Christian schools face action in Karnataka for closure

The closure of Christian educational institutions across the country on Friday in protest against the violence against Christians in Orissa has incurred the wrath of the BJP Government in Karnataka with the Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishweshar Hegde Kageri deciding to initiate action against the schools and colleges.

Taking serious exception to the closure of an estimated 2,000 educational institutions run by Christians in the State, Kageri made no secret of his disappointment in the matter. “I am upset with their decision. The Catholic Council has not taken the Government’s permission before declaring a holiday for the educational institutions”, he told reporters in Bangalore.

Kageri said he had directed the Education Department officials to initiate appropriate action against the educational institutions in Karnataka that remained closed on Friday following which the officials were preparing to issue notices. Based on their reply, further action will be taken against the Christian institutions.

“Educational institutions should not be made tools for such issues. This will impact the sentiments of young minds and affect educational activities”, Kageri opined.

But, Kageri came under flak from Congress and JD (S) leaders for trying to “browbeat” the minority institutions, which were protesting against the violence unleashed against Christians in Orissa by the pro-Hindutva groups.

“The Indian Constitution guarantees them right to protest. They have a right to show their protest to the violence against Christians in Orissa by closing down schools and institutions run by them”, former Minister and senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar said.

JD (S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy lashed out at the BJP Government in the State for initiating action against the Christian schools. “What will the Government do if the Christian run institutions decide to close down? The Government should pay more attention to building bridges between different communities and promote harmony in the society instead of threatening institutions run by the minority groups”, Kumaraswamy said.
Meanwhile, pro-Hindu groups took out rallies in various parts of Karnataka including Mangalore and Chikmagalur on Saturday to protest the closure of Christian run institutions in the State.

Soap contract lands Dhoni on slippery ground

India’s one-day cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni exploits on the cricket field may have brought him laurels including Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting honour. But, the distinguished cricketer is finding himself on slippery ground in Karnataka after allegedly dishonouring a contract he signed for endorsing a soap product.

The Karnataka High Court has asked Dhoni, who recently led India to a series victory in neighbouring Sri Lanka, to appear before it on September 11 in a case filed by state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL).

KSDL had already served legal notice to Dhoni claiming damages worth Rs 4 million after the star cricketer violated his contractual obligations as ambassador for its brand of Mysore Sandal Soaps.

The High Court has asked Dhoni as well his endorsing company to appear in person or through an advocate or a representative on September 11 for hearing of the case filed by KSDL.

KSDL had roped in Dhoni to endorse the Mysore Sandal Soaps in January 2006 for a sum of Rs 8.5 million. Though the contract was for a period of two years, KSDL terminated the agreement in December 2007 after the cricketer reportedly played truant and sought damages worth Rs 4 million from him.

According to the contract, Dhoni was to give KSDL five days during each contract year, making it a total of ten days. But, Dhoni reportedly gave only three days time in the first year and did not make himself available subsequently.

KSDL officials said the company managed to produce a 60 second commercial advertisement during the three days he was available. The cricketer did not turn up for the remaining days, which had been slotted by the company for personal appearances at clinics, camps, trade shows, retail outlets and autograph sessions related to marketing of Mysore Sandal Soaps.
Out of the Rs 8.5 million deal, the company had already paid Rs 6.5 million at the time of signing the contract. The balance was to have been paid after completion of the dates given by Dhoni. Now, KSDL has moved the High Court seeking damages worth Rs 4 million from the star cricketer.

Karnataka hikes bus fares

After the recent hike fuel prices, the state-owned Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) hiked the passenger fares by 10 per cent for ordinary services and 12 for other services.

In a press statement, KSRTC said the revised bus fares, which came into force from yesterday, would help the transport corporation offset its financial burden and undertake various expansion plans.

Attributing the hike to increased operational costs, the KSRTC said expenditure of the state-run transport corporation had gone up on account of not only the increased fuel price, but also due to wage revision and steep rise in cost of steel, tyres, lubricants and other spare parts.

“The very modest hike”, KSRTC said, would help the Corporation recover at least a part of the expenditure. KSRTC had last revised its fares during June 2006 and there had been no increase in the fares thereafter despite frequent increase in the prices of fuel.
Also, the revenue accrued from the revised fares will help the Corporation introduce 450 peak-hour services across Bangalore, build eight new bus depots, twelve new bus stands and introduce the bus rapid transit system on the Outer Ring Road in Bangalore.

Karnataka man gouges his eye out to please the deity

In a bizarre case, a 50-year-old man from a village in Karnataka’s Bagalkot taluk gouged his eye out and placed it before the feet of the local deity.

Mudukappa Yallappa, who was an ardent devotee of the local deity Shankarayya Ajja for a long time, went to the Shankarayya Swamy Math in Adgal village on Thursday and began the worship by singing bhajans.

According to locals, Yellappa suddenly whipped out a knife, removed his right eye and placed it at the feet of the Shakarayya Ajja’s idol in the Math even as other devotees were stunned over the incident.

“It all happened in a matter of seconds”, Somappa, a resident of the village, told reporters. “He was raising slogans in praise of the Lord. We thought he was singing bhajans. But, suddenly he pulled out a knife, gouged out his right eye”, said Somappa, who was present in the Math when the incident happened.

Though the other devotees rushed to him after hearing his cries of agony, refused to budge and remained adamantly before the deity for more than five hours singing bhajans even as ants started swarming the gouged out eye placed before the deity.

