Heavy rains lash Karnataka, power situation eased

Heavy rainfall lashing several parts of Karnataka during the last three days have helped ease the grim power situation with the hydel power generating reservoirs reporting a marked increase in inflow.

The electricity-starved residents of the state have heaved a sigh of relief after the authorities withdrew load-shedding imposed to overcome the power shortage.

Principal Secretary to the Department of Energy K Jairaj said the authorities had not resorted to any load-shedding since Sunday due to the improvement in power situation in the state. “The Cabinet Sub Committee on power will review the situation and take a formal decision on withdrawal of load-shedding”, Jairaj said.

The water level in major reservoirs across the state improved steadily after the catchment areas of different rivers good rainfall. Heavy rains were reported in coastal and malnad areas of the state forcing the authorities to declare two days holiday for schools and educational institutions in Kodagu, the catchment area for river Cauvery.

The water level in Linganamakki, Sharavathi and Gerusoppe reservoir, whose hydel power generating stations account for a third of the state’s power supply, have reported a good inflow. The water level at Linganamakki reservoir went up by almost six feet thanks to an inflow almost 60,000 cusecs being recorded during the last two days.

Karnataka State Power Corporation Limited’s Managing Director S M Jamaadar told reporters that the demand for power too has witnessed a sharp fall from around 110-115 million units per day to about 75 million units per day.

“If the rains continue for the next two to three weeks, the power situation in the state will remain normal for the next ten months”, he said.

It may be mentioned here that Karnataka was passing through a grim power situation on account of the failure of monsoon.
However, the heavy rainfall also threatens to damage the standing crop in many districts like Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Hassan, Chikmagalur and Shimoga. With the rains inundating vast tracts of land due to the heavy rains, Additional Director of Crop Development and Planning K V Sarvesh said the farmers may be badly hit. “We will get the details of the crop loss in the next one or two days”, he said.

BJP’s Muslim Minister heckled over leasing Wakf land for serving liquor

Congress legislators heckled the lone Muslim Minister in Karnataka’s BJP Government Mumtaz Ali Khan over the issue of leasing out Wakf property to a luxury hotel that allowed sale and consumption of liquor in its premises.

During the proceedings of the legislative council on Monday, Khan was responding to uncomfortable question from a Congress legislator on the irregularities pertaining to Wakf property in Bangalore when the issue of leasing out the Wakf building to a five star hotel came up for discussion.

Congress MLC V S Ugrappa sought to know from the Minister the propriety of leasing out Wakf building for a five star hotel that allowed sale and consumption of liquor. “How can the Government allow Wakf land to be leased to a star hotel when the tenets of Islam do not allow serving or consumption of liquor?”, Ugrappa sought to know.

Khan, who found the questions ticklish, urged the Congress members not to put him in a dilemma over the issue of Wakf property. “From Islam’s point of view, it is wrong to lease out Wakf property for sale and consumption of liquor. But, from a legal point of view, the Wakf Board has the right to lease out the property. I cannot go into the details as the issue is delicate”, Khan said.
Earlier, Khan, however, regretted that Wakf property in the heart of Bangalore had been leased to the luxury hotel a couple of years ago for a 99 years lease at a monthly rent of Rs 600,000. Pointing out that Wakf building could easily command a monthly rent of Rs 3.5 million, Khan said he personally favoured exploring legal possibilities for scrapping the agreement.

Tackling terrorism: Karnataka to issue identity cards to citizens

The BJP Government in Karnataka is planning to issue identity cards to all its citizens in towns and cities across the state in an effort to tackle terrorism.

Responding to criticism from the Opposition over the BJP Government’s alleged failure to prevent the serial blasts that rocked Bangalore on Friday claiming one life and injuring six others, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the State Government was seriously considering a proposal to issue identity cards to all the citizens residing in towns and cities across the state.

He said the State Government would also set up an Anti-Terrorist Squad, which will be given special anti-terrorist training. “Sufficient funds will be provided to strengthen and modernize the Squad’s capabilities to fight terror. The squad’s personnel will be given advanced weaponry”, he said.

Yeddyurappa said the Government would be installing surveillance cameras in sensitive locations across the state that will help the security agencies remain alert and identify suspicious activities.

The Chief Minister, who said the Government would be making collection data on tenants and new entrants to the cities and towns mandatory, warned that people giving shelter to terrorists will be dealt with sternly.

An awareness campaign will be carried out across the state, Yeddyurappa said before warning people against giving residential premises on rent to unknown people.

Seeking to assure the people of the state that the investigations into the blasts in Bangalore were “on track”, Yeddyurappa appealed to the people, including the ones in the Information Technology (IT) sector, not to panic or harbour any apprehensions over their safety.

Yeddyurappa also sought to refute the Federal Government’s claim that Karnataka Government had been alerted about the blasts. “There was no specific central intelligence the blasts. There were only routine advisories after the bombings in Jaipur during May”, the Chief Minister said.

Yeddyurappa also said that he was planning to shortly leave for New Delhi to bring pressure on the Federal Government to revive the anti-terrorist legislation Prevention of Terrorist Activities (POTA) and appealed to the Opposition leader to join him.
Meanwhile, Home Minister V S Acharya informed the Legislative Assembly that state police and intelligence wing were constantly exchanging information. “All the bomb blasts that took place in Bangalore on Friday were on footpaths and it is clear that the terrorists had brought them in vehicles”, Acharya said.

Explosion at Channapatna town before Bangalore blasts

The probe into Friday’s serial blasts in Bangalore has taken a curious turn with the police confirming an explosion had taken place at Channapatna, about 60 kms from the City, a day earlier on Thursday.

The blast took place on a pavement in front of a handicraft emporium in Channapatna on Thursday, but the local police had dismissed the matter of little consequence as no damage had been caused from the explosion. However, as a matter of routine, the local police had visited the spot and recovered a trunk containing about 8 kgs of explosive material.

The Channapatna police had neither bothered to inform the senior officials nor conduct an investigation into the blast.

After receiving information about the blast at Channapatna a day after Bangalore blasts, Director General of Karnataka Police R Srikumar visited the site to take stock of the situation.

Along with bomb experts, Srikumar inspected the trunk recovered from the blast site at Channapatna kept at the local police station and said the explosive material included nuts and bolts besides ammonium nitrate and detonators, which had also been used in Bangalore blasts.

“In both the cases, ammonium nitrate based explosives had been used. Even the detonators used in both the incidents are similiar and it appears that both the explosives have some similiarities”, he said.

A team of forensic experts from National Security Guard (NSG) visited Channapatna on Monday to collect the remnants from the blast site.

Srikumar also said that the bomb in Channapatna did not go off fully. “If the entire box had exploded, it would have been dangerous”, he said. The local police assumed the blasts to have been triggered by gelatin sticks normally used in quarry activities in the surrounding areas, he said.

Police inquiries have revealed that the trunk was unloaded by a group of unidentified people in a four-wheeler, who later proceeded towards Bangalore.
The police do not rule out the possibility of the Channapatna blast as a dry run ahead of the serial blasts in Bangalore the next day. “We are investigating all angles as explosive material prima facie appears to be similiar to the one used in Bangalore blasts”, Inspector General of Police Kamal Pant said.

Karnataka Government award for bomb squad member

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has announced an award for member of the state bomb disposal squad, who successfully defused a live bomb found near a shopping mall in Koramangala on Saturday.

Yeddyurappa said the State Government would give an award of Rs 100,000 to Sukumaran, the member of the state bomb disposal squad, who had risked his own life and skillfully deactivated an unexploded bomb concealed in a bucket-shaped object in Koramangala.

The successful deactivation of the unexploded bomb by Sukumaran led to a sigh of relief among a large number of curious on-lookers including a posse of personnel led by Bangalore City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidri.

However, it was also the presence of mind of a roadside tea stall vendor Rajamani, who had alerted the traffic policemen on duty that there was a bomb-like object near his shop.

Rajamani also claimed he had seen a youth in his mid-twenties, wearing a red T shirt, placing the suspicious looking bucket-like object on the pavement before taking to his heels and melting away in the adjoining by-lanes.

When the traffic policemen came and inspected the object, the sprouting of a few wires confirmed their suspicion. Immediately, they alerted the senior officials and soon khaki-clad police personnel swarmed the area and cleared off the people.

