Belgaum

Belgum Next Agro produce Destination

2010-08-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

Belgaum is soon going to have major fod park comming up within City limits, Some of the palyers on launch mode are http://www.premiummarkets.in 60 Acres investment 110 crore, http://kulkarnifarmfresh.com/ 9 acres and FKL (Govt of Karnataka)44.5 crore on 100 acre land

State invites financial bids for setting up five food parks
Subrahmanyan Viswanath.Deccna Herald

Buttressing the truism Self Help is the Best Help, the State government has taken to development of food parks on its own as well.

With Global Investors Meet round the corner, the move could not have been initiated at a more appropriate moment. While those undertaken under Union Ministry of Food Industries’ initiative have no choice but to languish awaiting Centre’s benevolence, the State government is focusing on five new districts to carry forward its intent in right earnest.

In pursuance of this, the government, through Food Karnataka Limited (FKL), has called for request for proposal and submission of financial bids for setting up food parks in Belgaum, Bijapur, Davangere, Shimoga and Tumkur from prospective private players.

Common infrastructure

Official sources told Deccan Herald that these will form anchors in their respective districts to attract food processing industries to set up shop there. FKL, they said, will be engaged in facilitating acquisition of land. To be undertaken under public-private-partnership (PPP) model, these are to be implemented in two years time with all infrastructure and common facilities in place, they added.

The successful bidder is expected to put up necessary infrastructure and common facilities and market plots to industries engaged in food processing sector, sources said. The developer, they added, will also be responsible for maintenance and management of the park by forming a special purpose vehicle involving all stakeholders.

Furthermore, sources said, the developer/s, will be free to adopt his/their own strategy for pricing of plots, rentals and maintenance charges. The plots, they observed, could either be sold or leased to food processing players.

The Belgaum food park will come up on a 100 acre land, at an estimated cost of Rs 44.70 crore. It will engage in attracting processing activities of various types of fruits, vegetables for products like squashes & syrups, fruit bar, jams and jellies, banana powder, potato flakes & powder, ready-toi-eat curried vegetables, ketch-up and pickles among other items. The Bijapur food park will come up on a 80 acre plot, at an estimated cost of Rs 23.84 crore. It will promote wine production, processing of fruits such as pomegranate, mango, citrus, papaya et al.

The Davengere food park, to be located at Telgi Village, Harappanahalli Taluk, will come up on a 100 acre plot and is aimed rice and maize crops besides banana fruit.

Likewise, the Shimoga facility would come up at Sagane Village Nidhige Hobli, on a 100 acre plot. The cost of the two parks would be around Rs 60 crore and Rs 30 crore respectively. The Shimoga Park would be catering to those interested in processing fruits, vegetables and spices like ginger.

The Tumkur Food Park to be developed at a cost of Rs 60 crore on a 100 acre plot will come up Vasanth Narasarapura, located near National Highway 4 and near the Chennai-Bangalore-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. It will cater to groundnut, coconut, ginger, gherkin etc.

The New Look of Belgaum by Varun Verma

2010-07-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

We are Belgauites Mee Marathi, Naanu Kannadiga, Amche Belgaon , different langauge voices but hearts tune to city we belong and hence read the story coverage by Telegraph Calcutta/ Mrs Varun Verma

Politicians are working up a lather over whether or not Karnataka’s Belgaum should be merged with Maharashtra owing to its substantial Marathi population. But Varuna Verma finds the city indifferent to the controversy

The police lathicharge that happened in Belgaum two weeks ago took Uday Kinjawadekar by complete surprise. There was nothing new about the cops’ use of force. It was just that Uday Kinjawadekar, whose cloth shop is located one street away from Rani Chennamma Circle — where Belgaum’s political action happens — didn’t get a whiff of trouble. “Life went on as usual. I learnt about the lathicharge from television reports,” says Kinjawadekar, who also writes a news blog on Belgaum.

It’s ho-hum time in this North Karnataka town, where language and border have been cropping up as hot-button issues every now and then for the last four decades or so. Once again, Maharashtra politicians have been claiming rights to the region because of its majority Marathi-speaking population. Out of Belgaum’s present population of 9.57 lakh, 3.6 lakh are Marathi-speaking and three lakh are Kannada speaking. But Kinjawadekar feels that the border row is now only a political game. “A few people collect at Rani Chennamma Circle and make some noise. The rest of Belgaum goes about its business,” he says.

The border issue has clearly become a non-issue for the city’s residents. “The border problem blows up once in every five years. It’s like being visited by the flu,” says Nitin Khot, a former economist at the London School of Economics, who is now settled in the city.

In 2008, before the Karnataka assembly polls, the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies conducted a study on what the people of Belgaum felt about the border row. Only 41 per cent respondents had any knowledge about demands for merging Karnataka’s Marathi-speaking areas with Maharashtra — an indication that the linguistic divide had taken a backseat in the area.

“Three generations of Belgaum residents have wasted their time fighting a language-led war. Now, no one is interested in it,” says Rajiv Toppanov, president of a local political outfit, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV).

The talking point in Belgaum, instead, is its economic and infrastructure growth. The city is an old industrial hub — it has over 200 foundries, hydraulic and crankshaft units. It is within striking distance of three major export outlets — Bangalore, Mumbai and Goa. And, with three universities, seven engineering colleges, two medical colleges and 110 industrial training institutions, it’s an education destination. “Belgaum has industrial, educational and strategic advantages which it is now cashing in on,” believes Toppanov.Belgaum looks like a town in transition. A drive through the city is like sitting through a three-dimensional history lesson. The cantonment in Belgaum — which is home to several defence divisions — is dotted with sprawling, old British bungalows, with red tiled roofs, long drive-ways and gardens. Cross the Camp, as it is locally known, and the time zone suddenly changes. You enter a bustling Indian metropolis — with highrise residential apartments, a glass-facade luxury business hotel, a multi-specialty hospital, a mall and a multiplex.

Ingrid Yadav lives at Lakshmi Tek, a new residential colony being built adjoining the cantonment. Multistorey residential apartments are being frantically constructed on both sides of her cozy, yellow bungalow. Across the road, construction of a school is near completion.

Lakshmi Tek may be the new, happening address in town, but for Yadav it is still synonymous with open fields where she plucked wild flowers as a child. “In the last six years, the fields have vanished and houses have sprung up,” says Yadav, 54, who lives a retired life in her hometown.

There have been other developments as well. The Kapil theatre — where Yadav watched Rock Hudson films as a young girl — is now Nucleus Mall. Big Cinemas is starting a multiplex in it. A local construction company, Belavista, is building Belgaum’s first gated residential complex of row houses.

The information technology industry is also finding a foothold in Belgaum. When R.K. Patil sold his Bangalore-based IT start-up, Smart Yantra, in 2002, he wanted to try something new — not on the technology front but location-wise. “I wanted to work out of a Tier II town,” says Patil, who founded Vayavya Labs —which works in cutting-edge embedded systems technology — in Belgaum in 2004. The company won the Tata NEN Award for one of the hottest new start-ups two years ago. In the last five years, 15 IT companies have set up shop in the city.

Patil believes that Belgaum offers the ecosystem required for a global industry like IT to take off. “The city has a cosmopolitan culture, thanks to a large army presence and a high number of educational institutions. Also, there is a huge professional talent pool,” he explains.

Last year, Patil started an initiative — called ITBelgaum — to help the IT industry take root in the city. “We conduct seminars at local engineering colleges to inform students that IT exists in Belgaum and they don’t have to rush to Bangalore to find jobs,” says Patil. The forum is also asking the local manufacturing industry to use Belgaum-based software firms to cater to their IT needs.

In another part of the city, at the Servo Controls Aerospace office in Udyambag — Belgaum’s industrial area — prototypes of an aircraft wheel, actuators and valves line the conference room table. The company — which started out of a garage in Belgaum in 2002 — made the wheel for HAL’s Saras aircraft, sensors for the Chandrayaan moon mission and supplies valves for Airbus’s A-380 aircraft.

Servo Controls, which has a staff of 180 people, works like any global multinational, claims director Dinesh Dhadoti. “We have flexi-times and a hierarchy-free work environment,” he says.

Aerospace, clearly, looks set to take flight in the city. Aerospace engineering firm Quest Global Inc has built a 262-acre aerospace special economic zone (SEZ) on the outskirts of Belgaum. “The SEZ is expected to create 7,000 jobs,” says Basavaraj Sugandhi, manager, administration, Quest. The company already runs two units — with 200 employees — out of the SEZ.

As Belgaum grows, planned infrastructure development is becoming a focus area. Last month, KRV’s Toppanov set up a forum — called Belgaum Next — where any local can become a member and give suggestions on building a better Belgaum. “We are holding a conference next month, where we will discuss issues such as water, power, transport, sanitation and building smart communities,” says Toppanov, adding that the forum has 1,000 members.

Belgaum’s old communities are clearly making space for a new way of life. The 100-year-old MK Swamy Bakery — the oldest in town — is testimony to this. The old-world bakery building — with its red-tiled roof and heavy wooden doors — looks straight out of a book on British history.

But the bakery is a modern-day confectionary connoisseur’s delight — stocking everything from tetra pack milk, brown bread to mozzarella cheese. “In the last 10 years, we have gone from selling 19 items to 216 items,” says Satyan Swamy, the third-generation owner of the bakery.

Like his bread, Belgaum is rising. But not in the way some politicians want it to. The rise is up the ladder of success.

Discriminatory policy of State Government

2009-11-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

Aerospace park planned near Bangalore airport
Thursday, 12 Nov, 2009
Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has acquired land for the proposed 1,000-acre aerospace park to be developed near the international airport at Devanahalli in Bangalore. The park will include an aviation MRO-related activities (maintenance, repair, overhaul) and 250 acre of an export-oriented aerospace SEZ. The SEZ is to be developed by KIADB and is expected to become operational from June 2010.

The above piece of news was in highlights along the launch of India’s first Aerospace SEZ QUEST at Belgaum. There is a loud noise on decongestion of Bangalore, A government committee for regional imbalance, spreading evenly industries across the state. Then Why today such extra announcements? Why can’t an Government Aerospace Park shapes up near Belgaum ? Belagum can have Public sector players such as HAL and NAL. This is utter case of discrimination against Belgaum development rising to competition with in the state; I bet they will sell land at very cheaper rate to attract foreign establishment and the land would remain for long periods vacant, but QUEST is much organized so will thrive up and flourish better.
Belgaum best suits for MRO facilities, the government has already paid the farmers in Sambra and Balekundri for additional 370 acres of land acquired around airport the present Airport is on 450 acres of land, Why not develop MRO at Belgaum The MRO (Maintain Repair Overhaul) just need some additional ware housing some new siding bays and hangers along with additional taxi way. Belgaum Airport is situated out of city the place is already a semi sub urban part with cosmopolitan crowd of Defense establishment and being having good scope of Academic thrust of some new collages coming up in the area.
Present Belgaum Airport

It had happened in past with Belgaum a thriving hub of auto component sector and back bone for Pune auto ancillaries, till date haven’t got an automobile plant or industry though one got sanction was driven away by Greedy MP’s and MLA’s of Dharwad/Hubli what are we waiting for more projects to get eyewash and missed out or driven away.
This is how MRO would be based here

This is how it would look like

Now you all think over How should be the government Policies should be discriminatory like this or prove voice of equality towards the entire state, where are the people/Politicians /Think tanks who calls for fight on injustice to north Karnataka and are mum today, besides have forgotten the support garnered for SWR railway head quarter at Hubli. Is not Belgaum In North Karnataka didn’t we fight then for this cause, though pity we still have not got Dharwad Belgaum rail line and trains to capital city of Bangalore, and Bangalore Mysore line is taken up for doubling.
My anguish is over this attitude of government towards Belgaumites as second class citizen and time has come to ask them to stop this Let me see after reading this, How many voices will be rising , and more importantly Who will hear it, will it go through MPs MLA and Official dignitaries of Belgaum .
Make a difference for living in this society (though bounded by Linguistic territorial boundaries) We do are much dignified, cannot be ignored!!!!

Quest Belgaum and Sambra Airport

2009-11-15T01:05:00.000-08:00

QUEST Belgaum Launch Thumps UP ,but Down with Short sighted Belgaum MP’s MLA and the government

It was real good news for Belgaum on Quest launch with headlines in leading news papers, opening window of opportunity for future development of this place, but there are few every opening facts which I believe must shown to the world .

The good thing

1) Quest I going to create 7000 jobs in near future at Belgaum
2) New MNC SABCA Belgium, FARIAN France and Magellan (In fact Magellan is already had started the establishment,
3) Restoration of Air service in next three months

The third point I have some reservation about load factor , it is true we had no much load factor on Bangalore sector but there was enough manageable load on Mumabi Belgaum sector, but still why did government curtailed services and forced to keep Bangalore Belgaum sector open. Why did Belgaum doesn’t get a cross sector flight as that of Hubli , such as Bangalore Mumbai via Belgaum sector, with these kind of load factor shared the airline doest loose income, why two yard sticks for Belgaum and Hubli, my assessment for last four years is Belgaum Mumbai sector load factor was 87% so how can this be low pax sector. Why is state government is more interested in keeping a via Air service in Hubli and not in Belgaum.

The short sightedness of MP’s MLA of Belgaum and state government, on Such a big launch event none of them thought of potential of Belgaum to be one f the MRO (Maintenance Repair Overhauling) base in future, they can still justify the acquiring of 350 acre of land for Airport expansion,

The bad one
Some facts on Belgaum Airport on land acquisition

Some comments from belgaumite called Jagidsh Sheety ( or may be Jagdish setter) (Who this person I don’t know an what he know but the local topography and people) is being lot published on “Why govt acquired fertile land”, let me tell you about this so called place Sambra Airport Area , the farmers are already being selling land to private developers on higher cost (the recent one being Mantri developers) so when it comes to giving to government they start knowing about its fertility , I myself owe three plots on such so called fertile land till date in Balemkundri Pant nagar and Sambra , and out of which I have already constructed a house as well, The factor here is not at all about fertility or loss of livelihood , most of these farmers have very small land holding average of 3 acres per family individual, and selling land for plot development is big bucks then acquiring from government on fixed rate, so the matter is finally about greed .

Some light on Naval Stock and base repair depot , it is much genuine if defense establishment acquire these land , why should on have objection on country security.

Well I just share my thoughts otherwise I still see a ray of growth no matter what the farmers fight for or the politicians fix the rates or private developers vow these village folks with greed lurking out of their mouth,

A developed Belgaum is my entire dream

Generation Self Own Entrepreneurs

2009-09-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

The Below story in less no ordinary since it inspires one to be an entrepreneur and how to be on self , well this is what a corporate India is heading to and none the less RK Patil CEO of Belgaum based Vyavya Labs has already taken th lead

BANGALORE: With the wait for jobs getting longer, the number of B-school graduates turning to start-ups is also increasing. A first-year student at
IIM Bangalore launched a start-up called NextGen this year which deals in clean technology. NextGen recently bagged clean technology projects from the ministry of renewable energy and Yes Bank and companies like Intel, Infosys, MindTree, and now boasts of presence in Singapore and Portugal.

“There is a lot of pressure on companies to go green and reduce the carbon footprint. We are now working on a biogas plant based on food wastes to produce fuel. IISc is helping us in this and we are setting up a pilot project in BITS Pilani and on the Intel campus,” said the 22-year-old student. “Although the primary objective is to make money, there is also the need to create sustainable sources of energy for rural areas.”

Eximus, an entrepreneurship summit held in IIM Bangalore which focussed on start-ups this year, saw around 1,500 registrations. Some 300 IIM students applied for business plans and some 25 venture capitalists showed interest to participate. Close to 120 IIM students applied to get live projects from start-ups, said Sabyasachi Senapati, senior co-ordinator, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cell, and an IIM-B student.

Start-ups like 8KMiles are willing to give live projects dealing in cost-effective and secure outsourcing of software done online to prospective entrepreneurs while Justbooks, which promotes e-books, is willing to award projects to understand the impact of digitisation of music and film industry and draw parallels to digitisation of books.

Similarly, projects from Vyavya Labs, headquartered in Belgaum, touch on engineering services and how to take semiconductor and embedded software products to the market in a short time. Lawrence Dale, based in Ooty, offers expertise on ways to optimise real estate space and farms to increase cash flow.

First-year IIM-B student Abhinav Jain, 24, is one of the students attending an interview to get the live project as he wants to launch a start-up in the technology space. “The idea is to understand how start-ups work, know the challenges and how to interact with potential clients,” said Mr Jain. Kanchan Mishra, 24, another first-year IIM-B student is also interested to get hooked to start-ups.

“Students want live projects. Crederety, an identity and credentials verification service start-up incubated in Wharton Business School, will award live projects to students on the market entry strategy for the Indian market,” she said.

“This clearly indicates that there is growing interest in start-ups. The Eximus programme is a students’ initiative,” said A Suryanarayanan, COO, NS Raghavan Centre of Entrepreneurial Learning. “To start an entrepreneurial journey, all you need is an idea,” Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, founder and CMD of Biocon said while addressing entrepreneurs at IIM-B.

Sourec http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Belgaum’s growing Technological profile, Why IIT Belgaum still far ?

2009-08-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

In the recent past at Belgaum two new Engineering collages took shape, SCET ( Shaikh Collage of Engineering and Technology)of PEST Education Society and SGBT Shri S.G. Balekundri collage of Engineering taking the total number of engineering collages to five in the city The new generation of talent pool is taking shape in the little known city of Belgaum to the real world outside.

The IIT Belgaum demand has submerged somewhere not known Why? Just in wait and what next to happen. The Belgaumites are yet to be awakened, and the sorry state of our elected representatives goes as usual.

The area near Buthramatti is growing more out of an educational township since many collage is housing up here and even the MLA who’s soul had woken up for IIT Belgaum suggested the same area.

Now from here where would we go ? When is the reality of Veer Rani Chanamma University would be taking shape and if so in near future, will it still have the same shabby old building , I though believe there is no derth of architects to design an University in Belgaum with both modern and historic blends to shape it off.

On The VTU as I wrote about its name sake survival in Belgaum before and both the center of excellence of VTU been developed in Mysore and Bangalore, where international collaboration were involved , do we prefer to get the same no-preferential and discriminatory treatment from state government to come in near future , “If NO” then I appeal first the Belgaumites and our elected representatives and finally the State government to stop enough unfair treatment to Belgaum and get on with sanction of IIT at Belgaum immediately, and none the less even relocate the center of excellence back to Belgaum at VTU Premises.

Whats More Belgaum is One up for IIT MLA support count up from all sides

2009-07-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

BJP MLA drums up support for IIT in Belgaum
Source: www.indianexpress.com

ArunFirst Published : 21 Jul 2009 03:46:00 AM ISTLast Updated :

BANGALORE: Union Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Veerappa Moily may want to express gratitude to his voters of Chikballapur parliamentary constituency by establishing an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) there.

But the legislators in Karnataka, cutting across party lines, have a different desire.

They want the new IIT to be established in Belgaum, the second capital of Karnataka. They have already begun lobbying to have the IIT in the foundry city and have roped in even parliamentarians from Maharashtra and Goa for support.

Abhay Kumar Patil, MLA from Belgaum South Assembly segment, has already obtained signatures of 126 MLAs and 12 ministers from Karnataka.

Eight MPs from Maharashtra and two MPs from Goa have already promised support for the cause.

Patil, who has already hosted three meetings in Belgaum in this regard, is involving retired and working scientists, professors and heads of all educational institutions, including VTU, in addition to the people’s representatives in his efforts.

Next week, a delegation of likeminded people will meet Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to apprise him about the necessity of having an IIT in Belgaum and to convince him to take a delegation to Union Minister for Human Resources Kapil Sibal, in this matter next month.

The delegation plans to ask for defence research as one of the subjects to be taught at the planned IIT there, since Belgaum has a defence base and that subject is not taught in any other IIT.

Bangalore is already overcrowded with research institutions.

So it is essential to decentralise the system, it is felt.

Since other major cities Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad already have enough institutions, it is the turn of Belgaum to have an IIT, Patil argues.

Once an IIT is established in Belgaum, it will have all the potential to grow faster, since it will have feeder educational institutions from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa states.

Belgaum is located at the centre for these states.

Belgaum has good connectivity by road, by air, by sea and by rail.

There are seven engineering, two medical and 3,200 other educational institutions in Belgaum district alone.

Patil pointed out that Belgaum was next to Bangalore in exporting goods to other countries.

Automobile spares, garments and aluminium powder from Belgaum are exported to many European countries, he added.

Moreover, there is 2,300 acres of government land available at Suttagatti in Belgaum, out of which 800 acres can be given to the IIT immediately, goes the argument in favour of Belgaum.

IIT Belgaum……. would it be a near Reality !!!

2009-07-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

The strength of Unity never die or fail, for the first time in Belgaum all the eighteen MLA and and two MPs and our industry bigwigs have come together and forged an alliance for further proceedings of establishment of IIT Belgaum .Thanks to MLA Mr Abhay Patil who has taken the lead for this.

Like VTU though head quartered in Belgaum its center of excellence like Tool room R & D center and E learning studio is based in Mysore , Belgumites must not be discriminated any more and we should have full fledge IIT here at Belgaum. In past when Mr Mahima Patel was in H D Kumarswamys ministry at Delhi brought up the opening of International American university from USA at Belgaum but it never materialized. Hubli Dharwad got IITB Banglore branch, Gulbarga got Central University and Bangaluru have IISC, so It is Belgaum to have IIT now.

Belgaum which is an distinguished place for its industrial strata and acquired global accolades in industrial revolution from starting of Hydraulics to Coach building has got a very valid stand for ITT to be established soon here.

