Karnataka’s luxury train to roll out in November

The much-awaited Karnataka’s luxury train “Golden Chariot”, which will chug through the state’s pristine landscape covering wildlife sanctuaries, heritage monuments and beaches, is expected to roll out of Bangalore railway station in the first week of November.

Billed as Karnataka’s answer to Rajasthan’s Palace on Wheels and Maharashtra’s Deccan Odyssey, the Golden Chariot is expected offer high-end travellers a heady mix of “heritage, culture, forest and beach tourism” during a week-long sojourn, starting from Bangalore and ending in neighbouring Goa, said Karnataka’s Principal Secretary for Tourism I M Vittala Murthy.

After marching out of Bangalore, the Golden Chariot will cover Srirangapatna, Mysore and Kabini Wildlife sanctuary before proceeding to Belur, Halebeedu and Hampi. Later, the luxury train will take the travellers to Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal before winding up the journey in Goa.

The Rs 400 million luxury train has a total of lavishly decorated 19 coaches with a seating capacity of 88 passengers. Out of the 19 coaches of the luxury train, 11 are passenger coaches, having 28 cabins with beds on a twin-sharing basis and 17 double-bed cabins, besides a cabin for physically challenged. Each cabin will have an LCD television set with a DVD station and 6 satellite channels.

The remaining coaches are meant for conferences, dining, restaurant, gym and massage parlour and lounge bar.

“The seven-day-six-night tour package will cost around $ 300 per day for each passenger and will work out to around $ 2,100 for the entire trip”, Vittala Murthy said.

The luxury train, which is a joint venture between Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Indian Railways, will also offer advance booking online. “Bookings can be made online and we will commence the facility sometime next month”, Vittala Murthy said.

He said the marketing campaign for Golden Chariot in the domestic and international markets will also start next month, he added.

Devanahalli farmers demand Rs 30 million for each acre of land

The farmers of Channarayapatna in Devanahalli near Bangalore, where the international airport is coming up, have demanded a minimum of Rs 30 million per acre as compensation for the 550 acres of land proposed to be acquired by the Government for setting up Aerospace Industries.

The farmers put forward their demand at a meeting Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore Rural district D K Rangaswamy had convened to fix a price for their land.

Claiming that a good portion of the land notified by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), a nodal agency of the Government, was fertile, the farmers said they would not accept even a rupee less than Rs 30 million for each acre however much the Government pressurizes them.

The farmers have also made it clear that they would allow the Government to take them for a ride as the farmers, whose lands had been acquired for a song in the name of international airport project. “Farmers, who gave their land for the international airport project were paid only Rs 500,000 per acre. But, today the price of land has increased enormously. We don’t want to lose our land for a small price”, said Muniyappa, a farmers’ leader.

The farmers said they will not let go of their land until the compensation amount as demanded by them is fixed in the presence of no less a person than the Chief Minister of the State H D Kumaraswamy.

The farmers even expressed displeasure against the Government’s decision to repeatedly summon them to Bangalore for meetings on acquisition of their land.

“If they want our land, they should come to our village and hold a meeting. We are forced to come to Bangalore several times by spending money from our pockets. Each farmer has to spend at least Rs 200 to reach Bangalore and spend the day here. We are forced to spend money only to lose our land”, said Muniyappa exasperatedly.

Another farmer Venkatesh sought to know whether government officials ever attend any meeting without claiming travel allowance. “Will the Government officers attend any meeting without claiming travel and dearness allowance?”, he said.

He said the farmers are afraid the skip these meetings as they fear that the Government will take a one-sided decision.

History teacher suspended for ill-treating Muslim students

– History teacher of a high school in Shimoga in Karnataka was yesterday suspended for discriminating against Muslim students in his class and ill-treating them.

Acting on a complaint lodged by a host of organizations including National Students Union of India (NSUI), the management of National High School in Shimoga decided to suspend history teacher P K Pandey, was has been accused of openly deriding Muslim students in the class and passing contemptuous remarks against them.

According to NSUI activists, the history teacher had asked the ten Muslim students of tenth standard in National High School to sit on a separate bench and would frequently taunt them as “beef eaters” in front of the entire class.

