrangements. A large number of people from the Kannada film industry too visited Kanteerava Studios.

With the memories of large scale violence in Bangalore after Rajkumar’s death still haunting the police, massive security arrangements were in place all over the City, particularly in the northern and western parts.

More than 10,000 policemen fanned across sensitive areas of Bangalore yesterday to monitor any untoward incidents. The Bangalore police had directed theatres against screening Tamil movies as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, fans organized processions, eye-donation and blood-donation camps at the memorial site. Lunch was also served to about 5,000 people at Rajkumar’s residence in Sadashivanagar in Bangalore.

Rajkumar’s family announced the construction of a hospital in memory of the veteran Kannada actor. Rajkumar’s son Shivarajkumar told reporters that hospital will soon be built in memory of their father and a Trust would be established in his name to carry out social service projects.

Gowda asks son to quit CM’s post

Former Prime Minister and JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda created a stir in the coalition Government in Karnataka by asking his son and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to quit if he is unable to deliver the promises made under the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the JD (S)-BJP Government.

Gowda’s remarks at a meeting of party’s state unit office bearers and district unit presidents has caused concern among the leaders of its the coalition partner BJP, which is bracing itself to take over power from the JD (S) during October this year.

Gowda not only made it clear that he was not happy with the functioning of the coalition Government in Karnataka, but also asked his son to come out of the coalition if he found it difficult to pursue the CMP.

Despite several pro-poor programmes announced by the Government, Gowda regretted that employment growth had actually come down during the last 14 months of coalition rule in the State. The government has failed to generate any fresh employment opportunities to the rural youth, Gowda lamented.

Reiterating that he was against the alliance with the BJP, the former Prime Minister said people were favouring only regional parties to protect the interests of the state and hence, he said, the JD (S) had no apprehensions about facing the coming elections to urban local bodies in Karnataka on its own.

Gowda also trained his guns directly at the BJP for launching a Vikas Yatra in Karnataka. “Such yatras do not help in the development of the State”, he said.

The JD (S) supremo took serious exception to BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa for “magnanimously” providing funds to religious institutions. “It will not bring any prosperity to the state. Instead, the focus should be on eradication of poverty”, Gowda said.

Sugarcane farmers attempt suicide in Gulbarga

Ten sugarcane farmers attempted suicide by consuming pesticide in front of the Assistant Commissioner’s office in Jewargi in Karnataka’s Gulbarga district yesterday after sugar mills refused to purchase their crop.

Though the sugarcane farmers were on an indefinite hunger strike for more than a fortnight, seeking to bring pressure on the Government to ensure that their sugarcane crop is purchased by the sugar mills, the agitation took a turn for the worse yesterday after their meeting with the assistant commissioner did not yield any result.

Though more than a hundred farmers were on a fast outside the assistant commissioner’s office, ten among them consumed pesticide in a bid to end their lives. The police, which was present on the spot, sprung into action and quickly transported them to the Government hospital in Jewargi town.

Police said the doctors were trying to remove the pesticide the farmers had consumed and save their lives. The farmers will have to be kept under observation for a day or two, the police said quoting the doctors at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the police also arrested the remaining the farmers, who were participating in the protest.

The sugarcane farmers in several parts of north Karnataka are up in arms against the managements of sugar factories, which had decided to stop crushing activities after the price of sugar collapsed by Rs 300 for every quintal a few weeks ago.

Narayana Murthy’s remarks on national anthem come under fire

Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy’s remarks on the national anthem rocked both the houses of Karnataka legislature with lawmakers cutting across party lines demanding action against the software icon.

The playing of the musical notes of the national anthem to greet President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit to Infosys campus at Mysore near here on Sunday and Narayana Murthy’s statement that live singing of the national anthem would embarrass the foreigners in the campus was strongly criticized by the legislators in the Assembly as well as the Council.

Raising the issue, Kannada protagonist and independent MLA Vatal Nagaraj labelled N R Narayana Murthy as an “anti-national”, who deserved to be banished from the country. The Congress members including former Chief Minister Dharam Singh and former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too felt that action should be taken against Narayana Murthy for showing disrespect to the national anthem.

Home Minister M P Prakash told the angry members in the Legislative Assembly that the Government had sought a report from the police in Mysore on the issue. “Appropriate action will be initiated if the allegations are found to be true”, he assured the House.

But, Narayana Murthy was quick to apologize for the media statements attributed to him on the national anthem issue. “If the media statement had hurt anybody’s sentiments, I deeply apologize”, Narayana Murthy said in a statement.