As news about the incident spread, people from the village and neighbouring areas made a beeline to the Math and paid their respects to Yallappa with folded hands. But, police arrived on the scene and forcibly took him to the hospital for treatment.

Doctors treated the wound created by the gouging of the eye and discharged him. Though Yellappa had lost some blood when he gouged his eye out, there is no danger to his life, the doctors told the police.

Back in the village, Yellappa claimed that Shankarayya Ajja came in his dream and demanded his eye. ‘I only obeyed his order”, Yellappa told reporters. Yellappa’s wife Hanumavva defended her husband’s strange act. “What can you do when the Lord demands it?”, she said.
Yellappa’s weird act has brought to people’s mind a mythological character Bedara Kannappa, who had similiarly gouged out his eyes to enable the Lord to see.

Traffic moves slowest in Bangalore

With more than 3.5 million vehicles, Bangalore enjoys the unenviable distinction of recording the slowest traffic movement on roads across major cities in India.

According to a recent study, the peak hour traffic in Bangalore virtually crawls at 10 kms per hour compared to Delhi’s 15 kms per hour and Mumbai’s 18 kms per hour.

The nation-wide study on “Traffic and Transportation Policies and Strategies in Urban Areas in India” conducted by Wilbur Smith Associates on behalf of Federal Ministry of Urban Development shows Kolkata’s peak hour traffic movement to be 20 kms per hour and Chennai’s 22 kms per hour.

The survey was conducted across 30 major cities of India and took into consideration the traffic movement speed during peak hours in the morning and evening.

Experts have attributed the sluggish traffic movement in Bangalore to the alarming growth in vehicular population in Bangalore, which is also ranked highest in the country at 14 per cent against the national average of 10 per cent.

The rate of growth in vehicular population even in major cities like Chennai and Delhi is around 8 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

However, Bangalore stood third in the country in terms of road accidents with the City recording 7,575 accidents that claimed 833 deaths in one year.
Mumbai led the table with 21,678 accidents in which 787 people were killed followed by Delhi, which accounted for 9,351 accidents and 2,023 deaths. Hyderabad took th efourth place with 6,149 accidents and 1,196 deaths.

Katti inducted into Karnataka Ministry

Former Minister Umesh Katti, who recently resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly as JD (S) member, was inducted into the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP Ministry in the State.

Governor Rameshwar Thakur administered the oath of office and secrecy to Katti at a simple function held at Raj Bhavan in Bangalore yesterday evening. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and senior BJP Ministers were present on the occasion.

Katti’s induction will be fill up the vacancy in the Ministry arising out of the resignation of Horticulture Minister S K Bellubi.

Katti was the fourth defector from opposition parties, who was accommodated in the BJP Ministry. Out of the seven MLAs from Congress and JD (S), who joined the BJP after resigning from their membership of the Legislative Assembly, three have already been rewarded with Ministerial berths.

The Ministers, who had quit their assembly seats, will be contesting in the coming by-polls as BJP candidates.

It may be mentioned here that the BJP, which had 110 seats in the 224 member house, came to power with the support of six independents, five of whom had been made Ministers.

But, with a view to strengthening its position in the Assembly, the BJP has successfully lured seven MLAs from the opposition parties, much to the consternation of the Congress and JD (S) leaders.

Senior Congress leader H K Patil had sent a three-page letter to Governor Rameshwar Thakur urging him not to administer the oath of office to the defectors as it violated the democratic spirit of the Constitution.

Karnataka Minister quits amid high drama

After days of persuasion, Karnataka’s Horticulture Minister S K Bellubi submitted his resignation to accommodate a new-entrant to the BJP in the B S Yeddyurappa-led Ministry.

But, Bellubi’s resignation on Sunday evening was preceded by high drama as the four-day-old protest staged by his supporters in his native Bijapur district took a turn for the worse as five of them consumed poison in a bid to end their lives. They were admitted to a hospital and later declared out of danger.

In Bangalore, Bellubi himself was rushed to a private hospital after he complained of high blood pressure and dizziness even as senior BJP leaders waited for the Horticulture Minister’s resignation letter at a meeting convened by Yeddyurappa.

Eventually, Bellubi sent in his resignation letter addressed to the Chief Minister around 6.30 pm on Sunday evening, much to the relief of BJP leadership.

After receiving Bellubi’s resignation, Yeddyurappa said former Minister Umesh Katti, who recently quit the Legislative Assembly as a JD (S) member and joined the BJP, would be sworn in as Minister on August 27.

Notwithstanding the confusion and chaos over Bellubi’s resignation, BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda claimed that the Horticulture Minister had displayed a spirit of unity in the party by resigning on his own accord to strengthen the party and the Government.

Denying that Bellubi had been forced to resign, Gowda said BJP MLA from Bijapur would be given a suitable position befitting his stature and seniority for his “sacrifice”.

The BJP’s state unit chief, however, expressed regret over the protest staged by Bellubi’s supporters in Bijapur and the accompanying violence. “It was spontaneous and impulsive”, he added.

Sadananda Gowda, however, scotched speculations that a few more Ministers will be asked to resign from the BJP Government in Karnataka to accommodate the new entrants to the party. “There will be no more resignations from the Ministry”, Gowda said.

It may be mentioned here that the BJP, which has 110 members in the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly, had formed a Government with the support of six independents, five of whom had been rewarded with Cabinet berths.
With a view to consolidating its party position in the Assembly, the BJP admitted seven Opposition MLAs, who have since resigned their seats in the Assembly. Three of the new entrants have already been rewarded with Cabinet berths.