After the recent arrest of Bangalore-based doctor Mohammed Haneef in Australia in connection with the failed terror plot at Glasgow airport, the history teacher began branding Muslims as terrorists and used to insult the Muslim students in the class by asking whether even they would become terrorists when they grew up.

The teacher, who used to frequently threaten the students, had also beaten them occasionally.

The students had begun skipping the school since the ten to fifteen days. “We were afraid to go to school as the teacher would again insult us in front of everybody”, Nawab, a student of the school, told a regional television channel.

NSUI activists said the suspended history teacher had a track record of subjecting students to religious discrimination and had been removed from a private school on similar charges about five years ago.

Belgaum to be made second capital of Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has declared that the Belgaum will become the state capital of the State.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for a Rs 2.3 billion Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, state secretariat building, on 36 acres of land at Vaccine Depot in the heart of Belgaum, Kumaraswamy said Belgaum City would enjoy the official status of the second capital of the State.

He said the Government would hold at least one legislature session in Belgaum every year and expedite the development works in the entire north Karnataka region.

Karnataka’s decision to accord Belgaum as the second capital of the State and to construct a Vidhana Soudha in the City assumes significance in view of the unresolved dispute between Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra over the border district of Belgaum.

Kumaraswamy also used the occasion to promote amity among the Kannada and Marathi speaking populace of the region by warning the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) and the Maharashtra Government against jeopardizing the cordial relations nurtured by Kannada and Marathi speaking people of the region since centuries.

Asserting Karnataka’s hold over Belgaum, Kumaraswamy said the border district of Belgaum will remain an integral part of Karnataka. “It is unfair on the part of the MES to demand the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra to meet its selfish ends”, he said.

“If the activities of MES or other forces are against the interests of Belgaum and Karnataka, we are capable of uprooting them”,

Kumaraswamy also came down heavily on Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil for delivering an “inflammatory” speech during a convention organized by MES in Belgaum last year. Claiming that Patil went away to the safety of Maharashtra after inciting parochial feelings among the people of the region, Kumaraswamy said responsible leaders should bear in mind that natives of Belgaum, who speak Kannada and Marathi, should live together.

It may also be mentioned here that Karnataka’s decision to Belgaum the status of a second capital comes close on the heels of the Federal Government’s refusal to permit Karnataka to rename Belgaum as Belagavi in view of the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

All Government schools in Karnataka to turn into co-education institutions

In view of the rising absenteeism and below par performance in boys-only and girls-only schools across the State, the Karnataka Government has decided to convert the existing uni-gender Government schools into co-education institutions.

Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti told reporters that that the Government was not only working on a proposal to merge the uni-gender Government schools into a co-education institutions, but had also decided against starting any more boys-only or girls-only schools in the State.

“It has been observed that the performance in some uni-gender schools is not upto the mark and one of the reasons is absence of competitive spirit among students of boys-only and girls-only schools”, Horatti said.

The dwindling attendance in uni-gender Government schools has also become a source of concern for the authorities.

Horatti expressed confidence that a co-education atmosphere in schools would encourage competitive spirit among the students.

The phasing out the boys-only and girls-only Government schools is not only expected to revolutionize the education system, but also find a solution to the non-viability of running uni-gender Government schools that had been hit by a poor turnout of students.

However, the Government decision to convert uni-gender schools into co-education institutions applies only to Government schools. “Initially, we will implement it in Government schools. Private institutions will have the option to follow suit”, Horatti said.

But, private managements of uni-gender schools in the State do not appear to be convinced with the Government’s argument.

The effectiveness of uni-gender schools vis a vis co-educational institutions is debatable, opined Principal of Bishop Cotton Girls’ School, Bangalore, Franklyn. In view of the exposure the present day students have, there is every likelihood that they would be distracted in a co-education set up. “Both systems have their own advantages”, she added.

Nevertheless, the Government of Karnataka appeared all set to go ahead with its proposal to wind up all Government run boys-only and girls-only schools. “The modalities to implement the proposal are on. Segregation of students at primary level is outdated”, said Commissioner for Karnataka’s Public Instruction Department G Kumar Naik.