“We played the instrumental version of the national anthem so that we could all sing along, and all of us did so. We wished to share the pride of being an Indian in the gracious presence of our President”, Narayan Murthy added.

Protests against the Narayana Murthy even spilled onto the streets with pro-Kannada organizations staging protests in various parts of the state including Kolar and Davangere.

The pro-Kannada outfits took the software icon to task for questioning the utility of forcing shutdowns in the statewide protests against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s order. “He has shown disrespect to people fighting for the justice over the Cauvery issue”, an activist of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike said in Kolar.

A clarification from Infosys has also sought to clarify Narayana Murthy’s position on the Cauvery issue. “We must adopt a solution-based, peaceful approach to resolve the issue”, said and added that “I wish to clarify that the IT industry in Karnataka was closed on the day (February 12, 2007) when a bundh was called to protest the Cauvery Tribunal’s verdict. All our facilities in Karnataka were also closed for the day”, Narayana Murthy said.

Lokayukta ticks off lawmakers in Karnataka for false declarations

The Lokayukta Karnataka has ticked off lawmakers in the State for submitting false declarations of their assets and liabilities.

The Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde said his office had found out that over 75 per cent of the legislators in the State, including Ministers in the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government, had submitted “insufficient” and “false information” in their declarations on assets and liabilities.

Though all the legislators, except one MLA, had submitted their declarations, which are mandatory under law, Santhosh Hegde regretted that most of the declarations contained incorrect data.

Stating that he would make public the names of the lawmakers guilty of falsifying declarations, Santhosh Hegde said he would also submit a report in the regard to Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and Chairman of the Legislative Council.

“The members will be given time upto June 20 to resubmit correct information. If they don’t’ furnish correct information even after 60 days, criminal cases may be filed against them as the Lokayukta Act”, Santhosh Hegde warned.

He pointed out that it was criminal offence if an elected representative did not declare his assets and liabilities under Sections 176 and 177 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Narayan Murthy caught in controversy over national anthem

The playing of the musical notes of the national anthem instead of its live rendition to greet President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit to Infosys campus at Mysore near here on Sunday has drawn software icon N R Narayan Murthy into a controversy.

The controversy is not as much over playing of the instrumental version of the national anthem as it is over Narayan Murthy’s post-event press conference statement that Infosys cancelled the live singing of the anthem as the company did not wish to embarrass the foreigners on the campus.

“We had arranged for five people to sing the national anthem. But, then we cancelled it as we have foreigners on board here. They should not be embarrassed while we sing the anthem”, Mr Narayan Murthy told a reporters seeking an explanation for playing the instrumental version instead of live singing of the anthem.

But, the local media went to town with Narayan Murthy’s remarks and virtually questioned his patriotism.

Infosys was quick to issue a clarification to the raging debate on their chief mentor’s statement. “We played the instrumental version of the national anthem so that we could all sing along, and all of us did so. We wished to share the pride of being an Indian in the gracious presence of our President. We are informed that this is as per protocol. If the media statement has hurt anybody’s sentiments, I deeply apologize”, said Narayan Murthy in a statement released to the press yesterday.

Narayan Murthy also added that Infosys was a proud Indian company that had always kept the interest of India foremost in its mind. “We are a proud Indian company with strong universal ethos of transparency, accountability and honesty. It has always been our endeavour to represent India with the highest standards of respect and enable it to take its rightful place in the world economy.

Bangalore police installs CCTVs in stations

Bangalore police have begun installing closed-circuit television sets (CCTVs) in police stations to monitor the acts of its uniformed personnel.

The installation of CCTVs comes in the wake of complaints of misconduct and corrupt practices, besides ugly spats among policemen in the City and across the State. The demands for bribe by policemen, exposed by sting operations carried out by local television channels, and quarrel between two officers of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police in Bangalore, had projected the police department in poor light.

To begin with, the cameras have been installed at Upparpet, Chikpet and City Market police stations in Bangalore. Soon, the CCTVs will be mounted across all police stations in the City and a control room established in the office of Bangalore City Police Commissioner’s office so that he too can monitor the activities.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharath Chandra told reporters that CCTVs had been installed in three police stations in the City to keep a watch on the goings on the stations. “These cameras will help track corrupt practices, behaviour with visitors and illegal detention and any unsavoury acts. If the CCTVs do not deter such incidents, at least the cameras will record evidence to proceed against guilty men and officers”, he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) P Muniswamy said installation of the CCTVs is part of the modernization of the police department. “This would help improve the performance of the police and keep an eye on any maladministration”, he said.