Most prominent personalities of City from Industries , Educational establishment came together and presented and shared information and further road map for establishment of Belgaum IIT which includes , Industrialist Mr.Sudhir Dharekar , Mr Vinay Jathar Mr Vitthal Hegde, Mr Naryan Pai Mr Vishal Hangirkar and Educationalists ,Former IIT Prof Dr Joshi Mr Kori from VTU , KLE Principal Dr S.S. Pilly GIT Principal Dr..D. H. Rao BBCI President Mr .B. Kaggangi. The meeting took place at Hotel Panhmukhi resort in Belgaum.

Support form neighboring states too poured in, Two MPs from Goa & MLAs from Maharashtra mainly Kolhapur district have come forward in their interest and support for establishment of Belgaum IIT. I wish Mr Bommi district in charge Minister for Belgaum support this as well and stand by Belgaumites and why not ? I will benefit North Karnataka also I wish all Belgaumites and people from North Karnataka would be happy on IIT Belgaums establishment soon.

Source : Extracts from Tarun Bharat

Railways in Belgaum a wishes of Belgaumites

2009-07-03T02:11:00.000-07:00

Belgaumites Railway needs. Why Blame Momtaa Diii

An unheard protest recently took place at Basavan Bagewadi station where Belgaum Miraj Passenger train was held up for half an hour. The youth here were asking for up gradation of platform and facilities at Bagewadi station and very importantly they also submitted a demand list including Belgaum Dharwad direct railway line immediately. Our District in charge Minister from Hubli Mr Bommi (Good for Nothing) visited Belgaum recently just to pass by to see whats happening on Kalsa Banduri project , because this is going to supply water to Hubli Dharwad , what is good for then being Palak Mantri.

I would wish to throw some light on whole issue

Are Belgaumites so dumb and careless that we can just go away with “Kisko kya padai hai” and “aree chalta hai chalne do”. Should we not have bigger aspiration for citys development

Even Bagalkot and Bijapur cites with least than 2 Lakhs of population have trains connecting Bangalore, and for We Belgaumites a BIG NOTHING!!!! , are we all not responsible for this NOTHING!!!
The railway budget has nothing for Belgaum this time as our urges and requirements were never carried forward in parliament thorough our elected representative.

Think !!! Some benefits of Belgaum Dharwad rail line become reality

Reduction of travel time and access to Historical sites of Kittur, bringing this place on Deccan Odyssey network.
Few trains can Originate form Belgaum towards Bangalore
Belgaum Bangalore Intercity express
Belgaum Kittur Dharwad Hubli (intercity express and passenger trains )
Belgaum Hubli Bangalore Chennai Express
Belgaum Mysore Express
Belgaum Kochiveli Express
Belgaum Gadag Express
Belgaum Solhapur
Belgaum Vijaywada
Slip Coaches for Vasco Howrah Express to Londa
Slip coaches for Hydrabad to Hubli
Slip coaches for Madgaon to connect Mandovi express to Mumbai
Slip coaches for Madgaon to connect Konkan Kanya express to Mumbai

This line should be doubled and become trunk route in Karnataka till Bangalore.

Well there are infrastructure facilities required which need immediate consideration for all the above things to happen

Marshalling yard at Sambra station for gods train
Pit lines for siding of trains at Belgaum
Fourth platform on the southern end of Belgaum giving better access to people coming
form south suburb of city
Second foot over bridge.
Well this my dream and wish though staying abroad and looking one day Belgaum could have it all soon , and sure will happen some day but We Belgaumites need to thrive for it , I request some prominent citizen of Belgaum to become Member for Rail user committee and attend meeting at SWR HQ Hubli and have our say. Meet our public representative to put forward proposals and requests which I had posted along with Uday on Belgaum Railway development

Industrial Plans for Belgaum

2009-06-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

The below recent statements is about industrial plan for Karnataka in genrel and Belgaum in perticular. May I request Hon Minister Mr. Nirani to be focused on overal development of region and look forward for Belgaum's development mainly in infrastructural capabilities, such as Belgaum Dharwad Railway line and Belgaum Bagalkot and Raichur , well Goa Belgaum road four laning is in [rogress , a new Karnataka quadrilatiral , connecting Banglaore Chitradurga Gulbarga Bijapur Belgaum Karwar Mangalore Mysore is alos an imminent need.

Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), KPMG, Infrastructure Development Corporation Karnataka Ltd (iDeCK) and IDBI are among the 19 companies that have evinced interest in providing consultancy services to Karnataka on developing the proposed industrial corridors along National Highways 4 and 17 to attract investment and create employment opportunities for people in North Karnataka.

According to Murugesh Nirani, Karnataka’s minister for large and medium industries, the industrial corridors will be developed on the public-private partnership model.
Recently, the state government had invited an expression of interest from reputed consultancy firms to prepare detailed project report and advise the state government on the model to execute the new industrial corridor projects.
“Apart from these two Indian companies we have also received a proposal from an internationally-reputed foreign agency to participate in the project. We are evaluating their proposals and will soon finalise the bids,” Nirani told Business Standard.
The industrial corridors are planned along the Chennai-Mumbai national highways via Bangalore, Davanagere, Hubli, Belgaum and Pune. Cities falling on the National Highways NH-4 and NH-17 like Bangalore to Belgaum will be developed as a major corridor and Bangalore to Bidar on NH-17, Shimoga to Davanagere and Shimoga to Mangalore. It has been planned to create industrial townships in seven sectors like steel, cement, textile, automobile, food processing, oil & chemicals and fertiliser.
The minister said cement industries will be encouraged in Gulbarga, Bagalkot and Chitradurga, iron and steel industries in Bellary, Koppal and Tumkur. Automobile industries will be promoted in Belgaum, Hubli and Mysore. Meanwhile, Bangalore will be promoted further as a preferred destination for information technology and biotechnology, electronics and general engineering. He said, basic infrastructure will be upgraded in these cities to enable industry to progress. Star category industries will be provided facilities including residential townships and other infrastructure.
In addition, Nirani said centres of horticulture like Bagalkot, Bijapur, Belgaum, Shimoga districts could have food processing units.
A foundry zone will be developed in Belgaum. The government is in the process of identifying 500 acres on the outskirts of Belgaum for the proposed foundry park. Land acquisition is in progress, he said.
Nirani said the government will also complete the land acquisition process before holding the long-pending Global Investors Meet (GIM) in Bangalore in December.
The GIM will be held in December this year. The government is in the process of finalising the knowledge partner, event partner and media partner for the event.

Quest Building Up and Going

2009-03-28T02:03:00.000-07:00

Quest is on schedule the entrance gate and warehouse, workshop structure is already built, the recent tie-up during Aero India 2009, Bangalore, with Textron System Inc has further boosted Quest global reach and mark. below is the recent pic taken from Quest website.

Belgaum Brightner Basavraj Bogoni

2009-01-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

Mr Basavraj Bogoni of Belgaum bagged three gold medals in Geology , He confered Post grsaduation MSc at Karnataka University , He is former student of G S S collage Belgaum ,

Keep it up Basavraj , we all Belgaumites owe you with Pride and honour, All the Best .

Valuable thoughts

2009-01-05T03:38:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers I would like to share a letter sent to me, It really means and worth a well-off words not just for we NRI's but for every fellow Belgaumties and All Indians too.

Dear Satish, I am an NRI, worry for my country, I am sending the following thoughts, which I feel is must to save our next generations.

I think a thorough cleansing is needed in our system, right from thinking level to attitude of every individual. Some new era, or new air has to be in our system.We need to have the value based education system, and philosophy in our education.These are the main factors which are lagging in us, thus resulting into crimes, underdeveloped status, and loss making. Why are we deprived of basic needs such as water, roads, electricity (since 30 years+). Plus behavior, attitude, all are reaching to alarming state. We are under false illusion that we are developed, in what?? Is there any solution? Yes we have, Allow NRIs, clean professionals to be as a part of the system and see the improvement. All our leaders are either criminals, or money busters. Can you show a single leader who can really worry about our people and motherland? Stop this idiotic system, develop a think tank party and admit only leaned, NRIs and professionals with zero crimes, and see the difference. In Singapore, if a person is graduated from the top University, Government will invite and provide a MP seat, can we do it by providing a corporate seat atliest?
We worry about a lot in language issues, but language is a code our ancestors developed to communicate, but what we are doing? fight for language, blacken the boards written in Kannada/Marathi. Is it not an attitude problems? Has any party fought for drinking water, unemployment, roads or hunger. But they fight for language, temples, religion? Are we not idiots and ignorant fools? What is the difference between other underdeveloped countries and us? we are all more or the less same right? THUS WE NEED A CLEANSING.

Facelift for Belgaum railway station

2008-12-22T03:03:00.000-08:00

Dear all
Me and Uday have earlier proposed a roadmap for Belgaum's Railway development, the below post from The Hindu only has given info on infrasturtre of building or the station , actually Belgaum need to be a junction , a new line between Belgaum and Dharwad, and Belgaum Bagalkote and Richur has to be laid. This would cover a lot of areas in Karnataka and other important cities of near by states, unfortunately on this issue very less people are making efforts for Locals MPs and MLAs to look forward .

Belgaum: The Belgaum railway station will soon get a facelift. Praveen Kumar, General Manager, South Western Railway, laid the foundation stone for a station building here on Sunday. Divisional Railway Manager of Hubli Division, Adesh Sharma; Principal Chief Engineer of SWR D.G. Diwate and other senior officials from the division were present.

According to Mr. Sharma, the Railway Ministry accorded approval to construct the station building at an estimated cost of Rs.3.67 crore. City-based consultant M/s. Creators have designed the blueprint.

Facilities

As per the plan, apart from construction of the station building, three buildings of two storeys each will be constructed for passenger reservation system (PRS) with adequate parking space, subways, foot overbridges, general waiting hall, ladies waiting hall, A.C. waiting hall, food court and restaurant, space for stalls, , pay and use toilets, retiring room and dormitory on the first floor, segregation of utility services from passenger area, portico with six lanes for vehicles, segregated pedestrian zone and adequate space for greenery.

The Source The Hindu dated 21 Dec 2008

First SAP Training e-Academy in North Karnataka

2008-12-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

V3It is an centre of excellence for SAP, It imparts training in SAP exclusively at Belgaum, The great feature of this Academy is , It is an all women enterprise start-up from USA to India

Below are the courses offered

SAP Modules that we currently offer:
• SAP -ABAP• SAP - SD
• SAP – FI • SAP - MM
• SAP – CO• SAP - HR
• SAP - PP• SAP - Enterprise Portal
• SAP - XI• BPERP

Further you can contact the following address

Muralidhara Gachi
9739174216
V3iT Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
5& 6, “Amantran Arcade”
Khanapur Road, Tilakwadi,
Belgaum 590 006
Ph: 0831- 2480749.

Belgaum Task Force for beautification and cleanliness

2008-10-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Belgaumites,

Belgaum is going to have a task force for beautification and cleanliness, I would appeal you all to put in your valuable comments information or even pictures which would help the government bodies to look up on and do the needful, this task force should be people driven,should be propogated to collages youth forums and I request all Belgaumites from respective areas need to put in their comments, picture and valuable thoughts to enhance the effectivness of the task force, the future movement should be based on Peoples agendas.

I have few comments to share and apply

All the boards should be in Kannada, Marathi and English, because Belgaum is a cosmopolitan city, I appeal KRV activist to respect value for living and respect for Human beings and Belgaumites, Respect for your fellow neighbors no matter Who they are Kannada Marathi Urdu or any other language.

The fort at Belgaum entrance is at Mess create a small city private terminal for Buses and with proper infrastructure like landscape garden and also the small dwellers hawkers can have galas with much better waste disposal facility, who are now encroaching the road side areas at Bus stand .

The Belgaum bus stand need to be revived, Move the divisional workshop (Main depot no 1) to outskirts and expand the bus station with more platforms. Connect an foot over bridge with city bus station.

BUDA should take control of uneven growth of New Gandhi nagar towards Railway track. and make a proper plan for sanitation and water, draining.

Float a green earth policy, plant at least one tree a month in your locality , have public youth forums in doing so.

Move the illegal vegitable wholesale market near fort and one behind Sankam residencey to APMC, with proper infrastructure or to the Proposed Food and agriculture park at Belgaum.

The Vaccine Depot is being created into natures paradise add up recreation facilities for children like toy train and boating, bird watching.

We have good number of MLA’s and MP’s but Belgaum Gokak road, which starts from Mahantesh Nagr is in total mess the Belgaum task force should see to make four lane city access road till Ramteerth or Ashte.

The Belgaum city cantonment should double the road with divider between, Sanchayani circles to Station cross. And also should be come part of this task force.

So Friends whatever I knew being away from Belgaum for last fifteen years have shared , but there much more active people have knowledge and info pertaining to their respective areas and also nitty gritties of their localities so do come forward share and we would take them to government bodies, I 100% aliases with my blog buddy Uday for his Brand Belgaum concept and I hope it would start from here.

Regards

Satish Kumar

Global Accolades for Quest Belgaum

2008-10-15T02:50:00.000-07:00

Frost & Sullivan Honours QuEST Global for Its Exceptional Competitive Strategy Leadership
Source:http://www.frost.com.

Last update: 1:30 p.m. EDT Oct. 13, 2008
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct 13, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The 2008 Competitive Strategy Leadership Award for Global Commercial Aviation Suppliers Based in India is presented to QuEST Global. The company's successful venture into manufacturing aero structures, aero engine parts and sub-assemblies for aerospace Tier 1 suppliers and OEM's has been followed by an exciting venture -- the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Belgaum (India) for precision engineering. This strategy aims at optimally capitalizing on the opportunities in the aerospace sector, while catering to the complete aerospace supply chain on a long term basis.
"The precision engineering SEZ being promoted by QuEST Global will provide best-in-class facilities and infrastructure for the global aerospace industry," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst John Siddharth. "The SEZ, set to be operational by year end, is spread over 300 acres and will provide an ecosystem for OEMs, their suppliers, all ancillary and related end user industries to set up precision manufacturing and engineering units."
The SEZ will have a direct impact on the supply chain of the Indian aerospace industry. Currently, the industry is segmented. The SEZ aims at creating a complete supply chain for both the Indian as well as the global aerospace industry. It will act as a platform for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India.
The SEZ is strategically located and offers greater scope for expansion. It has access to a large talent pool of machinists. Belgaum, in the state of Karnataka (India), is a Tier-III city, and development/expansion in Tier-III cities is typically easier, less expensive and less cumbersome. Moreover, the SEZ is close to three sea ports and is linked to key cities through major highways. Belgaum also has an airport of its own, besides 2 other airports within 90 minutes drive.
Till date, four units catering to various areas of the aerospace supply chain have initiated the setting up their operations in the SEZ. QuEST Global is planning to double the size of the SEZ based on the growth needs of the companies.
QuEST Global is working with Aerospace OEM's and Tier-1's that are looking to globalize their supply chain to leverage the aerospace precision engineering ecosystem, by establishing facilities in the SEZ. QuEST Global is, itself, expanding its precision machining activities in the SEZ, and is also setting up a special processing company as a joint venture called Aerospace Processing India (API) with Magellan Aerospace. In addition, there will be a sheet metal unit and an engineering design unit in the SEZ.
"The strategic advantage of having players across the value chain in aerospace manufacturing in the SEZ, would be the amount of time saved for logistics, which is highly time consuming in the case of aerospace systems and assemblies," remarks Siddharth. "Since each unit in the SEZ would be a specialist in their own segment, this presents a win-win situation."
Importantly, the SEZ will allow QuEST Global to offer complete design to build services, right from the concept to the finished product that can be used to build an aircraft. This is a unique offering from QuEST Global that is set to gain widespread appeal in the aerospace industry, as companies consolidate their supply chain and look for more value-add from their suppliers.
QuEST Global has been growing substantially, with year on year growth averaging nearly 45 per cent over the last 3 years. In 2008-2009, QuEST Global is anticipating an over 75 per cent growth in revenues. On completion of the SEZ, the company's overall growth is set to rise more rapidly than the current rate.
The Frost & Sullivan Award for Competitive Strategy Leadership is presented to the company whose competitive strategy has yielded significant gains in market share during the research period. Often, the recognised company has taken advantage of recent market changes that facilitate the introduction of never-before seen methods of capturing and solidifying market presence. Alternatively, the Award recipient may have executed an innovative strategy within the existing competitive landscape, empowering the company to overtake the competition. In either case, the company captures the attention of the competition, which quickly adjusts in order to protect its own market position. Frost & Sullivan analysts expect such innovations to produce lasting, precedent-setting trends in the industry.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.
About QuEST Global
QuEST Global is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. The company helps customers in the aerospace, power generation, oil & gas, civil structures, industrial products, and transportation verticals to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity and maximize engineering resources availability by providing support across the complete product life cycle from design and modelling through analysis, prototyping, automation, data documentation, instrumentation and controls, embedded systems development, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework and our on-site/off-shore/on-shore models, we leverage our local presence and global reach to support globalization initiatives for our customers. QuEST Global employs over 1500 people and has delivery centres in India, USA, Italy, Japan and footprints in UK, Germany, France, Spain and China. For more information, visit http://www.quest-global.com.

Will Belgaum miss the car plant

2008-10-05T11:24:00.001-07:00

Belgaum ideal for Nano plant

2,611 acres of land available at Vantamuri’Belgaum has good infrastructure, says Abhay Kumar Patil, MLA

Tata Motors can take a look at an “ideal site” in Belgaum before taking any decision on relocating its Nano car manufacturing plant said Mr.patil.

Belgaum, which had moderate and pleasant climate, was ideal for the plant. Belgaum had infrastructure such as airport, railway station, and express highway (NH 4), and Goa port was just 150 km away.
The city had well-established industries, including those manufacturing automobile components, and skilled work force.
Belgaum Chamber of Commerce and Industry would extend its support to Tata Motors if it established its car manufacturing plant in Belgaum.

A proposal to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa stating that there was 2,611 acres of government revenue land in and around Vantamuri in Belgaum and Hukkeri taluks, part of which could be given to Tata Motors to establish its car manufacturing plant.

This blog was the first one to mention about Nano being getting out of Bengal and may be it will come to Dharwad, but it seems to be making its way to Gujrat as of now. I would request all the Members of the chambers and the MLA to call on the Tatas directly to come and see the place. Now they will give a memorandum to the CM, then the CM will look at it and by this time the Nano will come out on the road from the Gujrat factory.

We need to be very reactive and urgency in action is required, I Guess.
Source The Hindu

Belgaum did not miss the BUS

2008-09-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

TATA Motors TELCON was planned at Belgaum but was successfully and smartly driven away to Dharwad by so called fight for North Karnataka kind of politicians from Hubli-Dhawad , but Belgaum’s legacy of being birth place of hydraulics and pioneer in Body building activity reaping its fruit in recent past.

Thanks to The proprietors Mohan V Kamat and Vijay R Kamat have tremendous experience in this business, who came up with their proposal for establishing the plant in Belgaum the plants total capacity is of 10,000 vehicles per annum.

MG-Alma Motors , Hyderabad based company has established its plant and assembly line unit at Belgaum.
The company is specializes in coach buildings of Military Luxury standard and executive coaches on Leyland chassis. The company also makes interior FRP fabs for coaches.

In years to come Belgaum will regain its glory of being the mother of ancillary units.

Tallest Buildings in North Karnatka @ Belgaum

2008-08-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

BIMS Belgaum Institute of medical Science will house two G+8 stored buildings (Hostel and Quarters for Medical Freternity the main collage building will be of G =5 .

Soon so can we say that Belgaum is getting ready for skyscrapersas in the recent times Belgaum has already hit the real estate boom and many big wig real estate companies have already brought larger stakes of land for future development ,

Photo courtesy Tarun Bhart http://www.tarunbharat.com/

Photo courtesy MY Blog Buddy Uday K http://www.belgaumblog.com/

New IT parks for Belgaum and Hubli

2008-08-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

Well before you will read the below post, I have the latest update on Belgaum IT park by KSSIA (Karnataka State Small Industry Association) . This park is yet to take shape , the total area is about 41 Acres next to Belgaum Golf academy at Desur , the plot cost may vary and approximately will go for 2 lakhs per gunta, there are four international companies on whose behalf I had approached the Jt Director and the office in charge , he even gave update on Waghwade IT park of 150 acres with earth station from STPI is yet to take shape.

The KASSIA IT park will only sell plots where as the Waghwade IT park will have some added facilities, such as Banks , Government clearing agencies and international convention centre, unfortunately the IT park at Waghwade is gone into rough weather due to villagers and few politicians had in hand.

Now Hon Minister Mr Katta Subramanya Naidu announces 200 acres of new IT park for Belgaum and 500 acres for Hubli , I don’t know what will materialise of these loose talks when the commitments of earlier announcements have not been met,

The time will tell whether we are going to see more of such announcements or realty taking shape.

Source :Times of India
7 Aug 2008
BANGALORE: The IT City will soon have another IT park, but with a difference. The 2,000-acre facility housing IT, BT, hardware, nano and aviation industries, will come up not on a single piece of contiguous land but will be more like a chain of industrial areas linked by good roads. It will be set up under the public private partnership (PPP) mode. IT-BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu told reporters here on Wednesday that such an effort will not only retain industries in Bangalore, but also invite more industries to the city. “We have received several requests for large tracts of land by many industries. This project will fulfil all their needs,’’ Naidu said. According to him, the government plans to drop the process of compulsory land acquisition for this park and explore other options. A smaller IT and small and micro industries park will come up in Bangalore on a 25-acre area. Nearly 300 firms have already submitted requests for land in the park. It will be taken up under the PPP model by the state-run electronic industries corporation Keonics. The state also plans to set up a 500-acre IT park in Hubli and a 200-acre IT park in Belgaum. The minister has already met representatives of the chambers of commerce and industries from Hubli and Belgaum. “IT parks will also come up in other tier-II cities like Shimoga, Gulbarga, Mangalore and Mysore. The state is considering a request by Wipro technologies for a 100-acre land in Mysore for a faculty training university,’’ he said.