Sukumaran and his colleagues from the bomb disposal squad too had reached the venue. Without losing much time, Sukumaran, who was fully equipped with anti-explosive apparel, crawled towards the bomb that had been camouflaged as an abandoned bucket. Seconds later, he turned around and gestured with a thumbs up signal to indicate that the bomb had been deactivated, much to the relief of the on-lookers.

Shankar Bidri, who watched the entire proceedings, later confirmed to reporters that the bomb comprised a microchip, detonator, chemicals, electrical timer and oil packed and sealed in a bucket-shaped cement pot.

Live bomb found near Bangalore mall, defused by squad

Less than 24 hours after a series of explosions rattled Bangalore, an unexploded bomb was found planted near a prominent shopping mall in upmarket Koramangala area of the City on Saturday.

Soon after locals alerted the police, the bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot and managed to defuse the live bomb.

Commissioner of Bangalore City Police Shankar Bidri told reporters that locals had seen a youth wearing a red shirt placing the bomb on the pavement near Forum Shopping Mall in Koramangala around 10.30 am. “He kept the bucket-shaped bomb on the pavement, covered it with a tarpaulin and ran away”, Bidri said.

Soon after receiving information about the suspicious-looking bucket-shaped object near the shopping mall, the bomb disposal squad reached the spot even as the police cordoned off the area and blocked the roads leading to the shopping mall.

Minutes later, the bomb disposal squad managed to successfully defuse the bomb. The unexploded bomb contained a micro-chip, detonators and explosives with oil.

The police, which has launched an elaborate search to trace the culprits, will soon come out with the sketch of the youth, who appeared to be aged around 20-22 years, based on the description provided by eyewitnesses.

Bidri said the unexploded bomb recovered and defused yesterday was similar to the series of bombs that went off on Friday. The unexploded bomb was taken away by the security agencies and is expected to part of the investigation carried out by forensic experts into the serial blasts.

Meanwhile, forensic experts from the National Security Guards (NSG) arrived in Bangalore yesterday and visited the sites of Friday’s serial blasts. The team went around collecting evidence from all the sites to examine the nature of explosives used in the blasts.

However, Bidri told reporters that Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) had been used in the serial blasts, but with “low-intensity”. Preliminary investigation by police teams has revealed that ammonium nitrate, bolts and nuts and small cement chips had been packed into the devices.

The BJP Government in Karnataka has already constituted a special investigation team to uncover the plot.
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said he was expecting important leads into the blasts to emerge by Saturday evening. However, he refused to divulge much information on the pretext that the legislature session was underway. “It would be inappropriate on my part to make comments directly to the media before discussing the matter in the legislature session when it is going on”, he said.

Home Minister V S Acharya said the police was investigating into all possible angles to uncover the blasts. “We are investigating all possible angles and who could be involved in the blasts. We do not want to comment so early”, he said.

Low intensity blasts rock Bangalore

A series of low-intensity blasts rocked Bangalore yesterday afternoon claiming the life of one woman and injuring at least seven others.

Commissioner of Bangalore City Police Shankar Bidri told reporters that a total of seven explosions triggered by crude devices fitted with timers had taken place at seven different locations in Bangalore in a span of 45 minutes starting from 1.20 pm.

Except for the blast that took place at near a bus stop at Madiwala in Bangalore South, where a woman Lakshmi was killed on the spot and three others were injured, the remaining explosions had caused minimum or no damage. Most of the explosive devices were dug up and buried under the ground, police said.

However, the police immediately despatched bomb detection and disposal squads to the sites of explosion. The police also cordoned off the areas, where the blasts had taken place, and diverted traffic, leading to snarls in various parts of the City.

As soon as the news about the blasts spread, panic gripped the residents of the City. Educational institutions, shopping malls and cinema halls were also closed down. Mobile telephone networks were also jammed.

The first blast was reported at the bus stop in Madiwala, where Lakshmi was waiting for a bus with her husband Ravi around 1.20 pm. While Lakshmi was killed on the spot, her husband Ravi and two others Chethan and Muniraju suffered injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

The second explosion took place 15 minutes later at Nayandahalli, where the explosive device was buried in a drainage, next to a petrol pump. The third blast was reported from Audogodi, where two persons Muniraju and Ambu were injured. The fourth blast took place Koramangala while the fifth one was reported in park on Vittal Mallya Road, where two persons were injured.

The last explosion occurred at Shivajinagar in the heart of Bangalore, close to Vidhana Soudha, around 2.35 pm.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa described the blasts as “acts of evil forces aimed at destroying peace in the society”. He appealed to the people to remain vigilant and report to the police suspicious movement of unidentified people in their respective areas.

He convened an emergency meeting of his cabinet later in the evening to take stock of the situation.

Bidri, who visited the sites of explosion located within a radius of 10 to 15 kilometres, said the explosives used were in the quantity of one or two grenades. He said the miscreants had planted the explosives to spread alarm in the society. “We will send the samples from the blast site for forensic examination await a report on the nature of explosives used”, he said.

He also appealed to the general public to remain calm and carry on with their business as usual. “The police are geared up to take care of the situation. We will get to the root of the matter and bring the culprits to book”, Bidri said.

Additional Commissioner of Bangalore City Police Gopal Hosur said no organization had, so far, claimed responsibility for the explosions.

Cloud seeding operations begin in Karnataka

The much-awaited cloud seeding operations began in Karnataka on Saturday evening to induce rains in drought-hit districts of Dharwad, Haveri and Gadag.

The cloud seeding aircraft, which took off from Hubli airport on Saturday evening, managed to treat rain-bearing clouds hanging over Gadag district for about 30 minutes.

Soon after the cloud seeding aircraft took off from Hubli airport around 5.45 pm, the radar on the Agni Aviation aircraft pointed towards clouds over Gadag district. Minutes after the clouds were treated, the drizzle in parts of Gadag district turned into a downpour, bringing smiles of the faces of the farmers, who had been yearning for rains to save their crops.

The cloud seeding operation taken up by K H Patil Agricultural Science Centre is expected to continue till Monday and cover cloud systems over Dharwad district on Sunday evening and Haveri on Monday.

The cloud seeding operation, which is the first-ever private initiative, is expected to treat rain-bearing clouds hanging over the drought-hit areas of the three districts at a cost of around Rs 8 million and induce rainfall.

Congress leader H K Patil, who runs the K H Patil Agricultural Science Centre, said the Centre had undertaking a thorough study of the cloud system in the past few days and hoped the exercise will benefit the farmers of the region.

However, the cloud seeding operation ran into a major glitch before the start on Saturday after the district administration refused to give permission for the exercise. Though the aircraft from Agni Aviation had arrived on Friday itself, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) refused to allow the aircraft to take off from Hubli airport till the district administration gave the green signal.
H K Patil had to hold talks with Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad district Darpan Jain before the Government granted permission for the exercise with a rider that no damage should be caused to the environment.

Karnataka to set up power plant in Chattisgarh

After striking a deal to purchase 100 MW of power from Chattisgarh, electricity-starved Karnataka is now moving towards establishing a 2,000 MW power plant in that state.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who held talks with his Chattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh in Bangalore, told reporters yesterday that the two states would be inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the regard on July 24.

Raman Singh, who is convalescing at a nature cure hospital on the outskirts of Bangalore, is understood to have responded positively to Karnataka’s initiative to set up a thermal power plant and suggested a 2,000-acre plot at Godhna in Chattisgarh for the purpose, thus marking a novel inter-state understanding in the area of power generation.

After the discussions between the two Chief Ministers, talks have begun at the official level with Karnataka Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao getting in touch with his counterpart in Chattisgarh.

The Electricity Board and Electricity Regulatory Commission of Chattisgarh too have come into the picture for discussions relating to the modalities for construction of the power plant and transfer of electricity generated from the proposed thermal power plant to Karnataka.

Karnataka, which is establishing a power plant outside the state for the first time, is expected to meet its increasing demand for power through this unique project, Yeddyurappa said.

The first phase of the project envisages generation of 1,000 MW of power in 40 months time. During the second phase, another 1,000 MW will be generated. The total cost of the project is expected to be around Rs 100 billion.