But, the CCTVs move has evoked a sharp reaction from officers in the lower ranks. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police inspector pointed out that the CCTVs have their own merits and demerits. “The police have to be tough to extract information from the suspect and sometimes have to be out of the legal framework to do their own duties keeping their goals in mind. Installing CCTVs will create a fear psychosis among the policemen and hamper investigations”, he said.

The police inspector also questioned the utility of the CCTVs in curbing corruption in police stations. “Corrupt officials and suspects can resort to different methods once they come to know about the presence of spycams in police stations. They will strike deals outside the police stations, far away from the electronic eye”, he added.

Fantastic idea to have Narayan Murthy as next President - Kalam

President A P J Abdul Kalam said it would be a “fantastic” idea to have software industry icon N R Narayan Murthy as the next President of India.

Kalam’s observations came during an interaction he was having with trainees and software professionals at the Global Education Centre established by Infosys in Mysore on Sunday evening.

“Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic” was Kalam’s spontaneous reply to a question posed to him by a youth in the audience on Narayan Murthy as the future President of India. Kalam’s present tenure is scheduled to end in July 2007.

But, Narayan Murthy, who is the chief mentor of Infosys, sought to play down the speculation over his candidature for the highest office in the country. “I think it is all hyped”, Murthy told reporters later when his attention was drawn to the President’s remarks.

Instead, Narayan Murthy said it would be “wonderful” if Kalam continues for a second term. “He is an extraordinary person. It is rare to have a President of his caliber. He can connect with any audience”, Murthy said.

When reporters persisted Narayan Murthy on the issue by asking him whether he was open to the idea in the future, the software icon said “what will happen in future, nobody can say. When we have a wonderful President, who can bond with the youth of the country like nobody else does, I wish he should continue in the post for a second term”, Murthy added.

Power shortage in Karnataka reaches all-time high

With power shortage in Karnataka reaching an all-time high during the ensuing summer, the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) is resorting to load shedding even in the nights, forcing people to go without fans and air-conditioners.

Against the availability of 130 million units of power a day, Karnataka’s power requirement had touched 150 million units, creating an all-time high shortfall of 20 million units.

Though the KPTCL had anticipated power consumption to touch 140 million units during summer, the actual requirement has overshot the estimate and reached 150 million units, bringing the power supply frequency below the 49 hzds even during midnights when power consumption is the lowest. Increased power consumption during midnights has been attributed to use of air conditioners in the cities and irrigation pump-sets in the villages.

The Southern Regional Load Despatch Centre, which monitors power supply situation in the southern region, has already written several letters to Karnataka cautioning against the falling power supply frequency levels. If the power frequency levels falls below the 49 hzds, the power grid of the entire southern region could collapse leading to a blackout in all the southern states, Karnataka has been warned.

Hence, the KPTCL was left with no option, but to impose load shedding even during midnights to make up for the shortage of power and prevent a collapse of the southern region power grid.

The power supply in Karnataka has been worsened on account of a breakdown at the 100 MW hydel power generating station at Sharavathi. Several parts of Bangalore and the rest of the State have begun experiencing frequent interruptions in power supply, both during day and night, on account of the shortage.

KPTCL officials said the situation in the State would improve only after one or two spells of rainfall in the region.

Jayaprada finds film turf easier than political turf

Film actress and Samajwadi party’s star campaigner Jayaprada finds film turf far easier to handle than the political turf in Uttar Pradesh, which is facing a staggered seven-phase polling for the assembly beginning yesterday.

Jayaprada, who managed to squeeze in a low-key visit to Bangalore for picturising a song for a Kannada film in the midst of hectic electioneering in the Uttar Pradesh, admitted that politics in most populous state of India was quite different from acting in movies.

After the song and dance sequence with Kannada matinee idol Vishnuvardhan for the film “Ee Bandhana” directed by Vijaylakshmi Singh in an outdoor studio in Bangalore, the multilingual actress appeared anxious to catch the evening flight back to Uttar Pradesh. When the reporters asked her whether she found dealing with a woman director was easier than dealing with a political opponent like Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, the glamourous actress laughed and said “film turf was more easier to handle than the political turf”.

Incidentally, Jayaprada made her debut in a Kannada film Kavirathna Kalidasa opposite the late thespian Rajkumar. Also, Rajkumar’s last film Shabdavedi was opposite Jayaprada. “I am happy that I had worked with Rajkumar in his last film”, she said.