High alert in Bangalore

A high alert has been sounded in Bangalore in the wake of the twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad claiming 43 lives and injuring more than 60 others.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is touring northern parts of the State, spoke to Home Minister M P Prakash and reviewed the situation in the State after blasts rocked the neighbouring state.

Kumaraswamy has condemned the blasts in Hyderabad and directed Director General of Karnataka Police K R Srinivasan to step up security in Bangalore and other sensitive parts of the State.

Additional Commissioner of Bangalore City Police (Law and Order) Bipin Gopalakrishna told reporters that patrolling had been intensified and security tightened at vital installations, Information Technology and Bio Technology companies, airport, railway stations and bus stands in Bangalore. A vigil will be mounted in vulnerable areas of the City, he added.

Gopalakrishna also said that the police had been directed to screen all suspicious people and their vehicles. “The police has been directed to look for any unattended or abandoned articles on roads and in public places”, he said.

ISRO scientist killed in road mishap

A scientific secretary with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Bangalore, Rajeev Lochan and his car driver Chandran were killed on the spot, while ISRO Director (Publications and Public Relations) Krishnamurthy sufferred grievous injuries when the car in which they were travelling met with an accident near the temple town of Tirupati.

According to information reaching here, the two officials left Bangalore for Sriharikota in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in a car on Friday evening. The car crashed into a stationary truck at Pakala, about 40 kms from Tirupati, leading to the death of Lochan and Chandran on the spot. Krishnamurthy was rushed to a hospital in Tirupati with serious injuries.

According to officials, the driver of the car hit the truck, which had been parked by the roadside, while trying to avoid an on-coming vehicle. Apparently, the stationary truck did not have parking lights, which contributed to the mishap.

“The condition of Krishnamurthy is stable and he has been declared out of danger. But, he has sufferred fractures in his legs”, said Krishnamurthy’s wife.

Meanwhile, Lochan’s body was brought to Bangalore and cremated yesterday. He leaves behind his wife, a son and a daughter.

Lochan had been working with ISRO for the last three decades and his longest stint was at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. He had been working at ISRO, Bangalore, for the last six years.

Chairman of ISRO G Madhavan Nair has expressed sadness over Lochan’s death. “He have lost an able scientist”, Nair said.

Lochan possessed a doctorate in aerospace engineering and addressed scientific-administrative matters at ISRO. “He took care of issues relating to questions and answers figuring in the Parliament. He was in administration related to science. He was a competent engineer and made good contribution to ISRO”, Nair said.

Teachers booked for thrashing sixth standard student in Bangalore

Seven teachers of an English medium in school in Bangalore have landed in a soup after thrashing a sixth standard student for her failure to complete the homework assigned to her.

The victim, Sangeetha, an eleven-year-old student of Vinoda English School, was hit by not only her class teacher, but was also taken to the headmistress, where all the seven teachers physically tortured her.

“I had not completed the mathematics home work as I did not know how to do it. But, my teacher became angry over it and hit me. I was later taken to the headmistress, who also hit me. Soon, the other teachers also came and hit me one by one. After hitting me on the leg, they pushed my head to the wall and the bench. They also pulled by ear and hairs”, said Sangeetha, who bore injuries on her head, hands, legs and back.

Acting on a complaint from the girl’s father K C Kuttappa, an ex-serviceman, the Bangalore police have registered a case against the seven teachers of the school, including the headmistress Veena, on charges of assault, molestation and use of abusive language.

The battering of Sangeetha comes barely a week after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had directed the states to initiate steps against corporal punishment. The Commission had directed the states to treat all corporal punishments as breach of human rights.

Bangalore City Police Commissioner N Achuta Rao told reporters that the police have registered a case and the teachers accused of beating the student will be interrogated. The teachers could not be interrogated as the schools will be closed till Monday. “Some teachers are staying in rural areas. We could not get them due to the festival. We will interrogate them on Monday after schools reopen”, he said.

But, Karnataka State Women’s Commission, which has also taken up the case, said the action taken by the police so far is not enough. “The Education Department must suspend the license of the school and ensure that the school does not function anymore”, Chairperson of the Commission Pramila Nesargi said.