Yeddyurappa has thanked Raman Singh for responding positively to Karnataka’s request for assistance in setting up the thermal power station and hoped that the state would overcome the acute power scarcity it was suffering from.

The Karnataka Government’s proposal to set up a thermal plant in Chattisgarh comes close on the heels of Raman Singh’s promise to spare 100 MW of surplus power to Karnataka.
Though Karnataka had submitted a letter seeking 500 MW of power to tide over its immediate crisis, Raman Singh said his Government will be able to supply 100 MW straightaway from the next week. Singh has also promised to consider supply another 100 MW of power after studying the availability of electricity in his state.

Rare elephant pearl recovered from poachers

The Bangalore police apprehended two poachers and recovered from them a rare elephant pearl along with a pair of tusks.

Acting on a tip-off, the Bangalore police arrested two youths on Seshadri Road in the City when they were trying to sell the elephant pearl popularly known as “Gajamuthu” and a pair of tusks that had been concealed in a bag.

The elephant pearl, which is in the shape and size of a hen’s egg, is expected to fetch a whopping amount in the international market, police officials said.

The ivory tusks seized from the poachers weighs around 10 kgs. “The notional value of the recovered items is estimated to be more than Rs 3 million”, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bangalore West, Shivakumar told reporters.

Investigations had revealed that the poachers Siddaraju, 23, and Shivakumar, 25, had purchased the tusks and the elephant pearl from a native of Hogenakkal situated on Karnataka’s border with Tamil Nadu.

Police officials said the slain forest bandit Veerappan also used to search for the elephant pearls whenever he used to poach elephants. The Gajamuthu was a rare finding and used to command a huge price in the international market.

Experts claimed that the elephant pearl is found within the cavity of tusks and is a rare bony growth.
Prof R Sukumar of Centre for Ecological Studies, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), described the elephant pearl as an “anomalous growth” taking place in the elephant’s tusk due to an injury or a reaction.

Chattisgarh promises power to Karnataka

Chattisgarh has decided to spare 100 MW of electricity to Karnataka in a bid to help the state tide over the power crisis arising in the wake of failure of monsoon.

With the power situation in the state worsening with each passing day, Karnataka’s Power Minister K S Eshwarappa called on Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, who is undergoing naturopathy treatment at a private hospital on the outskirts of Bangalore on Friday and requested him to supply 500 MW of power.

Singh, who responded positively to Karnataka’s request, immediately called up his officials in Chattisgarh to verify the power situation in his State.

Although Chattisgarh was also facing a power shortage, Singh assured Karnataka that his state had about 100 MW of surplus power during some hours of the day and the same could be supplied to Karnataka.

Singh told reporters that he had instructed officials in Chattisgarh to make arrangements to supply 100 MW of power to Karnataka in the next two to three days.

Eshwarappa said the storage of water in the hydel reservoirs of the state will be barely enough to produce electricity for a maximum of 23 days in view of the scanty rainfall in the state. “Hence, we had to approach Chattisgargh to bail us out of the grim scenario”, he said.

The woefully inadequate availability of power in the State has also forced the Government to resort to scheduled load-shedding from July 21.

Eshwarappa told reporters that the Cabinet Sub Committee set up to monitor availability and supply of power would meet on Monday to decide the schedule for load-shedding across the entire state.

Eshwarappa said a delegation of Ministers from Karnataka would also travel to New Delhi shortly and meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Federal Minister for Power Sushil Kumar Shinde to press for immediate allocation of 3,000 MW of power to the state from the Central Grid and help tide over the grim power scenario.
He took serious exception to the Federal Government’s decision to allocate 100 MW out of the 150 MW of unallocated share of Karnataka to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, knowing fully well that Karnataka was also reeling under acute power scarcity.

M P Shankar passes away

Popular Kannada actor M P Shankar, who had carved a niche for himself as a villain in films, passed away in Mysore near here on Thursday evening after prolonged illness.

Shankar, who had acted in as many as 108 films since his debut in 1962, leaves behind his wife Manjula, son Tilak and daughter Shobha. During his 45-year-old career in films, Shankar had not only essayed roles of a villain opposite late matinee idol Rajkumar, but also produced around 15 films.

Shankar, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, had been discharged from a hospital only three days ago. As the news of his death spread like wildfire, hundreds of his fans, friends, relatives and well-wishers swarmed his house in Mysore on Thursday evening.

His last rites were performed amid state honours at the burial ground in Vidyaranyapuram in Mysore on Friday. Deputy Commissioner of Mysore Manivannan represented the Government on the occasion.
The mortal remains of Shankar were taken in an open vehicle from his residence to the burial ground with more than 60 cars and a hundred two wheelers participating in the actor’s last journey.

Prime Minister speaks to Gowda, seeks JD (S) support

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh telephoned former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Friday and sought the support of his party’s three members in the Lok Sabha during the trust vote scheduled for July 22.

“The Prime Minister spoke to me this morning. I will be meeting him in New Delhi tomorrow (Saturday)”, Gowda told reporters in Bangalore yesterday.

The Prime Minister’s telephone call to Gowda, who is also the national President of JD (S), comes in the midst of hectic efforts by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to cobble up the numbers required to pass the floor test in the wake of the Left parties decision to withdraw support over the nuclear deal.

Gowda, however, has chosen to play his cards close to the chest. Without revealing whether the JD (S) would vote in favour of against the confidence motion, the former Prime Minister merely said he would call on Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Saturday and hold discussions with him in the regard.

“Any decision on supporting the UPA Government during the trust vote on July 22 will be taken keeping in mind the interests of the JD (S) and to strengthen it”, he said.

Meanwhile, senior leader of the JD (S) met in Bangalore yesterday and decided to authorize Gowda to take an “appropriate” decision on the crucial matter.

In another development, JD (S) MP from Kerala Veerendra Kumar, who had revolted against Gowda after the JD (S) in Karnataka decided to align with the BJP and form a coalition Government two years ago, has decided to return to the party.
Confirming the development, Gowda said Veerendra Kumar, who was heading a breakaway faction of the JD (S), will be returning to the “parent” party. Gowda said Veerendra Kumar had expressed his bitterness after JD (S) joined hands with BJP. “But, it is all over now”, Gowda added.

Karnataka temples to be equipped with electronic donation boxes

With a view to preventing pilferage of money donated to temples by devotees, the BJP Government in Karnataka has decided to soon install electronic donation boxes.

Disclosing this to reporters, Karnataka’s Religious Endowment Minister Krishnaiah Shetty said the existing donation boxes called as “hundis” in local parlance will be replaced with e-hundis that will recognize the coins and denomination of currency notes dropped in them.

The information on the donations will be stored and cannot be tampered with manually. “The e-hundis, which will function like ATMs, will automatically count the collections and are tamper-proof. This will help check embezzlement of money donated to the temples by devotees”, Shetty said.

Presently, he said, there is no system to check the pilferage of temple funds. To begin with, the State Government will install e-hundis in all the prominent temples falling under the Religious Endowment Department of the State Government..

Shetty said his Department would also constitute vigilance squads to check embezzlement of funds in the temples. “These squads will visit the temples periodically. Also, we will make it mandatory for the temple trusts to open the donation boxes in the presence of jurisdictional tahsildar and religious endowment department officials”, he said.

The Minister said three companies had come forward to help the Government install the electronic donation boxes. “We will shortly float tenders for installing the electronic hundis”, Shetty added.

There are a total of 36,000 temples attached to the Religious Endowment Department of the state. “Out of these, as many as 24,000 temples are in a poor condition and prayers are not held regularly. Only 85 temples have an income of more than Rs 1 million every year. Another 100 temples have an income of less than Rs 1 million. The remaining have a meager income”, he said.

Shetty said the State Government has also chalked out a plan to revive the temples, which are in a poor condition, with the help of private donors. “I am planning to rope in Kannadigas settled in USA, UK, Canada and Australia for the purpose”, the Minister added.

Karnataka to provide free power to farmers

Fulfilling its pre-election promise, the BJP Government in Karnataka yesterday announced free power to irrigation pump-sets of farmers in the state with effect from August 1 this year.

Presenting the revised Budget for the year 2008-09 in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said free electricity would be supplied to the irrigation pump-sets upto to 10 HP.

