The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 19, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Briefly

Police criticised

Davangere Jan. 18. Various leaders have criticised the police's handling of the Malebennur clashes. At different press conferences, G.M. Siddesh, vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Raitha Morcha, Y. Nagappa, MLA, K. Mallappa, Janata Dal leader and former MLC, accused the police of arresting innocent people. They said power supply had been cut and bus services stopped in Malebennur. Even medical shops were not being allowed to function. There had been an undeclared curfew, they added.Dr. Nagappa, who visited Malebennur, had talks with the police, and requested them to stop making arrests.

Cattle feed price cut

HASSAN JAN. 18. The Karnataka Milk Federation has slashed the price of cattle feed on January 16. The revised rate will be effective till March 31.

In a press release here on Sunday, the managing director of Hassan Milk Union Ltd. said the price of a 50-kg. bag of Nandini cattle feed grade 1 would be Rs. 322 as against Rs. 334 earlier. The price of cattle feed grade 2 would be Rs. 280 (Rs. 292). The rate of Nandini special cattle feed would be Rs. 372 (Rs. 384).

`Disabled being neglected'

HASSAN JAN. 18. The district unit of the Dalit Sangharsha Samithi has said that the State Government is not having any concern for the disabled. Eeresh Hirehalli, organising secretary of the unit, said at a public meeting organised by the Channarayapatna Taluk Physically Disabled Welfare Association that the Government had not implemented any programme, including issuance of bus passes and sanction of houses to the disabled. The Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Motamma, was cheating the disabled by making false promises. The atrocities on Dalits had increased under the Congress rule.

Programme for students

CHITRADURGA JAN. 18. M. Seetaram Bhat, scientist at the Aerospace Department of Indian Institute of Sciences, has urged teachers and students to transform small ideas into huge realities.

He was participating in a "scientist-student interaction" held on Saturday by the Science and Technological Education Board, the Department of Public Instruction, and the SJM Institute of Technology.

P. Prakash, principal of the institute, urged students to share the knowledge acquired from the programme with their classmates and friends.

Bus stand inauguration

CHITRADURGA JAN. 18. The private bus stand at Chitradurga, which was closed for renovation, will reopened on Monday. Shashikumar, MP, will inaugurate the facility. G.H. Thippareddy, MLA, will preside over the function. N.Y. Gopalakrishna, MLA and Chairman of Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation, legislators, and other elected representatives will participate. The work has been completed using funds from the MP's Local Area Development Scheme.

Power theft cases filed

Bidar Jan. 18. The vigilance squad of the Gulbarga Electric Supply Company raided five houses in Basavkalyan and registered cases of theft of power. According to a press release, those accused of power theft are Vinayak Rao Dole, Zaheeruddin, Amrit Reddy, Manakamma Amrit Reddy, and Rajpal Pande.

More teachers may be appointed

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore JAN. 18. The State Government is considering the appointment of over 8,500 primary school teachers under the Centrally funded Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan during 2004-05. In view of the Central scheme, the Government has abolished 5,000 vacant posts of teachers. The Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, B.K. Chandrashekar, clarified to The Hindu that the abolition of the posts had been made in view of the decision to implement the Central scheme. The recruitment of the teachers would be carried out in the coming financial year. He was reacting to reports regarding the December 31 Government Order abolishing the 5,000 posts. The Minister noted that the decision would, in fact, benefit those seeking jobs in the Government as teachers. The abolition of the vacant posts would not harm the interests of anyone. It may be recalled that only this month the Government recruited 3,858 higher secondary schoolteachers through a written examination followed by counselling.

Govt. urged to withdraw order

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE JAN. 18. The Association of Karnataka State Teaching and Non-teaching Staff of the Department of Public Instruction has urged the State Government to withdraw the order which deprived the employees of the facilities which were earlier extended to them. Addressing presspersons here today, the president of the association, N.K. Nanjappa Gowda, said that the recent Government Order would affect a large number of staff of the Department of Public Instruction. These include various benefits attached to retirement and upon death of the employee. He said that the Government had fixed the commutation amount for pension at one-fifth under the Karnataka Government Service Rules 377, which would affect the employees. The commutation amount of the pension should be fixed at one-third, which was in practice earlier, he added. The association, he said, was also urging that the minimum period for availing of pension to be fixed at 10 years as against 15 years at present. The 10-year period should be considered as meritorious period for fixing pension, he added. Further, Mr. Nanjappa Gowda said that the State Government should take steps to go on an appeal to the Supreme Court against an order that would prevent award of gratuity to teachers upon their retirement. He said an appeal by the Gujarat Primary Teachers' Association in the Supreme Court against the High Court had been quashed. The court had not considered teachers for the award of gratuity as they had not been considered as employees. In the light of this, the Government should initiate action to protect the interests of teachers, he added.

MUDA Chairman replaced

By Our Staff Correspondent

MADIKERI JAN. 18. In a sudden development, the State Government has appointed K.K. Poornayya as Chairman of the Madikeri Urban Development Authority (MUDA) replacing B.K. Krishna. The reason for the change was not known immediately, sources told The Hindu on Sunday. Mr. Poornayya is stated to have received the Government Order in that regard. It is also learnt that Mr. Poornayya, who was a member of the now defunct Coorg Temple Funds Management Committee, would assume office on Monday at 11 a.m. Mr. Krishna was not available for comment.