Three die as bus plunges into rivulet in Karnataka

Three persons were killed while 20 others were injured when a private bus plunged into a rivulet near Sira in Tumkur district, about 100 kms from here, on Sunday.

Police said the bus, which was proceeding to Bangalore from Belgaum with about 25 passengers, hit the railing of a bridge before plunging into the rivulet with knee-deep water.

The deceased identified as Ningappa, 65, his daughter Jyothi, 35, and Ravikumar Golkar, 30. “All of them died on the spot”, a police official said. The injured persons were shifted to hospitals in Sira, Tumkur and Bangalore.
Though buses traversing long routes have two drivers, the ill-fated bus had only one driver, who dozed off during the journey, leading to the tragedy. Superintendent of Tumkur district police P S Harsha visited the spot and supervised the rescue operations

High-speed expressway between Bangalore and Chennai

The Federal Government has approved a high-speed Greenfield expressway between Bangalore and Chennai, designed for travel at a speed of 120 kms per hour.

Disclosing this to reporters in Bangalore, Federal Minister for Road Transport and Highways K H Muniyappa said the high-speed link between Bangalore and Chennai is among the four such Greenfield expressways cleared by the Federal Government recently.

The other three expressways connect Kolkata with Dhanbad, Delhi with Meerut and Mumbai with Vadodara. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will undertake the construction of the Greenfield expressways under a public private partnership.

The NHAI has appointed a private consultant to find out possible alignment of the expressways using satellite imageries and submit a report before the end of this year.

“We are at present studying the alignment using satellite images. Once the study is completed in four months time, a feasibility study would be conducted in another four months. The actual work could commend by end of next year”, he said.

All the four expressways will to stretch to a total of 1,000 kms and the cost of constructing the same is estimated to be around Rs 150 to 160 million per kilometer of the expressway.

Yeddyurappa to reshuffle Ministry before foreign tour

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will reshuffle his fledgeling Ministry to accommodate new entrants to the party before embarking upon a tour of the United States later this month.

Disclosing this to reporters in Bangalore yesterday, BJP’s state unit President Sadananda Gowda said Horticulture Minister S K Bellubi has been asked to “sacrifice” his post to enable former Minister Umesh Katti, who recently quit the Assembly as a JD (S) MLA and joined the BJP, to be inducted into the Ministry.

Gowda justified Yeddyurappa’s decision to ask Bellubi to make way for Umesh Katti to stabilize the BJP Government in the State, which had fallen short of three members to secure a simple majority in the 224-member Legislative Assembly.

Katti is among the seven Opposition MLAs, who had resigned from the Assembly and joined the BJP. Though three Opposition MLAs, who had resigned from the Assembly, had already been inducted into the Ministry, the BJP leadership has appealed to some more Ministers to quit and make way the new entrants to the party.

Yeddyurappa will reshuffle the 34-member Ministry before embarking on a tour of the United States to participate in the conference of Association of Kannada Kootas of America (AKKA) scheduled to begin in Chicago on August 29.

Gowda claimed that the party leadership had already convinced Bellubi to quit the Ministry and added that the Horticulture Minister is expected to tender the resignation letter to the Chief Minister on Sunday. Gowda claimed that the Chief Minister had promised to give a suitable post to Bellubi.

However, Bellubi, who had earlier claimed that he would abide by the party leadership’s decision to drop him from the Ministry, struck a discordant note after protests by his supporters in his native Bijapur.

“I am not ready to quit because the people in my constituency want me to continue”, Bellubi told reporters referring to the violent protests in Bijapur on Thursday in which his angry supporters hurled stones at police and Government-owned buses, besides staging road-blockades. “I will have to go by the sentiments of the people, who have elected me”, Bellubi said.

Bangalore police recover 50 stolen cars from gang

The Bangalore police have arrested a gang of inter-state car lifters and recovered from them a total of 50 stolen cars valued at over Rs 30 million.

The recovered cars, most of them sports utility vehicles, were kept on display at BRV Parade Grounds in Bangalore on Friday as part of the efforts of the police to track down the rightful owners.

The recovery of the 50 cars is said to be biggest haul of stolen cars by the police in Karnataka so far.

Bangalore City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidri told reporters that the six-member gang of car lifters used to lift cars parked in front of houses and later sell them off to unsuspecting buyers by creating fake documents.

The prime accused Lathief, 38, was nabbed when he was trying to dispose off a stolen vehicle in Cottonpet in Bangalore. Based on information provided by him during interrogation, the police zeroed in on his accomplices and traced the stolen cars.

Bidri said Lathief was involved in several car thefts in Karnataka and neighbouring Kerala. Though he had been caught a couple of years ago in Kerala and convicted for three years, he managed to escape from police custody while he was being brought to Karwar in Karnataka from Konnur jail in Kerala.

Later, Lathief joined hands with Rajan, a notorious car lifter, who has several non-bailable warrants pending against him in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The other members of the gang include Javid Khan, Raju Yadav and Sheikh Arif.

Bidri said the arrest of the car lifters had become important in the wake of the recent terror strikes in Bangalore. “For, stolen vehicles could have been used by the terrorists. We are investigating whether there were any links between the thefts and the terror strikes”, Bidri added.

Ten-minute deadline fixed for protests in Bangalore

The Bangalore City police has imposed a ten-minute deadline on the time duration for protests in the City.

Commissioner for Bangalore City Police Shankar Bidri said no protest would be allowed to extend beyond ten minutes anywhere in Bangalore on account of the inconvenience it would cause to motorists and traffic movement.