Meanwhile, Sangeetha was treated at the K C General Hospital in Bangalore for the injuries she had sufferred. Though the x-rays revealed no fracture, doctors had said she had sufferred muscle tear. “Doctors have prescribed medication and advised her to use a sling to provide aid to the injured right hand”, her father Kuttappa said.

Now, neither is the Sangeetha ready to go back to the school nor are her parents willing to send her.

Rs 60 million worth heroin seized in Bangalore

In a major drug haul, the Bangalore police have seized five kilograms of heroin valued at Rs 60 million and arrested two persons including a state-level volleyball player from Madhya Pradesh.

Bangalore City Police Commissioner N Achuta Rao told reporters yesterday that a team of policemen, acting on a tip-off, raided an auto stand in the upmarket Church Street in the City that yielded a rich haul of heroin.

The two persons arrested during the raid have been identified as Anjani Kumar Singh, 28, a volleyball player from Bhopal, and Khader Bakshi, 52, a native of Rajasthan.

Rao said the heroin recovered in the raid appeared to have a high level of purity and was estimated to be worth Rs 60 million in the international market. He said the seized narcotics would be sent to the laboratory for tests.

The seizure of 5 kilograms of heroin from Church Street in Bangalore comes close on the heels of the recovery of drugs worth Rs 20 million from the Udayan Express by the police on August 10.

Rao said the interrogation of the two suspects arrested in the Church Street seizure had revealed that the supplier of the heroin was from Rajasthan. “However, it is not clear if Bangalore was the transit point or the final destination. We are now trying to probe into the existence of a drug route that passes through Bangalore or the presence of any drug cartel operating in and around the City”, he added.

JD (S)-BJP to meet to resolve crisis plaguing coalition Government

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has convened a meeting of the co-ordination committee of the coalition partners JD (S) and BJP to defuse the crisis plaguing the Government ahead of the scheduled transfer of power in October this year.

The differences between the JD (S) and BJP had come to a head on Thursday when the BJP Ministers in the coalition threatened to quit en-masse from the Cabinet, taking umbrage over Kumaraswamy’s remarks that the JD (S) had lost its secular credibility after aligning with the BJP.

The BJP Ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who had stayed away from the Cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha for almost 90 minutes, were convinced to attend the meeting after much cajoling.

Amid the high drama, the BJP not only accused the JD (S) of violating the coalition ethics, but also expressed serious displeasure over the frequent transfer of senior officials without taking the BJP into confidence and the nomination of its sympathizer as member of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), a post that was to be filled by the BJP.

Kumaraswamy had sought to tide over the crisis by assuring the BJP that a meeting of co-ordination committee of the coalition partners will be held to resolve the differences. The meeting was scheduled to be held late on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who arrived in Bangalore to participate in the Varamahalakshmi festival, advised the JD (S) leadership not to renege on its promise to transfer power to the BJP as scheduled on October 3.

“Credibility is the most important factor in politics. If a party loses its credibility, it gets eliminated”, Swaraj said. “I am confident that the JD (S) leadership is very intelligent and wants to remain in power in future”, she said and reiterated the Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will be next Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Teenager masquerading as Minister’s son held in Rs 11 million fraud

An eighteen-year-old college drop-out, who was masquerading as a Minister’s son and leading a high-life in Bangalore after cheating a senior citizen to the tune of Rs 11 million, was arrested by the police.

The arrested youth C Sukesh, who went around claiming to be not the son of Tamil Nadu’s Finance Minister, but also the right hand man of Karnataka Chief Minister’s son, approached a 77-year-old retired engineer Subramani after learning that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had withdrawn a housing plot allotted to him in the upmarket HSR layout of the City.

Sukesh managed to convince Subramani that he would be able to secure a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from the BDA and help him clear the hurdles. Sukesh, who had forged the letter heads of BDA officials, Ministers and police, gave the a fake NoC to Subramani in return for Rs 250,000.

Next, he told Subramani that an investor was keen to build an apartment on his land under a joint development project and extracted another Rs 11 million. Sukesh had even introduced his friend Rehman Shariff, 28, as a builder, and Faiz, 21, as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda.