Yeddyurappa said he was setting aside a power subsidy of Rs 20.5 billion for the year that would cover the cost of supplying free electricity to the irrigation pump-sets.

Yeddyurappa also announced that loans at an interest rate of 3 per cent per annum to farmers, fishermen and weavers in the state. The new rate of interested proposed by the BJP Government is one per cent lesser than 4 per cent that was offered by the predecessor JD (S)-BJP coalition Government.

The Chief Minister said an estimated 5 million small and marginal farmers, who are totally dependent on dryland farming, would receive a one-time benefit of Rs 1,000 families to buy seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs.

Yeddyurappa also announced that he would set aside Rs 5 billion as agriculture revolving fund that would enable the Government to intervene when the prices of agricultural commodities collapse and cause losses to the farmers.

Yeddyurappa has set proposed to take up infrastructure development works in Bangalore at a cost of Rs 18 billion. Out of this Rs 7 billion has been set aside for the Bangalore Metro project, which is underway.
An estimated Rs 3.5 billion will be spent on constructing ten flyovers and underpasses to ensure hassle-free movement of traffic in Bangalore. Rs 7 billion will be spent on providing drinking water facilities, besides construction of roads and sewerage facilities. A supportive grant of Rs 3 billion will be given to Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation to ensure civic facilities in the City.

Frogs marriage held in Udupi to invoke rain gods

The residents of Udupi in coastal Karnataka, which is in the grip of a dry spell, were witness to a bizarre spectacle of “marriage of frogs” to invoke the rain gods.

With monsoon playing truant and causing concern among the farmers of the region, a local citizens’ organization decided to organize a marriage of frogs on Tuesday that is believed to cause showers.

The organization’s leader Nithyananda, who is also the Udupi City Municipal Council member, and his followers ensured that the marriage of the amphibians had all the elements of a traditional wedding.

A pair of jumbo frogs, a male and a female, were put on a decorated push cart and taken in a procession through the main thoroughfares of the town. Several curious onlookers watched the spectacle before the procession culminated at the Clock Tower in the town, where the marriage rites were performed in a traditional style.

Nithyananda told reporters that he had organized the marriage of frogs to appease the rain gods as the rains had failed this time. “The entire coastal belt is in the grip of a drought. We are experiencing a dry spell at a time when it should have been raining heavily. The farmers are a worried lot”, he said.

“Our elders used to say that the croaking of frogs heralds rains. Hence, I undertook this marriage of frogs”, he justified.

However, the rationalists have criticized the superstitious practice of arranging the marriage of frogs. Many rationalists have laughed off the age-old belief to invoke rain gods as superstitious idea in an era of cloud-seeding to trigger rainfall.

Question mark over JD (S) support to UPA

A big question mark has arisen over JD (S) support to Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) during the crucial July 22 vote of confidence with former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda lashing out at the Congress for “humiliating and torturing” his party.

“Both the Congress and BJP have made all out efforts to destroy the JD (S). We have suffered humiliation and torture and faced fabricated and false charges”, Gowda said.

“These are the things that will be dealt with carefully at a meeting of senior party leaders in Bangalore on July 18 before a final decision is taken on his party’s stand during the vote of confidence next week”, Gowda told reporters.

But, JD (S) spokesperson and MLC Y S V Datta was more categorical in the party’s stance against the Indo-US nuclear deal. “The party has consistently opposed the nuclear deal ever since the issue came up. There is no reason for a U-turn at this juncture”, Datta told a press conference in Bangalore.

The JD (S) has three members in the Lok Sabha including Veerendra Kumar from Kerala, whose relationship with Gowda had turned sour after the JD (S) aligned with the BJP in Karnataka to form a coalition Government. Veerendra Kumar has already identified himself with the Left parties, which are opposed to the nuclear deal.

It remains to be seen how Gowda and M Shivanna, the two other JD (S) Lok Sabha MPs, will vote during the trust vote.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Patel, political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, called up the JD (S) supremo and requested his party’s support to the UPA during the confidence vote. Gowda’s response to Ahmed Patel’s request was not immediately known.
The support of even smaller parties like the JD (S) has become crucial for the UPA to win the confidence vote in the wake of Left parties decision to withdraw support to the Manmohan Singh Government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Severe power shortage grips Karnataka

The severe shortage of power in Karnataka has reached alarming proportions with authorities resorting to long durations of power shut down in various parts of the State including Bangalore.

In view of the failure of monsoon, the authorities had already suspended power generation in a couple of hydro-electric power generating stations in the State. Adding to their woes, the technical snags experienced at two thermal power-generating units at Raichur has sparked off a major crisis in the state.

Several parts of the state including Bangalore remained plunged in darkness for almost two hours on Monday due to an unexpected shortfall. The disruption in power supply continued in various parts of the State even on Tuesday forcing the top brass of Energy Department to go into a huddle and chalk out emergency measures to bail out the state from one of its worst power crisis.

The Energy Department officials apprehended that the crisis could worsen if there is no sufficient rainfall in the next ten days.

Even as the officials attending to the technical snags and hope to set the thermal power generating stations right in the next few days, the storage level in three major hydel resources is a major cause for concern.

Also, the consumption of electricity in the State has increased by almost 15 million units a day compared to the consumption during the same period last year. Against a consumption of 103 million units a day during July last year, the consumption stood at 117 million units this year.

Faced with a bleak power scenario, the Government is expected to take a decision on scheduled as well as unscheduled load shedding during peak hours to offset the severe shortage of power the State is facing.

Gowda calls Karnataka CM a “madman”

The war of words between Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has escalated with the latter calling the former a “madman”, much to the chagrin of BJP leaders and supporters.

Gowda, who is already nursing a strong grouse against the BJP for poaching its MLAs with the help of money generated by the mining barons turned BJP leaders of the State, had urged the Federal Government to nationalize mines so that the natural resources in the state are protected from indiscriminate exploitation.

But, Yeddyurappa made light of Gowda’s demand and wondered aloud “Why did he (Gowda) not nationalize mines when he was the Prime Minister?”.

Gowda, who was apparently irked by Yeddyurappa’s counter to his demand, sought to dismiss the Chief Minister’s observation when reporters sought his reaction. “I don’t have to react to what a madman says”, Gowda said bluntly.

However, he added that mining was confined to a few pockets when he was the Prime Minister of the country more than ten years ago. “Now, it has spread across the country and has become a national menace”, Gowda said.

Nationalization of mines was his long-pending demand, Gowda claimed. “Only nationalization can save our minerals and resources. There is no ulterior motive in putting forward the demand”, Gowda said.

But, Gowda’s reference to Karnataka Chief Minister as a “madman” has left the BJP leaders in the State fuming. Many BJP supporters were quick to seek an apology from the JD (S) supremo.

However, Yeddyurappa refused to be drawn into a fresh debate with Gowda over the matter. “I will not reply to his statement. He is a tall leader, who has occupied the post of Prime Minister”, Yeddyurappa said with a tinge of sarcasm.

Meanwhile, JD (S) has threatened to “teach a bitter lesson” to its party MLAs, who quit the Assembly recently and joined the BJP to become Ministers in the Yeddyurappa Cabinet.
“A bitter lesson awaits the betrayers during the by-elections”, President of JD (S) Karnataka unit Merajuddin Patel said.

Karnataka’s NRI Cell to offer legal and assistance

The newly set up NRI Cell in Karnataka will not only seek to bring foreign investment to state, but also help Non Resident Indians handle legal and social issues abroad.

Chairperson of the NRI Cell Ganesh Karnik told reporters that the NRI Cell would comprise of three divisions. While one division will concentrate purely on luring foreign investment, the second and third divisions will seek to address the legal and social matters confronting the NRIs living abroad.

Similiar Cells established by previous Governments including the Karnataka Diaspora Cell had failed to help NRIs living abroad, he said and added that the recently set up NRI Cell will have to start from the scratch. “We don’t even have the data on the total number of NRI Kannadigas living abroad”, Karnik said.

However, he claimed that he had already started receiving mails from NRI Kannadigas and Kannada Associations in the US and Gulf countries with a wide range of suggestions.

NRIs in the Gulf countries have urged him to act as a facilitator between them and the educational institutions in the State. “NRIs have to pay a heavy donation for seats in professional colleges. They pay as high as Rs 800,000 to 900,000. They have requested the Cell to intervene and ensure that colleges reduce the capitation fee and fees as they no longer earn as much as they used to”, Karnik said.