“A protest at peak hours ends in lengthy traffic snarls that prevents commuters from reaching their destination. The protest marches, which pass through the roads, halt traffic and the general public have to bear the brunt”, he said justifying his decision to impose a ten-minute deadline on protests and rallies.

But, Bidri’s announcement has been roundly criticized by various voluntary organizations, whose representatives have argued that the time-limit imposed by the City Police amounts to violation of democratic rights.

“Our Constitution gives us the right to peaceful assembly, then how can somebody place a restriction on that”, questioned R Manohar, Head of programmes, South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM).

Geetha Menon, Secretary of Stree Jagruthi Samithi, a women’s organization, said voluntary groups like theirs hold protests and rallies to highlight certain issues affecting the society. “We do not organize rallies because we have too much time on our hands”, she said.

“A lot of planning goes into organizing a rally and it is simply impossible to conclude a demonstration in ten minutes. It will take more than ten minutes just for people to assembly at the spot”, she said.
However, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) K Srinivas said though people have a right to protest, there is no constitutional right to obstruct traffic to hold protests.

Karnataka to revive three-year course in medicine

With a view to providing medical care to people living in rural areas of the State, the Government of Karnataka is planning to offer a three-year diploma course in medicine on the lines of the Licensed Medical Practitioner (LMP) course that was scrapped decades ago.

Speaking after inaugurating a healthcare programme for school children in Bangalore on Monday, Karnataka’s Medical Education Minister Ramachandra Gowda said the proposal to introduce the course would be placed before the Cabinet soon.

Students, who have passed their Class 10, can enroll themselves for the three-year medical diploma course, which will be on the lines of the LMP.

Gowda said healthcare in rural areas was suffering due to non-availability of medical professionals in sufficient numbers. With doctors reluctant to work in rural areas, healthcare has become concentrated in urban areas, he said.

“There is a strong pro-urban bias in access to medical care”, he said and pointed out that 76 per cent of medical professionals serve the 20 per cent of the population living in urban areas. The remaining 24 per cent doctors take care of the 80 per cent of people in rural areas, he said.

Out of the estimated 45,000 doctors in Karnataka, as many as 38,000 are practicing in the private sectors and barely 7,000 doctors are working in Government hospitals and primary health centers, he said.

The products of the diploma course in medicine will be deployed in rural areas to attend to the healthcare requirements of the people living there, he said.

One more JD (S) MLA resigns in Karnataka, to join BJP

The JD (S) in Karnataka suffered another setback yesterday when former Minister and party MLA Umesh Katti tendered his resignation to the Legislative Assembly.
Katti, who is also the senior Vice President of party’s state unit, declared that he would be joining the BJP shortly.
The resignation of Katti comes close on the heels of resignation of three JD (S) and three Congress MLAs, who have since joined the BJP.
After announcing his resignation from the Legislative Assembly, Katti, who represented Hukkeri assembly constituency in Belgaum district, said he would contest the by-polls as a BJP candidate.
Speaking to reporters, Katti lashed out at the JD (S) leadership for ignoring its legislators from North Karnataka and the inconsistency in its political stand on various issues.
He recalled that the party leadership decided to align with the Congress during the recent elections to the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council, but voted against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) during the vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha last month.
“Though I am the senior Vice President of the party’s state unit, the party leadership never consulted me on any issues. My supporters felt that the party leadership was neglecting its representatives from north Karnataka”, he said.
In contrast, Katti said, BJP was responding to the aspirations of people of north Karnataka and taking all the sections of the society together. “I will be joining the BJP at a function to be held in the presence of the party’s national leaders shortly”, he said.
Though he claimed that his entry into the BJP was unconditional, former Chief Minister and JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said Katti was joining the saffron party for “selfish and narrow gains”.
Kumaraswamy declared that Katti’s exit from the JD (S) would not pose any threat to the JD (S).
The strength of JD (S) in the Assembly, which was 28 when the results were announced during May this year, has come down to 24 now. Katti is among the four party MLAs to have resigned from the JD (S) during the last one month.Three Congress MLAs too have resigned their seats in the Assembly and joined the BJP.

Rains claim eight lives in Karnataka

Atleast eight persons were killed as heavy rains continued to lash various parts of Karnataka for the fourth day on Wednesday.

Government officials said three persons were washed away in Malathi river near Theerthahalli in Shimoga district while five others were killed when their houses collapsed in Bidar, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of the state.

Even as the authorities were busy evacuating people residing in low-lying villages in many parts of north Karnataka fearing their flooding by the rivers, which were flowing in spate, the release of more than 220,000 cusecs of water from Koyna reservoir in Maharashtra caused alarm among the officials in downstream Belgaum.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa directed officials to gear up for flood relief operations and open sufficient gruel centers in the flood-affection regions of the state particularly Belgaum district, which has been put in a state of high alert.

The Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) have been alerted and told to be ready in case of emergencies to evacuate people from marooned villages.

Most of the rivers in the state had swollen on account of the heavy rains lashing various parts of the state during the last four days. River Krishna was flowing above the danger mark in Belgaum, Bagalkot and Bijapur after release of excess water from Koyna reservoir.

The swollen rivers had flooded vast tracts of agricultural fields and villages in many parts of the state. The Shimoga district administration had to evacuate more than 100 families from the villages of Imambada and Seeghatti, which had been inundated due to water from river Tunga.