Though Jayaprada is busy with elections in Uttar Pradesh, she is looking forward to acting in the Kannada film opposite Vishnuvardhan in Ee Bandhana. “I am doing a very powerful role in the film. I know I cannot be participating in the shooting till the completion of the elections in Uttar Pradesh, where I am canvassing. But, I will be giving my hundred percent to the film after the elections are over”, she said.

Despite being a Lok Sabha MP, Jayaprada said she will find time for acting in movies. “This year, I will be working for four films including this one. I have already worked for Kamal Hassan’s Tamil film. I will be working for a Bengali and a Hindi film this year”, said the multilingual actress.

Bangalore software engineer found dead at picnic spot

A software engineer, who went missing from Bangalore seven days ago, was found dead at the scenic picnic spot of Shivanasamudra about 120 kms from the City on Friday.

Police said Manoj Kumar, 24, a native of Meerut, was working with a software company on Bannerghatta Road in Bangalore since the last two months. Police investigation had revealed that three persons including an office attendant had murdered Manoj Kumar.

Apparently, Manoj Kumar, who used to go to office by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus, became friendly with another commuter Syed Mubasshirulla, 20, an office attendant, who also spoke Hindi.

On March 31, Syed Mubasshirulla went to Manoj’s room and invited him for a picnic to Shivanasamudram with his friends. Manoj happily joined Syed and his friends Adil and Yasin to Shivanasamudram. All of them had their lunch in a hotel at Shivanasamudram before proceeding towards the water falls at the picnic spot.

They reached the bottom of the falls and went to an isolated place, where the river was flowing. When Manoj bent down to drink water from the river, the trio pushed him and crushed his head with a boulder, police said. As Manoj lay dead, the trio robbed him of his valuables including a credit card and a mobile phone before returning home.

When Manoj did not turn up for work the next day, his colleagues called him up only to find his mobile phone switched off. As days passed by with no sign of Manoj, his worried colleagues informed his parents in Meerut. Manoj’s uncle, who is a district judge, rushed to the City and filed a missing person’s complaint with the police.

Meanwhile, Syed, along with Adil and Yasin went on a purchase-spree, buying new clothes and mobile phones using Manoj’s credit card. They also withdrew Rs 18,000 from his account through the ATM.

Police, who had taken up the investigation, found that it was Syed, who was last seen with Manoj. Initially, Syed gave evasive answers, but on detailed interrogation, he spilled the beans about the murder and gave the names of his two associates. Based on the information, a police team accompanied by Ramkumar went to the scene of crime and brought the dead body to the City.

Bees swarm stage, CM, dignitaries run for cover

The function got up to celebrate the birth centenary of late Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram on the front steps of the majestic Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore was disrupted when bees swarmed the dais, forcing Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his ministerial colleagues to run for cover.

Kumaraswamy, who was surprisingly punctual in arriving for the function on time, was quick to scamper away from the dais when the bees began swarming the stage. Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, Federal Minister for Highways K H Muniyappa and other several Ministers, who were present on the occasion, too beat a hasty retreat just as swiftly.

Chief Minister and other dignitaries left the venue giving an impression that he would be back after the bees had buzzed off. When the swarm of bees went away, the dignitaries returned, but Kumaraswamy was conspicuous by his absence. Minister for Youth Services Alkod Hanumanthappa told the gathering that Kumaraswamy will not be able to attend the function and refused to specify the reasons.

The portrait of Jagjivan Ram was unveiled in a hurry and Yediyurappa delivered a short speech. Eight persons, who had worked for the welfare of the Dalit community, were quickly honoured. Barely had the proceedings been completed in a hurry did the swarm of bees return.

Stem cell therapy comes to the aid of Parkinson’s patient

In a major breakthrough in the area of stem cell therapy, a hospital in Bangalore has claimed to have successfully treated a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Andrew Kisana, 58, a US national, had arrived in India last year for treatment for the dreaded ailment after having exhausted all options in his country. The year-long stem cell therapy he underwent at Manipal Hospital in Bangalore has yielded positive results and Kisana’s improvement has been termed as “remarkable” by the doctors attending on him.

Announcing this at a press conference in Bangalore Director of Manipal Institute of Neurological Disorders K Venkataramana said Kisana came to the hospital with tremors in the hands and legs, severe shaking of the head, difficulty in walking, swallowing and speech. He also had episodes of “freezing” in which the patient has difficulty in locomotion.

