The Hindu : Karnataka News : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 04, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Briefly

40 students taken ill

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE Aug. 3. More than 40 students of Morarji Desai Residential School at Doddahundi in Jayapura hobli fell ill after having dinner in the school hostel on Monday night. According to the doctors attending on them, the students developed uneasiness after finishing their meals at 8.30 p.m. Most of the children who were treated at K.R. Hospital were discharged this morning. However, nine have been kept under observation.

Chair to Minister's rescue

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE AUG. 3. The Minister of State for Labour and Wakf, Tanvir Sait, was in for a surprise in the Legislative Council today when the acting Chairman, V.R. Sudarshan, provided information on the programmes of the Labour Department for helping the unorganised sector. The Minister read out a prepared reply to a question from `Mukhyamantri' Chandru of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who was not present then in the House. But he could not respond to a supplementary. Understanding the new Minister's predicament, Mr. Sudarshan told Mr. Sait that the State Government had constituted a House committee under the chairmanship of the Minister of State for Labour. The committee was given Rs. 1 crore to look into all aspects of the unorganised sector and submit a report. It was expected to submit its report at the earliest.

Panels on encroachments

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE AUG. 3. The Minister for Water Resources and Transport, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, assured the Legislative Council on Tuesday that the Government would constitute taluk-level committees in all the 27 districts to go into the issue of regularising encroachment of forest land by the poor. Replying to a question from Winnifred F. Fernandes of the Congress, on behalf of the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, during question hour, Mr. Kharge said that in accordance with the Supreme Court's order and the Union Government's guidelines, there was no provision to regularise forest land encroached after 1980. However, regularising the encroachment on forest land by the poor was a humanitarian issue and the Government would take steps after consulting the legal authorities concerned. Of the 1,16,832 hectares of forest land encroached upon, the Government had taken possession of 40,005 hectares and the process of evicting the encroachers was in progress, he said.

Meet on decentralisation

By Our Special Correspondent

HUBLI Aug 3. A roundtable discussion, the second in a series of six planned by the Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj on different facets of decentralisation of power, will be held in Bangalore on August 28 and 29. The discussion, which will be attended by the Ministers of Panchayat Raj and the secretaries concerned from all the States, will focus on "Planning, implementation and parallel bodies." The roundtable series at different centres in the country has been planned as a follow-up to the deliberations of the conference of Chief Ministers convened by the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre immediately on assuming office to delineate the role of panchayats in poverty alleviation. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, inaugurated that conference.

Standing panel elections

By Our Special Correspondent

HUBLI Aug 3. The Congress and Janata Dal (S) will head two standing committees each of the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. Shivapturappa Tirthappa Pujar and Channabasappa Nagappa Halyal of the Janata Dal (S) and Rafiq Nawaz Kittur and Kashimsab Shiraguppi of the Congress have been elected chairmen of the committees on Public Health, Education, Social Justice and Urban Planning, and Development, respectively.

No proposal to create new district

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE AUG. 3. The Minister for Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs, M.P. Prakash, told the Legislative Council on Tuesday that the Government had no proposal to create any new district in the State in the near future. Replying to Shashil B. Namoshi of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who had asked if there was any proposal before the Government to bifurcate Gulbarga district, Mr. Prakash said that the Election Commission had instructed the Government against undertaking any delimitation process. The acting Chairman, V.R. Sudarshan, intervened to remind the Minister that there was a demand to create a district with headquarters in Chickaballapur by bifurcating Kolar. Mr. Prakash said the Gaddigoudar and the Hundekar committees on the creation of new districts had recommended the carving out of a district (Yadgir) from Gulbarga. But financial constraints came in the way. The Government would have to spend over Rs. 26 crores on the creation of a district. None of the committees had recommended the division of Kolar. However, the Government would take note of it, he added.

Power shutdown

MANGALORE Aug. 3. Power supply will be affected from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday in Mudipu, Phajir, Konaje, Kinya, Mangalore University area, Ullal, Someshwar, Manjanady, Kuthhar, Deralkatte, Tokkottu and nearby areas. A press release from Mangalore Electricity Supply Company said this was because emergency work was being taken up on the 110 kV Kulashekara-Konaje-Kerala line at Adyar.

Killed in attack

CHIKMAGALUR Aug. 3. Poornesh (30), a coffee grower, died when he was attacked by an armed group in Kanathi, about 30 km from here, on Monday. He died in a government hospital. The police suspect enmity to be the motive for the attack.