The dams built across most rivers in the state were nearing their full reservoir level due to copious inflow arising out of heavy rains in the catchment areas. Irrigation Department authorities have alerted people residing in low-lying areas downstream of Linganamakki, Narayanapura, Alamatti and KRS reservoirs in the state to move to safer places with their livestock.

Irrigation department authorities said they will have to open the crest gates of the reservoirs if the water level nears the brim.

Meanwhile, the railway authorities have cancelled the Bangalore-Mangalore train until further notice on account of a landslide taking place along the route.
The train service on the route will resumed after the debris that had fallen on the railway track is cleared.

India’s largest solar telescope to be ready by 2013

The country’s largest solar telescope being developed by Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore will begin providing high- resolution images of the solar surface to aid research activities by 2013.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ Founders’ Day Lecture in Bangalore, Institute Director S Siraj Hasan said the solar telescope, which will be remotely controlled, would be having an aperture of 2 metres in diameter.

A team of 30 to 40 scientists is working on the development of the telescope worth Rs 1.5 billion that is expected to be ready by 2013. The Institute is collaborating with Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences in Nainital to develop the telescope, he said.

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics is also in the process of identifying a suitable location to station the telescope. “It will be either at Leh or Hanle, both in Ladakh, or in Devasthal near Nainital”, he said.

The telescope will be located in a place, where the air is thin, far away from city lights and pollutants, Professor of Indian Institute of Astrophysics R C Kapoor said. “Ideally, it would have to be in a place that is 13,000 to 14,000 feet above sea level”, he said.

With a two-metre diameter aperture, the solar telescope being developed by India will be the largest in its class in the world. The US is also planning the development of a four-meter solar telescope that is expected to become functional by 2016.

Royal families of India to be invited for Mysore Dasara

With a view to making the annual Dasara festival in Mysore a grand spectacle of the bygone era, the Karnataka Government is planning to roll out a red carpet welcome for the members of royal families from all over the country.

The presence of members of princely families from different parts of India is expected to lend a royal touch to the Dasara festival, which will be celebrated with pomp and grandeur in Mysore during September this year.

Though the royal families from faraway princely states used to participate in the Dasara celebrations during the time of the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore, the tradition of inviting them had been discontinued when the State Government began celebrating the festival after the end of monarchy.

“We will revive the practice of inviting scions of royal families from all over the country during this Dasara festival”, said Minister in charge of Mysore district Shobha Karandlaje after chairing a meeting of senior officials to chart out plans for the nine-day Dasara festival this year.

“We have sought a list of royal families from the Federal Government. There are around 350 royal families in India. Even if we are unable to accommodate members of all the royal families, a few select royals will be invited every year”, she said.

The Minister also observed that the “princesses” of the Wadiyar dynasty, the erstwhile royal family of Mysore, had been ignored during successive Dasara celebrations in Mysore.

“We have decided to extend a special invitation to the princesses of the royal family of Mysore to participate in the Dasara celebrations”, she said.
Shobha Karandlaje also said that the State Government was committed to restore the old glory of Dasara celebrations and the aesthetic charm associated with the Dasara events this year. “Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has sanctioned an additional Rs 100 million to celebrate Dasara in grand style this year”, she said.

New Chief Justice withdraws pending charges against judicial officers

Nearly 250 judicial officers in various courts of Karnataka, who were facing disciplinary proceedings, have reason to heave a sigh of relief.

For, the newly appointed Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Paul Daniel Premkumar has ordered the withdrawal of charges against them.

Justice Premkumar said the withdrawal of charges against the judicial officers was his first decision taken as the new Chief Justice of Karnataka.

Announcing his decision at a function organized to felicitate him by the State Bar Council in Bangalore, Justice Premkumar said the decision had been taken after consulting all the judges. He said the decision will benefit the courts as well as the judicial officials.

“The decision to withdraw the disciplinary proceedings does not mean this is a soft step taken against the wrongdoers. It need not send a wrong signal”, he said.

Several of the judicial officers facing disciplinary proceedings continue to receive 50 per cent of their salaries even if they are not allowed to work in their official positions. The work in many courts across the state remained affected due to the absence of the officials. Besides, no prima facie case evidence had been found against a majority of the officials facing charges.

Coal scarcity threatens to blackout Karnataka

A severe scarcity of coal that has arisen in Karnataka is threatening to plunge the state into long hours of blackout.

With the coal reserve in the state plummeting to an abysmal 76,000 tonnes, which is barely enough for generating power for the next four days, officials have appealed to the people of the state to brace themselves for long hours of power cut.

The state, which is already hit by poor output from the hydro-electric stations on account of inadequate rainfall, is making desperate efforts to import coal from foreign countries like Indonesia.

“If we don’t receive good rains continuously for the next 30 days, it is virtually doomsday”, Managing Director of Karnataka Power Corporation S M Jaamdar told reporters in Bangalore.

To tide over the crisis, the authorities have reintroduced load-shedding in urban as well as rural areas. To begin with, there will be a power shutdown for two hours every day in Bangalore and for as long as 13 hours in rural areas. “The entire state will be in darkness for long hours if the situation does not improve in the coming days. Power supply will be restricted to just six hours a day due to the dual problem”, he said.

Though Karnataka normally has a coal stock of 300,000 tonnes, the scarcity of coal in the country has hit the state hard. “Our only hope is the expected shipment from Indonesia. We are expecting the coal consignment to reach Raichur Thermal Power Plant by August 22”, he said.

Karnataka had placed an order for 1.2 million tonnes of coal from Indonesia at an “exorbitant” rate of Rs 7,899 per tonne, Jaamdar said.