Though they are keen on contributing to the development of the State, Karnik said NRI Kannadigas are not known to be big investors as most of them are either professionals working as engineers and doctors or as drivers.

So, the Cell has to diversify its objectives by adding a social and legal face to its services. The Cell will help NRIs who had landed in trouble abroad facing criminal charges with legal assistance, apart from sorting out the many formalities they go through during their life abroad.

BJP loyalists fume as Yeddyurappa inducts defectors into Cabinet

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s move to induct into his Cabinet three defectors from rival parties has left the loyalist BJP MLAs fuming.

The swearing in ceremony of three defectors - two from the JD (S) and one from the Congress, who had resigned from the Assembly seats earlier this week to join the BJP - held at Raj Bhavan on Thursday evening was not attended by a large number of party MLAs, particularly the ones aspiring for ministerial berths.

BJP’s state unit President D V Sadananda Gowda, former Federal Minister Ananthakumar and Energy Minister K S Eshwarappa were also conspicuous by their absence.

Several BJP MLAs including four-time MLA H S Shankarlinge Gowda, besides Narayanaswamy and C T Ravi are believed to be nursing a strong heartburn over Yeddyurappa’s decision to induct into the Cabinet Balachandra Jharkiholi, Shivananda Naik and Anand Asnotikar, who had been elected as MLAs of JD (S) and Congress during the May 2008 elections.

The expansion of the Yeddyurappa-led cabinet on Thursday takes its strength to the constitutional ceiling of 34 allowed for Karnataka.

Shankarlinge Gowda has openly expressed his disappointment over his exclusion from the Cabinet and blamed “unseen” hands behind the denial of a ministerial berth to him. “Various sections of the people have reposed their faith in me and elected me as an MLA for the fourth consecutive term and hoped that I would become a minister. Some unseen hands had come together to hatch a conspiracy against me”, Gowda said.

However, Yeddyurappa denied that there was resentment in the party over his decision to give ministerial berth to newcomers. “I hope they understand the compulsions of forming a stable Government, especially because we have come to power for the first time”, he said.

The BJP had secured 110 seats in a 224 member-house and was dependent on the support of six independents for its survival. After successfully luring a total of five Opposition MLAs including three from Congress and two from JD (S), the BJP provided ministerial berths to three of them and promised chairmanship of a Board or Corporation to the remaining two.
Meanwhile, the three newly inducted Ministers, who have already resigned from the Assembly, will have to be re-elected within the next months if they are to continue as Ministers.

Communal tension in Bangalore

Communal tension grips parts of Bangalore after two places of worship were found desecrated on Friday.

The tension began building up early on Friday after the desecration was noticed in places of worship at J C Nagar and Hebbal. However, police deployed a large force in the communally sensitive localities of the City to prevent the situation from going out of hand.

The desecration of the places of worship coincided with the assumption of office by Shankar Bidri as the new Commissioner of Bangalore City Police.

Bidri not only visited the troubled localities and appealed for calm, but also held a peace meeting. Earlier in the day, agitated groups of youth blocked various roads in J C Nagar to protest the desecration of the places of worship.

During the peace meeting held after the Friday prayers, a decision was taken by the police to allow the locals to arrange their own security for the places of worship to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Speaking to reporters later, Bidri said the police will spare no efforts to identify the miscreants responsible for desecration of the place of worship. He said sufficient security personnel had been deployed in the sensitive areas and the situation was under control.
Only on Thursday, the BJP Government in Karnataka effected a major reshuffle of the senior police officers in the state and appointed Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) as the Bangalore City Police Commissioner in place of N Achut Rao, who was transferred as Additional Director General of Police (Internal Security), a newly created posted. The officers took charge of the new posts on Friday.

Honest cab driver returns baggage containing gold jewellery

In an exemplary display of honesty, a cab driver in Bangalore handed over to the police a bag containing gold jewellery and a laptop worth more than Rs 400,000 that had been forgotten by his passengers, who were in a hurry to catch a flight from the international airport.

Pungavan’s cab was engaged by three persons, including two women, from Hebbal flyover to Bangalore International Airport on Tuesday. After dropping his passengers at the airport, Pungavan returned to his home in K R Puram late in the night and checked the boot of his car. He was surprised to find a bag inside.

He brought the matter to the notice of his landlord, who suggested that he hand over the bag to the police.

Pungavan reached the office of Bangalore City Police Commissioner on Wednesday morning and handed over the bag that contained not only gold jewellery, but also a laptop.

Commending the honesty of the cab driver, Bangalore City Police Commissioner N Achuta Rao issued a certificate of appreciation to Pungavan.

Speaking to reporters, Pungavan said he does not aspire for valuables that do not belong to him.

Meanwhile, the police is trying to trace the identity of the owners through the laptop. The police has also appealed to the owners to claim their valuables from the office of Commissioner of Bangalore City Police on Infantry Road in Bangalore after providing proof of purchase of the same.

Bangalore police arrest Ghana national in e-mail scam

In a swift operation, the police arrested a 32-year-old person from Ghana in West Africa at the Bangalore International Airport for cheating a resident of Bangalore in an e-mail scam.

A team of policemen from Bangalore nabbed John K Brown soon after he arrived at the airport in a flight from New Delhi late on Tuesday night on the basis of a complaint from Muralikrishna, a resident of Maruthi Nagar in the City, who had been cheated to the tune of Rs 650,000.

The victim Muralikrishna told the police that he had received an e-mail in July last year from a woman Joyce, who had sought his assistance to claim $ 7.5 million that her father had deposited in a bank in Scotland before he was killed in a civil war in Ivory Coast.

When Muralikrishna responded to the e-mail, Joyce said her barrister Bedie Kalto will get in touch with him. Accordingly, one Kalto claiming to be a barrister offered Muralikrishna the Power of Attorney and asked him to deposit Rs 100,000 in bank in Mumbai for the same.

After Muralikrishna deposited the amount, obtained the power of attorney and sent it to the bank, Kalto asked Muralikrishna to deposit another Rs 550,000 for the clearance certificate. “I paid that amount also. But, when Kalto asked to pay up another Rs 850,000 for clearance of the amount, I smelt a rat. It soon dawned on me that I had been taken for a ride”, Muralikrishna said.

He lodged a complaint with the Bangalore City police in the regard. Acting on the instruction of the police, Muralikrishna told Kalto to collect the money in person as the demand drafts and cheques were causing needless delay. Kalto agreed to send a messenger for the same, but asked Muralikrishna to bear the travelling and other expenses.

As told by Kalto, his messenger Brown arrived at Bangalore International airport by a private flight late on Tuesday night and met Muralikrishna. Even as Brown was asking Muralikrishna to hand over the money quickly as he had to return to Delhi by the next available flight, a team of policemen arrested him.

“Kalto called me around 20 times on Wednesday and requested me to free to Brown. But, I said that I will withdraw the case only after getting my money back”, Muralikrishna said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Bangalore, Harisekharan told reporters that Brown was not carrying either his passport or a visa. “It is still not clear how and when he landed in India. He says he lost his passport and visa and a complaint has been lodged with Bhopal police”, Harisekharan said.

Drought hits Karnataka

After fertilizer scarcity, it is the turn of drought to hit Karnataka soon after the Yeddyurappa-led BJP Government assumed office in the State.

With the state recording a deficit rainfall during the month of June and first week of July, the Drought Monitoring Cell of the State has declared Karnataka drought-hit and urged the State Government to chalk out a plan of action to come to the aid of farmers, who are already grappling with fertilizer shortage.

The failure of monsoon, which was scheduled to set in during early June, has been attributed to the deficit rainfall recorded in the State.

A drought situation has returned to the state after a gap of four years when Karnataka received bountiful rains leading to filling up of reservoirs.

Director of the Drought Monitoring Cell in the State V S Prakash said the state has received only 195 mm of rainfall from June 1 to July 7 against the normal 250 mm. “The state has recorded a deficit rainfall of 23 per cent during the period, leading to widespread crop failure in state”, he said.

South interior and north interior Karnataka have been the worst hit while coastal Karnataka and Malnad have managed to receive scanty rainfall, he said.