EADS Joins Quest Belgaum's clientale list

2008-07-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

QuEST qualified to provide services to EADS

Source:business-india-news

July 14 2008
Mumbai, Jul 14: Bangalore/Belgaum-based outsourced engineering services and manufacturing provider QuEST has become the first Indian private sector player qualified to offer end-to-end solutions to European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) companies.
The company is now positioned to support projects initiated by EADS, Airbus, Eurocopter and their Tier-I and II suppliers in their globalisation initiatives with its end-to-end engineering services and manufacturing offerings, said a release here today.The company had earlier received Airbus' approval for engineering services and manufacturing to support the various current and upcoming Airbus programmes, and was recently awarded the EADS E2S preferred supplier status for engineering services. It also holds the AS 9100 certification received for engineering services and manufacturing practices and is licensed to carry export controlled work in the US.The compnay is setting up an aerospace supply chain eco-system in its Special Economic Zone (SEZ), spread over 250 acres at Belgaum in North Karnataka, which would enable the company to supply fully finished aerospace components and sub-assemblies from India, added the release.

The Large and Medium Industries Department on Monday cleared 65 investment proposals

2008-07-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Investments worth Rs. 1,065 crore in the State cleared

Source: www.thehindu.net

BANGALORE: The Large and Medium Industries Department on Monday cleared 65 investment proposals worth Rs. 1,065 crore in the State.
Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries Murugesh R. Nirani told presspersons on Monday that all proposals were below Rs. 50 crore, and they were in the field of information technology, hospital, tourism, automobile, pharmaceutical and engineering sectors.
The projects would provide 29,024 jobs after their completion. The investors had shown interest in Tier II cities such as Belgaum, Mangalore, Hubli-Darwad, Mysore and Davangere, he said.
Karnataka Udyog Mitra would clear investment proposals of Rs. 1,000 crore every month.

Belgaum, Mangalore and Gulbarga to get police commissionerates

2008-07-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

Although Belgaum have The North Range Headquarter headed by IG level officer, The commissionerates will be added feather in cap.

Source : http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/01/stories/2008070157790400.htm
BANGALORE: The new Director-General and Inspector-General of Police R. Srikumar on Monday hinted that police commissionerates would soon be set up in Mangalore, Gulbarga and Belgaum.
Responding to a question from presspersons on the status of the long-pending proposal to create police commissionerates in the three cities, Mr. Srikumar said: “You will soon hear good news in this regard.”
However, he did not elaborate.
In view of the increase in the population of Belgaum, Mangalore and Gulbarga and , and the resultant rise in crime and law and order problems, the State Government had planned to set up police commissionerates, headed by a police commissioner.
The three cities are now part of the respective district police units, headed by Superintendent of Police.

After taking over as State police chief from K.R. Srinivasan, who retired on superannuation, Mr. Srikumar said he would strive to “make the Karnataka police technology-oriented professionals.”
Mr. Srikumar, who is an electrical engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, said he would focus on extensive use of technology to ensure that people of Karnataka get “top class” police service.
“We will ensure that people’s aspirations are fulfilled and their grievances addressed. Subhadra Karnataka-Suraksha Karnataka would be our motive,” he remarked.
The State police website would be re-launched in a couple of days and every activity of the police would be available on the Net on “need-to-know basis,” he said.Corruption
Mr. Srikumar said there would be “zero-tolerance” towards corruption, and efficient officers would be encouraged. Any complaint of corruption against the police would be properly probed. “I will provide all assistance to the Lokayukta to check corruption. A few minutes ago, I had an informal conversation in this regard with Additional Director-General of Police (Lokayukta) R.K. Dutta,” he said.
Mr. Srikumar said steps would be taken to build the capacity and skills of policemen. Admitting that there was shortage of manpower in the department, he said various proposals for augmenting the manpower were pending with the Government.
Replying to a question on his strategy for checking the naxalite menace, Mr. Srikumar said naxalism was a social problem, and in a democracy there would always be voices of dissent. “If dissent is expressed through violence, the rule of law will take over. The police would take actions on the instructions of the Government,” he observed.
Terming terrorism as a global phenomenon, the State police chief said top priority would be accorded to contain terrorist activities. He said steps were being taken to strengthen the anti-terrorist cell. “There should be more cooperation from the public and the media to check terrorism,” he said.
Profit:
Mr. Srikumar, who was till now Chairman and Managing Director of Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation Ltd., said that for the first time since its inception, the corporation had earned a profit of Rs. 13 crore during 2007-2008. The board of directors had decided to pay 100 per cent dividend to the State Government, he said.
Mr. Srinivasan thanked his colleagues for the cooperation they had extended to him during his 36 years of service and hoped that the State police force would do better under Mr. Srikumar’s leadership.

IT and BT sector will be encouraged to go out of Bangalore and set up units in Belgaum and Hubli

2008-06-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

Karnataka government proposes to set up an exclusive industrial park for small industries along the Bangalore-Pune national highway no.4 near Bangalore.

Source:http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=3&autono=326973

The government will acquire about 150 acres land for the proposed new industrial park, Murugesh Nirani, minister for major and medium industries said.
Addressing members of Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (Kassia) after inaugurating the Kassia Udyog Bhavan here on Monday, he said it has been proposed to develop small industries park at a place where most of the basic raw materials are available.
He said the state is considering to promote cement units at Gulbarga and Chitradurga, food processing units at Bagalkote and Shimoga, automobile and steel units in Bellary.
Similarly, the IT and BT sector will be encouraged to go out of Bangalore and set up units in Belgaum and Hubli, he said adding that the government will facilitate all the relevant documents and clearances to small scale units at one location. This will be included in the new industrial policy of the state, he said.
Small Scale Industries minister Venkataramanappa, who released Kassia's industrial directory, said the government will encourage setting up of small scale units outside Bangalore and for such units provide all necessary amenities and facilities.
M C R Shetty, Kassia President demanded the state government to restore the interest subsidy scheme to the extent of 4 per cent in order to accelerate the process of modernization of the small industry sector in the state.
"The state government had earlier operated an interest subsidy scheme for modernization of small industries which was very useful. Although the Central government has introduced a credit linked capital subsidy scheme, it does not carry interest subsidy which is very much essential for modernisation," he said.

Confident Airlines charter Service to Belgaum Bellary Hubli

2008-06-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Confident Airlines gets license for non-scheduled operations

Source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/

By Lakshmi Vishwanath Bangalore

Bangalore-based Confident Airlines has acquired the license for non-scheduled operations from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). It will now operate mainly from Jakkur Aerodrome and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport to various destinations in South India. The airline was given the approval by MoCA to operate from HAL airport as it falls under the general aviation category. The airline will operate only during the day as it does not have world-class pilots to handle operations during the night. It is in talks with several IT and manufacturing companies in Bangalore to utilise its charter operations but nothing has been finalised. Confident Airlines has already tied up with McML Electrical Systems which will utilise their charter operations. The airline is further exploring the possibility of a long term tie-up with McML for using their charter service twice a month.

Confident Airlines will currently focus on cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Bangalore and smaller cities such as Belgaum, Bellary, Hubli, etc. It will consider operations to other parts of India at a much later stage.

Kore the Philanthropist

2008-06-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends I am back after a short leave , well job change is a tough process in middle east so took time to blog back

Well want to start with I endorse Mr Prabhakar Kore joining BJP and filing nomination for MP , I am sure he would give a new throttle thrust to Belgaum , his contribution to Belgaum and building the empire of KLE is just worth commendable.

In the recent past I personally wrote to him and had thanked his efforts on international amalgamation and tie ups on medical front which has taken Belgaum to new heights and so it is one of the world's best place for proving world class medical facility.

He is so humble and sincere he immediately wrote me back thanking me and also considered my request to an effort to bring such tie ups and international consortiums to invest in Belgaum on IT and BT front as well.

On the final note I Wel-Come Mr Prabhakar Kore to BJP and wish him all the best for his future .

Belgaum IT BT Park Plots available for Sale

2008-04-05T22:52:00.001-07:00

Dear Belgaumites ,
The IT BT park in Belgaum is shaping up the 100 acres IT park by KIADB-STPI is also near by , many small entrepreneurscan start their projects here.

Email:kssidcho@vsnl.com PH: 23407011-25

KARNATAKA STATE SMALL INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LTD.
(A Government of Karnataka Concern)
Administrative Office Building
Industrial Estate, Rajajinagar,
Bangalore-560 010.
No.MD:PLOTS:IT-BT:DESUR:BGM:2008 Dated 12-3-2008

NOTIFICATION FOR DEMAND SURVEY

(For IT/BT Activities at Desur-Belgaum, Belgaum Dist.)

KSSIDC is a Government of Karnataka undertaking engaged in establishing Industrial Estates in Karnataka and also supplying various raw materials to SSI units. KSSIDC is in possession of 35 Acres 19 guntas land at Desur on Belgaum - Panaji Road (about 500 Mtrs. off NH). Corporation intends to set up IT/BT Park on this land and a proposal to form an SEZ for IT/ITES is also in progress.

KSSIDC invites application from the entrepreneurs of IT/BT Companies/firms to set up IT/BT and related activities. Interested IT/BT Companies/firms entrepreneurs may contact the Office of the Deputy Chief Manager(IEs) / Asst. Executive Engineer(Civil) Industrial Estate, Udyambagh, Belgaum. Details of the plots proposed for development are as detailed below:

Sl.No. Type of plots Size of plots No. of plots

1 A Type 25.00 x30.00Mtr. 41 Nos.

2 B Type 30.00 x 35.00 Mtr. 14 Nos.

3 Special Type Odd size 12 Nos.

Interested entrepreneurs and IT & BT Companies/firms who intend to have infrastructure at Belgaum may submit their requisition within 20 days from the date of this notification to the Office of the Deputy Chief Manager(IEs), KSSIDC Ltd., Industrial Estate, Udyambagh, Belgaum for details visit http://www.kssidc.kar.nic.in/ or www.tenderwizard.com/kssidc

(Contact No.958312440853).

Sd/-
MANAGING DIRECTOR

DIRECTORTEND.PLOTS.IT.BT.DESUR.BGM 08

Why Only Belgaum should suffer

2008-03-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

The below news post shows the possiblity of Belgaum's potential for its strategic location, unfortunately governments interest and lcal politicians will power never came togather for making anything good happen here , I pity this system and "Koi fark nahi padta kind of attitude".
Its a lesson that neither Karnataka nor Maharashtra have any interest in Belgaum its we the people (Belgaumites Kannada-marathi-Urduand everyone)need to make the differnce , just imagine if this project get executed what can be the benefits.
We would have elctrified rail network in North Karnataka , with Local serivce between Belgaum Hubli-Dharwad and Bagalkot.
We would never need to stand in long queues for gas refills.
We would have enough power to galvanize industrial growth in the region,but it all end with only "We Would have", where as Why not "We Must have" otherwise. Think.....!!!!!!!

New Delhi, June 27
Source www.financialexpress.com
As the Dabhol LNG terminal cum 2184 MW power project nears resolution, the smell of well-priced gas is drawing consumers. Karnataka is now seeking to shift its failed 1400 mw Bidadi project to Belgaum, closer to the terminal, if it can secure gas supplies from the Dabhol terminal.In a recent letter to Union power secretary Mr RV Shahi, the Karnataka chief secretary Mr Mishra has sought supply of 6 mmscmd gas from the Dabhol regassification terminal. Talks will be initiated with Gail in this regard, Mr Mishra said in his letter.The desire to procure Dabhol gas is founded in its competitive terms. Gail, one of the two promoters in the Dabhol project, expects to procure gas at under $4.2 per mmbtu, which translates into a fuel cost of around Rs 1.40 per unit. Adding another 90 paise unit towards fixed costs — costs incurred towards servicing debt and equity required to fund the power plant — the tariff will be Rs 2.40 per unit, which makes it price competitive.This arithmetic is the basis for revival of the Dabhol plant, and Karnataka is hoping to emulate it by setting up a plant at Belgaum and source gas from the spare LNG capacity at Dabhol. The Dabhol 2184 MW power project will utilise only 2.2 milion tonnes of the 5 million tonnes re-gassification terminal capacity, that is over 90% complete.The proposed Belgaum project represents a large capacity consumer who is potentially credible, considering that the state is pegged high on the reform score card. However, it might not be in line with Gail’s own priorities as the public secto gas major seeks to develop a gas grid and undertake retail sales.The proposal to set up a project at Belgaum is Karnataka’s third attempt to secure gas and set up a power project. Way back in 2002, Unocal exited the project promoted by the state-owned Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd.Following that, KCPL decided to go it alone, promoting the Bidadi project as an inter-state mega project with the explicit intention of entering into a power purchase agreement with a power trader, Power Trading Corporation Ltd. The bid to solicit fuel supply failed early this year, when none of the qualifying Companies submitted price proposals. These included Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation and Reliance.

NRI Jobs in Saudi Arabia

2008-03-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Dear All Belgaum Techies Group member had given me the following lead for jobs in Saudi Arabia , intersted persons can get in touch on the following details

Courtery:
Nasseer Hussain
(Belgaum techies group)

There is an very urgent openings in the Company in Saudia Arabia, Delegates are in Bangalore for the interviews.

Educational :- B.E Electrical and B.E Civil and B.E Mechanical

Experience :- 0 to 2 years

Salary :- 3 Lakh P.A

Accomodation :- Free

Visa :- Free by the Company

For more Details Please Contact Mr.Naseer Hussain Very Urgently.

NASEER HUSSAIN.
N.C.S (NICE CONSULTANCY SERVICES),
R.T.NAGAR,
BANGALORE :- 560032.
MOBILE :- 9886154302 OR 9886115594 OR 9980795697.

Belgaum's growing Real estate market

2008-03-20T01:22:00.000-07:00

Mantri Real estate announced their latest development projects worth Rs 700 crores over 500 acres of area with integrated townships and 5000 housing units , please read my associate blog from Uday K for further information on the weblink below

http://belgaumblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/mantri-realty-in-belgaum.html

Belgam the New Global Identity as Major Medical Centre

2008-03-20T01:09:00.000-07:00

Hon Registrar of KLE University Dr PF Kotur has taken KLE university to global level ,I endorse and Thank his effort under patronage of Hon Chairman KLE Mr Prabhakar Kore . KLE has upheld and brought a new image to Belgaum on global forum in medical fraternity and science and technology, Belgaum would also soon thrive out as a global IT destination soon as K-Two announced of starting its Belgaum operation at KLE engineering collage.

Zambian leader coming
Source http://www.thehindu.net/
Belgaum: Vice-President of Zambia Rupiah Banda will visit the city next month to explore the possibilities of investments from Indian universities in higher education in his country.
He is scheduled to hold a meeting with authorities of KLE University here on April 12.
According to KLE University Registrar P.F. Kotur here on Wednesday, the KLE has proposed to send doctors from here to work in Zambia. The proposal was initially discussed during his meeting with Mr. Banda in Lusaka, recently. —

Couragious Belgaum boys

2008-03-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

Source The Hndu 19 Mar 2008
www.thehindu.net

Belgaum: Two physically challenged swimmers from Belgaum are striving to join the ranks of those who have conquered the English Channel.
Rajesh Shinde (21) and Raghavendra Anvekar (22) are all set to swim across the English Channel from England to France on July 25.
The Channel Swimming Association has given its approval for the swimmers who are preparing for the feat, according to Umesh Kalghatagi, event coordinator, here on Tuesday.
He told The Hindu that physical limitations had never come in the way of Mr. Shinde and Mr. Anvekar in accomplishing their dream tasks. Both of them are members of the Aquarius Swim Club of Belgaum. They started their preparations for this task over two years ago to build endurance and grip over long-distance swimming, he said.
They have swum more than 1,000 miles till today as part of their preparation. They were swimming for six hours to 10 hours at different times of the day, he said. They were also having early morning and overnight training sessions, Mr. Kalghatagi said.
As part of the preparation, they will swim for 10 hours from 8 p.m. at the Rotary Corporation Swimming Pool in Belgaum city on Wednesday.
While crossing the English Channel they will face challenges such as extreme and frequently changing weather conditions, low water temperature (not exceeding 15 degrees Celsius) and swimming with and against the tides in salty water, he said. The swimmers would not be allowed to touch either the pilot boat or any person on the boat. Violating this rule would result in their disqualification, he added.
Mr. Anvekar has participated in several national and international competitions. He has won one gold medal, five silver medals and seven bronze medals in tournaments held in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan. He has also won 27 gold medals in various national-level tournaments.
Mr. Shinde has bagged four gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal at the competitions held in Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has won 27 gold medals in national-level tournaments.

Dalmia Cement Factories are comming up at Belgaum & Gulbarga

2008-03-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

Dalmia Cement to ramp up production
Story from The Hindu Business line
13 Feb 2008

Tiruchi, Feb. 13 Buoyed by the unprecedented demand for its Vajram brand in 2006-07, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd aims to become a national player by ramping up its production capacity to 25 million tonnes in two phases.

J. V. Gungune has been appointed as Deputy Executive Director (Head of Project) at Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. Based in Belgaum, Karnataka, Mr. Gungune will play an important role in the execution of Belgaum project. Prior to joining Dalmia Cement, Mr. Gungune was Senior Vice President (tech) with Aditya Cement.

Under phase 1, the company, along with its associate Orissa Cement, will expand production capacity to 15 million tonnes over the next few years. Under phase II, the company plans to start production units in Belgaum, Gulbarga, Rajasthan and Megalaya. With a strong presence in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the company has already extended its reach to Karnataka and plans to enter Andhra Pradesh by mid-2008, Mr T. Venkatesan, CEO and Whole-Time Director, Dalmia Cement, told media persons on Tuesday.
Works on the company’s new plants at Ariyalur and Cuddappah, each with production capacity of 2.5 million tonnes, are in progress. Both these plants would be commissioned within a year. Against last year’s production of 2.7 million tonnes, the company is poised to reach the level of 3.5 million tonnes by March.
He added that the company was in the process of expanding its dealer base in the southern States from 2,000 to 3,000. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd has launched the Dalmia Institute of Construction to empower rural youth with employable skills.

The facility that would be functional from May is expected to address the shortage of trained professionals faced by the construction industry.

The free training programme is open for students above 18 years who have passed 12th std or completed a polytechnic course. Faculty for the training will be drawn from industry and the Dalmia group. Practical training in cement and its usage will be provided at the Dalmiapuram factory while on site training on the latest trends in construction would be imparted by reputed builders among the company’s clients, Mr. Venkatesan said.

Mr Venkatesan launched the facility on Tuesday in the presence of the company’s senior functionaries including Mr P. Acharya, Mr V. Balasubramanian and Mr S. S. Jain

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/14/stories/2008021451662300.htm

Why State Govt is not using Money alloted for Belgaum

2008-03-11T23:53:00.001-07:00

We all are aware about the budget allotment for Belgaum ie 50 crores for State Captial Building and 10 crore for Airport, (incase if we are dividing 100 crore by 10 Airports in the state including the new one at Hassan, Bijapur Raichur and Gulbarga Shimogga).

A sum of 15 crore was relased aerlier for expansion , but nothing yet haappned at belgaum the runway carpeting was finsihed recently , the VIP terminal and restoring HIRL and apron expansion is still at large , the state government is not taking interest in Land acquistion.

Our district representatives are busy with election and Language diplomacy diverting people, Why and How far will it go this way , We Belgaumites need to think on this,

What do you all say ????

Untion Budget allotment for Belgaum

2008-03-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Please check the Link for Budget allotment for Belgaum on My associate blog of UdayK

http://belgaumblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/50-crores-for-suvarna-soudha-at-belgaum.html

Jobs in Dubai

2008-03-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Belgaumites

Please send in your reference CV's

I have openings for MEP Engineers in my Friends company

Skills and Qualities

The first and foremost is he should be Belgaumite with modern thinking with unity among Belgaumites, should know both Kannada and Marathi , beleive in liberal values and this palcement will be absolutely free through mostly telephonic interviews by the company.

BE in Mech 2 + and Dip in Mech engineering with experience 5 +
in MEP ( mechancial Electrical and Plumbing ) and knowledge of Aircoinditioning
should Know cordination process on Autocad.

Passport with ECNR (Emigration Clearnec not required) if any one need more info on this contact me personally.

Even architecture professionals can send CV's with CAD experience

Any one intersted to start an Auto cad centre with good expertise is also Welcome I can outsource jobs to you for drawings
Send company profile
Kidn of SLA's
infrastrucure setup detials

Disclaimer

The above posting is not to offend any jobplacement agencies, it is under leagal perview of Employee refral program valid under ILO (intenational Labour Org) norms pertaining to my friends compnay and UAE labour laws. nethier me nor www.blogspot.com or UAE govt is liable for any legal issues if so exsist.