Federal Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh is visiting the state on account of the grim power situation. “The shortage of coal is not restricted to Karnataka alone. It is a national problem”, he said.

Coal-based thermal power generating stations account for as much as 37 per cent of electricity produced in Karnataka. “A third of Karnataka’s power requirements is met by thermal power generating stations”, he said.

The scarcity of coal has come at a time when the output of power from hydro-electric stations had declined drastically on account of the poor storage levels in its reservoirs.

27-year-old chomps 25 lemons in five minutes

A 27-year-old man from Gulbarga district in Karnataka chomped 25 lemons in five minutes and fifty seconds in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

Purushotham, a resident of Kembavi village in Gulbarga district, began gobbling the lemons from a bowl, one after the other, in front of lensmen and reporters at the Press Club of Bangalore on Thursday.

In five minutes and fifty seconds, Purushotham had all of them tucked in his tummy.

“I wanted to create a record and enter the Guinness Book. I have been practicing this act for the last two years”, Purshotham told reporters.

Karnataka techie languishing in US prison since the last nine months

Little did 28-year-old Naveen Ningappa, a software engineer from Chitradurga in Karnataka posted in the US on a project work, realize that he was walking into a trap in an undercover sting operation by California based County detectives when he began chatting with a girl on Internet nine months ago.

After he reportedly continued to chat with her even though she told him that she was a 12-year-old girl and went to meet her a week later in Norristown during the last week of October 2007, he was arrested by the cops and booked under multiple charges ranging from attempting unlawful communication with a minor to rape and indecent assault.

Notwithstanding Naveen’s claims that he has been framed on charges of raping the girl he had never seen, the hapless software engineer has been locked up in Montgomery County Prison, Pennsylvania, US since then. The bail amount, which was originally around $ 150,000 has risen to $ 500,000 during the course of the trial.

Unable to fork out the huge bail amount, Naveen faces an uncertain future in an alien land.

Naveen’s plight came to light only now after his aghast family members revealed to the media the contents of the letters sent by arrested software engineer’s nightmarish experience.

“Though she insisted on meeting me, I repeatedly deferred it saying I was busy at work. However, she continued to pester me and talk in an intimate way. Later, I decided to meet and help her as she was a 12-year-old girl. But, only after the arrest I came to know that she is a cop. Though I have not seen the girl, they have charged me with rape, sexual assault and many other charges”, Naveen said in the letter.

The Reporter, a California-based newspaper, had written that the arrest of Naveen was part of a sting operation by local detectives, who conduct undercover sting operations to capture people allegedly patrolling the Internet to meet children.

Naveen’s parents, who reside in Chitradurga, and his elder brother Sridhar, who is pursuing his M Tech in Bangalore, are traumatized over Naveen’s experience.

Sridhar, who first learnt about his Naveen’s plight, tried to secure his release by approaching the company in Chennai, where his brother had been employed. He also met the then Federal Minister M V Rajashekaran so that the Government of India could intervene in the matter.

“When all the efforts failed, I revealed the matter to my parents, who were too shocked to learn about the travails of their son in a far off land. They have spent several sleepless nights after that”, Sridhar said.
Naveen’s family members, who have now approached the media with the letter sent by Naveen, are planning to meet Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa so that the Government of India intervenes in the matter and secures the release of their son.

Bus mows down camel in Bangalore

A bus belonging to the state owned transport corporation mowed down a one-humped Arabian camel when it was crossing the road in Bangalore on Monday.

The camel, which died on the spot, had been brought to the City to give joy rides to people.

Police said the camel and its keepers were trying to cross the Old Madras Road in Bangalore when the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus hit the animal on the head and hump.

A case has been booked against the driver of the BMTC bus and the animal’s carcass was handed over to its keepers after an autopsy.

Meanwhile, animal rights activists in Bangalore have urged the Government to disallow large animals like elephants and camels from walking on the City roads. “Camels and elephants should be banned from entering the City”, said trustee of Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) Suparna Ganguly.

“For camels, it is like being in an alien country. The city climate does not suit these ships of the desert”, he said.

Congress joins hands with JD (S) to clinch Council Chairman’s post

The Congress and JD (S) have come together again in Karnataka to put it across the ruling BJP in the elections to the post of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Legislative Council scheduled for Tuesday.

At a meeting convened by JD (S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in Bangalore on Monday, a decision was taken to extend support to Congress party’s nominee Veeranna Mathikatti for the post of Chairman of Legislative Council.

Earlier, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting presided over by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly M Mallikarjun Kharge decided to field Mathikatti, a member of the Legislative Council, for the coveted post of Chairman of the Upper House of the State Legislature.

The Congress has decided against fielding any candidate for the post of Deputy Chairman and left the same for its ally JD (S). The JD (S) is expected to field retired police officer and MLC Abdul Azeem for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council.

The BJP has fielded its party MLC Shashil G Namoshi for the post of Chairman of Legislative Council during Tuesday’s election.

The 75-member Karnataka Legislative Council has 29 Congress members, 23 BJP members and 12 JD (S) members. While five seats remain vacant, JD (U) and independents make up the rest.

Though the ruling BJP is in a minority in the Legislative Council, party leaders are pinning their hopes on cross-voting and abstention during the elections.
The BJP leaders are claiming that they had managed to woo a couple of JD (S) and Congress members besides a few independents ahead of the crucial polling on Tuesday

NRI Varsity to come up in Bangalore

The country’s first University to provide higher and professional education to children of Non Resident Indians (NRI) is expected to come up in Bangalore shortly.

