The Hindu : Karnataka News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Briefly

He is still `Home Minister'

Bangalore June 9. Portfolios stick to Ministers whether they like them or not. The senior Minister and Congress leader, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, who reportedly did not show any inclination to continue as the Home Minister and requested the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, to take over the portfolio, is still the Home Minister if one goes by the designation displayed in front of his official residence, one of the "Race View" cottages. The board is yet to be replaced or repainted. Mr. Kharge, who lost to his long-standing comrade from Gulbarga district, Mr. Dharam Singh, in the race for the chief ministership, gave up the Home portfolio to accept Water Resources. But the personnel in the Estate Department of the State Government may still be thinking that Mr. Kharge holds the additional portfolio of Home. The department cannot be faulted for the lapse, as the portfolios are in a State of flux in the new political dispensation in the State. What was announced by the Raj Bhavan in the afternoon was changed at night and there is yet no finality about the responsibilities of the Ministers.

Textile design course

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE JUNE 9. The Powerloom Service Centre and Computer Aided Textile Design Centre, which is managed by the Karnataka State Powerloom Development Corporation, will conduct an eight-week training programme in textile designing and weaving mechanism, a six-week course in dobby-jacquard mechanism, a two-week course in shuttle-less wearing and a four-week programme in higher training and weaving calculation. Only 10 to 15 candidates will be trained. A nominal fee of Rs. 800 to Rs, 1,000 will be charged for the training. Details can be had from the officer-in-charge, Powerloom Service Centre, B-90, KSSIDC Industrial Estate, West of Chord Road, Bangalore 560 044, says an official press note.

Rail Wheel Factory gets award

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore June 9. The Rail Wheel Factory, Yelahanka, has been presented the Rajiv Gandhi Parisara Prashasti for 2004-05. The award comprises Rs. 1 lakh cash prize and a certificate. The award is in recognition of the Rail Wheel Factory's constant efforts towards conservation of natural resources and fuel and waste management. The Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, handed over the award to J.N. Pant, General Manager of the Factory.

Dharam Singh leaves for Delhi

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore June 9. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, left for New Delhi this afternoon and is expected to return early tomorrow. He is expected to meet the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, and hold discussions with her on various party matters, including finalising the candidates for the Legislative Council elections scheduled to be held later this month.

Chief Minister's portfolios

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE JUNE 9. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, will handle Cabinet Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Reforms and Home portfolios while his deputy, Siddaramaih, has been allocated Finance, Excise, Planning, Institutional Finance, Statistics, Science and Technology. The Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, allocated the portfolios to the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and nine Cabinet Ministers and one Minister of State on Tuesday.

A.N. Jayaram to lead team to China

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE JUNE 9. A.N. Jayaram, former Advocate-General of Karnataka, will lead a delegation of Indian lawyers to China at the invitation of the All-China Lawyers' Association. During their 11-day visit, the delegation will visit the Chinese Ministry of Justice, the Supreme People's Court and the Procuratorate as well as meet lawyers and judges. They will be feted by the Bar Associations of Beijing, Tianjin, Xi'an and Shanghai, according to a press note. The visit is organised on a reciprocal basis by the Bar Association of India in cooperation with the All-China Lawyers' Association. The purpose is to promote understanding and friendship among the legal fraternity in the two countries.

Proposal

HASSAN JUNE 9. A Rs. 4.5-crore proposal has been submitted to the Government to improve power supply in Arsikere taluk. Govardhan Singh, Executive Engineer, Mangalore Electric Supply Company (MESCOM), said here today that it had stressed the need to change the old poles and power transmission lines. The company was facing shortage of power converters in rural parts of Arsikere taluk and steps were being taken to acquire them at the earliest, he added.

He said that work on the Doddametikurke power transmission sub-station, which had been taken up at a cost of Rs. 5 crore, was nearing completion.

Complaint

HASSAN JUNE 9. The people in Madalu village of Arsikere taluk have blamed the authorities for providing them with polluted drinking water. The villagers alleged that even after informing the president and secretary of the gram panchayat of the problem, no action had been taken.

The authorities said that the villagers had deepened the pits to collect water, leading to the problem.

Gastroenteritis

CHITRADURGA JUNE 9. A girl is said to have died of gastroenteritis in Hosadurga taluk on Tuesday evening. Reports reaching here claimed that as many as 15 persons are being treated for gastroenteritis at Hosadurga taluk hospital. The deceased was identified as Anita (8) of Karehalli. According to sources, she had acquired the disease by drinking polluted water.

Drainage was seeping into the pipes of the mini-water supply tank and polluting the water in the tank, sources said. The tahsildar, M. Krishnappa, and medical officer, Chandrappa, visited the spot and confirmed the pollution of water.

Doctors have asked villagers to dissolve tetracycline tablets in water and drink it only after boiling.

Disappointed Hassan JuNE 9. Incessant rainfall and dark clouds disappointed those who had assembled to witness the transit of Venus on Tuesday. The Hassan District Science Centre (HDSC) and Bharatha Jnana Vijnana Samithi (BJVS) had jointly made arrangements for the people to view the event.

Hundreds of people who assembled at the Government High School grounds had to return home disappointed. HDSC and BJVS had cautioned people that it was unsafe to look at the sun directly, through smoked glass or through darkened photographic film.

Ban announced

BIDAR JUNE 9. All shops and establishments offering photocopying facilities will remain closed when the SSLC (supplementary) examination is conducted in the district.

The ban will be in force between 9 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. from June 10 to 17 in all 66 examination centres in the district. This decision has been taken to ensure that the examinations go on without any irregularities, a press release from the Deputy Commissioner said.

Similarly, prohibitory orders will remain in force in a 200-metre radius around all examination centres under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. The orders will remain in force from 8 a.m. on June 10 to 6 p.m. on June 17, the release said.

Parking rules

BIDAR JUNE 9. In a move to regulate vehicular traffic in the town, the Bidar police have enforced parking on one side of the road on alternate days. On odd days, vehicles will have to be parked on the left side of the main road from Shah Ganj Kaman to Ambedkar circle and the railway station to Aradhana Circle. On even days, vehicles have to park on the right side of the road.

According to a press release, the decision was taken by the road safety committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner. The rule comes into force with immediate effect.

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