Thank You All

2008-03-09T03:03:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog Buddies

Thankyou very much for your reponse on my topic of "VTU for namesake" , I am overhelmed with the response of awareness I want to create among youth of North Karnataka in genrel and Belgaum in perticular , well I need more suggestion from fellow brotherns of North Karnataka on following issue

Belgaum Bagalkote Racihur Railwayline
Dharwad Belgaum Railwayline
A cement SEZ at Sedam (Gulbarga)
Industrial warehouses in Bagalkote
Airport and Tourist infrastrucutre in Bijapur
Gulbarga Bidar Rialway line
Water supply projects for Gulbarga region (Gulburga,Raichur, Yadgiri, Bidar, Bellary)
even suggestion for other posting are Wel-Come contact me on avsatishkumars@gmail.com

Belgaum Boy Uday Kindjawdekar Keeps Belgaum update

2008-03-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

It was nice associating Uday sinec he started Belgaum Blog and kept Belgaumites update in fact i was in regular touch with District information officer at NIC to keep information up to date and also improve the out look of shabby website they have so far created and maintained on Belgaum, the efforst were far more from not even a try, the web sites have remained as usual.
I personally applaud Uday for his efforts

Please read the commendable effrosts of his been published by The Hindu

Belgaum corporation website not updated for five months
Website does not have information on job scheme
Belgaum: Karnataka takes pride in being the torchbearer of the information technology sector in the country.
But the initial enthusiasm about e-governance seems to be on the wane with the passage of time, thanks to the failure to update official websites. Many websites posted by the State Government have not been updated for long.
Under the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the Government had facilitated web services to its various departments, institutions and organisations by equipping them with computers and Internet facilities. The objective was to facilitate quick access to “information” to the people.
The citizens visiting the official portals are often disappointed to see them not updated. Uday Kinjawadekar, a computer expert who has posted his own blog to provide information on various aspects and events happening in Belgaum city and district.
A glaring example is found with official portals on Belgaum City Corporation and Belgaum Zilla Panchayat. It is more than five months since the civic elections were held (September 28, 2007). But the corporation website does not display names of any corporator. Today, it is more than 24 hours since the mayoral elections. Yet, there is no one in the corporation’s “Computer Room” to display the names of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and councillors. The “birth and death” section does not display any figure.
Interestingly, despite commencement of mayoral term since March 4, the corporation website continues to display the name of Deputy Commissioner M.E. Shivalingamurthy as Administrator of the civic body.
Although the State Assembly was dissolved three months ago, the names of Ramesh L. Kudachi, Abhaykumar Patil and Manohar Kinekar continue to be displayed as Vidhan Sabha members. The Belgaum district website providing information about the zilla panchayat is no different.
There is no information about the centrally sponsored National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which is being implemented in the district for the past one year.
The related page is blank. If some body wants to know about the “Projects Planned” and “Ongoing projects” in the zilla panchayat, the web pages continue to display “coming soon”. The last information about the Western Ghats Development Programme available refers to October 2001.
The other pages on various schemes and programmes have not been updated since 2003-04 and 2004-05. Mr. Kinjawadekar says hardly any government portal is found updated. While it is so important to be number one in the IT sector in the country, it is equally important for the government departments and organisations to update their websites. Otherwise, the objective of providing accurate and quick information to the citizen will be defeated, he said.

Stop linguistic groupism

2008-03-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

I am surprised over the silly fight in Zilla parishad threatening of particular linguistic identity for the support of formation of group supporting a particular mayor based on language , MP’s and MLA’s are threatened, it looks more uncivilized act.

I believe we must not be lingual fanatic, why cant we people of Belgaum think unilateral and work for progress and development of ward , blocks, area and city , instead people are threatening Urdu group Marathi group Kannada group , MP’s MLA’s what is this going on, for me all these seems to be cheap.

We the youth of Belgaum need to understand and stand apart form this groupism , it doesn’t matter what language we speak, these old thugs or so called coporators or whatever elected members, if carry some good sense then let them understand to make Belgaum a peaceful city for everyone.

I request all KRV activist, who can thrive youth movement and try to evict Kannada based agendas and support city and its people based agenda and it is only we youth can make difference.

I myself know five languages, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi and Konkani and feel proud as have soul of Indian first. We are forgetting that all these languages have originated from Sanskrit, our genetic roots tells us we were all one then, India was vast from Burma to Iran borders, Think Why we have shrunk today and left with what, hatred among ourselves for just a matter of language.

We should believe in city with civic amenities of water, drainage, roads infrastructure, public transport and clean and green Belgaum no matter who do it, and everyone live in peace and harmony.

This is not a dream but can be reality, I call on the youth of Belgaum to become coroporators , bureaucrats do join politics but with fair and better image of yourself and then bring in the change, Youth constitutes the largest chunk of modern Indian population but if we still lack to live together we will never have a better city , a state or country for coming generation.

KRV Activist fighting for Belgaum's devlopment

2008-02-27T20:23:00.001-08:00

Up in arms: Activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike staging ‘rail roko’ in Belgaum on Wednesday.

Belgaum: The Belgaum district unit of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike on Wednesday staged “rail roko” to protest against the alleged raw deal given to Karnataka by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in the Budget proposals.
The activists, led by the district unit president of the vedike Rajeev Topannavar, stopped the Londa-Miraj passenger train for eight minutes at Belgaum railway station to register their protest. Demands
Some of the demands of the region included change in timings of Miraj-Bangalore Rani Chennamma Express, introduction of a train between Hubli and Mumbai, and improvement of infrastructure at Belgaum and Hubli railway stations.

Assuarance Letters recieved after staging realy hunger strike.

Closure of foundry units in Belgaum and Kolhapur likely, says IIF

2008-02-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

Rising prices worry foundrymen
Sourec The Hindu 24 feb 2008

Belgaum foundry and casting insdutry the mainstay of major Automobile companies is in grave situations , no matter we have CII regional offices , no matter we have BCF ( Belgaum Faundry Cluster) but if the raw material is getting curtailed how will the industry survive.

Inititatives:

BCF should have rate contracts for supply of raw material and have distribution regulatoray body for all Foundaries.

BCF should do sourcing from Metal commodity exchanges by alloting global tenders, the CII can support for this, there should be better storage built around for supply chain mechanism along with it,

I hope someone would read and even take the first step to make these industries survive. I would like to call up the suppliers and tell them if you get involve in such artifiacl scarcity the industries have got nothing to loose , on the whole India as got lot to loose becuse the dependent buyers from these industries can source from other markets in China as well..... It is a threat for we All Wake-up.

Seeking action: Members of the Belgaum Chapter (Southern Region) of the Institute of Indian Foundrymen taking out a procession in Belgaum on Saturday.
Belgaum: The Belgaum Chapter (Southern Region) of The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) has said there is a likely threat of closing down the foundry units in Belgaum and the neighbouring Kolhapur district in Maharashtra for a fortnight “to avoid heavy losses” because of the rising prices of raw materials.
Members of the IIF marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Saturday to draw the attention of the Government towards the “crisis” confronting the sector in the country owing to the increasing prices of raw materials.
The procession was led by chairman of the IIF’s Belgaum Chapter Ram Bhandare.
In a memorandum addressed to the Joint Director of the District Industries Centre, the IIF said the foundry sector was supporting engineering exports and domestic market.
It was the fourth largest producer of castings in the world. The sector was poised to become one of the top three producers of castings in the world by 2010, as it was witnessing an export growth rate of 15 per cent every year, the memorandum said. Exports during the year 2006-07 accounted for Rs. 4,000 crore and it was expected to touch Rs. 6,000-crore mark by 2010, it said.
Belgaum tops the State in the sector with production of one lakh tonne every year, Mr. Bhandare said. By 2010, the production would touch 1.60 lakh tonne a year and exports would increase from the present Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 300 crore by then, he said. This sector had provided employment to nearly 10,000 people and another 5,000 people were expected to get employment by 2010, he said. The revenue generation was also expected to grow from the present Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 800 crore during the next three years.
But, the sector was facing a crisis of sorts owing to rising prices of pig iron, steel, coke and scrap, he said and added that the prices of these materials were increasing every month and sometimes every fortnight.
To tide over the crisis, the IIF wants the Government to ban or exercise effective control on export of iron ore by imposing heavy duty which will help in better realisation for exports of steel/casting. The practice of increasing prices of raw materials every month should be stopped immediately and import duty on coking coal/coke should be abolished to bring down the prices, it said.

Belgaum Boys designed and fabricated an ingenious “Bio-Diesel Processor”

2008-02-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

Source : Sheri Sundeep

India’s search for fuel in the face of rising oil prices
Armstrong Vaz, 23 February 2008, Saturday

Global warming is engulfing the biosphere at a rapid pace, setting in motion strange climatic changes. Humans are paying the price of messing with the environment over the centuries, while continuing to do so.
Rate this article:

GLOBAL WARMING is engulfing the biosphere at a rapid pace, setting in motion strange climatic changes. Humans are paying the price of messing with the environment over the centuries, while continuing to do so.

Pollution levels are at an all-time high in India’s capital, Delhi, with other metro regions like Mumbai and Kolkata vying for second place.

The increasing industrial and residential use of diesel generators is adding to the global warm up, even at the village level, while the search for alternative fuels continues unabated.

The cultivation of the jatropha plant in the Western states of Goa and Maharashtra and dhaincha in Bihar is increasingly being promoted as promising an alternative to diesel fuel in India.

In Goa, bio-diesel derived from jatropha curcas, locally known as ‘erond’, is becoming more widespread. Fr Inacio Almeida, of Pilar, Goa, runs the nature farm of the society of Pilar (or society of the missionaries of St Francis Xavier) and is a leading populariser of jatropha as a feedstock for the production of bio diesel. jatropha until recently was routinely used as stumps for damming paddy fields and orchards.

“One litre of fuel can be extracted from three kilograms of jatropha seeds,” says Fr Almeida. Among the developments he envisions is for “each village in Goa to have its own jatropha plantation and extraction machinery.”

Generators using refined diesel have lately been resorted to by householders, as well as small businesses, in Goa, in lieu of tapping into an increased central electrical generating capacity. This reliance is expected to change in the next few years, as jatropha bio diesel starts to predominate.

Kanti Naik runs a small ice cream parlour in Assolna village, in South Goa. As elsewhere in Goa, the power supply here is undependable, so he relies for backup power on a small, portable diesel generator worth Rs 10,000. Nearby, Alexander Barbosa also has recourse to a similar diesel generator for his cold-storage meat warehouse.

For these two businessmen the diesel generator has become a necessity, and increasing numbers of Goan householders have been using them to power their TV sets.

“For many villages it’s a case of either clean air or television,” says Nandita Mongia, chief of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Regional Energy Programme for Asia and the Pacific.

Figures arrived at by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in New Delhi, point to a mushrooming of the number of these diesel generators throughout India.

The diesel-powered generator has been a hit with people across the country.
A litre of refined diesel costs Rs 13, whereas petrol is Rs 50. Pretty cheap, compared to Western countries, given that India is not a major producer of oil.

India imports most of its petroleum products, which are heavily subsidised before they reach the retail market, especially gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene.

In neighbouring Maharashtra, the state government plans to allocate 30,000 hectares or 74,000 acres for jatropha cultivation to private sector business. For example, Reliance Industries is looking to the state to provide land for jatropha cultivation. As a public sector investment, the Maharashtra government plans to cultivate jatropha on 60,000 hectares or 148,000 acres of state-owned land.

In Bihar, the small village of Baharbari, sandwiched between Nepal and Bangladesh, has taken the lead in using another alternative fuel, dhaincha, a weed that provides a source of biomass, taking the place of wood from shrubs and trees. This is a project that has attracted World Bank support, as offering a cheaper source of electricity compared with diesel.

A challenge to be overcome in popularising alternative energy sources is getting the message across to the masses, which requires a sustained campaign by local leaders acting through religious institutions and schools to educate the younger generation.

If dhaincha and jatropha meet even one per cent of India’s growing fuel needs, then this will be a great achievement.

Four final-year students of the Hirasugar Institute of Technology, Belgaum, in the Southern state of Karnataka, have designed and fabricated an ingenious “Bio-Diesel Processor” for the extraction of bio diesel from jatropha seeds. The foursome of Vainath Patil, Vishwanath Khambi, Shridha Patil and Mitra used the fuel to run the college water pump.

Trial runs of jatropha bio diesel after etherification have shown it to be eco-friendly, giving an extra “mileage” of two kilometres (1.25 miles) vs refined diesel.

It costs at least INR 10 (US$ 0.23) less than conventional fuel, and the emissions do not contain carbon monoxide.

Demand for direct rail link

2008-02-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Source The HINDU 22 feb 2008

BANGALORE: The State Government has urged the Ministry of Railways to sanction new direct lines between important cities in the State, even while asking the Ministry to give priority for completion of projects being undertaken on a cost-sharing basis in the 2008-09 Railway Budget.
The Government said important cities such as Tumkur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Dharwad and Belgaum lack direct rail connectivity.
As a result, trains — passenger and goods — have to take circuitous routes which waste valuable time and energy.
While Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, during his recent Tumkur visit, had promised a direct line between Tumkur and Chitradurga, the State Government has asked the Railways to extend it up to Davangere. Similarly, a direct line should be laid between Dharwad and Belgaum. As things stand, the journey via Londa Junction takes three-and-a-half hours while it is just one hour and fifteen minutes by road. Hence, the Government has sought a new line via Kitur and Bailahongala.Many projects
Karnataka is the only State which has taken up projects on a cost-sharing basis in large numbers (six of them, in fact) while other States have one or two projects. Hence, according to the Government, the Railway Ministry should accord priority to projects in Karnataka.
Besides speedy completion, the Government has also demanded an inter-city train between Bangalore and Shimoga, besides new lines between Belagum-Bagalkot-Raichur and Chamarajanagar-Kollegal-Kanakapura-Bangalore. It wants the Ministry to allocate sufficient funds for ongoing projects being undertaken by the Railways, the Government said.State’s requirements
Principal Secretary to Government (Infrastructure Development), V.P. Baligar told The Hindu that Governor Rameshwar Thakur had already written to the Ministry bringing to its notice various demands of the State. Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao, who recently visited New Delhi, briefed the Cabinet Secretary about the railway needs of the State, he added.
Mr. Baligar said doubling of Bangalore–Mysore line (completed between Bangalore and Ramanagaram) and Gadag–Sholapur line (nearing completion); new lines between Harihar– Kottur; Bidar–Gulbarga; Munirabad–Mehaboobnagar and gauge conversion between Shimoga and Talaguppa were being undertaken on a cost-sharing basis.
Apart from these, the Railways, on its own, is undertaking construction of new lines between Shravanabelagola – Bangalore and Kadur – Chikmaglur – Sakaleshpur and the process should be speeded up, the Government told the Railways.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/22/stories/2008022254760500.htm

VTU for Name sake in north Karnataka

2008-02-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

I was deeply upset over the recent attitude and act of state government especially education department and vice chancellors of VTU
The VTU Bosh and Rexorth R & D centre is opened in Mysore and even the German tool room was established at Bangalore, the e-learning studio of VTU is in Mysore,

Why not the proper expansion of VTU takes place in Belgaum , why the government have this sham and show off in showing its attitude towards North Karnataka in general and Belgaum in particular,

North Karnataka cities mainly Belgaum and twin cities hubli dharwad are the best potent cities with diverse culture and skilled manpower resource ,

I highly feel off for such attitude of state government, I want Beklgaumites to come forward and fight for such discrimination , Why not Belgaum have such development centre and studios

The wake up call some weakness and strength

Strength :Belgaum contributes second largest revenue to state and first in horticulture export
Weakness: Cargo handling facility at Belgaum Airport for agriculture and horticulture export was planned and never executed.

Strength: Equidistant to Bangalore Mumbai and Hyderabad
Weakness : No initiative form state government for Belgaum-Dharwad and Belgaum-Bagalkot-Raichur Rail line

Strength: American and foreign universities, GEMS education interested to establish educational township in Belgaum
Weakness : lack of political will and slow response form state government to make investor friendly approach towards Belgaum

Still at Large

IT park ( only foundation stone , no facilities)
Textile Park ( Private partnership , in progress)
Power generation projects ( 1 Shelved and 2 are on hold for indefinite time)
Food and Agriculture park (bureaucratic delays and lack of support to contractor)
International cricket stadium ( only land allotted and no further move on it)
Airport expansion funds available with state government from AAI but not ready to utilize for settlement of farm land acquired by farmers , fight over the cost of land
Ring road , just ringing around in papers
Suvarna Vidhan Suadha , only foundation stone
Vaccine institute to be developed in Belgaum as research centre, no further news on it
Auto complex an utter flop due to lack of proper planning , lot of entrepreneurs investing in border district of Maharashtra.

Well there are many still but will never work till are made aware and brought to public notice

Let Belgaum flourish and we the Belgaumites reap benefits of it

Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Award for Belgaum based Women Walfare Society

2008-02-05T02:01:00.000-08:00

News soruce: Press Information bureau
link proveded By Sheri Sundeep (IIT Roorke)

The President, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil gave away the 6th and the 7th Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Awards for the years 2003 and 2004 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi today. Following is the text of the President’s speech on the occasion: “I am happy to give away the 6th and the 7th Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Awards to organizations who have done exemplary work in the field of women’s development for the years 2003 and 2004. Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh was a courageous freedom fighter, committed educationist, active social reformer and an eminent Parliamentarian. As a Member of Parliament, she took up various causes of the poor and was instrumental in getting a number of social welfare measures adopted. She is described by many as the “Mother of social work in India” because of the great dynamism she imparted to work in the sphere of women’s welfare, motivated as she was by a strong commitment to their advancement. In her capacity as the founder Chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board, she mobilized thousands of voluntary organizations to carry out programmes of education, training and rehabilitation for needy women, children and the handicapped. It is, therefore, befitting that the Central Social Welfare Board constituted an award in her name to be given to organizations working in the field of women's development. The life and work of great persons always inspire others. Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh was such a person, who can be a role model for women. Today, our nation is working for inclusive growth, which means development of social sectors to complement our economic growth with a view to have a sustainable and equitable path of growth. What do we need to do for achieving inclusive growth? In my view it entails four essential steps – the identification of those sections of the population who have got left behind, followed by the formulation of a framework of policies and programmes for their benefit. In these two first steps, we have made considerable progress. The next two steps are implementation and a monitoring system for the proper implementation of programmes and policies designed for the upliftment of the weaker sections of society. The effectiveness of any development programme can be assessed by the actual impact it has on the lives of the beneficiaries and society at large. If a large segment of the population remains beyond the purview of the ‘safety net’ of socio-economic programmes because of the failure of the implementation machinery, then their purpose is entirely defeated. Implementation and monitoring remain the principal challenges we face. This can only be done with the collective effort of the Government, civil society organizations and the people themselves. Popular participation, in fact, holds the key to the success of any programme of socio-economic change. To achieve various socio-economic goals of development, efforts should be made to forge public-private partnerships. The Central Social Welfare Board and the State Welfare Boards with more than five decades of work experience and an extensive network of welfare projects and centres, have a very important role to play in taking social services to the grassroot levels. Voluntary organizations also can assist people to get the benefits of governmental development programs and also assess their efficacy by conducting ‘social audits’ to study the impact of programmes on the socio-economic lives of people. With women constituting about 48.3 percent of our population, until welfare facilities are made available to them and they are empowered, we would have an unfinished task on hand. Women specific and women-related policies and programmes have been enunciated, the Government has also been creating an enabling policy environment in which women’s concerns can be reflected, articulated and redressed. Yet, my deep concern is that women still do not have the same opportunities as men. Real development cannot take root if it bypasses women, who represent the very pivot around which social changes takes shape. For achieving our objective of growth with equity and delivery of services with people’s participation, the mainstreaming of women into the national development process is essential. Women's empowerment requires that a range of steps be taken to facilitate their participation in educational, political and economic activities. This includes hostels for working women, crèches for children and women helpline services. I am glad that both organizations, that is - Abhaya and the Women’s Welfare Society, Belgaum - who have been conferred the Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Award, are involved in multiple activities to ameliorate conditions of women. The work of Abhaya in looking after women mental patients in Kerala and of the Women’s Welfare Society, Belgaum in setting up helpline services for women in distress is commendable. Today, we have to start thinking about the tomorrow that we want. Today, there are fewer women in India than men and if this trend continues it would have an adverse impact on society itself. Societal attitudes need to be changed towards the girl child. We need to start shaping the attitude of the next generation so that it is a generation free of gender bias and social prejudices against women. Our efforts should be to enable the girl child of today to become the confident woman of tomorrow, ready to work, shoulder to shoulder, with men as equal partners in all spheres of national life. For that to happen, action needs to begin by providing education and health facilities for the girl child. I call on Social Welfare Boards to join in the endeavour to ensure that the girl child has access to education and there are no cases of dropouts from school. The incidence of child malnutrition, particularly in the case of the girl child, is high in India and needs our attention. Proper nutrition at the growing age makes a child physically and mentally strong. Voluntary organizations need to come forward to make people aware about health, food and proper hygiene. They should advise families about giving proper nutrition to the girl child and also educate society about looking at a girl child as an individual with as much potential for the future as a boy child. The Central Social Welfare Board and voluntary agencies have an important role in changing social prejudices and eliminating social evils through awareness campaigns. In this task I would call upon them and all of you to join hands with like-minded organizations and people. During my interaction with NSS volunteers and NCC cadets who had participated in the Republic Day Parade, I was informed about their experiences in their social service activities. I also saw their enthusiasm for the future. These young committed boys and girls are willing to join in efforts for the eradication of social evils. Their energies should be utilized to influence other youth. A society to be sustainable has to be a society based on realization of duty towards fellow human beings. The disabled and the handicapped should be given skills and support to live a life of dignity. Similarly, it should be understood that the care of the elderly, who in our tradition are venerated and given respect and honour, is a family duty and society’s responsibility. Social Welfare Boards should have “care support programmes for the elderly” who, at the twilight of their lives, after having worked hard, need special medical attention and emotional support. Social Welfare Boards should develop and strengthen the nationwide infrastructure of voluntary agencies through which these services could be made available. I conclude with a call to voluntary organizations to work selflessly for the poor and the underprivileged in society. It is only when we will succeed in this task that will we bring about a progressive and caring society. I once again congratulate the two organisations who have done wonderful work and hope others will take inspiration from them.”