The doctors began the treatment by harvesting stem cells from the Kisana’s bone marrow and injecting them into the brain through surgery. Six months later, drugs were stopped. “There have been no tremors, no drooling and there are no freezing attacks”, the doctors said.

The patient, who was also produced in the press conference, concurred with the doctors. “No other treatment has been as effective….”, he typed on his laptop while sitting on the wheelchair at the press conference. “The tremors of the limbs and head have stopped completely and handwriting has improved”, he said communicating with the reporters through the laptop as his speech was still slurred.

Kisana, a structural engineer in the US, primarily chose India for the treatment of his debilitating ailment on account of the low costs. Venkataramana said the costs in India work out to less than a third of the costs in the US.

The hospital authorities presented another remarkable story of recovery of a patient, who became paraplegic losing control over his limbs and bladder after suffering a spinal cord injury in an accident.

The patient Ramesha also underwent stem cell therapy to regain control over his bladder and hands. “After the treatment, I can move my hands and can control my bladder”, he told reporters.

Karnataka likely to ban horse racing

After banning sale of lottery and arrack, the Karnataka Government is now seriously considering a proposal to ban horse racing in the State.

During a discussion on the functioning of the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) in the Legislative Council, Minister for Planning and Lottery Ramachandra Gowda said the coalition Government in Karnataka, which had recently banned lottery and arrack, was equally determined to ban horse racing.

The Government had not hesitated to ban lottery, which was fetching a revenue of Rs 2.5 billion every year to the Government. “The revenue collected from horse racing is just peanuts”, he remarked.

Gowda’s disclosure on the Government’s proposal to ban horse racing came after the Legislative Council witnessed uproarious scenes over the delay by the Government to reply to a question on the functioning of the Bangalore Turf Club.

When a few members alleged that the Government was deliberately withholding information as several IAS and IPS officers were on the management of the Bangalore Turf Club, Gowda said the Government was prepared to wield the whip on horse racing also. “We will not buckle under any pressure”, he said.

Poornachandra Tejaswi passes away

Noted Kannada writer K P Poornachandra Tejaswi passed away at his farm-house in Mudigere taluk of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka on Thursday afternoon.

According to his family sources, Tejaswi, 69, died due a massive heart attack he suffered minutes after he had taken his afternoon meal. Tejaswi, who is also the son of “Rashtrakavi” Kuvempu, had left a great impression on Kannada literature with his novels, short stories and essays.

Leading personalities from the field of Kannada literature have expressed shock over the death of Tejaswi. Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa have also condoled the death.

After completing his MA from the University of Mysore, Tejaswi bought a coffee estate in Mudigere taluk and settled down in the countryside engaging himself in not only farming activities, but also writing. Soon, he emerged from the shadows of his father and established his own image with a distinguished style of writing. He has been conferred with a host of awards including Sahitya Academy award.

Tejaswi leaves behind his wife and two daughters.

Seer killed in car-train collision

The head pontiff of the revered Valmiki Gurupeetha Punyanandapuri Swamiji and two others were killed when the car in which they were travelling collided with a speeding train at Karur village on the outskirts of Davangere in Karnataka.

Punyanandapuri Swamiji, 36, who is the seer of the Valmiki community, was returning to his Ashram in Harihar after participating in a religious function at Karur village on Tuesday when the mishap took place.

The Hubli-Bangalore Fast Passenger Express train ran through the ill-fated car when it was crossing the unmanned level crossing at Karur village. The Seer, a 13-year-old follower Basavaraj and driver Nagaraj, 44, were killed on the spot.

Soon after learning about the accident, hundreds of devotees from the Ashram rushed to the spot and joined the locals in staging demonstration on the railway track to protest the failure of the Railway officials to man the level crossing. The locals and the devotees piled up boulders on the railway track and disrupted train traffic on the route for more than three hours.

The agitation was withdrawn after the local railway authorities assured to install a manned gate at the accident spot within the next two months.

Meanwhile, the last rites of the Seer were held at the Valmiki Gurupeetha at Rajanahalli in Harihar yesterday. Thousands of devotees attended the funeral.

Communal clash at Virajpet in Karnataka

More than twenty persons including four policemen were injured in communal clash that took place in Virajpet town of Kodagu district in Karnataka on Tuesday evening.

Police said groups of youth fought pitched battles on the streets, indulged in stone throwing and ransacking shops and business establishments. Virajpet’s Inspector of Police Gajendra Prasad and three constables were hit by soda bottle hits during the clash.