Letter to Sonia is fake

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore JAN. 18. A letter to the President of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), Sonia Gandhi, seeking the removal of S.M. Krishna from the chief ministership purported to be from Lingayat leaders in the Congress turned out to be bogus. A copy of the letter was sent to some of the newspaper offices here on Sunday. The letter which said that Mr. Krishna had neglected the Lingayats in the Congress and that they could not face the next Assembly elections under his leadership, contained the names and signatures of 32 Ministers, MPs, and legislators belonging to the community. The Minister for Medical Education, A.B. Maalakaraddy, and the member of the Rajya Sabha, M.V. Rajashekaran, whose names and signatures figured in the letter, termed it as "malicious and mischievous" and aimed at creating confusion in the minds of the people. The letter had said that it had been drafted after a meeting of Lingayat MPs and MLAs in the Congress. However those behind the mischief betrayed themselves by stating that Mr. Rajashekaran was an MLC and by including the names of two MLCs who have retired, Basavaraj Patil Itagi and T. Channareddy Patil.

Congress invites applications

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore JAN. 18. The Congress has begun the process for facing the parliamentary and Legislative Assembly elections by inviting applications for party ticket even as the AICC President, Sonia Gandhi, visits some of the northern districts of the State on January 23. The General Secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), H. Abdul Wahab, has invited the applications without however mentioning the last date for receiving them. The AICC President will visit Hubli-Dharwad, Bijapur, and Belgaum. The KPCC President, B. Janardhana Poojary, will visit these places from Monday to make arrangements for Ms. Sonia Gandhi's visit.

`Rail roko' as scheduled, says Puttappa

By Our Special Correspondent

HUBLI JAN. 18. The Karnataka Abhivriddhi Vedike, which has given a call for a "rail roko " on Monday, has declared that the programme will go on as scheduled. This was disclosed by Patil Puttappa, president of the vedike, after a meeting here today to finalise the programme."We will go ahead (with the programme) come what may. And we are determined to stop the arrival and departure of all trains from 6 a.m. on Monday," Mr. Puttappa told The Hindu. The protest has been called mainly against what the vedike considers the indifferent attitude of the South-Western Zone towards meeting the genuine needs with regard to rail development and the "cavalier" manner in which the General Manager of the zone had been behaving with the vedike delegations. A feature of latest protest, unlike the one given last time, is that there is no participation by the MPs.

Entry banned

MANGALORE JAN. 18. The Airport Director at Bajpe, M.R. Vasudeva, in a press release issued here today, said the entry of visitors to the Airport Terminal building and visitors' gallery had been banned with effect from Monday to January 31 for security reason.

Power shutdown

MANGALORE JAN. 18. Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd. has announced a power shutdown on Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on account of maintenance work being undertaken by Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. at the 110-kV power distribution centre. The areas to be affected are Kundapur taluk and Avarse, Shiriyur, Saligrama, and Kota areas in Udupi taluk.

Power supply will also be disrupted on Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on account of urgent maintenance work at the 110/33-kV Kulshekar substation. The areas to be affected are Jeppu, Valencia, Kankanady, Marnamikatte, Morgans Gate, Moti Mahal, Falnir, Bendoor Well, and adjoining areas.

Photography contest

MANGALORE JAN. 18. Mudipu Vikasa Balaga here has organised a State-level photography contest on the topic, "Rural life".

A press release issued here said the first prize would comprise a purse of Rs. 1,000, while the second and third prize winners would get Rs. 750 and Rs. 500, respectively. Those interested in participating in the contest could send three colour photographs measuring 6 x 9 inch by January 25 to the convener, Vikasa Balaga, Mudipu, Kurnadu post, Buntwal taluk.

Invitation to Utsav

MANGALORE JAN. 18. The office of the Block Education Office, Mangalore, has invited students of schools and colleges as well as teachers to perform at Karavali Utsav which will get underway here on January 23.

A press release from the office said the heads of educational institutions could contact the office for further details. The utsav would be held at the exhibition grounds adjacent to Mangala stadium here.

Sentenced to imprisonment

MANGALORE JAN. 18. The First Additional District Sessions Court here has sentenced two people arrested on the charge of dacoity to seven years imprisonment. The accused, Aziz of Katipalla and Ifthiaz of Kinnigoli, had allegedly robbed Ravindra Acharya at Kana of cash and valuables worth Rs. 67,600 on July 18, 1998.

Seminar on English

MANGALORE JAN. 18. The Department of English, St. Aloysius College, has organised a two-day national seminar on "Perspectives in English language teaching" from January 23.

The seminar involves lectures by eminent scholars from reputed universities of India and abroad. Lecturers and research scholars from six States will present papers at the seminar.

The Principal of the college, Eugene Lobo, told presspersons here on Saturday that the seminar was open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, who could also present papers. There would be separate awards for the best papers presented by teachers and students. The event was being organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the college.

The Joint Director of Collegiate Education, Mangalore, had granted the "on official duty" facility for English teachers in Mangalore University to attend the seminar, he said.

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