Belgaum Food and Industry Park still a dream

2008-02-03T01:05:00.000-08:00

Reliance industries taking note of Belgaum’s potential started a food packing and a large distribution unit at Halga in Belgaum ,Hatsun food products is in second phase of expansion , despite of such encouraging business the State government is showing no interest in developing the Food and Agricultural park here sanctioned four years ago, Belgaum is already the largest flower and fruit exporter in the state but due to cold storage and lack of packaging facility is hindering the thriving business, the district representatives asusual sleeping on such issue and only we people need to raise out voice for it ,Mr Suresh Angadi is been asking for cold storage rail van slip coaches at Belgaum station to Rail Minstery ,but he need to know the infrastructure limitation at Belgaum station for which I had given a proposal
The CII had setup its office in Belgaum but I wrote to the representative on such requirements and limitations and also with solutions to overcome such problems, but my request are falling on deaf ears

Source: livermeint Jan 2008

Bangalore: Not even one of the six proposed food parks in Karnataka, which were to be operational by last December, has started.
The state government had invited bids in September 2004 for the setting up of these food parks to try and give a boost to the processed food industry under a public-private partnership model.
The state government even floated a special purpose vehicle, Food Karnataka Ltd (FKL), to manage the setting up of such parks.
FKL now says that only two of the parks are likely to be completed by mid-2008, even as the government and private entrepreneurs blame each other for the delay.
Under the Food Agro Technology Parks scheme, the Central ministry for food processing industries as well as the Karnataka government were to provide funding of up to Rs4 crore each, with the private partner investing the rest of the project cost, which varied between Rs16 crore and Rs18 crore.
The six parks were to come up in different agro-climatic zones of the state, such as Malur, Bagalkot, Maddur, Hiriyur, Jewargi and Belgaum.
Each of these parks were expected to have at least 20 food processing units with the park itself providing the grading, salting and cold storage facilities.
Sobha Nambisan, managing director of Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corp. Ltd, who is also the chairman of FKL, says the Malur and Hiriyur parks would be ready by March and June, respectively.
“The physical infrastructure, like buildings for two other parks at Jewargi and Bagalkot, should be in place by the end of 2008 even if they are not completely operational,” she added.
The other two parks, in Maddur and Belgaum, are in limbo. The Maddur project, which was to be implemented by Karnataka Breweries and Distilleries Ltd (KBDL) is stuck in a legal battle because FKL cancelled the bid, citing delay in infusion of funds.
However, K.M. Srinivas Murthy, director of KBDL, blames FKL for the inordinate delay in land acquisition, which, he says, stymied the project. KBDL is also implementing the Bagalkot project.
“We have placed orders for all machinery and pre-fabricated buildings,” he said. “If one project is put off, the cost of the other will escalate.”
Says S.S. Patil, president of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and whose company, Rayalaseema Concrete Sleepers Pvt. Ltd, is implementing the Jewargi and Belgaum food parks: “Unless we are given more concessions, it will be difficult to implement.”
Nambisan counters saying that since the food parks are a new concept, “the private companies are only having teething problems. We are confident that the parks will take off.”

Ornithologist can beeline to Belgaum

2008-01-29T21:49:00.000-08:00

Source The Hindu 30 Jan 2008

http://www.thehindu.net/

Belgaum: Belgaum is home to a good number of bird species. They can be seen hovering all around the city, particularly in the green patches and near water bodies such as tanks and ponds. The five water ponds nestled in small area of bamboo forest on Belgaum-Hindalga Road near Military Ganapathi Temple, maintained by the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre (MLIRC), are not just ecological habitats of sorts for a few species of birds but also significant to the environment of the city. They are now home for over two dozen bird species.
However, these ponds, known as “Argan Talab” until converted into what is now known as “Watermanship Training Area and Nature Workshop” about 17 years ago, are not open to the public. According to a MLIRC officer looking after the maintenance of these fenced ponds, they are used for imparting training in swimming for the commandos.
Yet, one can take a break to watch different species of birds hovering over them. Some of them even nest and help in multiplying the species.
Among the birds that have made these ponds their home are the Indian Darter, Indian Shag, Open Bill Stork, Little Cormorant, Large Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Large Egret, Medium Egret, Flamingo, Glassy Ibis, White Ibis, Black Bill, Whistling Teal, Blue Winged Teal, Common Teal, Shoveller, White First Geese, White eyed Pochard, Little Grebe, Black Necked Grebe, Painted Stork, White Stork, White Neaked Stork and Adjutant Stone.
A large number of other species are found in the district, which is endowed with a rich and variegated fauna and salubrious climate, particularly in Khanapur and other western parts of the district with close proximity to the Western Ghats.
Among the resident birds are the White breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis, which is common and found everywhere in the district. The honey pecker Cynnyris zeylonica is another resident. The Malabar racket-tailed drongo Dissemurus paradiseus is also resident bird seen in the forest areas.
While the red vented bulbul has large presence all over city of Belgaum and district, Indian tailor bird Orthotomus sutorius, also a resident, is found in the plains and generally near wells, ponds or streams.

Another feather in Belgaum's booming IT market

2008-01-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

Banaglore based K2 Technology Soultions has set up its center in KLE Collage of Engineering and technology for further info please read my fellow blogger site link below

http://vayavya.blogspot.com/2008/01/ktwo-technology-solutions-sets-up.html

Your election id card correction

2008-01-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

Deccan Herald Helping out citizen so as to avoid falling in corrupt hands

Source Deccan Herald
28 Jan 2008

In the wake of errors spotted on the voters’ list, citizens are concerned about the possibility of their names getting deleted from the list. Citizens who find their names deleted or with other complaints can send in their grievances to this paper either through e-mail or post. The complainants should attach their residential addresses along with their grievances, that will be addressed by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka.Our email ID is :editor@deccanherald.co.in and postal address: Deccan Herald, # 75, MG Road, Bangalore-1.

Lessons to learn from Past Kannada Marathi Unity

2008-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

I request my blog readers to think over the post (Last paragraph) I got from one of the old newsprint of Times of India,

The wrong and right

Bringing Kannada marathi divide among Belgaumites : Utter wrong

Mr More's Balckening of face in Banglore : Utter Wrong
( As a elected representative he have dignity of public servant and mainly respect as human being)Are not Kannadigas staying in Mumbai and Pune and Mahrashtra, are these Bangalorei so called Kannada abhimanis ( bloody Konga's-- migrants from Chennai), have these ever thought about them.
Just look back into history after Babri Masjid issue the middle east started publishing jobs with the tag ( Only muslims and christens need to apply ) the discrminitaion is still on except for professionals who are invited by these countries.

Kumarswamis decison for holding winter session (if aimed as Belgaums devlopemnt and bridge regional imbalance gap then) : Right

Kumarswamis intention to divide our hearts of Belgaumites : Wrong

I request all Belgaumites to stand above language to heal each other wounds and slap on these politicians face, Belgaum's devlopment should become our main interest , livilihood for everyone is all about the basic need for every human being. A tolerant society is my dream but want your eyes to share the same and if any one should open his eyes they should see Belgaum as the city for everyone,
I am not a social reformer ,but do believe in thought process and mind power , ability of an individual to come up and stand out in the times of difficulties, we all might have seen "Rang de Basanti" , dont you all think our society need such awakening , and why not Belgaumite be trendsetters, Unity is strentgh but dont just leave it reading as bunch of words.

If it has happened in the past it can happened today

Jan 2001 Times of India
Belgaum: is belgaum city corporation (bcc) moving away from its language-based politics? the coming together of marathi and kannada groups for the second time in the history of bcc to elect the mayor was an indication towards this. and at the first meeting of the newly elected bcc members, a resolution to merge marathi-speaking areas of karnataka with maharashtra was rejected outright. it was a tradition of the bcc to pass such a resolution pleading with the union government to take an initiative to merge the border areas into maharashtra. the resolution was proposed by the mes and shiv sena, which received a setback when a section of marathi corporators, led by sambhaji rao patil, joined hands with kannada-urdu group to come to power. to the disappointment of mes-shiv sena, the ruling members passed another resolution giving a new twist to the long-standing border dispute between maharashtra and karnataka. the members made it clear that they would welcome any decision taken at the proposed meeting between karnataka and maharashtra at the initiative of pm vajpayee. this did not go well with the opposition. when mayor vandana belgundkar gave her ruling, the mes and shiv sena rushed to the well of the house and stalled the proceedings. mayor suspended the disrupting corporators and had to adjourn the house when they did not relent. the ``knockout punch'' came from sambhaji rao patil. he is an active and powerful pro-marathi leader in belgaum city. he said: ``they are not ready to resolve the border dispute. what they need is to keep the issue alive to reap political benefits.'' former mayor shivaji shuntkar earlier tabled the resolution, which was opposed by mlas ramesh kudchi and manohar kadolkar and sambhaji rao patil. the resolution states that belgaum, khanapur, nippanni, karwar, bidar, bhalki and other areas should be merged with maharashtra. it may be recalled that cm krishna had taken an initiative to create a platform for both marathi and kannada corporators to come together and prepare an agenda for the development of belgaum. he had also announced a special developmental package for belgaum.

Belgaum New destination for Resorts and Eco Tourism

2008-01-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

Swapnagandha to set up resort near Belgaumby 2008-end

Tuesday, January 01, 2008 (10:00 IST)
By Mayuresh Pawar Belgaum
Source http://travelbizmonitor.com

Swapnagandha Resorts Pvt. Ltd. plans to develop its third property, focusing on wellness and ecotourism, near Belgaum, Karnataka by 2008-end. The company has already identified a 127-acre land at Thirthkunde and earmarked an investment of over Rs 75 lakh for the project. According to Sudhir Naik, General Manager, Swapnagandha Resorts Pvt. Ltd., the resort will house six cottages, 10 tents, multi-cuisine restaurant, bar, ayurvedic spa and swimming pool. "Our focus is wellness, adventure and ecotourism. The proposed site, located at a distance of about 75 kms from Goa and Belgaum, is picturesque and surrounded by a waterfall and lake. So, we plan to offer boating and trekking facilities too," said Naik. Plans are also afoot to develop a centre for research on issues relating to wildlife and environment.At present, the company has two properties, Wildernest and Swapnagandha, established in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Wildernest is a three-star resort housing 16 cottages, while Swapnagandha is a two-star resort housing eight cottages. Both resorts are located within a distance of five kms along the Goa-Karnataka route.Currently, the company is looking to develop its properties as Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) and Free Individual Traveller (FIT) destinations. "We are in discussions with travel agents and tour operators to promote our properties in United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden and Australia," said Naik. In India, the company's target clientele is from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Kolkota, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

More Wings of beauties in Air

2008-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

International Airhostess Academy to open branch in M'lore

SOURCE DHNS: www.deccanherald.com

The international airhostess training academy VIINZS, associated with Birmingham International College of London plans to launch a branch at Mangalore. Speaking to Deccan Herald , Regional Director of VIINZS Akash Verma said that the company has already established its Regional Office and a model centre at Belgaum from where it plans to expand in the Southern operations. Mr Verma said the golden era in flying with smart flight attendants aboard has arrived. The subcontinent is on the verge of a major revolution in aviation. The need to establish international training centres for in flight services has arisen.

Belgaum desitnation for retail units

2008-01-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Nine years back in Belgaum I use to observe in Khade Bazaar every third or fourth shop in a sequence was a textile showroom or a redymade garment exclusive shop still remember Amrcons, Magaldeep, Status and Ambica Saari Center in Shahpur is known through out Goa and Maharashtra , today I understand why Nahar group opened its retial unit in Belgaum

Source : www.economictimes.com
CHANDIGARH: Nahar Retail, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ludhiana-based Rs 2,500-crore Nahar Industrial Enterprises and the owners of Cotton County brand will invest around Rs 430 crore over the next two years on capacity expansions and new outlets. The company will launch its premium segment French Republic and will have 50 exclusive showrooms in North India at an investment of Rs 40 crore. The company will also spend Rs 10-15 crore on brand building. “We will expand our production capacity in our garment unit in Ludhiana. Currently we manufacture 8,000 garments a day. We will take this to 20,000 garments per day by April 2008. Of the total investment of Rs 430 crore, about Rs 40 crore will be for this,” Nahar Retail’s vice-president, Sachin Sahni, told ET. On the French Republic expansion plans Mr Sahni said “Cotton County is our fashion & lifestyle brand in the medium segment and now we will have a premium segment called French Republic. Right now it is available in some selected Cotton County outlets. By the middle of the next financial year we will have around 50 exclusive showrooms for French Republic. All these stores will be in North India,” he added. Mr Sahni said they will add 75 Cotton County stores in the next six months and will have around 150 stores in the southern cities by 2008-09 at an investment of around Rs 40 lakh per store. Having made its presence felt in Tier II & Tier III cities, Cotton County, will now foray into metros and cities in South India. Currently, with 365 exclusive outlets across North India, Cotton County is targeting 500 stores by the end of this fiscal, which translates into launching one new store a day & and cross the 1,000 store mark by the 2009. Through its franchisee route, within its first year of operations itself, Cotton County had over 120 stores across the country. The company has already launched its stores in Gulbarga, Raichur & Belgaum in Karnataka and are looking at key markets such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Kochi, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli, Vijaywada, Visakhapatnam, etc. The company will be focusing on its new kids wear under the brand name TAZO and women’s wear FEMME which will be available in Cotton County stores. Apart from that the company will be looking at denim products in a big way and will be looking to get a market share of about 5% in the denim segment, he added.

Say No To kalasa Banduri nala Project

2008-01-13T00:14:00.000-08:00

I have added a new site called Delta Resort (Belgaum sports and Adveture section) covering vide ecology of Belgaum and western ghat , the Kalsa banduri nala is going to spoil the whole ecological balance.

The main aim of kalsa Bandulri nala was only to source water supply for Hubli dharwad which it already getting through mallaprabha dam , the catchment area of this dam has aleady shrunk as the water
supply ment for irrigation is reduced to
great extent and even if kalasa banduri nala wil be cut accorss ther would be one more problem this water will not either be useful for drinking or for irrigation as the effulients of certian factories pass though this kalasa stream to main Mhadayi (Mandovi) Kalsa and Surla are the main tributeires to Mandovi river and originate in south west part of Kankumbi mountain range.

The activist here have already taken up arms against this project and sure it wouldnt come in force even the Goa Government is in full support to these activist and helped to avoid in disturbing the ecology.

Reliance Fresh Belgaum retial outlet and Distribution Unit

2008-01-12T00:48:00.000-08:00

I admire Reliance Fersh initiaitve to help farmers paying them directly and eliminating middlemen, I wish the Belgaum distribution unit would grow bigger in near future, creating employment and opportunities, Reliance fresh should tie up with Agricultureal collages in Belgaum to promote seed devlopment and more emphasis on biotic plantation then chemical and hybrid vegitables.

Source: oheraldo.in

Goa’s reliance on vegetables and fruits from Belgaum could be under threat and competition has come in from an economic giant. The setting up of a vegetable procuring unit at Belgaum by ‘Reliance Fresh’, a division of Reliance Industries Ltd, to provide vegetables to its growing chain of outlets in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra may adversely affect the supply of vegetables to Goa in the near future.Farmers in Belgaum are only too happy to offer their produce to Reliance at better rates and with the vegetable supply from Belgaum — predominantly meant for Goa — now likely to be diverted elsewhere, Goans would have to pay much more for the few vegetables that enter the Goan market.Incidentally, though Reliance Fresh intends to set up seven outlets in Goa at ‘cheaper rates’, the supply of vegetables would be too meagre to cater to the entire state. Reliance has recently set up a procuring unit at Halga, about 10 km from here, where vegetables are being purchased directly from farmers. “Vegetables purchased are being sent to Hyderabad and other places,” Suresh D, the unit manager at Halga said.At present, about 10 tonnes of vegetables are being procured by Reliance everyday and sources speculate that the demand would rise sharply with the growing number of retail outlets to be opened in the region. The unit at Halga is strategically based at the hub of the vegetable growing hinterland of Belgaum district, where more than 60% of the farmers in the district are engaged in growing vegetables.Sudhatai Hiremath, Secretary of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), the apex body controlling the procurement and sale of vegetables and other farm produce, said Reliance has been issued licences to procure vegetables from farmers and the company has been promptly paying the cess to APMC. Officials disclosed that Reliance plans to open seven outlets in Goa and attempts are being made to supply farm-fresh vegetables from Belgaum at rates cheaper than that offered by the Belgaum vegetable traders.This is because Reliance will buy vegetables directly from farmers, eliminating middlemen in the process. “Our intention is to give justice to the farmers by offering them better rates for their produce,” said Aniruddin of Reliance. According to Umesh Patil — a vegetable wholesaler and member of the Cantonment Wholesale Vegetable Merchants Association — over 100 brokers supply vegetables to Goa and other coastal areas including Karwar, Kumta (Karnataka) and Sindhudurg (Maharashtra).“About 30 tempo loads of vegetables are supplied to Goa everyday and more than 70% of the vegetables from Belgaum are sent to the coastal areas,” said Patil.To a query on the impact of ‘Reliance Fresh’ on the prevailing supply of vegetables to Goa, Patil admitted that while the prices may not increase in the immediate future, the increase of Reliance outlets in the region could spark off a shortage of vegetables en route to Goa.Meanwhile, the farmers in the district are pleased with the new development, as they are being paid a better rate as compared to the brokers.“We do not have to bother about the brokerage and other costs that we earlier used to pay,” said a farmer.

New Luxury Business Hotel ‘VITS’ Launched in Belgaum

2008-01-10T23:48:00.000-08:00

Source NDTV-Profit Jan 10, 2008

New Delhi, Delhi/Belgaum, India -- VITS (Business Wire India)

KHIL opens second hotel in the VITS chain-- VITS Aurangabad, Nagpur and Pune to open in the near future-- More than 36 VITS hotels in the next five years.A 60-room VITS property, part of a new chain of luxury business hotels from Kamat Hotels India Limited (KHIL), opened today in Belgaum. Located at Club Road, the new hotel offers contemporary luxury business accommodation for discerning business class travellers from across India. Belgaum is well known for its prominent medical and education facilities and tourist attractions. With a VITS hotel in Belgaum, travelers visiting the city for leisure or for medical treatment from Karnataka, Maharastra or Goa will now have an alternate ‘home away from home’. With this launch, KHIL has taken another step in its ambitious plan to grow the VITS chain for business travellers. The first VITS hotel was launched in Mumbai in November 2007. KHIL plans to extend the VITS hospitality experience to Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Baroda, Chinchwar, Gujarat, Hubli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Solapur, Surat, Thane and twenty more locations in the next five years. The launch of VITS Belgaum was a grand affair, with the crème-de-la-crème of Belgaum society attending the function. Corporate heads, golfers, defence personnel, doctors and renowned personalities from diverse fields were there to mark the occasion. A musical extravaganza by renowned DJ from Mumbai set the evening afire with sizzling numbers that drew the audience to the pulsating dance floor. The evening also witnessed the unveiling of the VITS logo amidst fire show and an impressive theme dance performances. Facilities at VITS Belgaum are among the best in the category across the state. Its ideal location provides guests proximity to the domestic airport. It will offer varied dining options like an open terrace restaurant with a contemporary ambience and a 24x7 coffee shop with a midnight buffet option. VITS offers a range of spacious and luxurious accommodation to suit the needs of guests: twin and double rooms, a Presidential Suite, service apartments and studio rooms equipped with all modern & technical facilities. The rooms in VITS are one of a kind, they provide customers with varied options to select depending on the requirement and duration of stay. Guests visiting Belgaum for a long period e.g. business tour/medical treatment, can experience the ‘home away from home’ in the service apartments; while the Presidential Suite and studio rooms option can be explored by those who want to have a unique hospitality experience.Belgaum will witness many firsts with VITS, such as a pick-up and drop facility, terrace swimming pool and a wellness club. For guests who like to combine business with pleasure, VITS has a tie up with premium golf courses and spare golf kits that golf lovers can use. These and other special facilities will give guests an exclusive VITS experience.Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, Executive Chairman & Managing Director, Kamat Hotels India Limited (KHIL), said, “The new VITS hotel is in sync with the development envisaged for Belgaum, which is now being referred to as the second capital of Karnataka. With a Vidhan Sabha planned in the city and companies from emerging sectors such as medical tourism, EXIM houses and other public infrastructure projects setting up base here, Belgaum is a growing business destination. There is a need for top quality hospitality services in the city and VITS bridges the gap by providing best in class facilities and services.”As an inherited principle from its flagship Orchid group, VITS will uphold the Kamat’s philosophy of giving the maximum value to customers without compromising on service, quality or food. The same values are epitomized in VITS' concise motto – ‘Guest. Rest. Best.’In the VITS chain of hotels, standardized amenities will include world-class service -- from airport pickup by luxury car to one-time registration while checking in. The 24-hour, in-room dining, contemporary ambience, banquets for specific requirements, high-tech conference centers and seamless Wi-Fi connectivity on the premises will cater to all the needs of modern, business travellers. VITS also plans to include select facilities required by guests in specific locations.The new VITS hotel chain will bridge the gap existing in the market by being present in all major Tier II and Tier III cities and towns in India. It will offer a complete package of top quality hospitality services for upwardly mobile business class travelers. VITS will have a trendy look which will be reflected in its logo, facilities and services and will be the best in class. The VITS marketing plan revolves around acquisition, retaining and regaining customers. Exclusively designed customer loyalty programmes for travel agencies, guests and for corporate houses will be announced soon. About KHIL: Kamat Hotels (India) Limited (KHIL) is one of the fastest growing hospitality groups in the country. KHIL was initiated on March 21st, 1986 by the late Venkatesh Krishna Kamat, a visionary in the business. His guidance and support helped Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, current Executive Chairman and Managing Director, steer the company into a successful public limited company in 1994. Kamats is today a large hospitality business group with interests in Luxury Hotels, Budget Hotels & Restaurants, Travel Business, Catering & Educational Institutions, Departmental Stores and of course, Restaurants. With a turnover of over Rs. 80 crores (2006) and approximately ten thousand shareholders, KHIL is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Contact Details:

Anindita Chakraborty,
VITS, +91 9373598252
Email: kamatsholidays@khil.com
VITS Belgaum Club road,
Opp Jt Director of Public Instruction (Belgaum Division)
Belgaum

Belgaumite (Khanapur) girl Now DHL New Zealand Head

2008-01-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

Belgumites makes global strides just not in IT but in various other areas too, read about the success story of Blegaum Girl "Chitra Bhonsle" published by my associate blogger UdayK

http://belgaumblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/khanapur-girl-now-dhl-new-zealand-head.html

Kind Gesture from Belgaum Boy of IIT " Sheri Sundeep "

2008-01-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

I recived this communique from Sheri Sundeep whcih could help most of you

Please spread the word, so that this initiative benefits as many students as possible.
The IIT's have taken up an initiative of starting online teaching and
thus have started offering course materials online for FREE for every
engineering stream.