Trouble began when two youths went to a phone booth and asked the owner for one rupee coins to make calls. When the owner refused, the youths began to abuse the owner, who thrashed them. The fracas soon took a communal turn with members of both communities gathering in large numbers.

The police found themselves outnumbered by the rioters and were unable to curb the violence. Miscreants began setting fire to vehicles and shops as the police struggled disperse the mobs. Additional reinforcements from the District Armed Reserve (DAR) and Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) force were deployed and prohibitory orders were clamped on the town.

Inspector General of Police (South) R P Sharma rushed to Virajpet town to supervise the security arrangements.

An uneasy calm prevailed in Virajypet yesterday. However, No fresh incident of trouble was reported from the town. “Trouble has been nipped in the bud”, Sharma told reporters.

Bangalore police bust maritime job racket, two arrested

The Bangalore police arrested two persons, who had cheated scores of gullible youths by promising them maritime jobs in the Gulf.

Police said the duo, posing as a “senior manager of a maritime institute” and “ship captain”, had collected Rs 75,000 from each of the dozens of cheated youths after promising them jobs Dubai.

The modus operandi of the fraudsters was to fix interviews for the candidates at posh hotels and collect fees from them for “job-related expenses”. Next, they would delay the “letter of offer” to the candidates by citing various hurdles including cancellation of maritime services to the Gulf. Finally, they would disappear without a trace, police said.

The accused Gavin, 30, who was masquerading as “senior manager of a maritime institute”, and Aslam, 30, who was posing as a “ship manager”, had collected a total of Rs 750,000 from ten youths hailing from Andhra Pradesh recently. The youths, were eager to go the Gulf countries, had attended the interview at a posh hotel in Bangalore and coughed up Rs 75,000 each in two instalments of Rs 30,000 and Rs 45,000.

The youths were asked to sign certain documents and even told to resign their current jobs, which they did without thinking twice in their eagerness to go overseas. Subsequently, when there was no sign of the “letter of offer”, the duo’s standard refrain was that services of all ships to the Gulf countries had been cancelled due to the “tsunami”.

Gavin’s and Aslam’s arrest in Bangalore came about with the help of one of the cheated youth Bhaskar, who learnt that twelve others had been invited for an interview by the duo in Bangalore and promised jobs in much the same fashion.

Bhaskar alerted the police and laid a trap for them. Policemen in plainclothes went to the hotel along with the youths, who had brought with them the first instalment of Rs 30,000. The duo, who confessed to the crime, were promptly arrested and put behind bars.

Clash between Bihari and Kashmiri students near Bangalore

Traffic on the busy Bangalore Mysore highway was held up for more than two hours Monday night as students from Kashmir and Bihar clashed with each other over accommodation in the hostel of engineering college located at Ramanagaram on the outskirts of Bangalore.

Police said Kashmiri students and Bihari students quarreled over occupying a vacant room in the hostel of Ghousia Engineering college on Monday evening, leading to fist-fights in the campus, which later spilled on the adjoining highway.

More than two hundred students fought on the highway holding up the traffic, according to a senior police official. When the situation went out of control, the Principal of the College informed the police. A contingent of police rushed to spot and resorted to caning to disperse the unruly students.

About eight students were injured in the police action. A total of 25 students had been rounded up for their involvement in the clashes. The highway was later cleared for traffic.

Karnataka’s BJP Minister resigns over collapse of law and order situation

Upset over the collapse of law and order situation in Bellary district, Karnataka’s Minister for Tourism B Sriramulu has resigned from the JD (S)-BJP coalition Ministry.

The immediate provocation for BJP leader Sriramulu’s resignation was the murder of Syed Mujeeb, a JD (S) leader from Bellary district late on Sunday night. Syed Mujeeb, who had unsuccessfully contested assembly elections from Bellary twice in the past, died in the hospital after he was attacked by miscreants in the Cowl Bazaar area of Bellary around 10.30 pm on Sunday.

Sriramulu, who joined the agitation launched by relatives and followers of Mujeeb in front of the police station in Bellary yesterday, held Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s political secretary Suryanarayana Reddy responsible for the murderous attack on the JD (S) leader.

Speaking to reporters, Sriramulu said he had sent his resignation to BJP’s state unit President Sadananda Gowda and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. “The law and order machinery in Bellary has collapsed on account of the JD (S) leaders interference”, he said and accused Suryanarayana Reddy of adopting “devious” means in Bellary district to further his political career.