With the booty collected from Subramani, Sukesh and his friends bought flashy cars, trendy watches, expensive cell phones and partied at elite hotels and pubs in Bangalore. On week-ends, he and his friends would fly to Mumbai to party.

Sukesh, who was fond of car racing and participated in drag meets, used to cruise around the City in a Nissan, bearing a beacon light, with his friends. He carried a fake letter issued by the police department that read that Sukesh was “permitted to drive in full throttle in the City”.

Sukesh had even taken a house on rent in Audugodi in Bangalore, to catch up with his friends, including girls. He had informed the landlord, a doctor, that his father was the Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu. Sukesh had been frequently spotted with a couple of good-looking girls and his friends.

But, his luck ran out when Subramani approached the Bangalore police after Sukesh began blackmailing him for more money.

After Subramani had paid a total of Rs 11.4 million to Sukesh, the elderly man questioned him about the start of construction on his plot. When Sukesh began giving confusion answers, Subramani went to the youth’s parents Chandrashekar, 57, and Mala, 48.

“But, they assured me not to worry and that my work would be done. I waited for some more time, but when Sukesh threatened me that would inform the Income Tax Department about the money in my account and get me prosecuted for having unaccounted money, I decided that enough was enough”, Subramani said.

The Bangalore police arrested not only Sukesh, but also his friends Rahman Shariff and Faiz, besides his father Chandrashekar and mother Mala.

The police recovered from them a BMW, Nissan, Toyota Corolla, Honda City, Honda Accord, a modified Maruti, over 12 high-end watches, six expensive cell phones, including one costing Rs 340,000, besides designer clothes and cash worth Rs 200,000. A 50’ LCD television set, gold ornaments and other valuables were also recovered from him.

Turmoil in Karnataka coalition deepens

The political turmoil in Karnataka appeared to deepen yesterday with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy claiming that the transfer of power to BJP in the State would dent the secular principles of the JD (S).

Speaking to reporters after participating in a function in Bangalore, Kumaraswamy justified his statement on the damage to secular image of the JD (S) on account of its alliance with the BJP, causing anxiety among its coalition partner, which is looking forward to assuming the reins of power on October 3.

Earlier in the day, the signs of growing rift between JD (S) and BJP became apparent when BJP Ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa kept away from the Cabinet meeting.

The BJP Ministers, who were reportedly upset over the Chief Minister’s public statements against the BJP, gathered at the residence of Minister for Science and Technology Ramachandra Gowda. The BJP Ministers were also angry with the Chief Minister for “usurping” the BJP’s quota in the membership of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) by appointing its candidate G T Chandrashekar.

The BJP Ministers apparently urged Yediyurappa to boycott the cabinet meeting in protest against the Chief Minister’s statements and denial of KPSC membership due to the party. The BJP Ministers, however, went to the Cabinet meeting, albeit almost an hour late, after Kumaraswamy promised to convene a meeting of the co-ordination committee of the two parties on Friday.

Meanwhile, JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said his son and Chief Minister Kumaraswamy need not repent over his decision to align with the BJP to form an alternative Government.

He cited the example of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, who had joined hands with BJP twice. Similiarly, he said DMK had aligned itself with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) before joining forces with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (NDA).
Gowda also predicted a realignment of political forces not only in the country, but also in Karnataka in the next two to three months.

BJP has ruined secular image of JD (S) - Kumaraswamy

In a politically explosive statement that could rock the JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy claimed that the secular image of the JD (S) had been ruined on account of its alliance with the BJP.

Speaking to reporters in Gulbarga yesterday, Kumaraswamy said the minority communities would drift away from the JD (S) if the party continues its relationship with the BJP.

Kumaraswamy also expressed displeasure over BJP Ministers in the State claiming credit for a host of programmes of the coalition Government like banning of lottery and arrack.

Kumaraswamy’s offensive against the BJP barely one and a half months before transfer of power to the saffron party has raised fresh doubts over continuation of the coalition.

When reporters queried the Chief Minister on the scheduled transfer of power, Kumaraswamy asked the media to wait till October 3. Two days ago, Kumaraswamy said the JD (S) was ready to hand over power, but added that there was confusion among the BJP leaders on who would don the coveted mantle.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa refused to react to Kumaraswamy’s statement that the BJP had damaged the secular image of the JD (S). He told reporters that the BJP had decided to stop discussing the issue of transfer of power in public.