1] Type the following address on internet explorer
2] Click on Courses
3] And one can access any course material.

http://nptel.iitm.ac.in

Sheri Sundeep
MTech/Power System Engg
IIT Roorkee
India

THE DAWN OF 2008

2008-01-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

I wish You all a very Best for This year of 2008 and Years to come with peace, prosperity love and happiness in abundance.

Centre clears six flower auction centres

2007-12-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

Belgaum "the flower City"

News Source
The Hindu (www.thehind.com) 26 Dec 2007

BANGALORE: To tap the potential in the floriculture sector, the Union Government has sanctioned six flower auction centres to the State under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Karnataka, which occupies a prominent position in floriculture in the country, has decided to establish auction centres on the lines of Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) in six districts.

The Centre has accepted the proposals made by the State Government and agreed to release Rs. 8 crore for establishment of auction centres, Horticulture Department officials told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The centres would come up at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada; Madikeri in Kodagu; Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumkur; apart Udupi, Belgaum and Bagalkot.

These districts are known for large areas under floriculture, and several people in the floriculture business have set up hi-tech units. “The floriculture enterprise will continue to be a challenge until the chain of activities right from post-harvest to buyers is properly handled,” an official maintained.

The officials said the Centre had decided to release Rs. 6 crore in the current financial year and Rs. 2 crore in the next fiscal year.

Awareness lacking

Flower growers lacked awareness about market conditions because of poor linkages in the distribution chain and had poor access to cold storage facilities, leading to seasonal gluts and price variation. The auction centres provided all facilities, including storage.

There was much scope for tapping the Rs. 600-crore domestic market in the floriculture sector.

At present, only 2.5 per cent of the flower sales were in the organised retail sector. Since floriculture provided a viable diversification option for agricultural sector, the Centre agreed to provide funds to set up auction centres, the officials spointed out.

In the State, floriculture covers about 21,500 hectares and flower production is around 1.60 lakh tonnes worth about Rs. 300 crore.

At present, there are 125 hi-tech floriculture units in the State, spread over an area of 200 hectares.

There are about 150 nurseries, big and small, registered and unregistered, in and around the garden city. The State has already established an International Flower Auction Centre at Bangalore, which is said to be the first of its kind in the country.

A major chunk of the country’s floriculture exports is from the Bangalore region as it accounts for exports worth Rs. 50 crore in the country’s total exports of Rs. 74.13 crore.

The floriculture business is concentrated in Bangalore, Belgaum, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kolar districts.

The flowers that dominate the production are marigold (46,101 tonnes) chrysanthemum (42,794 tonnes), jasmine (29,707 tonnes), tube rose (11,185 tonnes), crossandra (9,898 tonnes), aster (7,812 tonnes), rose (3,128 tonnes), and others (9,365 tonnes).

The highest number of hi-tech floriculture units are in Belgaum (70), followed by Bangalore Rural district (25), Bangalore city (20), Kodagu (10) and Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Shimoga (five each).

There are nearly 1,000 florist stalls in Bangalore.

However, retailers maintain that the highest consumption in the market is the home segment.

The corporate consumption in the city is negligible, they say.

Nurseries

The Horticulture Department has decided to provide assistance of Rs. 18 lakh to establish model floriculture nurseries in the two universities of agricultural sciences, Krishi Vignana Kendras and State departmental farms under the National Horticulture Mission.

The private entrepreneurs could also avail themselves of assistance of Rs. 9 lakh to set up model nurseries.

Jain heritage needs your Help

2007-12-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends

My associate blog-buddy Uday has recently published a very nobel cause and efforts of Mr Chipre, who is on crusde to save rare 10th centry Jain heritage site at Belgaum for more info please follow the URL below

http://belgaumblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/kamal-basti-unseen-pictures.html
http://mahiuk.googlepages.com/basti.htm

Onion prices and crying Farmers (Apathy in North Karnataka)

2007-12-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

This story really touched me and fear that North Karnataka shouldn’t become another Vidarbha region, The Gowdas (term as Gowder gaddalla) brought instability to the state and then as I live in the middle east the onion now coming here from other countries is far from good quality , where as the onion from India where much better quality , but thanks to the nexus of politicians and bureaucrats at NAFED where the rampant corruption was exposed, and even though NAFED $100 was good price for these poor farmers to fetch some returns from hard earned yield, but these middle men at APMC sallow up all the bucks,
We should have a proper federal price control committee and regulated price export with inflation control supply in the country, I suppose these onions will make all hear far more cry in near future.

Onion price crash triggers suicide

Source Newindpress Monday December 10 2007

HUBLI: Mallikarjun, 38, was found lying on the ground, grimacing in pain, on the wintry morning of December 3.

He had just consumed half a litre of cypermethrin, an insecticide. A man known for his calm demeanour, Mallikarjun listened in silence when the villagers began to chastise him. But the heartbroken man could not hold it in any longer.

‘‘What do you know of my problems?,’’ he asked, and breathed his last. Mallikarjun, a farmer of Kabbenur in Dharwad, was hopeful of a good harvest for his onion produce. Manjula, his sister, recalls: ‘‘Despite Rs 4 lakh loans, he was optimistic about making money. ’’

Mallikarjun’s first attempt to sell his onions at the Hubli Agricultural Produce Market Corporation (APMC) ended in disaster. Armed with 120 quintals of onions in late October, a trader agreed to buy the produce for Rs 700 per quintal.

However, the agreement was not honoured and the produce was returned. By the time Mallikarjun could resell it, there was severe price crash, and he received only Rs 200 per quintal. With the export of onions banned, Mallikarjun’s, and thousands of other farmers’ last hope was the announcement of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the State Government.

But, as the political drama in the state unfolded in October and November, a MSP seemed increasingly unlikely. He ventured to Belgaum to sell another 80 quintals. His fortunes, however, did not improve in the new market and he settled for a price of Rs 250 per quintal.

But further tragedy struck on his way back as he went to Manjula’s house and on the way had lost the Rs 3000 he had made at Belgaum on the bus. She recalls: ‘‘He went straight to the bed and began to sob. ’’

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Grameena Vikas Bank, from where Mallikarjun had taken a loan of Rs 1.45 lakhs, sent a notice for repayment. Kallanagouda, his brother, said: ‘‘Apart from this, he also had to settle a bill of Rs 2 lakhs for labour work on the fields.’’

By now, Mallikarjuna had pinned all his hopes on getting a fair price at Bangalore. But the prices were still low. Mallikarjun was worried about the loan. Manjula said, ‘‘Luck had completely deserted him,” and two days later, he committed suicide.

His family blame it on the government’s failure to announce an MSP. In early October, when the prices of onion rose to Rs 30 per kg, the government decided to restrict exports to bring the price down.

The NAFED also raised the Minimum Export Price by $100. As a result, exports in November dropped by 72%. Bangladesh, traditionally the largest importer of onions, has imported only 320 tonnes this year, against 4.2 lakh tonnes in 2006-07.

Mudigoudra , a relative of Mallikarjun warns that this could be the beginning of a spate of suicides in the region. ‘‘There is a palpable sense of despair among the farmers,’’ he warns.

Belgaum artists’ exhibition in Kolkata

2007-12-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Source EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Monday December 10 2007

BELGAUM: Three artists from Belgaum and one from Haveri will launch Group Painting Exhibition displaying their paintings from December 13 to 19 at Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata.

The group of artists include Aaron Anil Prakash, a 23-year-old student of Beynon Smith School of Fine Arts in Belgaum. The other two are S Anil Prakash, principal of Beynon Smith School of Fine Arts, Belgaum and Somanand M Gadakari, alumni of the same school.

It was artist K H Hanchinmani of Haveri who joined them for exhibiting the paintings. Hanchimani has completed his Diploma in Drawing and Painting from Fine Art College, Rattihalli. Both Gadakari and Hanchimani are working as constables in police department.

All the four artists have displayed their paintings at different exhibitions in various places winning the hearts of art lovers.

We need more persons like Chikkodi tahshildar B L Gote

2007-12-03T02:53:00.000-08:00

Ther are few people like Mr B L Gote who really serve the public in public intrest

Source www.newindpress.com 3 Dec 2007

BELGAUM: Unable to bear it any longer the mounting public grievance about cooking-gas shortage, Chikkodi tahshildar B L Gote, on Saturday made a surprise check on Swastik Gas Agency at Nippani, and finding the agency sitting over the stock, set himself down to distribute the gas cylinders to the waiting consumers.

Gote found to his dismay that the agency had not issued a single cylinder to its customers for over two weeks.

He counted 815 on the roll waiting for their refill. Further he detected 189 filled cylinders in the godown.

A truck-laden with 489 refilled cylinders had arrived to the godown when the tahshildar was checking the records.

The official and his team made themselves comfortable in the godown for four hours and distributed the cylinders.

Gote has also taken the trouble to ring up the waiting customers at their homes and told them to collect their cylinders.

Later, the tahshildar called the oil company concerned and instructed it to send another load of cylinders so as to clear the backlog.

Meanwhile, a media corp had assembled to witness the unusual activity of a duty-conscious tahshildar.

He told reporters that he would report the matter to the Deputy Commissioner and recommend action against the gas agency.

Gote also visited two fair-price ration shops which were reported closed while they are supposed to be open.

He telephoned the shop owners and asked them to come to spot, and made them keep open the shops for the scheduled time - from 8 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 8 pm everyday.

He warned of cancelling the licenses if he gets any more complaint from the people.

Giving the official a helping hand were the Taluk Food and Civil Supplies Department officer B S Halage, spe, special tahshildar S M Nayak, and a team of official functionaries.

This is my Belgaum These are my people "Belgaumites'

2007-11-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

A Kannada school for Marathis by Marathis

Extracts from Newindpress Wednesday November 28 2007

BELGAUM: Jamboti village of Khanapur taluk, dominated by Marathis is the best example of linguistic harmony between Kannada and Marathi people. Marathis here are running a Kannada primary school.

Even though there were no Kannada families in and around Jamboti village, the Government had started a Kannada primary school here in 1990. Now the school is being run by Marathis for Marathis, as almost all the students and SDMC members are Marathis. It has become a Kannada school for the Marathi people who have accepted the school as their own, giving education to their children in Kannada.

The school has classes only up to fifth standard. Keeping education away from the language dispute, the SDMC members have maintained the school so well, that they have even urged the Karnataka Government to upgrade the classes to stop their children going to other schools near Khanapur, which is 21 km away.

The school, which is the only Kannada school in and around Jamboti zone, started with just three students. Interestingly, those three were Marathis. Even now most of the students are Marathis.

Even though the villagers plead strongly in favour of Marathi, they prefer to teach their children Kannada so that they can obtain government jobs. It will also help them to be in the mainstream of society, they feels.

In the beginning, the school never used to celebrate Karnataka Rajyotsava, as the villagers who supported the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, used to observe the establishment day of the state as Black Day.

Now, the school, which is managed by Marathis is celebrating Rajyotsava as in other Kannada schools. Impressed by the school, villagers of Mudagayi near Jamboti, have urged the Government to start a Kannada school in their village as well.

We the Belgaumites

2007-11-25T02:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends
The following extracts are from Newindpress, What I am seeing is the Karnataka govt take some good initiative for we Belgaumites irrespective of being either Kanaada or Marathi, must be welcomed.
6 new Marathi medium DEd collages is a welcome gesture news but why not our district representative (local politicians) who had taken language divede as a major issue than development are not understanding this.
Belgaum deserve still more, I remember in 1986 when the bus boards of CBT used to be in Kannada Marathi and English and route number use to be in middle. the inegrity of Belgaumites is more important then language and if Belgaum develop its we the Belgaumites to get benefit of it.

At present, the district has 11 Marathi D.Ed colleges and the government has sanctioned 6 more for Marathi medium. The total number of students from Marathi D.Ed colleges would be 1380 for every two years. However, over the last three years the government has provided job opportunities only to 350 students. The Urdu medium D.Ed students are also sailing in the same boat.

The input of each college is 50 students out of, which 25 seats are being filled by government and 25 are from management quota. However, the private managements, which have opted for the D.Ed colleges, are not able to get the students as there is a sudden decrease in the number of students seeking admission, due to more number of colleges in the district.

News on Belgaum IT SEZ from EQuest

2007-11-13T03:56:00.000-08:00

Bangalore 13 Nov 2007

When Quality Engineering and Software technologies Inc. (Quest), an engineering software services company that supports customers including Airbus (for the A380 project), and Boeing (for the 787 Dreamliner project) in the design of airframe and engines, decided to set up a software special economic zone (software SEZ), it decided to go back to its roots, to Belgaum.
M.N. Vidyashankar,
Karnataka IT secretary Quest had been founded in 1997 in Hubli, some 420km northwest of India’s software and offshoring hub Bangalore. Belgaum is about 94km away from Hubli. Yet, it wasn’t history that influenced Quest’s move.
The company now works largely out of offices in Bangalore and, according to Vijay Menon, vice-president, marketing, costs are one reason why its SEZ is coming up in Belgaum. The zone, he added, would be spread across 250 acres and the first phase would be completed by 2008.
Even as costs soar and Bangalore becomes expensive and grid locked—some companies are moving to cities such as Hyderabad, Chennai, even Kolkata.
But Karnataka’s tier II cities are also sensing an opportunity and marketing themselves as cost-effective alternatives to their larger cousin. In 2006-07, Karnataka accounted for one-third of the country’s software and back-office services exports of Rs51,700 crore, according to Software Technologies Park, Bangalore, and Karnataka state information technology department.
Of this, Bangalore alone accounted for Rs50,050 crore.
Karnataka’s tier II cities exported software and services worth Rs1,650 crore in the same period according to the state IT department, a growth of 50% over the previous year compared with a 28% growth for Bangalore.
That number, while low, isn’t insignificant. Software and back-office services exports from all of Gujarat in 2006-07 totalled Rs550 crore; Orissa Rs732 crore; and Kerala Rs800 crore, according to the IT departments of the respective states.
Indeed, leaders such as Infosys Technologies Ltd and Wipro Ltd have started ramping up their presence in cities such as Hubli, Dharwad, Mangalore, Manipal, and Mysore.
Smith Dornan Dehn, a Manhattan-based international media and intellectual property firm, which has clients mainly in New York, Los Angeles and London, recently opened a knowledge processing outsourcing centre in Mysore. “It is good to set up our operations in Mysore. Cost of living is much lower here and rentals (too) are lower. Commuting takes much lesser time (in Mysore compared with larger cities),” said Sanjay Bhatia, head of the firm’s operations in India.
Other reasons why companies seem to prefer Karnataka’s tier II cities in addition to operating costs, include quality of life issues for employees and lower attrition levels.
“If we look at attrition, it is as high as 40% to 45% in Bangalore-based business process outsourcing units.
In smaller cities, it is about 5% as most of the employees live with their families and expenses are lower, compared with Bangalore,” said M.N. Vidyashankar, IT secretary of Karnataka.
“Several of the tier II cities have excellent manpower and companies can tap them. Our aim is to spread growth across the state and we will help companies with whatever infrastructure is required to do the same.”
The government-owned Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is also planning incubation centres in Mysore and Gulbarga. The STPI already has such centres in Bangalore, Mangalore and Hubli.

The Ryot Heros Of Belgaum "Jago India Jago"

2007-11-08T03:23:00.000-08:00

This is the best story I ever got to paste thanks to newindpress, These bloody governmant officeial needs to be taught a better lesson they should have been striped and beaten instead.

Ryots deal with corrupt official
Source:Express News Service November 8 2007

BELGAUM: ‘Do not test our tolerance, you corrupt officers!’ thundered the farmers of Kednur village who caught a talathi by his collar and forced him to cough up the ‘bribe’ he had allegedly taken for a work.

‘Why should we bear it?,’ asked an angry farmer. Heavy rains this season had ruined their potatoes. The government has announced compensation of Rs 800 per acre which evoked widespread protests because they wanted Rs 10,000 per acre. And the hassles of getting the meager sum prove demeaning for proud farmers. Over and above this trouble was the demand for bribe. ‘‘Our patience has reached the limit,’’ remarked another.

It was K N Dasar, talathi of villages Kedannur, Agasga and Manikeri who earned the ire of farmers. They say he demanded a bribe of Rs 1,500 from each farmer who submitted forms for compensation.

Kedanur village has 160 farmers who cultivated potatoes who suffered loss. Each farmer who approached Dasar to apply for compensation, had to give him Rs 1,500, said the farmers. While many grumbled and acquiesced, Chandram Irrappa Rajai, a poor farmer was unable to meet the demand. He asked for some ‘adjustment’ requesting the talathi to reduced the sum to Rs 500 bribe. He requested Dasar several times to adjust it with bribe of Rs 500 but he was turned back. For this reason, Rajai had to struggle to obtain Rs 1,000 from his friends and relatives and handed it over to the corrupt talathi.

When this news was leaked to Appasaheb Desai, leader of the farmers of the said village, it enraged him.

He along with 100 others picketed the office of Dasar and did not allow him to go out until tahshildar arrived.

L L Mudanal, sub-tahshildar and N N Patil, revenue inspector, Kakati reached the spot. The picketing farmers demanded that either suspend the talathi or the sum be returned. Mudanal’s plea that she would send a report to tahshildar was refused.

Finally the sum was returned with an apology.

Justice Please

2007-11-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

An earnest request to people reading my blog mainly lawyers from Belgaum, We all need ot have a say for human cuase, Please check out what what can be done for these people 504 days of satyagraha that too in front of DC office just opposite to court, after all what these people are asking, just their due salary for which they have worked, how shameless and dirty these politicians are usually they hold the post of Chiarman (Chor-man) or president of such sugar factories and then mess up badly ending filling up their kitty and leaving these poor people in fray. We talk of empowering India looking forward for our former "peoples President" Dr APJ Kalam for vision 2020, can we not the youth of country take responsiblity of helping these people with RTA(Right to informatin Act).
I wish I would have been in Belgaum to do a little to them.

Seeking justice: Workers of Raibag Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane staging ‘satyagraha’ in Belgaum on Wednesday.
Source The Hindu 8 Nov 2007

Belgaum: Deepavali, the festival of lights symbolising the triumph of righteousness over spiritual darkness, is one of the important festivals celebrated in the country. But, the festival brings no joy to the workers of the bankrupt Raibag Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane whose “satyagraha” for “justice” entered 504th day on Wednesday.

“What Diwali?” and “Whose Diwali?” is how workers such as M.A. Janvekar, M.R. Attar, M.G. Shirodkar, A.K. Magdhum and S.S. Patil reacted while talking to The Hindu here on Wednesday.

For these workers and several others all festivals have lost their meaning and become irrelevant.

The temporary tent at the entrance of the Deputy Commissioner’s office has been their home since June 22, 2006, when they launched “satyagraha” demanding payment of salary due to them for the past six years. A sum of about Rs. 18 crore is due to the workers and more than Rs. 12 crore is yet to be paid for the growers. The workers said that the Government, after being indecisive on their demand to revive the factory and punish the guilty members of management and officials, decided to lease out the factory to private agencies.

A tender notification was issued on February 12 this year inviting bids under lease-rehabilitate-operate and transfer basis. But some persons approached the High Court and obtained a stay against the tender process.

Though political leaders assured the workers that they would try to get the stay vacated, no progress had been achieved in this regard, said Mr. Patil.

Join hands for Crusade Against Corruption

2007-11-05T02:58:00.000-08:00

Pragati Belgaum’ floated
Source ENS: Monday November 5 2007
www.newindperss.com

BELGAUM: Its the ‘Gandhigiri’ of M N Vijaykumar, CADA Admin istrator that has made him establish ‘Pragati Belgaum’ for routing out corruption and making Belgaum ‘corrupt-free’, here on Sunday.

Somaningappa Malagali, freedom fighter inaugurated ‘Praga ti Belgaum’. Speaking on the occasion Vijaykumar said that he had sent letters to 70 government offices of various departments in the district to avail information individually in connection with corruption and developments.

Except for police and health departments, all others responded, he added.Vijaykumar said that his survey revealed corruption is very rampant in most of the government offices . “I will disclose the ranking of the list of offices according to corruption on Nov14,’ he said.

He said that responding to his call about 300 govern ment employees have claimed themselves to be non-corrupt and have signed with the statement on paper.Jayashree, wife of Vijaykumar and Kalyanrao Muchalambi, editor of Hesirukranti were also present.

Officer’s wife vows to fight graft

2007-11-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Belgaumites I earnestly request you all to join the noble gesture and social cause of Corruption in society. Mr Vijay Kumar an IAS officeer is on forefront to wipe out this and we must join hands with him, I would appreciate members on this blog raise more awareness for Public about “Pragati Belgaum”

My Associate blogger Ukmad(www.begaumblog.blogspot.com)can help Mr Vijay Kumar to take up the global signature campaign

You can visit to know the naked facts and misdeeds of our Lawmakers please visit
the following site http://fightcorruption.wikidot.com/start

Source: The Hindu 4 Nov 2007

Belgaum: Jayashree T.N., wife of senior IAS oficer M.N. Vijay Kumar, who is the Administrator of Command Area Development Authority, Malaprabha-Ghataprabha Projects in Belgaum, has joined hands with her husband in fighting white collar corruption in the State.