As many as 110 out of the 175 taluks in Karnataka are reported to be reeling under drought with failure of crops reported from Gulbarga, Bellary, Bagalkot, Raichur, Dharwad, Belgaum, Tumkur and Haveri districts.

Meanwhile, a detailed meeting to study the drought scenario in the state was convened in Bangalore by Development Commissioner Shanthakumari. The meeting took stock of the situation and directed officials to prepare an estimate of the number of farmers, who will be affected by the drought in the state.
Prakash said the State Government will soon submit a memorandum to the Federal Government seeking financial assistance under the calamity relief fund to take up relief measures. The Government will have to focus on providing employment to the farmers, who have lost their crop, besides tackling the water and food grain shortage.

Karnataka to move Apex Court on language policy

The Karnataka Government has decided to move the Supreme Court against the High Court’s recent ruling to spare private primary schools from compulsorily imparting education in Kannada.

After holding a meeting with litterateurs in Bangalore on Tuesday, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa told reporters that the State Government would file an appeal against the High Court verdict in the next two to three days.

“The Government is firm on its stand that primary education should be in Kannada. There is no question of compromise on this issue”, Yeddyurappa declared after he and his senior ministerial colleagues gave a patient hearing to a galaxy of literary personalities from across the state comprising U R Ananthamurthy, G S Shivarudrappa, D Javare Gowda and others.

Most of the speakers at the conclave disapproved with the ruling delivered by the High Court that struck down the 1994 Government order directing all schools in Karnataka to impart primary education in mother tongue or Kannada.

The participants observed that the ruling was not only against the interest of the children and the development of Kannada language, but also went against the spirit of the Supreme Court directive to ensure primary education in mother tongue of the pupils.

A few litterateurs had even suggested the Government to issue an ordinance on mandatory continuation of Kannada as medium of instruction for all primary schools to prevent the managements of private schools from taking advantage of the High Court order.

But, Yeddyurappa had rejected the idea of issuing an ordinance, which could lead to a fresh legal confrontation. “Filing an appeal against the High Court order in the Supreme Court is an appropriate step as advised by the State Advocate General and other legal experts”, the Chief Minister said.

JD (S) likely to support to UPA

JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has indicated his party’s readiness to extend support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)

Though the 39-member Samajwadi Party has assured to prop up the UPA over the nuclear deal after the Left parties withdrew its support, the two members of JD (S) could play a significant role in helping the Manmohan Singh Government cross the halfway mark in the Lok Sabha.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Gowda spewed venom on the BJP, which had begun poaching on JD (S) MLAs. He emphasized the need for secular parties to come together and said he would be willing to go with the Congress to defeat the communal parties.

Though the provocation for Gowda to move closer to the Congress may be the BJP’s “immoral politics” to lure legislators from other parties, the UPA will be more than eager to accept Gowda’s support if a trust vote is necessary for the continuance of Manmohan Singh Government.

Congress, JD (S) cry foul over “poaching” of its MLAs by BJP

The opposition Congress and JD (S) in Karnataka are crying foul over the “poaching” of its MLAs by the ruling BJP to strengthen its numerical strength in the Assembly.

Alarmed by the sudden resignation of three Congress and three JD (S) MLAs from the Assembly to join the BJP, the leaders of the two parties have come down heavily on the B S Yeddyurappa-led Government for triggering defections through use of “money power”.

While Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and Congress leader M Mallikarjun Kharge termed the recent developments as “undemocratic” and a “mockery of democracy”, JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda threatened that he would leave no stone unturned to teach BJP a lesson.

He called upon secular parties to come together of a single platform to meet the challenges posed by the BJP to the survival of secularism. With the BJP planning to field the defected MLAs as BJP candidates in the by-elections, Gowda even suggested that his party was ready to field a common candidate against the “turncoats” and defeat the BJP’s designs.

“We are ready to field a common candidate in association with other parties to defeat BJP in the by-election for constituencies being vacated by those who joined the BJP”, Gowda said.

Though Congress leaders have responded positively to Gowda’s suggestion, Kharge said the party High Command would take a final decision in the regard.

Meanwhile, the Congress leadership has begun a damage control exercise to prevent more MLAs from joining the BJP by rushing Federal Minister for Coal Santosh Bagrodia to Bangalore to hold talks with disgruntled Congress leaders including former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
After holding talks with Bagrodia, Siddaramaiah is reported to be leaving for a four-day holiday in Mauritius along his close aide and former Federal Minister C M Ibrahim.

Yeddyurappa plans cabinet expansion after netting four Opposition MLAs

After successfully luring four Opposition MLAs – two each from the Congress and JD (S) – the BJP Government in Karnataka is planning a cabinet expansion in the next one week.

Bolstered by the entry of four Opposition MLAs into the BJP, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced that he would expand his 31-member Ministry before the Budget session of the State Assembly begins on July 17.

Yeddyurappa’s announcement on the cabinet expansion came after four MLAs belonging to the Opposition tendered their resignation to the Assembly and joined the BJP during the last 48 hours.

Congress MLAs Anand Asnotikar and J Narasimhaswamy and JD (S) legislators Balachandra Jharkiholi and Shivananda Naik submitted their resignation from the Assembly to Speaker and joined the BJP in the presence of party’s senior leaders.

The four MLAs, who have also resigned from the primary membership of their respective parent parties, will now be contesting the by-elections from their own constituencies as BJP candidates.

Meanwhile, the Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar said he had accepted the resignation letters of the four MLAs and would forward the same to the Election Commission, which will fix the date of the by-election to fill the vacancies caused on account the resignations.

Though it is speculated that a couple of MLAs, who have switched their allegiance to the BJP, will be accommodated in the BJP Cabinet, which is scheduled to be expanded in one week’s time, Yeddyurappa refused to divulge the names of the persons to be inducted into the cabinet.

“Given the pressure on me with regard to Ministerial berths, it would be better to avoid mentioning the names. Also, I will have to seek the concurrence of the party High Command in the matter”, Yeddyurappa said when asked to name the prospective Ministerial candidates.

The Yeddyurappa-led Ministry already has a total of 31 members against the optimum strength of 34.

Meanwhile, resignation of four Opposition MLAs has strengthened the BJP’s position in Assembly. The BJP, which had secured 110 seats in the 224-member Assembly, was surviving on the support extended to it by six independent MLAs, who have been given ministerial berths.

The luring of four Opposition MLAs is understood to be part of the BJP’s strategy to improve its tally in the Assembly, which had fallen three short of simple majority. Even if the resignations of four MLAs do not immediately add to the BJP’s tally, the strength of the combined Opposition has come down from 108 to 104. The Congress party’s strength has come down from 80 to 78 while the JD (S) tally has been reduced to 26 from 28.

BJP lures three Opposition MLAs to improve position in Assembly

With a view to strengthening its position in the Assembly, the ruling BJP managed to lure three Opposition MLAs – two from the JD (S) and one from the Congress – into the party fold.

The three MLAs, who have tendered their resignation to the Assembly, have decided to contest the by-polls from their respective assembly constituencies as BJP candidates.

The entry of the three MLAs – Balachandra Jharkiholi and Shivananda Naik of JD (S) and Anand Asnotikar of Congress – is understood to be part of the B S Yeddyurappa-led Government’s strategy to improve the BJP’s tally in the Karnataka Assembly, which is still three short of majority.

The three MLAs joined the BJP at the party office in Bangalore on Saturday evening in the presence of BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda and Minister for Health and Family Welfare B Sriramulu.

The three MLAs told reporters that they had decided to quit their parent parties, as they would like to be in the ruling party and serve the people of their constituencies in a better manner.

Welcoming them into the BJP fold, Sadananda Gowda said the three MLAs were impressed with the Yeddyurappa-led Government’s programmes and policies. They were also disillusioned with the parties on whose symbol they had won the recent assembly elections, Gowda said. “They are joining the BJP without setting any pre-conditions”, the BJP leader added

Earlier, the trio, accompanied by Sriramulu, called on Speaker of Karnataka Assembly Jagadish Shettar and submitted their resignation from the Assembly. The Speaker told reporters later that the resignation of the three MLAs had been accepted them as they were found to be in order.