Sriramulu, who has decided to return his official car, said his decision to resign from the coalition cabinet is “final”. “If my resignation is not accepted, I will come to the Assembly and submit my resignation to the Speaker directly. I will even resign as an MLA if my concerns are not addressed”, he said.

Suspecting Suryanarayana Reddy’s role in the murder, Sriramulu said the Chief Minister should have ascertained his antecedents properly before appointing such a tainted person to the post of his political secretary. Sriramulu said there was a threat to the life of even BJP workers of Bellary from Suryanarayana Reddy.

Meanwhile, Sriramulu’s resignation figured in the Legislative Council in Bangalore with Opposition Congress seeking a statement from the Government on the issue. With the Government not in a position to give a proper reply to the matter, confusion gripped the proceedings, forcing the Chairman to adjourn the House.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he has no information about Sriramulu’s resignation. Home Minister M P Prakash, who is also the Minister in charge of Bellary district, criticised Sriramulu for joining the agitation even though he was a Minister in the coalition Government.

100-year-old pontiff receives Karnataka Ratna

The chief pontiff of Siddaganga Math Sri Shivakumara Swamiji, who turned 100 on Sunday, was conferred with Karnataka Ratna, the highest award of the State, at a function held on the frontal steps of the majestic Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore.

Giving away the award, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the Swamiji had carved a niche for himself by providing free shelter, food and education to thousands of children from all sections of the society. The revered pontiff had dedicated himself to the cause of mankind’s welfare since the last six decades.

The centenarian seer, who heads 125 educational institutions across the state, has been providing free food under the Akshara Dasoha scheme to 8,000 children from poor families every day to help them pursue education. An estimated 30 per cent of the children are destitutes.

Speaking after receiving the award, Sri Shivakumara Swamiji said he had no desire for the award and was not happy with it. But, he added that he was accepting the award following an appeal from his followers, students, writers and others. The award comprised a golden plaque, a citation and a shawl.

The Karnataka Ratna award has so far been bestowed upon only five other individuals including Jnanpith awardee Kuvempu, Kannada matinee idol Kuvempu, late Chief Minister S Nijalingappa, scientist C N R Rao and musician Bhimsen Joshi.

Earlier on Sunday, the pontiff was greeted by thousands of people at the Siddaganga Math at Tumkur near here. The seer’s fans included thousands of students from pre-primary to post graduate institutions run by the Siddaganga Math.

Violence rocks Mysore after Siddaramaiah’s arrest

Violence broke out at Mysore near here on Saturday night after the police arrested senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his supporters to prevent a clash between Congress and JD (S) workers at Jayapura village on the outskirts of Mysore.

Angry supporters of Siddaramaiah went on a rampage torching buses and attacking vehicles passing by the village. Five buses and a motorcycle was set on fire near Mysore as the news about Siddaramaiah’s arrest sparked off widespread protests on Saturday night.

Shops and business establishments remained closed in Mysore on Sunday in response to a call for shutdown given by the Congress party to denounce the “vindictive” politics of the ruling JD (S). State-run buses were withdrawn from service while vehicular traffic remained thin in Mysore. Congress activists even detained trains leaving for Bangalore.

Protests were also reported from Bangalore, Davangere, Chitradurga and Gulbarga. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President M Mallikarjun Kharge, who rushed to Mysore, criticized the ruling JD (S) for resorting to “desperate” measures in the wake of the humiliating defeat they sufferred at the hands of Siddaramaiah in the by-polls to Chamundeshwari assembly constituency recently.

Former Chief Minister Dharam Singh, who also reached Mysore, said the Congress party would stage a demonstration during the proceedings of the State Legislature on Monday.

Trouble began on Saturday evening after JD (S) supporters turned up at Jayapura village for a function in which Siddaramaiah was scheduled to lay the foundation stone for a primary health centre in his capacity as an elected MLA of the constituency. The JD (S) supporters contended Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was scheduled to lay the foundation stone and accused Siddaramaiah of violating the protocol.

With the situation turning volatile and threatening to go out of the hand, the police imposed prohibitory orders in the village and took Siddaramaiah and 130 of his supporters into custody. They were brought to Mysore in a police van and detained at District Armed Reserve (DAR) grounds, triggering demonstrations in various parts of the City.

Hundreds of Congress supporters mobbed the DAR grounds and demanded the release of the former Deputy Chief Minister. Though the Siddaramaiah was released, he and supporters reached the office of the deputy commissioner and staged an overnight demonstration.