“I have told our leaders and workers to stop talking about the transfer of power”, said Yediyurappa after participating in a function organized at Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore to wish a bon voyage to the Karnataka legislators, who left for China yesterday.

Kumaraswamy’s public statements about the pitfalls of entering into an alliance with the BJP come close on the heels of an unmistakable bonhomie between JD (S) and Congress leaders during the swearing in ceremony of the new Governor of Karnataka Rameshwar Thakur at Raj Bhavan in Bangalore on Tuesday.

For the first time after the fall of the Dharam Singh-led Congress-JD (S) coalition in February 2006, JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, former Chief Minister Dharam Singh, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge and former Federal Minister C K Jaffer Sharief arrived for a public function together.

Soon after the swearing in ceremony, Gowda took everyone by surprise when he hugged Jaffer Sharief and shook hands with Kharge and Dharam Singh with a broad grin. The renewed camaraderie between Congress and JD (S) leaders appear accentuated in the absence of BJP leaders. Though Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was also present on the occasion, he appeared grim and left the premises soon after the conclusion of the oath-taking ceremony.

But, Gowda and the Congress leaders continued their friendly banter even at the lunch hosted by Kumaraswamy at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha to bid a farewell to outgoing Governor T N Chaturvedi and to welcome the new Governor Rameshwar Thakur. Gowda was spotted chatting with Singh and Kharge for almost half an hour at a corner of the Banquet Hall.

Haneef wants to pursue higher education in India

Even after an Australian court reinstated his visa, Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef is not planning to return to Australia in the near future.

According to Haneef’s relatives, the doctor is now planning to pursue a post graduate course in medicine in India.

“Haneef has no immediate plans of going to Australia either to resume work or study there. He is planning to enroll for a post graduate course in medicine here”, said Haneef’s uncle Iqbal Siddiqui.

Even as he was working at the Gold Coast Hospital in Australia, Haneef was pursuing a three-year-long post graduate course. Barely had he completed ten months of the post graduate course, the Indian doctor was arrested by the Australian police on charges of involvement in the Glasgow terror plot.

He was in detention for almost four weeks till an Australian court cleared him of all charges and allowed him to return to his home in Bangalore.

“We would be grateful to Karnataka Government or any other college if they offer a post graduate seat to Haneef in a discipline of his choice”, Siddiqui said.

Haneef had completed his MBBS from B R Ambedkar College in Bangalore during 2004 and worked in a hospital here for a brief while before proceeding to UK. From there Haneef had shifted to Australia for a three-year post graduate course.

Siddiqui said Haneef’s career had taken a back-seat because of the unfortunate developments. “He has come up the hard way after his father’s untimely death. His poor mother made him a doctor with great difficulty. But, due these false charges against him, his future has become uncertain. In this background, we appeal to the colleges and the Government to provide him a post graduate seat and help Haneef settle down in life”, he added.

According to officials at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, which conducts entrance tests to post graduate courses in medicine at Government medical colleges in the State, the eligibility for admission to post graduate courses is a minimum of 50 per cent marks for general category students.

Candidates have to appear for the entrance examinations conducted by either the University or the Consortium of Private Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges, Karnataka (COMED-K).

Meanwhile, Haneef himself was out of the City and was not available for comment. But, his family has welcomed the Australian court’s decision to restore his visa. “It is a victory of truth. We had reposed complete trust in Allah and he has ensured us justice”, Haneef’s mother in law Farhath Jahan told reporters.

Karnataka Chief Minister upset over new Governor

Former Governor of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh Rameshwar Thakur assumed office as the 15th Governor of Karnataka yesterday amid resentment by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy over the Federal Government’s failure to consult him over its choice.

Expressing strong displeasure over the manner in which the Federal Government appointed a new Governor for Karnataka, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the Federal Government should have consulted him in the matter in view of the impending transfer of power from the JD (S) to BJP in the State.

Kumaraswamy regretted that the Federal Government had given a go-by to the convention of seeking the preference of State Governments before taking a final decision on the appointment of a Governor.