According to information reaching here, Federal Minister for Overseas Indians Vayalar Ravi made an announcement to the effect in New Delhi.

Though the name of the privately-run University is yet to be finalized, Ravi said the University, which will reserve 50 per cent of its seats to NRIs and People of Indian Origin (PIO), would start admissions from the next academic year 2009-10.

He said the Federal Ministry for Overseas Indians received a total of 16 applications in response to Expression of Interest invited in 2007. The Screening Committee, which had representatives from seven Ministries, had short-listed three.

“Though we wanted to allow all the three applicants to start Universities for NRIs and PIOs, we could legally grant permission only to one in view of a court case”, Ravi said.

Now, the Karnataka-based Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) will set up the University for NRIs, which will have deemed status, but would be governed by the guidelines of University Grants Commission (UGC).

MAHE will have complete autonomy to decide the courses, fee structure and administrative set up. “The Ministry will only supervise and ensure that the regulations are followed”, he said.

Wannabe engineers come up with car that gives 180 kms per litre

A group of wannabe engineers in Bangalore have come up with a fuel-efficient car capable of giving an impressive mileage of 180 kilometres per litre.

Eight students of RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, who had been working on the design of the fuel-efficient car for the last two and a half years, proudly displayed their innovation at a function in Bangalore on Saturday.

The car named “Garuda”, powered by a Honda GK 100 engine, was tested for fuel efficiency on the newly build Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) road on the outskirts of Bangalore.

“During the last three days of tests, the car demonstrated a mileage of 180 kilometres per litre”, said Nishant Sarawgi, leader of the project Garuda. But, the engineering college students do not want to rest on their laurels. “We intend to increase the mileage further. Our target is to achieve a mileage of 500 kilometres per litre”, said Sarawgi.

However, the team is not just focusing on mileage. “We wanted to build a light weight car. Hence, innovations were introduced from time to time. We changed the engine, tyres, chassis and body. We kept making constant improvements to the design of the car to make it more aerodynamic”, he said.

International car designer Dilip Chabbria unveiled the prototype of the car, which is also expected to participate in the super mileage competitions, which are held annually in United States and United Kingdom. “We will make more improvements in the car by the time we participate in international events like SAE Supermileage and Shell Eco-Marathons”, Sarawgi said.

Telgi wants home-made food and phone facility in jail

The alleged kingpin in the multi-billion rupee fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi has filed an application before the Special Court seeking home-made food and phone facility at the Bangalore Central Jail, where he is lodged.

Telgi, who was brought to Bangalore from Yerawada jail in Pune about two months ago, said he was undergoing treatment for HIV, besides diabetes and blood pressure. “The doctors have advised him to take home-made food. Hence, I have filed an application seeking permission for the same under Section 30 of Karnataka Prisoners’ Act”, Telgi’s counsel M T Nanaiah told reporters.

“The jail authorities are not allowing him to take home-cooked food. His health is deteriorating because of this. Though there is a provision for providing home-made food to prisoners, the jail authorities are denying the same to him for security reasons”, Nanaiah said.

Telgi has also asked the Special Court permission for telephone facility in the jail so that he could speak to his counsel and relatives. “The Central jail located at Parappana Agrahara is about 25 kms away from the City. The counsel has to travel this long distance for any information regarding the case. It is very inconvenient. Hence, allow me access to telephone in the jail premises”, Telgi said in the application.

But, the jail authorities are believed to be strongly against providing telephone facility to Telgi in the jail as the service had been misused by several undertrials and convicts to carry out their nefarious activities from the jail premises.

Karnataka’s spendthrift Ministers come under fire in Legislature

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and several of Ministers came under fire from the Opposition in the State Legislature for reportedly squandering public money by lavishly renovating their official residences and carrying out alterations in the buildings to comply with Vastu prescription.

After Government gave written reply to a question from Congress member Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli in the Legislative Assembly on the cost incurred by the Government for renovation of the recently allotted Ministerial bungalows, JD (S) Floor leader in the Legislative Council M C Nanaiah sought to move a private member’s bill to prevent the alterations of the bungalows on the grounds of Vastu.

Tabling the bill, which seeks to amend the Karnataka Ministers Salaries, Pensions Allowances and Other Law Bill 2008, Nanaiah said it was “ridiculous” to spend such huge sums of public money to meet the requirements of Vastu.

According to information provided by the Government, the Chief Minister himself had spent Rs 1.13 million, while Revenue Minister Karunakar Reddy and Social Welfare Minister D Sudhakar had spent Rs 1.65 million and Rs 1.4 million respectively. Women and Child Development Minister P M Narendraswamy had spent Rs 1.2 lakh for the purpose.

A host of other Ministers including Small Scale Minister P Venkataramanappa, Religious Endowment Minister Krishnaiah Shetty, Transport Minister R Ashok and Public Works Minister C M Udasi too had spent amounts varying from Rs 700,000 to Rs 1 million towards either renovating their ministerial bungalows or altering them to suit Vastu.

Nanaiah sought to know from the Government how it could justify the expenditure of such large sums of money from the public exchequer. “Whose money do you think you are spending ?”, he said. “The public has already lost faith in legislators. If we continue to indulge in such foolish acts, the day is not far off when we will be termed as mad and incompetent fellows”, Nanaiah remarked.
The Bill sought to be moved by Nanaiah also seeks to prevent performing of pooja and other religious rituals in Government offices by Ministers as India is a secular state.