She claims to be fighting a “lobby” that was harassing her husband.

Mr. Vijay Kumar has not been provided with official accommodation forcing him to spend his nights in CADA premises. The official residential premises of CADA has been leased to a private person, which made a mockery of the rule of law, she alleged.

She told presspersons here on Saturday that a few like-minded persons had come together to launch “Pragati Belgaum” to carry forward the struggle against corruption in Belgaum city and district. It will be launched on Sunday.

Mr Ramesh Kudchi you are a Public Servant

2007-11-01T02:29:00.001-07:00

"The below story says how our MLA's greed for publicity turns their attitude inhuman, what if the name was not mentioned in the invitation list, these poor ladies would have given good wishes to you , but Mr Kudchi take the curse now"

MLA’s ire: Moms leave sans kit
Thursday November 1 2007 13:39 IST
Source: Express News Service

BELGAUM: Hundreds of women who had brought their new born babies to get Delivery Kits returned home empty hand. The function organised to issue the kits under Madilu scheme was indefinitely postponed following the objections by city MLA Ramesh Kudachi.

Kudachi was peeved at the omission of his name in the invitation card. The beneficiaries - women below poverty line - had come all over the district were in the dark about the goings on. Nobody offered them an explanation for the postponement.

District Health and Family Welfare Department, Women and Child Development Department, District Blindness Control Board and Information and Publicity Department had jointly organised the programme at Women and Child Development office at 11 am.

The District Administration had invited hundreds of women who had delivered babies in government hospitals after Sept 15, 2007. The Madilu kit contains 19 items like sanitary wear, towel, blankets, mosquito net, soaps, body and hair oil.

ZP president Nazeerahmed Nadaf was to inaugurate the scheme and his deputy Laxmi Talwar was to preside the function. Both were present at the venue of the function. After the MLA raised objections, deputy commissioner M E Shivalingmurthy and ZPCEO N Prabhakar, stayed away.

Officials told reporters that they had printed the names of the guests according to the directions of their superior officers.

Shri Thanedar A Belgaumite and his US based Chemir Analytical Services

2007-10-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

Shri Thanedar A chemist from modest origins creates a formidable analytical testing business
Source Cyanta Analytical Laboratories (http://www.cyanta.com)

Shri Thanedar's journey from a poor childhood in India to the helm of a group of chemistry-based companies is a classic American dream story. And with a recent custom synthesis acquisition and the formation of a new pharmaceutical services company, it's a continuing story as well.

Thanedar's flagship firm is Chemir Analytical Services, a suburban St. Louis provider of industrial problem-solving and analytical testing services. Combined, his companies are expected to have sales this year of $24 million; Thanedar is targeting $60 million in sales by 2009.

Growing up in Belgaum, India, some 300 miles south of what was then called Bombay, the idea of one day running a multi-million-dollar American enterprise was no doubt quite improbable to Thanedar. The oldest boy among nine siblings, his immediate concern was helping feed his family.

By 1974, at the surprisingly young age of 18, Thanedar had earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from a local college and was on his way to a full-time job at an atomic research center in Bombay. He earned an M.S. in chemistry while working as a health technician at the center and soon got to thinking about obtaining a Ph.D., and possibly working, outside the country.

He applied to the University of Akron, in Ohio, after learning about its strength in polymer chemistry and was admitted in 1979. "I was told it would be cold in Akron, so I brought along a sweater," Thanedar says. It was below zero when he landed in New York City that February.

By the fall of 1982, Thanedar had his Ph.D., but the U.S. was in recession and he couldn't find a job. At a regional American Chemical Society meeting, he met David Curtis, head of the University of Michigan's chemistry department, and took up Curtis' offer to come to Ann Arbor for a postdoc. In 1984, he completed the postdoc and was finally getting job offers.

As Thanedar recalls, he was tired of the cold, and his most southern job offer came from Petrolite in St. Louis. He moved there and began using his doctorate in Ziegler-Natta catalysis to synthesize long-chain aliphatics as additives for fuels, coatings, and other products.

Although Thanedar enjoyed the work, he says he became frustrated by his inability to make a real impact at the company. "A lot of the time, Ph.D. chemists get stereotyped into doing just technical work," he says.

With a newborn son and a wife finishing a medical school residency, it was a bad time for Thanedar to set out on his own. Instead, he decided to find a small company that he could join and perhaps someday own. "I opened the Yellow Pages," he says. "The manufacturing companies were all large, so I looked under analytical labs."

One of his calls was to St. Louis-based Industrial Testing Laboratories. Although owner Allen Siegal didn't have a spot for Thanedar, he recommended a nearby outfit, Chemir Laboratories, owned by Clara Craver, an expert in infrared spectroscopy. It turned out that Craver was looking to sell the business, but she had a problem. "Without her, the company was nothing," Thanedar says.

His solution was to apprentice himself at night and on weekends for $15 per hour. In October 1990, after a year as Craver's protégé, he bought the company for $75,000. Sales in his first year were $150,000. As Thanedar says, "We grew one customer, one chemist at a time."

He brought in other analytical equipment and expanded the range of problems that Chemir could solve. Typical customers came to include the contact lens solution maker whose product is causing an eye irritation, or the pen maker that wants to know how a competitor's ink dries so quickly, or the knee implant company faced with a product that is prematurely deteriorating.

In 1996, Thanedar bought a St. Paul, Minn., lab called Betec; three years later he acquired Siegal's

Credits for MR Shri Thanedar
winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2007 in the Central Midwest Region
national business award. The IndUS Business Journal 2006

Glorious, Victorious Belgaum NCC Air Wing Boys

2007-10-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

8 Kar Air Sqn makes hat-trick
Monday October 29 2007
Source: Express News Service

BELGAUM: First time in the history of All India Aero Modelling competition, cadets of 8 Kar Air Sqn NCC, Belgaum made hat-trick by winning gold medals in All India Vayu Sainik Camp 2007 held at Bangalore, recently.

Cadets Vishal S Diggewadi and Amit Sutar of GSS College who participated in the competition won the medal by constructing Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft model in 36 hours under the guidance of Arjun K Bilawar, Aero Modelling instructor Air Wing NCC, Belgaum.

Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur honoured the cadets with two laptops. Dy Air General NCC Karnataka and Goa region, Air Cmde P Rajesh Rao honoured the cadets with gold medals.

Group Commander of Belgaum region Col K M Nanda and Commanding Officer Wg Cdr R Kumar appraised the sheer hard work and dedication of the cadets as well instructor on the occasion.

Why not Suvarna Rath terminate at Belgaum

2007-10-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Belgaum to become ‘Tourism Hub’Saturday October 27 2007 15:06 IST

Belgaum is going to be a ‘Tourism Hub’, thanks to the Department of Tourism which has decided to make Belgaum as the centre point and organise tours to different tourist spots in and around Belgaum district.

According to C Somashekhar, director of Department of Tourism, the surrounding tourist spots like Badami, Pattadkallu, Bijapur, Dharwad, Hampi, Banavasi, Karwar and some other places would be covered making Belgaum as a centre point.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, Somashekhar said the tourist spots surrounding Belgaum district would be developed and at the same time brochures highlighting the details of these spots would be published.

He said a Tourism Conclave would be established in Belgaum. A meeting of hoteliers, private tour operators, intellectuals and those who are interested in tourism activities would be convened in Belgaum in November to chalk out the detail programmes of Conclave, he informed.

Somashekhar said ‘Sadhan Keri’ (Dharwad) - the place where D R Bendre, the noted Kannada poet was born - would be developed with a cost of Rs 2 crore. He said the Tourism Department has chalked out a programme exclusively for SC/ST students to develop a love for tourism. From each district about 200 SC/ST students would be selected and would be taken to tourist spots located in south India, he said. The scheme involves at least Rs 4 crore and the scheme would be launched from December, he added.

Belgaum deputy commissioner M E Shivalingmurthy was present in the press meet.

Belgaumites making stirdes in IT

2007-10-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

Startup Vayavya unveils automated device driver generator

BENGALURU, India — Vayavya Labs is launching an automated device driver generator framework that the company claims will bring discipline through its formal language-based approach.

Device driver generation is error prone and hard to maintain since there is no standard process across diverse platforms. Vayavya said its DDGen generator framework addresses these problems while reducing development time and coding effort.

The beta version, now undergoing testing with two semiconductor manufacturers, supports PCI drivers and will eventually support USB and Ethernet. It currently supports Linux and TI BIOS operating systems.

"Device generation by tools has mainly been a research topic. Those who attempted it did so purely from a hardware (device) aspect or from a software point of view," said R.K. Patil, CEO and co-founder of Vayavya (Belgaum, India). Patil said some researchers focused on "how to capture the register and its programming part, and then went on generate various device access methods. But for some reason, no attempt to capture the software needs while generating the device access methods was made."

DDGen captures device specifications and programming models using a formal language approach, then extends the concept to capture the run-time environment specification. "The real benefit comes when we look at both these specifications and then use the tool to generate the code. The tools model an expert system [acting] on two inputs, makes certain decisions based on commonly observed patterns (code structures used in manually written drivers) and then outputs the driver code," Patil said.

Chief analyst Daya Nadamuni of Gary Smith EDA said "a proprietary language may be a stumbling block for rapid adoption because it involves a learning curve. If it is targeting primarily embedded software engineers, they are familiar with ANSI C. But if it is targeting SoC designers, they are more attuned to System C. Adoption rates may vary based on the familiarity with the approach and the language."

Nadamuni cited concerns about other products based on proprietary languages. Vayavya "may need to be System C compliant as well and I do not see any System C compliance" in DDGen, Nadamuni said. DDGen could be made compliant with System C as the tool matures, Patil said, adding that he sees a movement towards SystemVerilog and Spriit specifications which address the ESL market.

"The tool proposes formalization of certain activities in current SoC/ASIC and software development flows and the time needed to incorporate changes in design flows. We will adopt Spirit 1.2 specifications with extensions and enhancements, which should address some concerns arising from the proprietary language," he said.

The beta version DDGen is for driver generation only, but also targets embedded software engineers. Current SoC design cycles are software intensive, mainly for device functional verification. Board support packages and programming model definitions are generally carried out by hardware designers.

Students of KLESECT, Belgaum, devise “Sign Language Tutor”

2007-10-14T22:47:00.001-07:00

The students of KLE Society’s College of Engineering & Technology, Belgaum, have once again made their institution and parents proud by winning the “Project of the Year” award in the 30th exhibition held in the city on August 17 and 18.

The project titled “Sign Language Tutor” was selected among 147 entries from 50 engineering colleges exhibited in the two-day State- level event organised by the Karnataka State Council of Science & Technology (KSCST). The Vice-Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University, H.P. Khincha, presented the award.

Four students — Neelesh Narvekar, Ashwin Chougule, Sandesh Shanbhag and Vijaylaxmi Ulvekar — of the Department of Electronics and Communications of KLESECT carried out the work under the able guidance of their teacher V. R. Bagali.

The objective was to develop a product that efficiently translated movement of fingers into sign language.

This project helps users to learn the sign language alphabets and clearly communicate with the hearing impaired and mute people.

This is for the fifth time the E&C department of KLESCET bagged the award, while Prof. Bagali receives it for the second time. The Principal S.C. Pilli and Head, Dept. of E & C, Hansaraj Guhilot, congratulated the students and staff for their success.

The exhibition was part of the “30th Series of Students Project Programme (SPP)” seminar-cum-exhibition organised by KLESCET. The SPP is the initiative of KSCST and being implemented to showcase the creative talent among engineering students and thereby encourage them to address issues concerning development and progress of the country through science and technology.

The programme also lays adequate stress on enriching collegiate education by way of finding solutions to real life problems, improve understanding and develop methodology of solving complex issues before the society.

The event was inaugurated by P.S. Subramanyam, Director of Aeronautical Development Agency, Ministry of Defence, Bangalore. M.K.Surappa, Secretary, KSCST, also participated.

Belgaum power Project

2007-10-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

Reliance to set up 800 MW power plant in Karnataka

The Karnataka government late Tuesday allowed the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to build a 800 MW gas-based power plant in Bidar district at a cost of Rs.24 billion.

'The state high-level committee on investments, headed by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, approved the Reliance proposal to set up the power plant at an estimated cost of Rs.24 billion,' state Industries Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu told reporters after the meeting.

The plant, to come up on 200 acres of land in at Humnabad, in Bidar, about 700 km from here, will be Reliance's first major investment foray in the state. The modalities, including the land acquisition process, are being worked out.

'Reliance has also expressed interest in setting up a 1,000 MW thermal power station in the state. To meet the growing energy requirements, we have decided to permit private firms to set up three thermal power projects of 1,000 MW each in Mysore, Belgaum and Gulbarga districts.

'Besides Reliance, six more firms -- Lanco group, Jindal Power, Orissa Power Corporation, Torrent Power and Nagarjuna Fertilisers & Chemicals have submitted competitive bids for these projects,' Naidu disclosed.

The committee also permitted the state-run Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) to build two thermal power projects of 1,000 MW and 1,500 MW in Raichur and Bellary districts of north Karnataka.

'KPCL, which operates the Raichur thermal power station (RTPS) and the Bellary thermal power station (BRPS), has been entrusted with the task of commissioning the two projects at a combined cost of Rs.105 billion,' Naidu pointed out.

Besides thermal projects, KPCL also operates four major hydel power stations and a wind power farm, with an installed capacity of close to 5,000 MW per annum.

Belgaum Airport major hurdle cleared

2007-10-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

BELGAUM: Land acquisition, the major stumbling- block for developing Sambra airport, has been cleared as farmers have agreed to give up their farm lands following government’s tempting offers of Rs five lakh per acre.

Farmers have opposed the move for some time but the good offer of compensation coupled with the promise of giving one person per family of the affected job have broken their resolution.

In fact, it’s a bonanza for the farmers. Apart from compensation, separate sum would be paid for the trees lost, and for open wells and bore wells and temporary or permanent structures on the plots.

Revenue department will conduct the survey soon. The Civil Aviation Ministry had proposed expansion of the Belgaum airport adding 370 acres.

But providing land was the responsibility of the State Government.

Government had held several meetings with the Sambra farmers, but could not break the ice.

Their contention was that the lands which are being acquired by the government are well-irrigated and cost more than the compensation proposed.

The farmers who held a meeting with the district administration on Thursday had demanded Rs 8 to 12 lakh compensation per acre.

However, after discussions, most of the farmers agreed to hand over their land for Rs 5 lakh per acre. Apart from the compensation, a government job would be given to each family, loan will be given to undertake self employment, the district administration assured.

The graveyard located in the middle of the identified land would be shifted 4 km away from the airport.

Belgaums Pride Lt Genl Dilip Desai, director-general, Information systems Indian Army

2007-10-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

Lieutenant General Dilip Desai, director-general, information systems of the Indian Army and a native of Uchgoan near here, has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in January by the President for his distinguished services.

A recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2000 and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2005 he is the second generation officer in his family. His father, Lieutenant Colonel N U Desai, served in the Army from 1942 to 1972.

Lt Gen Desai completed his schooling from St Xavier's School, Kolhapur, and King George's School, Belgaum, prior to joining the National Defence Academy in 1963. He was commissioned into the 18th Cavalry of the Armoured Corps after graduating from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, in December 1968.

The officer is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Higher Command Course at the Army War College,Mhow, and National Defence College, New Delhi.

Lt Gen Desai has wide military experience encompassing command, staff and instructional assignments in over 38 years of service. During Operation Parakram (2001-2002) he commanded the battle-hardened 1st Armoured Division as part of an offensive strike corps.

He has to his credit a number of important staff assignments, mainly dealing with military operations. These include three tenures at the Military Operations Directorate, Army Headquarters where his last assignment was additional director general, military operations.

As General-Officer-Commanding, 1 Armoured Division, he was responsible for bringing his division to the highest pitch of battle readiness during the warlike situation prevailing during Operation Parakram. As additional director general military operations he was directly responsible for initiating measures and framing policies relating to enhancement of the Indian Army's combat facilities and operational readiness.

As director general, information systems, he guides and directs the efforts of the Indian Army aimed at widespread automation through the effective use of information technology and in preparing it for the emerging face of future battles which will be network-centric.

In his present assignment he has been instrumental in taking new policy initiatives in the sphere of information technology proliferation in the Indian Army covering integrated systems and training.

CII sets up office in Belgaum

2007-08-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

Source The Hindu Business line

Bangalore, Aug.28. The Confederation of Indian Industry (Karnataka) has set up an office Belgaum with the objective of taking initiatives to spread industrialisation in the area a surrounding districts.

The Belgaum-Zone office will be aiming to highlight the potential of Belgaum as an industrial centre. The district has several large industries; important among them is the Indal Aluminium Factory.

As one of the fastest growing cities in the northwest part of Karnataka, Belgaum district borders two states, Maharashtra and Goa and the city of Belgaum is accessible via air from Bombay and Bangalore. This is the second office of CII outside Bangalore after Mysore.

The Belgaum Zone will focus on working with Government and local authorities and industry to create additional infrastructure with a view to enhance efficiency, competitiveness, raise export capabilities and make the industry environment-friendly.

There is a potential for improving the quality of the product, making it cost-effective and enhancing the competitiveness of industry here, said Mr N. Reguraj, Chairman of CII, Karnataka.

Some of the areas of focus could be to promote Green Environment through Pollution Control, provide required simulation software for foundries, create training and development facilities for human resource development, establish R&D laboratories and undertake any other activity incidental to the improvement of quality and make products internationally competitive.

During the coming months, CII plans to hold session on TPM, ISO 9000, HR, Taxation and road shows.

CII Belgaum Zone

2007-08-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

CII zone to give boost to N Karnataka

DH News Service, Bangalore:

As part of its aim to make growth and industrial development more inclusive across the State , CII Karnataka, has set-up the ‘Belgaum Zone’ to spear-head its initiatives in that area and surrounding districts and there by activating industrial development works in North Karnataka. This was announced here, on Tuesday.
Belgaum District is an important manufacturing and educational centre in North Karnataka.
Connectivity
Given its good connectivity by rail, road and air with the major industrial centres -Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune, it has the potential to become a major centre of activity for the automotive and aerospace industry stated Mr N Reguraj, Chairman, CII Karnataka.
The District, the second largest in terms of geographical area in the state, is growing to become a vibrant economy.
Its strategic location, connectivity, salubrious climate, huge natural resources, vast pool of talent, cheap and skilled labour, educational facilities, recreation facilities lead the district towards a phenomenal growth in social, economical, industrial and trade sectors. It is the most potential in view of the available resources and infrastrucre.

I hope the promises will be kept

2007-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Belgaum to be ‘second capital’ but what about other things Ring road Airport extension International Cricket Stadium

Deve Gowda’s statement comes as a ‘surprise’ to Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa

HISTORIC: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy laying the foundation stone for Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum on Sunday. Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa (left), Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil, and Minister for Public Works and Energy H.D. Revanna, are with him.

Belgaum: On the “momentous” and “historic” occasion of foundation stone laying for the “Suvarna Vidhana Soudha” in Belgaum on Sunday, the Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government gave a double treat the people with the former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda declaring Belgaum as “second capital” of Karnataka to a huge applause from the thousands of people gathered. Chief Minister H.D. Kumarswamy, who endorsed his father’s views, said a “forum” had been created to develop Belgaum as second capital of the State.

To begin with, Mr. Kumarswamy laid the foundation stone for 18 development works pertaining to the Ministry of Public Works and Energy headed by H.D. Revanna estimated at Rs. 1,075 crore, most of them in Belgaum district and a Rs. 27-crore project on laying railway line to Bagalkot.

Mr. Deve Gowda’s announcement came as a surprise to Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, if not to Mr. Kumarswamy himself. The former Prime Minister himself indicated that he had not informed about it to the two leaders.

Mr. Deve Gowda said the credit for developing Belgaum into second capital should go to the coalition government and not to any political party. Although there had been demand for holding legislature session and establishment of High Court Bench in north Karnataka from major cities, the Government had decided to develop Belgaum into second capital. He said although the Government was highly ambitious and looking forward to speed up development, it did not have the required funds. The Government had to approach the Centre for financial support besides putting in more efforts to augment revenues.

Reading from a written speech with poetic references describing Belgaum such as “Kashmir of Karnataka”, Mr. Kumarswamy said the occasion brought him great satisfaction. The Government would ensure expeditious construction of the building and it would be inaugurated next year. Mr. Yediyurappa, who presided over the programme, said the building would be inaugurated during the tenure of the coalition government. Of the Rs. 230 crore sanctioned, the Government had released Rs. 70 crore and work entrusted to a contractor.

Legislative Assembly Speaker Krishna, Deputy Chairman of Legislative Council Sachidanand Khot, Ministers Shahikant A. Naik, Balachandra Jarkiholi, Govind Karjol, C.M. Udasi, Basavaraj Horatti, Jagdish Shettar, H.D. Revanna and Shivanna Naik, MP Suresh Angadi, and legislators from Belgaum district Laxman Saudi, Abhay Patil, and Mahadevappa Yadwad, and the former Mayor Siddangouda Patil were present.

Killing Belgaums Growth Prospects again

2007-08-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ghataprabha thermal power plant project dropped

DH News Service, Mysore:

According to sources, the government had yielded to pressure from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh governments and is not going ahead with the 1000MW project.

The Karnataka Government has dropped coal-based Ghataprabha thermal power plant in Belgaum district as it has called for “global invitation for request for qualification” for only Chamalapura in Mysore district and Jewargi in Gulbarga district.