He claimed that Federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil telephoned him four days ago and merely informed him about the appointment of a new Governor. “He did not bother to consult me on the issue. This development has taken place at this crucial juncture of transfer of power from the JD (S) to the BJP. The Federal Government should think twice in such matters as it is a very sensitive issue”, Kumaraswamy said.

He also added that the outgoing Governor T N Chaturvedi, who had been appointed by the erstwhile National Democratic Alliance (NDA), had an excellent relationship with the coalition Government. “He never embarrassed the Government at any point of time”, he said.

However, Rameshwar Thakur, a veteran Congressman, was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Cyriac Joseph at a function at the Glass House of Raj Bhavan at 12 noon yesterday.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, outgoing Governor T N Chaturvedi, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, leaders of the Opposition Congress Dharam Singh, H K Patil and M Mallikarjun Kharge, besides a host of Ministers were also present on the occasion.

The brief ceremony was witnessed by Thakur’s wife Narmada, his daughters Mrudulla Sinha and Sangeeta Thakur among other members of the family.


Earlier in the day, Thakur was accorded a warm reception on his arrival at the airport in Bangalore. Thakur will hold the gubernatorial post in Karnataka till November 18, 2009, according to a Presidential communique.

Federal Government refuses to allow renaming of Belgaum

The Federal Government has refused Karnataka permission to rename its border district Belgaum as Belagavi.

Disclosing this to reporters, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the Federal Government has, however, cleared the State Government’s proposal to rename 11 other cities of the State including Bangalore.

Out of the 12 cities in Karnataka, which were proposed to be renamed, the Federal Government had accorded permission to rename 11 cities, except Belgaum. “I don’t know on what grounds the Federal Government has rejected our proposal to rename Belgaum district”, Kumaraswamy said.

Though Karnataka Government had planned to rename Belgaum as Belagavi, officials said the Federal Government had denied permission for the same in the wake of the unresolved boundary dispute between Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra over Belgaum.

The Maharashtra Government too had opposed Karnataka’s move to rename Belgaum as Belagavi, claiming that it would hurt the sentiments of the large number of Marathis residing in the Belgaum.

However, Kumarasamy said the Federal Government’s approval for renaming of the 11 cities will be placed before the state cabinet shortly and a gazette notification will follow.
Apart from Bangalore, which will be renamed as Bengaluru, Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Hubli, Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Bellary, Bijapur, Hospet and Tumkur will be renamed as Mysuru, Mangalooru, Kalburgi, Hubbali, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Ballary, Vijapura, Hosapete and Tumakuru respectively.

Rameshwar Thakur is new Karnataka Governor

The Federal Government has appointed Rameshwar Thakur as the new Governor of Karnataka in the place of T N Chaturvedi, who completed his five-year-term yesterday.

Rameshwar Thakur, who was the Governor of Orissa and held additional charge as Governor of Andhra Pradesh, will now hold the gubernatorial post in Karnataka for the remainder of his term till November 18, 2009.

The appointment of 80-year-old Thakur, a native of Bihar and a former Federal Minister, comes less than a month a half before the scheduled transfer of power from the JD (S) to the BJP in Karnataka on October 3.

According to information reaching here, Federal Home Minister Shivaraj Patil spoke to Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy over the phone before finalizing the name of Thakur for the Governor’s post.

The shifting of Thakur from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka is part of the reshuffle of Governors in eights states of the country.

Thakur’s predecessor T N Chaturvedi, who had been appointed by the erstwhile BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on August 21, 2002, had not been disturbed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which came to power in May 2004. The five-year term of T N Chaturvedi, who is an expert in parliamentary affairs and legislature procedure, remained non-controversial.

Deserted women to receive financial aid

Women in Karnataka, who have been deserted by their husbands, will now receive a financial assistance of Rs 400 every month from the State Government.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy made the statement at a Janata Darshan or a public contact programme in Bangalore after being moved by the plight of women, who had been deserted and abandoned by their husbands.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy said the assistance would be similiar to pension currently being paid to widows. “Women separated from their husbands will now be entitled to a sum of Rs 400 every month”, he said.