Shettar said he would now resignation letters to the Election Commission, which is expected to hold by-polls within the next six months.

The resignation of the three MLAs is expected to give a major boost to the BJP’s prospects for improving its tally in the Assembly. With strength of 110 in the 224-member Assembly, the BJP requires three more seats to cross the half-way mark.
Presently, the BJP Government is dependent on the support of six independent MLAs, five of whom have been made Ministers in the Yeddyurappa-led Cabinet. But, the swift and strategic move by the BJP to improve its own tally in the Assembly has sent a strong message to the independents, whose next move is awaited with a lot curiosity in political circles.

BJP reviving Rs 1.5 billion bribe charge against former CM

The Rs 1.5 billion bribe charge pending against former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy appears set to be revived with the BJP Government in Karnataka threatening to initiate a probe into the matter.

Soon after Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the Government may even order an inquiry to ascertain the facts relating to the charge that the former Chief Minister had accepted bribes from the mine owners in Bellary, BJP’s Tourism Minister Janardhan Reddy sharpened his offensive against Kumaraswamy.

Reddy, who had kicked off of political storm during the erstwhile JD (S)-BJP coalition rule in the Karnataka by leveling the bribery allegations, said “Kumaraswamy and his family would go behind the bars” once the probe into the matter is over.

Claiming that his allegations against Kumaraswamy were “true”, Reddy said the petition filed against the former Chief Minister was pending in the Supreme Court and is likely to come up for hearing soon.

Kumaraswamy’s statement welcoming the Government’s move to order a probe against the bribery charges was mocked by Reddy. “When I levelled the charges against Kumaraswamy, he was the Chief Minister. He did not order a CBI probe though I demanded it. Now, he welcomes a probe”, Reddy said poking fun at Kumaraswamy.

It may be mentioned here that Kumaraswamy had ordered the setting up of an inquiry commission into the bribery charges. But, the Commission headed by U L Bhat was wound up a couple of months later after the Judge said the Government had failed to provide supporting staff and other facilities.

Outgoing Chief Justice disposes of 56 cases on a single day

A record of sorts was created in Karnataka High Court when its outgoing Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph disposed off 56 cases in 70 minutes on the last day of his office.

Justice Cyriac Joseph, who was recently elevated as the Supreme Court judge, sat with nine different benches between 12.30 pm and 1.40 pm on July 2 to pronounce 56 judgements.

With the open court lasting 70 minutes, the judge appears to have taken just 1.25 minutes or 85 seconds to pronounce each judgement, assuming that no time had been lost between any two judgements.

A division bench headed by the Chief Justice had completed hearing in most of the cases disposed off by him on the last day of his office. Only the judgement was awaited. As July 2 was his last day in office, Justice Cyriac Joseph was forced to deliver judgement in all the cases the bench headed by him had heard.

Judicial officers also noted that the Chief Justice had to leave his seat eight times during the disposal of these cases to facilitate fellow judges to occupy their seats.

By clearing his lot, judicial officers observed that the outgoing Chief Justice has ensured that the courts and litigants did not have to go through the 56 cases all over once again.

Cop crushed to death between two trucks

In a bizarre incident, a cop was crushed to death between two trucks in Bangalore on Friday.

Police said Head Constable Kempaiah was on his way to the City Armed Reserve (CAR) headquarters on Mysore Road in the City when he stopped his jeep after seeing a crowd gathered adjacent to a railway tracks en-route.

He found man’s body on the railway track and informed his concerned police officials over the wireless about the matter. He cleared the crowd that had gathered at the spot for traffic to pass and walked back to his parked jeep.

But, while walking back to jeep, he tried to pass in between two trucks parked next to each other by the roadside. One of the drivers, unknowingly reversed his vehicle and Kempaiah was crushed between the two trucks. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, but he succumbed to the injuries.

Meanwhile, the driver of the truck fled from the scene after the mishap. Police said Kempaiah had been serving the police department since 1984 and had been recently promoted as head constable.

Heroin worth Rs 100 million seized at Bangalore airport

In a major haul, the first of its kind at the newly opened Bangalore International Airport, officials arrested two foreign nationals and recovered from them heroin worth Rs 100 million in the international market.

Acting on an intelligence alert, sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted two foreign nationals, who were trying to smuggle the contraband out of the country, minutes before they could take Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumper early on Thursday.

The contraband carriers included a 23-year-old Thai woman identified as Khaektet Thitaree and a 36-year-old Mwinshehe Shabani Selemani, a Tanzanian.

Thitaree, a student, who had come to India on a short visit, had landed at Bangalore International Airport by a flight from Delhi earlier and was about to board the connecting flight to Kuala Lumper when the DRI sleuths caught her.

On interrogation, she admitted that she was carrying two packets of heroin in the false bottom of two suitcases she had already checked in. On examination, the sleuths recovered two packets containing 2.08 kg of heroin worth more than Rs 70 million in the international market.

DRI officials said Thitaree claimed that she had carried the baggage containing the banned substance in return for a remuneration of US $ 2,000 and a free flight ticket offered to her by certain unidentified persons in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Selemani, who had boarded the same Malaysian Airlines flight was de-planed by the DRI officials. He was using a novel modus operandi to smuggle the contraband. “He had swallowed 65 capsules of heroin, worth around around Rs 26 million”, a DRI official said.

Selemani was made to eject all the capsules under medical supervision. Each capsule contained approximately 13 grams of heroin. Selemani had swallowed the heroin capsules given to him by a group of people in Delhi to be delivered in Macau.
DRI officials said Thitaree and Selemani had arrived in Bangalore by the same flight from Delhi, but did not know each other. Both of them have been arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

Karnataka Ministry to receive management tips from IIM-B experts

The B S Yeddyurappa-led Cabinet in Karnataka comprising a large number of first-time Ministers will have to sit through a brain-storming session on administrative and management practices at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B).

After assuming the reins of power for the first time in Karnataka, the BJP Government thought it fit to organize a half-day special session for its Ministers to expose them to best practices in administration and management.

With most of the Ministers tasting power for the first time in their political careers, experts from IIM-B will guide them on various aspects of administration. “To get guidance from administrative experts on file clearance, and on how to interact with officials, among others, you have been advised to attend the workshop”, said a letter sent out to all the Ministers from the office of the Chief Minister.

Though the administrative training workshop was earlier scheduled to be held on July 3, certain political developments had forced the Government to reschedule the training programme to July 17.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s decision to hold the administrative training workshop at IIM-B is understood to have stemmed from a suggestion made by RSS leadership in Bangalore.

“Strategies and best practices to be adopted in administration, importance of development, Karnataka in the global context were among the themes around which the discussions and presentations will be made to the Ministers”, said an official at IIM-B.

High Court rules Kannada policy in schools as “unconstitutional”

Terming the Government order to enforce Kannada as medium of instruction in primary schools across Karnataka as “unconstitutional”, the High Court has allowed private schools to impart primary education in English or any language of their choice.

In a significant judgement, the full bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph has ruled that the private and unaided schools in Karnataka could not be compelled by the State Government to impart primary education in Kannada or mother tongue.

“The government policy compelling children studying in government recognized private schools to have primary education only in the mother tongue or the regional language Kannada is violative of the Constitution”, the High Court observed in its 318 page judgement delivered on Wednesday.

However, the High Court allowed the Government to make Kannada a compulsory medium of education in Government and Government-aided schools in the State.

“If the parents want their children to have primary education in English, they are not committing any crime. It is not illegal or opposed to public policy. The choice of medium of instruction is left to the parents and children. The decision of parents to impart education to their children in well-known international language like English cannot be bypassed, forgetting the hard realities of life”, the High Court observed.

The High Court order was received with much glee by Associated Managements of Government Recognized Unaided English Medium Primary and Secondary Schools Association, which had challenged the Government order on medium of instruction in primary schools. The petitioners included several linguistic and religious minorities.

“The verdict means the Government can no longer interfere with our work”, said G S Sharma, President of Karnataka Unaided School Managements Association, which is part of the Associated Managements that approached the High Court against the Government’s language policy.

The High Court order is also expected to render as invalid the Government order to de-recognize private schools for violating its language policy.
Ever since the Government’s language policy was announced in 1994, several petitions had been filed in the High Court challenging the Government order. It was only last year that the Full Bench of the High Court took up the issue and held marathon sessions spread over several weeks before coming out with a significant judgement on Wednesday.