Protest march

CHIKMAGALUR Aug. 3. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal took out a procession here on Tuesday to protest against the State Government's decision to emulate Andhra Pradesh in reserving 5 per cent of the jobs for Muslims. The protesters shouted slogans against the Government and burnt an effigy of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Those who addressed the protesters accused the Government of trying to divide the minorities. They threatened to launch a Statwide agitation if the Government did not drop the move.

Trust opened

MANGALORE AUG. 3. Richard Moras, a Chartered Accountant, inaugurated Asha Kiran Trust, a non-governmental organisation, recently. A press release from Samanvaya here said Bernard D'Souza, an educationist from Thannirbavi, in his presidential address said every individual should work for the betterment of others. Ronald Cutinha, Director of Samanvaya, was the chief guest. Michael Misquith, Managing Trustee of the trust, welcomed the gathering. Patsy D'Souza proposed a vote of thanks.

Special lecture

SHIMOGA Aug. 3. Bhiku Parekh, a member of the House of Lords in the U.K. and President of British Academy of Social Studies, will deliver a special lecture on "Democracy and culture" under the auspices of the Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Study Centre of Kuvempu University at Jnana Sahyadri on Wednesday.

It will be followed by the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Lecture on "Ambedkar and Phule" by Valerian Rodrigues, Professor of Political Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Painting

contest

GULBARGA Aug. 3. The Chittari Young World and Chittari Foundation will organise a painting competition to commemorate Independence Day.

Venkataswamy Chittari, director of Chittari Young World and Chittari Foundation, in a press release said that the competition would be held on August 8 at the Vikas Bhavan housing the Deputy Commissioner's office here.

Entry to the painting contest was free and the theme would be "India of My Dreams''. Students should bring their painting material.

Students who want to exhibit their paintings on Independence Day should submit their work before August 10 at the office of the foundation at "Chittari Estate'', Jewargi Road, Gulbarga 585102, the release said.

Strike

GULBARGA Aug. 3. Employees of the State Bank of India will go on strike on August 9 demanding among other things that the ban on providing employment on compassionate grounds be lifted. They are also seeking appointment to vacant posts and regularisation of services of more than 3,400 employees working on part-time basis.

D.S. Koralli, Secretary of the State Bank of India Staff Union, and Aravind Hunasigi, said here on Tuesday that the bank staff had been organising a one-hour demonstration in front of the bank branches for the past few days. This would culminate in an all-India strike on August 9.

Road block

GULBARGA Aug. 3. Residents of Shivaji Nagar in Gulbarga on Tuesday staged a rasta roko disrupting vehicular traffic on Gulbarga-Bidar State Highway near Nehru Gunj demanding basic amenities for their locality.

In a memorandum addressed to the Gulbarga Mayor, Amrutrao Patil, which was submitted to the officials of the Gulbarga City Corporation, the residents complained about the lack of basic amenities such as link roads, street lights and drinking water. The memorandum said the approach road to Shivaji Nagar and other localities from the main road was in a bad condition and during the rainy season it was impossible for them to use that stretch. The Corporation officials have promised the residents that action will be taken in the matter.

Admissions begin

MYSORE AUG. 3. The management of JSS Mahavidyapeetha has started admissions to fill the management quota seats for MBBS and BDS courses for 2004-05 at JSS Medical College and JSS Dental College.

An official press release said the particulars of candidates selected merit-wise had been posted on the websites, www.jssmedicalcollege.org and www.jssdental.org

Celebrations

MYSORE AUG. 3. The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, will hoist the national flag at 9 a.m. at Chamundi Vihar stadium here on August 15 to mark the 58th Independence Day celebrations.

Later in the evening, cultural programmes will be held at Kalamandira.

The district administration has made arrangements for special buses to ply from Chamundi Vihar stadium and Kalamandira to residential extensions to ensure that more people participate in the Independence Day celebrations.

Protest march

Trust opened

Special lecture

It will be followed by the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Lecture on "Ambedkar and Phule" by Valerian Rodrigues, Professor of Political Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Talk on AIDS

MYSORE AUG. 3. Rotary Central Mysore has organised a talk by the Executive Director of Mysore zoo, Kumar Pushkar, on his visit to Canada to study wildlife conservation.

A press statement said the programme would be held at the Rotary West Association hall at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

Also, a talk had been organised on AIDS awareness and a general health check-up camp at Palahalli near Mysore at 3 p.m. on Thursday to mark the club's installation ceremony. Notebooks, pens, pencils, and slippers would be donated to schoolchildren to mark the event, it added.

Elected

MANGALORE AUG. 3. Vijay Vikrant Rai of Attavar in Mangalore has been elected organising secretary of the Mangalore city unit of National Students Union of India (NSUI), according to a press release here on Tuesday.

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