Emphasizing the need for a mechanism to be in place to provide financial aid to separated women, Kumaraswamy hoped the Government assistance of Rs 400 per month will make such women self-reliant and prevent them from going into a depression for want of money.

The new scheme for financial aid to separated women comes in the run-up to the transfer of power from the JD (S) to the BJP. Barely a fortnight ago, the State Government had announced a pension of Rs 400 per month to devadasis, who had crossed the 45 years of age. Devadasi is a religious practice prevalent in several parts of the State in which parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple.

The payment of monthly pension of Rs 400 to devadasis with retrospective effect from April this year is expected to benefit more than 16,000 devadasis in ten districts of Karnataka.

Gold and silver ornaments found at Hampi

Restoration work of an ancient temple at Hampi, the medieval capital of the erstwhile Vijaynagar empire in Karnataka, has yielded a rich haul of gold and silver ornaments.

Workers employed by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for restoration of the ancient Vishnu Temple stumbled upon a gold chain, studded with precious stones, gold ear-rings and anklets, besides a wide variety of silver ornaments including waistbands on Thursday. The workers also found a total of 37 gold coins from the temple site.

According to officials, the gold chain bears pearls and opals, besides other precious stones. The two long gold ear-rings recovered from the site had red stones embedded in them. But, officials are yet to determine whether the stones are rubies. Four square-shaped beads had also been found.

Among the silver ornaments were six anklets, two of which were small in size. Though silver ornaments had turned black with prolonged exposure to earth underground, the gold ornaments had not lost their sheen, officials pointed out.

The ASI, which has been engaged in restoration work at Hampi for the last two years, had unearthed various types of metals and idols. It is for the first time that gold and silver ornaments in substantial quantity had been found.

With Hampi declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, officials opine the discovery of gold and silver ornaments will help throw further light on the historical site. Excavation of the site would yield enough historical evidence to add more chapters to the history of Hampi, which was the capital of the erstwhile Vijaynagar empire of the fourteenth century.

Rift between JD(S) and BJP widens, Kumaraswamy threatens to quit early

Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yediyurappa’s repeated reminders in public on the transfer of power in the State from the JD (S) to the BJP in October this year have annoyed Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has threatened to quit the coveted post early.

Yediyurappa’s declaration at the Independence Day celebrations at Shimoga that he would unfurl the national flag at the Parade Grounds in Bangalore as a Chief Minister next year had clearly irked Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy, who had stayed away from the tea party hosted by Governor T N Chaturvedi to mark the Independence Day, told reporters that the transfer of power relates to the dignity of the office of the Chief Minister.

“It is not a childish issue to be discussed in the media repeatedly”, said a visibly peeved Kumaraswamy, who even threatened to quit early in the wake of the Deputy Chief Minister’s utterances.

According to JD (S) leaders, Kumaraswamy was so upset with Yediyurappa’s statement that he convened a hurried meeting of his close confidantes to consider the option of quitting as Chief Minister early.

The JD (S) leaders also pointed out that Yediyurappa had been frequently referring to the transfer of power issue. During the recent legislature session, the Deputy Chief Minister had pointed to the Chief Minister’s chair and said that after October 3, the date of transfer of power, he would be occupying that chair, and sought the co-operation of the legislators.

On another occasion, during the Ugadi festival, Yediyurappa said he would celebrate the next festival at Anugraha, the official residence of the Chief Minister.

Kumaraswamy’s public criticism of Yediyurappa’s statements have served to further widen the rift between coalition partners BJP and JD (S) ahead of the scheduled transfer of power on October 3.

Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa immediately went into a damage control mode by claiming that he would remain silent on power transfer issue till the D-Day. “We have decided to desist from making any statement on the transfer of power”, he said.

“I will talk to the Chief Minister to find out why he is upset and explain to him that there was no intention to hurt his feelings. I will clear the misunderstanding over my statement in Shimoga”, Yediyurappa added.

However, BJP’s Karnataka unit President Sadananda Gowda said the BJP was ready to accept power from the JD (S) ahead of the schedule if Kumaraswamy so wishes. “We expect the power transfer to take place on October 3. But, if it happens early, we are ready to accept it”, Sadananda Gowda said.