Security agency car driver flees with client’s Rs 5.4 million

A private security agency in Bangalore, which offers escort services to business establishments for safe transport of huge sums of money, was left high and dry on Friday after its cab driver fled with a cash of Rs 5.4 million in true filmy style.

The security agency’s personnel had collected Rs 5.4 million from a finance company on Airport Road in Bangalore and were proceeding to a bank on M G Road in a car engaged by a travel firm when the incident took place.

Enroute to the bank, the security agency’s cash officers Lakshman Reddy and Sesha Reddy decided to collect another Rs 1.1 million from a business house in Indiranagar. When the car reached the destination in Indiranagar, the cash officers left the Rs 5.4 million already collected in the box, kept inside the car, and asked the armed escort Eerappa to stay back in the vehicle.

When the cash officers went inside the business house to collect the money, the car driver Narayana said he would park the car till they returned and asked escort to get down from the vehicle and help him park the car.

Eerappa got down from the car, leaving his rifle behind, and was directing the driver towards a parking space. But, the driver sensed the opportunity and fled away from the scene.

A shocked Eerappa could do little, but shout for help even as the driver sped away. Eerappa rushed to the cash officers, who were still collecting the money, and informed them about the matter.

The cash officers alerted the police, which immediately flashed a look-out notice for the car. After half an hour of search, the police found the car abandoned in a nearby lane in Indiranagar. But, the cash and the driver were missing. However, the rifle had been left behind.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the absconding car driver Narayana, a resident of K R Puram in the City, already had two theft cases registered against him in Bangalore.

The security agency - A P Securitas Private Limited – is incidentally owned by the relative of a retired Director General of Police. The management of the security agency is regretting that they engaged a car from a travel firm that had hired a driver without verifying his antecedents.

Bangalore Race Course to shifted to City’s outskirts

The 150-year-old Bangalore Race Course, located in the heart of the City, has been given a seventeen-month deadline to shift to a new location on the outskirts of the City.

Participating in the discussions in the on-going Budget session of the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the Government’s lease agreement with Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) that runs the Race Course expires on December 31, 2009. “The Government will not renew the agreement. By that time, the Race Course has to shift”, the Chief Minister said in categorical terms.

Yeddyurappa said that it had become inevitable for the Government to shift the Race Course from its present location as it was causing traffic congestion. Situated close to the bus stand, railway station and the Vidhana Soudha, the Bangalore Race Course, which attracts the glitterati from not only Bangalore but from other parts of India and abroad during racing season, occupies almost 70 acres of prime land.

Yeddyurappa was critical of the public works department for allowing races to be held year after year without signing any contract with the Bangalore Turf Club for the last 19 years. “Only after I took a firm stand recently that an agreement was signed. The agreement will come to an end on December 31, 2009. Come what may, the Bangalore Race Course will have to shift by then”, he said.

However, the management of Bangalore Turf Club management is hoping to delay the inevitable.

Bangalore Turf Club Chairman Jayant Shah told reporters that it was important for the Race Course to be situated in the City. “Today, the Bangalore Race Course is an international tourist attraction because of its strategic location. If too far away, it will defeat the purpose of a race course”, he said.

Though the Government had allotted land for the Race Course inYelahanka on the outskirts of the City, Shah said it takes a minimum of five to six years to set up a race course. “The track takes that long to settle”, he said.
“We have no qualms about moving to Yelahanka, but not that fast. The race course cannot stop functioning till the new one is ready”, he said.

Kuselan released in Karnataka after Rajnikant’s apology

Tamil actor Rajnikant’s latest film Kuselan was released across theatres in Bangalore after the matinee idol apologized to the people of Karnataka for hurting their sentiments.

However, high drama preceded the much-awaited release of the film with pro-Kannada groups staging a demonstration in front of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce on Thursday and refusing to allow the screening of the movie till Rajnikant apologizes for the “anti-Kannadiga” remarks he reportedly made during the Hogenakkal dispute that had arisen between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu a few months ago.

But, the pro-Kannada groups withdrew their protest after Rajnikant’s televised apology was shown on Kannada news channels on Thursday evening. “By expressing his regret, Rajnikant has showed his greatness. We no longer oppose the release”, said Narayana Gowda, President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, which has been in the vanguard of the protests against the screening of Kuselan in the state.

The pro-Kannada groups had been nursing a strong grudge against Rajnikant for giving a call to “kick” the Kannada activists opposing the Hogenakkal drinking water project. Rajnikant had made these remarks during a day-long demonstration over Hogenakkal issue held in Chennai during the first week of April this year.

After pro-Kannada groups adopted an aggressive stand and refused to allow the release of his film, Rajnikant, in an interview to television channels, admitted that he had committed a mistake. “I will think ten times before speaking at any function. It was a big mistake. I will be careful while speaking in future and see that I don’t hurt anybody”, Rajnikant said.

Soon after the interview was telecast, the Kannada activists, who had gathered in front of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce office in Bangalore burning effigies of Rajnikant and shouting slogans against him, announced the withdrawal of their protest against the release of Kuselan.

The film was released across 14 theatres in Bangalore on Friday to packed houses amidst tight security.

The release of the film as scheduled brought smiles on the large number of Tamils residing in Bangalore and different parts of Karnataka. A day ahead of the film’s scheduled release on Friday, special shows had been organized for Rajnikant’s fans in two different theatres in Bangalore on Thursday.

Additional Commissioner of Police, Bangalore, M R Pujar said the City police had made elaborate security arrangements for the release of the Tamil film in Bangalore.