The Hindu : Karnataka News : Cabinet firm on seat-sharing ratio

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 09, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Cabinet firm on seat-sharing ratio

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JULY 8. The State Cabinet today decided against relenting on its stand on the seat-sharing arrangement with the Confederation of Private Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K) as counselling for admission of students who had taken the Common Entrance Test began today.

Briefing presspersons about the decisions taken by the Cabinet at its meeting today, the Revenue Minister, M.P. Prakash, said the Government was firm on the 75:25 ratio of seat allocation in favour of the Government.

The State Government had on July 5 filed an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court seeking to continue the procedure followed last year with regard to admissions. Having toyed with the idea of promulgating an Ordinance to force compliance by the institutions under the COMED-K, the Government had decided against it after seeking legal opinion. The representatives of the private professional colleges have been invited for another round of talks on July 10.

APMC election: Mr. Prakash said the election to the Agricultural Produce Marking Committees (APMCs) in the State had been postponed to December 2004. Following the heavy rain, farmers were busy with farming operations and the voters' rolls could not be compiled, he added.

Mercy petitions: The State Government has rejected the mercy petitions of the three associates of Veerappan who were awarded death sentences a few months ago. Mr. Prakash said Simon, Gnanaprakash and Koose Madaiah, who were tried and convicted in a case related to a blast near Palar Bridge, had been sentenced to death by a lower court, and they had appealed for commutation to life imprisonment.

He said the Government would request the Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, to forward the decision to the President, A.P.J Abdul Kalam, before whom the mercy petitions were pending. The three convicted associates of Veerappan are lodged in the Hindalga jail in Belgaum.

Sale of toddy banned: The Government has decided to ban the sale of toddy all over the State barring the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. The sale of arrack through cooperatives in Siddapura, Sedam, Chincholi, Yadgir, Raichur, Deodurg and other places will also be banned, making Prohibition total in those areas.

Mr. Prakash said that as the Government was hard-pressed for time, the auction of arrack vending rights would be continued pending the final decision. Until August 31, the rentals had been raised by 15 per cent of the existing rates, he said and added that if the vendors approached the courts, the Government was ready to defend its decision.

Reconstruction of drains: Mr. Prakash said after reviewing the situation, the Cabinet had decided to allocate Rs. 3.38 crore for fixing the storm-water drains in Koramangala Valley. The drains were flooded when there was heavy rain. The Cabinet allocated Rs. 59.25 crore for the improvement of the Challaghatta Valley into which storm water was flowing.

UKP: The Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam will raise Rs. 90 crore in loans for completing the various segments of the Upper Krishna Project. The Karnataka Neeravari Nigama will also raise Rs. 120 crores for which the State Government will be the guarantor.

Tumkur University: The Tumkur University, to be carved out of Bangalore University, will be established in the current year itself.

About 300 acres of land in Gollahalli near Tumkur has already been transferred to the university. Bangalore University has released Rs. 1.17 crore for the new university. While postgraduate students will have the option of affiliating with either Bangalore or Tumkur Universities, undergraduate courses in Tumkur, Kolar, and Bangalore Rural will be affiliated to Tumkur University.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

`I was made a scapegoat to protect Baig'

Court permits CET counselling

Leaders praise budget for focus on farm sector

Disabled students attend seat selection

Cabinet firm on seat-sharing ratio

`I was made a scapegoat for Baig's sake'

Chambers welcome budget proposals

CMP to include measures for workers

`Probe denotification of land by BDA'

Panel withdraws PG fee structure

Briefly