Government committed to defend quota law - Bharadwaj

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is committed to defending the Federal law providing for reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in elite educational institutions that had been stayed by the Supreme Court recently.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore after participating in a valedictory camp on mediation organized by the Karnataka High Court, Federal Minister for Law and Justice H R Bharadwaj said the Government will defend with all sincerity the law providing for reservation to the OBCs in elite educational institutions like the IITs and IIMs.

“It is our law and it is our duty to ensure that it is upheld by the Supreme Court. We will defend it with full force and sincerity. The Government has appointed the best of lawyers to defend this law and let me assure you, we are committed and sincere about it”, he said.

On the confrontation between the parliament and the judiciary, Bharadwaj pointed out that a democracy can function well only when each of its different pillars are given full play.

Court staff tries to confiscate train at Tumkur

High drama prevailed at the Tumkur railway station near here on Friday evening when the staff of a local court tried to confiscate a train as the Railways had failed to honour the court’s order on payment of compensation to the victims of a train mishap.

Armed with the court’s orders on attachment of the Bangalore-Hubli Intercity Express, the court staff and the lawyers representing the relatives of the victims marched to the railway platform and tried to seize the Intercity Express, much to the bemusement of the passengers on the train. The train was held up for more than half an hour as the lawyers and railway officials were locked in negotiations.

The court had ordered the attachment of not only the Intercity Express, but also the computers at the Tumkur railway station, situated at a distance of about 70 kms from Bangalore.

The Tumkur police and the Railway police had a tough time controlling a large crowd that had gathered to witness perhaps the first instance of a train being confiscated.

The compensation ordered by the court pertained to an accident that took place during May 1998 when six persons including three women travelling in an autorickshaw were killed in a collision with a locomotive at a manned level crossing near Tumkur. Holding the railway personnel responsible for the negligence, which led to the death of six persons, the Additional Civil Court and Accident Relief Court in Tumkur had ordered payment of compensation of Rs 600,000 to the next of kin of each of the victims.

Though the order stipulating payment of compensation had been awarded in July 2006, the Railways had not bothered to make the payment. When the Railway authorities did not respond to the notices served on them, the court ordered the seizure of the train and the computers in the railway station.

The Station Master and Railway officials at the Tumkur Railway station requested the court staff and the lawyers to give them two days time to settle the matter. The train was allowed to pass after the lawyer agreed to give the railway officials two days time keeping in mind the inconvenience the confiscation would cause to the passengers.

Before returning, the court staff and the lawyer threatened to go ahead and confiscate the train if the compensation amount is not paid by Monday.

Karnataka CM and Minister receive life threat for banning lottery

Karnataka Government has taken serious note of the letter threatening to kill Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Minister for Lotteries Ramachandra Gowda in the wake of the ban imposed on lotteries in the State.

The letter threatening to “scalp” not only Kumaraswamy and Gowda, but also their family members, was received by the Lotteries Minister’s office a couple of weeks ago. But, the same had been kept under wraps till JD (U) MLA M P Nadagouda revealed it in the Legislative Council.

The letter sent in the name of Dinesh of Kalasipalya in Bangalore had been posted on February 28 at the Bangalore Fort Post Office through a registered post. The two-page letter addressed Gowda says “You and H D Kumaraswamy have been playing with our lives. We have already conveyed our views to Kumaraswamy in writing. He has neglected it as money and power have made him arrogant. Let him regret later when heads roll in his family ….”, the letter said.

In continuation the letter states “We want to bring to your notice that we have invested crores of rupees by selling our belongings to buy machines, secure shops on rent and give advances payments to employees. We will start hunting you if you fail to release the Karnataka Lucky Single Digit Lottery before April 5, 2007. First, we will hunt you and your family members and then turn to Chief Minister and his family. This is hundred percent guaranteed”, the letter said.

Ramachandra Gowda said he had brought this matter to the notice of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and also handed over the letter to the authorities concerned for necessary action.

Members of the Legislative Council, cutting across party lines, condemned the letter and urged the Government to initiate steps in the matter. “It is becoming increasingly impossible to speak out against anti-social activities even in the Legislature”, former Minister and Congress MLC B K Chandrashekar said.

Congress MLC Prabhakar Kore, who was in the Chair, instructed the Government to probe the matter and take stringent action against the persons behind the threatening letter. Leader of the House and Minister for Higher Education D H Shankarmurthy said the Government would take action to providing necessary security to Ramachandra Gowda and even identify the perpetrators of the crime.