Mixed response for shutdown over Amarnath shrine issue in Karnataka

The nation-wide shutdown called by pro-Hindu groups over the Amarnath Shrine Board land transfer issue elicited a mixed response in BJP-ruled Karnataka yesterday.

Though the bandh evoked little response in Bangalore, where Government offices functioned normally and public transport buses plied as usual, normalcy was affected in different parts of the state like Mysore, Chitradurga, Hubli-Dharwad, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu.

Shops and business establishments, besides schools and colleges remained closed on Thursday in many parts of the State, where Sangh Parivar volunteers went around downing shutter of business establishments. Public transport buses were stoned at various places in the State including Bangalore.

Though the BJP Government in Karnataka kept away from the nation-wide shutdown called by VHP and Bajrang Dal, BJP’s state unit extended support to the bundh with MLA and party’s state unit Secretary C T Ravi calling upon the people to voluntarily extend their support and participate in the shutdown in a peaceful manner.

Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Visveshwar Hegde Kageri clarified that no holiday had been declared for schools. But, the Government had instructed deputy directors of public instruction in various districts of the state to take an appropriate decision based on the situation in their jurisdiction. But, schools and colleges in many parts of the State declared a holiday yesterday.

Home Minister V S Acharya said all Government offices would function as usual and state transport corporation buses will also ply normally. However, measures will be taken to ensure that no untoward incidents take place, he said.

Karnataka’s Director General of Police R Srikumar said adequate security measures were in place to ensure that peace is not disturbed.
Senior police officials said democratic protests will be allowed, but necessary protection will also be given to people, who seek the same. Additional security measures had been taken in sensitive areas of Bangalore and other parts of the State.

Bangalore heading for petrol shortage

The erratic supply of petrol in Bangalore has raised the spectre of a fuel shortage in the City, which is home to more than three million vehicles.

With petroleum dealers reporting a decline of about 30 per cent in their regular supplies of petrol and diesel during the last few days, many motorists are forced to make do with premium fuels that are priced higher than the regular fuel.

Since the last two days, a couple of petrol bunks have begun putting “No Stock” boards, leading to an anxiety over fuel shortage among motorists in the City.

Confirming the shortage of petrol, President of Bangalore Petroleum Dealers’ Association Bhushan Narang said the oil companies are unable to source sufficient quantity of fuel to Bangalore during the last few days. “This has led to a 30 per cent decline in supply”, Narang said.

The decline in supplies has unofficially sent a signal to the petrol bunk owners in the City to focus on selling premium quality petrol. The premium brand of petrol costs Rs 61.25 per litre against the regular petrol, which is priced at Rs 57.15, a difference of a good Rs 4 for every litre.

“Several four wheeler owners, who normally fill around 5 litres to 10 litres, go around scouting for regular petrol even if premium petrol is available to avoid coughing up Rs 20 to Rs 40 more”, a petrol bunk owner said.

With the demand for petrol increasing day by day in Bangalore, petroleum dealers fear that the shortage will only turn worse in the coming days.

Petroleum dealers in Bangalore have blamed the prevailing shortage of petrol in Bangalore to the rise in international crude oil prices. “The reason appears to be purely economical. The oil companies wish to sell less fuel so that the losses are less”, petroleum dealers said criticizing the rationing measures adopted by the oil companies.
The shortage of fuel in Bangalore has also begun having a cascading effect on secondary cities of the state with Bellary also reporting a severe shortage of fuel.

Karnataka plans new NRI Cell

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is all set to open an NRI Cell, which will co-ordinate with Non Resident Indians keen on investing in the state and float joint ventures in various fields.

BJP MLC Ganesh Karnik is all set to head the NRI Cell and co-ordinate with Non Resident Indian entrepreneurs.

According to officials in the State Government Secretariat, the Chief Minister is of the opinion that a lot of investment can be brought to the state if there is person to co-ordinate with the NRI entrepreneurs.

However, it was not immediately known whether the NRI Cell would replace the Karnataka Diaspora Cell that already exists under the aegis of Karnataka Commerce and Industries Department or will become a separate entity. The details of the NRI Cell will be known after the Government notifies its establishment and appoints Karnik to head the same.

Karnataka farmers cry foul over BJP’s rollback on free power promise

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has incurred the wrath of the farming community for withdrawing the BJP’s pre-poll promise of providing free power to irrigation pump-sets across the state.

After Yeddyurappa expressed the Government’s inability to provide free power to all farmers in the state while participating in a phone-in programme on Bangalore Doordarshan on Sunday evening, various farmers’ organizations in the state saw red and accused the BJP Government of “betraying” the farming community.

Responding to a questioner, Yeddyurappa ruled out the possibility of providing free power to all farmers. He said free power would be supplied only to a certain category of farmers with conditions.

The Chief Minister’s rollback on the promise to provide free power to all irrigation pump-sets in the state has served to rub salt into wounds of the farmers, who are already reeling under the impact of fertilizer scarcity.

Many farmers’ organizations were quick to recall Yeddyurappa’s pre-poll promise that the BJP would provide free power to all farmers in the state within 24 hours of coming to power.

Karnataka Prantha Rajya Raitha Sangha, a farmers’ organization, has termed Yeddyurappa’s decision to go back on his pre-poll promise as “the worst betrayal of farmers”.

“Yeddyurappa, who had declared before the elections that he would never go back on his words, has now shown the true colours of his party by refusing to implement his promise of free power to farmers”, General Secretary of the Sangha G C Bayya Reddy said.
With a month of coming to power, the Yeddyurappa Government not only caned at fired at farmers protesting against the shortage of fertilizers, but also refused to honour its pre-poll promise to the farming community, Reddy alleged.

Former Karnataka Minister to campaign for Barack Obama

Former Karnataka Minister P G R Sindhia, who led the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) campaign during the recently held assembly elections in the state, will shortly fly to the United States to campaign for Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama.

Sindhia’s decision to campaign for Obama in the US Presidential polls comes barely a week after his summary expulsion from the BSP by party supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.

“I will be addressing meetings of the Indian community in the United States for two weeks during July and August to seek votes for Obama. My itinerary will be finalized in two days”, Sindha said and claimed that his visit to the US had been planned almost seven months ago.

Sindhia claimed that he was a fan of the Democratic Party and he had informed the party in advance that he would campaign for Obama.

Sindhia, who held important portfolios like Home and Industries earlier, had severed his ties with the Janata Dal (S) after the party formed a coalition Government with the BJP. He joined the Bahujan Samaj Party as its national general secretary and spearheaded the campaign for Mayawati’s party in Karnataka.

After the BSP fared badly in the polls, Mayawati summarily sacked Sindhia from the party about a week ago. Sindhia, who is still groping in the dark to ascertain the reasons for his unceremonious removal from the party, said he would not join any political party for the next six months.

“I will not take things lying down. I will remain active in politics. Nearly 150 of the 220 BSP candidates, who contested the recently assembly elections in Karnataka, are my supporters. I have to protect their political future”, Sindhia said.

Disputed shrine’s ceiling caves in

A portion of the ceiling of the disputed Bababudangiri shrine in Chickmagalur district in Karnataka caved in on Sunday.

The collapse of a portion of the weak ceiling took place even as the district administration had sought advice from Torsteel Research Foundation in India to strengthen the same.

The priest of the cave shrine first noticed the damage when he went to clean the premises on Sunday. He immediately brought the matter to the notice of the district administration.

Earlier, the district administration had learnt about the ceiling of the shrine becoming weak and had sought advice from the Torsteel Research Foundation for its upkeep. A team of technical personnel too had visited the shrine recently and were understood to be preparing a report on its upkeep.

Superintendent of Chikmagalur district police Vipul Kumar, who confirmed the collapse of a part of the ceiling, said the debris inside the cave will be cleaned after consulting experts.

The gaping hole formed the ceiling of the cave shrine through the collapse has now been covered with a tarpaulin. Permission has also been sought from the Religious Endowment Department of Karnataka Government to repair the same.

The authorities have also suspended the viewing of the silver sandals by the devotees inside the shrine. Devotees regularly visit the shrine for a darshan of the silver sandals kept inside the shrine.