According to sources, the government had yielded to pressure from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh governments and is not going ahead with the 1000MW project. The two neighbouring states are said to have objected to the project saying that it would pollute the Krishna river.

The invitation for two 1000 MW plants in Jewargi and Chamalapura were invited on August 8.

However, the government seems to have ignored the protests for the Chamalapur project. No public hearing has been held for the project.

In its July 18 order, the Ministry of Water Resources has given approval in principle for the annual use of 1.56 tmc water for each plant.

As per the invitation, the last date to obtain application is September 7 and to submit September 14. It has also been decided to hold a meeting on September 21 and before October 6, the responses will be given and on October 27, list of bidders will be announced.

Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board has been entrusted with the responsibility of acquiring land already identified for the plants in Chamalapura and Jewargi.

Independent bodies will be formed to get permission from the Department of Environment and to study the feasibility of the projects, according to the invitation.

It also says that the firms will have to give government 85 per cent of power generated in these plants and the projects should be completed in 48 months.

Suicide threat
The farmers in and around Chamalapur have protested the proposed plant.

If the government continues with the project, the farmers have threatened to commit mass suicide.

They have also planned to seek Tamil Nadu’s support as the Kabini and Cauvery rivers will be polluted if the plant is set up in Chamalapura.

Belgaum, a centre of the freedom struggle

2007-08-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Extracts of The Hindu Corrospondent Mr Vijaykumar Patil

Belgaum and its adjoining regions — Bombay Karnataka in popular parlance — have always been the geographical meeting point of Marathi and Kannada cultures. It was a centre of the freedom struggle.

In 1857, when the Indo-Gangetic plain was convulsed by the fires of a sepoy-led rebellion against colonial rule, its echo was heard in Belgaum.

Instigation

A Muslim Wahabi and ‘munshi’ in the army were discovered instigating sepoys in Belgaum in August 1857; five of them were executed by the British and four others imprisoned for life. Mahipalsingh was deputed by Raja Venkatappa Nayaka of Shorapur (Gulbarga district) to instigate sepoys in the native infantry in Belgaum. Though he succeeded in persuading a considerable number of soldiers to revolt, his plot was discovered and he was arrested and hanged. Bhaskar Rao alias Babasaheb of Nargund planned a revolt and attacked a British contingent, but was caught in Torgal and later hanged in Belgaum. His ‘samadhi’ is located at the Military Dairy.

Kittur Rani

The history of Belgaum is not complete without a mention of Rani Channamma, the Queen of Kittur, whose heroic resistance to the British is commemorated in song and story. The queen refused a surrender offer and promise of ‘justice’ and instead attacked the enemy surrounding her fort, on December 3, 1824. The queen and her small army put up a heroic fight but were eventually defeated. She was jailed at Bailhongal where she died in 1829.

Heroic too was Sangolli Rayanna, a servant of Kittur State, who gathered a considerable band and carried forward the fight. He was later overpowered, arrested and hanged in 1830 at Nandgadh.

A.O. Hume visited Belgaum to propagate Congress ideals in 1893. Since then the district has served as home for both the ‘naram’ and ‘garam’ (moderate and extremist) factions of the Congress. The region was greatly influenced by Balgangadhar Tilak who visited Belgaum in 1906. Several leaders emerged here, including Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, Annu Guruji, Jivanrao Yalgi, Ramchandra Wadavi and Baburao Thakur.

Swadeshi movement

During the swadeshi movement of 1905-08, Govindrao Yalgi was responsible for starting secret revolutionary associations. Belgaum was made headquarters of the State unit of Tilak’s Home Rule League.

Belgaum played host to the historic 39th Plenary Session of the All-India Congress in 1924 (December 26 to 28), the only Congress session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi. The session saw the return of the Swaraj Party into the Congress fold.

Gangubai’s performance

An 11-year-old girl named Gangubai Hangal rendered the famous Kannada anthem, “Udayavagali Namma Cheluva Kannadanadu”, especially composed for the occasion by Hailgol Narayan Rao of Gadag on the opening day of the session.

As per the Lahore Congress decision, Independence Day was celebrated on January 26, 1930 by hoisting the tricolour in several places in the district. Thousands took the oath for freedom. This was followed by Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha. In Belgaum, Gangadhar Rao sold contraband salt on April 6, 1930 at a public meeting, the same day that Gandhiji broke the salt law at Dandi.

After a lull in the movement because of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact of 1831, the Civil Disobedience movement started once again in 1932, and 113 people from Belgaum taluk alone were convicted. They included Annu Guruji and four women from Ankalgi.

Good response

Veteran freedom fighter Krishna Mense recalls the overwhelming response in Belgaum and surrounding areas to the Quit India Movement. Large numbers of peasants, labourers and the weaker sections of society had joined the movement.

August 15, 1947 turned out to be a great festival when thousands took out a massive procession in Ganpat galli in Belgaum city to celebrate independence.

Proposed Belgaum Food and Agricultural Export Park cancelled

2007-08-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

GULBARGA: Two agro food technology parks proposed at Belgaum and Maddur in Mandya district, out of total six proposed parks, in the State have been dropped, thanks to the apathy of officials concerned and the lack of political will.

The promoters failed to identify the land in Belgaum, where as in Maddur the KAIDB acquired 70 acres and after a year the same was granted to other schemes, as there was no progress.

In fact, now there is no provision for the State Government to seek approval or seek financial assistance from the Union Government as the schemes taken up under the 10th Five Year Plan closed on March 2007.

Though there is a scheme to establish parks under Mega Food Parks in the 11th Five Year Plan, the proposal is still pending before the Planning Commission, sources revealed to this website’s newspaper.

Out of the four approved parks, the infrastructure work in Jewargi of Gulbarga district on 105 acres land and in Bagalkot on 100 acres land is yet to begin.

However, as much as Rs 2 crore each for Malur (in Kolar district) agro food park and Bagalkot agro food park has already been released out of Rs 4 crore available funds from the Union government. It is also likely to release Rs 2 crore for the Hiriyur (in Chitradurga dist) agro food park shortly.

Meanwhile, it is said that the Union government authorities cautioned the State to utilise the funds to promote agro food processing industries, where there is predominant production of processable agriculture and horticulture products before March 2008 or the funds will be diverted to other schemes.

At present, there is no possibility of releasing Central and State governments’ funds for Jewargi agro food park as nothing has been progressed except land acquisition. However, the project management team led by S S Patil, who is also a FKCCI president claims that they would start the work shortly.

Meanwhile, Malur agro food park is all set to be thrown open to agro-based industries by the end of December. Required facilities such as uninterrupted power supply, water supply, quality assurance laboratory, wear housing including cold storage unit and common effluent treatment plant provided well in advance

Source newindpress

Belgaumites getting united

2007-08-03T01:27:00.000-07:00

Move to split nigam dropped

Staff Correspondent of Hindu 3 Aug 2007

Belgaum: Yielding to the pressure from Kannada organisations and legislators from Belgaum district and other constituencies in north Karnataka, the Government has dropped the move to bifurcate Karnataka Neeravari Nigam (North) Belgaum and shift the office of Chief Engineer to Dharwad.

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Thursday asked Minister for Water Resources K.S. Eshwarappa not to bifurcate the nigam for Malaprabha and Ghataprabha command areas. Belgaum District Kannada Organisations Action Committee on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office in protest against the move.

On Thursday, legislators from the district cutting across party lines made a common cause in meeting Mr. Yediyurappa.

The delegation was led by Minister for Horticulture Shashikant A. Naik. Legislators Laxman Saudi (Athani), Mahadevappa Yadwad (Ramdurg), Abhay Patil (Bagewadi), Dattu Hakyagol (Chikodi), Raju Kage (Kagwad), Suresh Marihal (Kittur), M.K. Pattanshetty (Badami), Siddu Saudi (Jamkhandi), Huleppa Meti (Guledgud), Prakash B. Hukkeri (Sadalga), A.B. Patil (Sankeshwar), Jagdish Metgud (Bailhongal), Viswanath Mamne (Saundatti), Bhimappa Sarikar (Raibag), and V.A. Patil, MLC, were in the delegation.

Building Dharwad graved Belgaum

2007-08-01T21:29:00.001-07:00

It is so often happening ever since certain politicians are targeting the move of divisional office at Belgaum to Dharwad ,the recent was Jt directors office of Public instructions and for what reason are they doing this no district representative are ready to ask, on one hand the govt of Karnataka promises exclusive development of Belgaum being border district and on the other hand the move of offices are causing the loosing grip on administrative destabilization.
the recent issue was of moving Chief Engineers North office to Dharwad , Thanks to Mr Ashok Chandargi who has brought this issue to public,
In future Belgauimtes need to thrive hard and get back all the divisional offices moved out of Belgaum

Let this happen soon

2007-08-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

Railway service between Belgaum-Dharwad in the offing
Wednesday August 1 2007 13:07 IST
BELGAUM: It seems that the dream of former Belgaum MP, S B Sidnal of starting railway service from Belgaum to Dharwad via Bailhongal may soon become reality as the Railway Ministry is contemplating in this regard and is expected to conduct a survey soon.

Thanks to Belgaum MP Suresh Angadi for his efforts to take up the proposal which was pending with the Ministry for more than 15 years.

Sidnal had tabled a proposal of starting railway service between Belgaum and Hubli either along the Pune-Bangalore national highway 4 or via Bailhongal town.

It is learnt that the Ministry had also proposed to lay double track between Bangalore and Pune which was expected to get a nod shortly. The Belgaum railway station would also be upgraded.

The upgrading process included increasing the length of platform no 2 and 3 and others.

Does Government cares for Belgaum

2007-07-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Concern over delay in holding IT Investors’ meet in Belgaum

From The Hindu 30 July 2007

IT Department for clubbing event with world Kannada meet

Belgaum: The delay in organising the exclusive IT Investors’ Meet in Belgaum has become a cause of concern for businessmen in particular and people of the district in general.

The decision to organise the event in Belgaum, which is being projected as the most favoured destination for future investment after Bangalore and Mysore in the State, was taken soon after the General Investors’ Meet here on March 8. The event then witnessed registration of investment proposals worth Rs. 810 crore from 108 companies in the State and from Maharashtra. These proposals projected employment opportunities to 12,000 people. The number of proposals went up to 156 with more companies registering themselves for launching their operations here.

Sources told The Hindu here on Sunday that the proposed IT Investors’ Meet was being delayed by the Department of Information Technology, Bangalore, as it favoured clubbing the event with the Vishwa Kannada Sammelan (world Kan nada meet) to be held here.

Though Minister for Kannada and Culture H.S. Mahadev Prasad had announced to hold the sammelan in Belgaum in the last week of September, a final decision on the date was yet to be taken. Once the date was finalised, the IT Department could decide on holding the investors’ meet, the sources said.

But people are apprehensive of the Government organising the sammelan in September when the coalition partners will be preoccupied with “transfer of power”.

Therefore, the IT Department should go ahead with the proposed IT investors’ meet instead of keeping the prospective investors waiting. Such an attitude would only send a wrong signal to investors and they might move away to Pune and Hyderabad, the sources said.

A senior official in the Department of Commerce and Industries said that the IT Department was keen on developing an IT Park in Belgaum and holding the investors’ meet at the earliest.

The Government had invited tenders to develop the park on 40 acres of land through the Karnataka State Small-Scale Industries Development Corporation. Though the initial response was not encouraging, there was still a month for submitting tenders. Some construction companies had visited the proposed site and many were in touch with the DIC. The IT Department would develop 109 acres of land more, the sources said.

The sources said the location of IT Park at Vaghwade was inconvenient as it was about 25 km from the Sambra airport. It would take about an hour to fly from Bangalore or Mumbai to Belgaum and almost the same time to reach the proposed IT park in the city. However, it would be convenient if the park was located near the airport, they added.

Good Bye Sir APJ The ultimate President

2007-07-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

“When you wish upon a star, Makes no difference who you are, Anything your heart desires, Will come to you,” outgoing President A P J Abdul Kalam quoted the poem and wanted youth to aim big.

I salute our outgoing President APJ Abdul Kalam I wish I would have been a student at Anna university as he will be teaching there soon, very rare are distinguished person like him are born.

He will be ever remembered as People's Presidents even though being a Space Scientist and Aviation Engineer with his height of humbleness and simplicity I hope our shameless politicians learn something from him about how to serve the Nation.

Jai Hind

Belgaum : New vaccine Research Centre and Manufacturing base

2007-07-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

BELGAUM: As expected, the Vaccine Depot at Tilakwadi in the city has been selected to establish the proposed Vaccine Manufacturing and Research Centre (VMRC).

The Belgaum VMRC will be the first in North Karnataka region and the second in the State. The centre will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 16 crore.

Vaccine for various animal-related diseases, including rabies would be manufactured and it will be a research centre.

Mr MN Vidyashankar (IAS) IT Secretary of Karnataka

2007-07-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

MN Vidyashankar took over as the IT Secretary of Karnataka in October 2006. Besides IT, Vidyashankar also holds the post of Secretary for Biotechnology, and Science and Technology. While at Bangalore Development Authority, he was instrumental in implanting the e-Pragathi project aimed at creating multi-utility kiosks across the city for the payment of utility bills. Vidyashankar talks to Sudesh Prasad of Dataquest about the ensuing IT policy and some of the new projects in pipeline, to expand IT beyond Bangalore.

What is the status of the new IT policy of Karnataka?
The vision group is deliberating on it and in our next meeting, we will give a final shape to it. The reason for delay was that there were lot of inputs that came from various stakeholders, and various departments which were in the process of computerization. All the information that we have got is being collated and it should be ready by March end.

What are some of the challenges Karnataka is facing in terms of IT?
The main problem we are facing is that everything is Bangalore-centric. We want to see that the new policy focuses equally on the proliferation of IT to other cities and towns beyond Bangalore. We are in the process of awarding tender for the development of the Bidadi Township for the IT industry which will be one of the largest townships in the country-an area of 10,000 acres, with 25,000 acres of built up space. We have received requests from about 32 developers from India and abroad of which 24 have been short-listed. The Infrastructure Development Corporation of Karnataka is technically scrutinizing these. Then the financial bids will be done and an announcement of final bidders will be made soon after; handing over of the land will take place by April end. Only one developer will be given the entire space, and work will be completed in 18 months in two phases.

'When we were planning Bidadi, we made it a point that it should not be an infrastructure for just plug and play, so we created the model of PPL-plug, play, live and learn. So any IT company which is taking space here should necessarily take space for accommodation of its employees'
How different is the Bidadi project?
When we were planning Bidadi, we made it a point that it should not be an infrastructure for just plug and play, so we created the model of PPL-plug, play, live and learn. So any IT company which is taking space here should necessarily take space for accommodation of its employees. That is a precondition because we don't want to clog Bangalore. There will be schools, colleges, hospitals and other facilities in this township.

Which were some of the e-Governance projects you were involved with?
In my earlier capacities I did more IT work than my primary responsibilities. When I was with the Bangalore Development Authority, I had initiated a project called at e-Pragathi, which was a multipurpose 24x7 Kaveri kiosk meant to accept utility bills including electricity, water and telephone bills. We have 75 of them in the Banglaore city today. We did a pilot project for this with three companies. For the first time we got customer reactions to the pilot project and after we were fully convinced, we went ahead and gave the project to an IT company. This model has now been taken up by one of the airlines for their check-in facility.

How is the IT department working with the Karnataka government to improve the physical infrastructure of the state?
There is a sub group on Bangalore infrastructure comprising 4 persons, including me. We meet once every two-weeks. We actually go out with the executing agencies and inspect the sites. Most of the work on roads in and around the electronic city, are going to be completed by the end of April 2007. The rest will be over by the end of May 2007. Each of the schedules are on the website of the concerned department and on our website, so that anybody can see it.

How are the other cities of Karnataka shaping up?
Mysore is doing good. Hubli is also shaping up in a big way. There is a huge IT park, and we have created 2.75 lakh square km of office space. We are ready to distribute about 160 acres of land to IT companies in Belgaum. Belgaum is strategically located, it is 75 km from Goa which has a port and an international airport. We are also holding an IT Investors' meet in Belgaum in April to attract investment.
Chennai has marched ahead of Bangalore in attracting telecom manufacturing companies. Your comments?
Each city has a strong point. The new semiconductor policy that was announced will go a long way in making Bangalore the semiconductor hub of the world. The variety of companies that Bangalore has attracted is incomparable.

What is the Karnataka government's vision for IT?
During 2007-2008, we intend to have 10 IT and BPO units outside of Bangalore, not necessarily district headquarters. We are concentrating on Tumkur, Hasan, Shimoga, and two others. The only criterion was that there should be a good supply of quality manpower. All these places have very good supply of graduates. RIIT is being set up in Mysore and would be the first IT-finishing schools in India.

Any new initiatives?
All our departments within the IT department will go paperless from May 2007. All documents will be digitized and will be digitally signed. Even file notings would be done digitally.

Belgaum should have its own Power commision

2007-07-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Belgaum should have its own power supply company unlike HESCOM , GESCOM or MESCOM , it is very well understood the power outage is nothing new in Belgaum as we need to depend on HESCOM which is based at Hubli and they would certainly keep more interest for Hubli-Dharwd districts, unfortunately we Belgaumites are loosing our industries to near by state or to other district. Belgaum is much on self development move but power and water is necessary, the 110KW sub station is still at large the district representatives need to take more interest to solve this problem, Belgaum has high potential to be develop from a cosmopolitant to megapolitant city.

"Narendra Markumbi" Proud Belgaumite

2007-07-03T01:13:00.000-07:00

India is changing and farmers are part of this change, today we only read suicides stories of farmer, but here is something encouraging for framers the man behind them is Mr Narendra Markumbi , I have a fade glimpse of meeting him in Belgaum when I was studying at CMS institute and attended a call at Markumbi Bioagro camp office with Mr Sunil Uppin (Frontline Automation) for system repair somewhare in 1996.

http://www.iimaalumni.org/n/front/newsmakers/narendramurkumbi.htm

The Fortune in The Farms

This is a rags-to-riches story with a twist. Narendra Murkumbi became a billionaire all right. But he also created wealth for thousands of cane farmers .
M. Anand & Nelson Vinod Moses

Shindogi, in the Belgaum district of Karnataka, is like any other Indian village. Most of the inhabitants are farmers. Here they grow sugarcane and their incomes rise and fall with crop prices. It is the last place one would expect people to track stock prices. But they do. Through the pages of Kannada daily Usha Kiran, they keep a close watch on the fortunes of Shree Renuka Sugars (SRS). After all, 9,900 farmers in the region own the stock and their combined shareholding is worth around Rs 350 crore. “When we see the share price, we are happy because this is more than we expected even in our dreams,” says Gurappa Sidappa Kanapanaure, one of the farmer investors.

The farmers had bought the stock at face value. A Rs 5,000 investment in the late 1990s was worth Rs 7.61 lakh on 31 March 2006. Each investor holds at least 500 shares, with some, like Raiappa Mallapa Shetty, holding as many as 2,500. His holding was worth Rs 3.8 lakh on 31 March 2006.

When SRS listed on the BSE in October 2005, one of the farmers rang the customary bell to kick off trading in the stock. On that day, the combined wealth of these farmers was Rs 129 crore. By April 2006, that number had grown to Rs 811 crore. That growth of wealth (the farmers had invested less than Rs 5 crore) is now very much a part of the Shindogi folklore.

The tale would not have been told, but for Narendra Murkumbi, the managing director of Shree Renuka Sugars. He was born in Belgaum, not too far from Shindogi. His father was a distributor for Tata Tea and Tata Chemicals. With him, Murkumbi travelled a lot. He saw the tea gardens of Assam and the wheat fields of Punjab. In 1994, when he graduated from IIM, Ahmedabad, he wanted to start his own agri-business. He dabbled in bio-pesticides, but soon his interest shifted to sugar.

Having lived in Belgaum for most of his life, Murkumbi was familiar with the business. But he did not have the Rs 100 crore needed to set up a mill. At that time, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government was selling a sugar unit for Rs 55 crore. He wanted to buy it and bring it to Belgaum, which grew lots of high-yield cane. But he did not have the cash to do even that.

With great difficulty, he convinced IDBI to lend up to 60 per cent of that cost. He also got the Sugar Development Fund to contribute another 15 per cent of the project cost as equity. He then went about raising the remaining 25 per cent. But, after exhausting his options, he was still about Rs 5 crore short. He recalls: “Then, the stockmarket was indifferent to the sugar industry. So an IPO was ruled out.” That’s when he turned to the farmers.

Says Murkumbi: “They were used to a culture of investing because of the co-operative mills. Though our model was different, we figured it could work.” His mother, Vidya Murkumbi, chairperson of SRS, visited 80 villages to talk to the farmers. Her pitch was simple. There was oversupply of sugarcane in the district. Farmers were travelling 60-70 km to sell their produce in Raibaga. There were payment delays and defaults. By setting up a plant in Belgaum, SRS would step up cane offtake and make prompt payments. In return, each farmer would have to buy at least 500 SRS shares at Rs 10 each. Not everyone was convinced. Most invested only after they saw the mill coming up. In the end, 9,900 farmers bought the story and the stock — the latter, in many cases, with borrowed money. That was SRS’ defining moment.

Since then, Murkumbi has turned the company into a fully integrated sugar maker with power generation and refining capacities. It has also become a major merchant exporter of sugar and is setting up a 2,000 tonnes per day sugar refinery in Haldia — the largest in India — primarily for exports.

SRS’ growth (in the last three years, sales have grown from Rs 152.34 crore to Rs 673 crore, and net profit from Rs 2.36 crore to Rs 40.73 crore) has attracted investors. Foreign investors, like Carlson Fund, have bought 12 per cent of SRS and the company’s market cap is among the highest in the sector.

Now, the Murkumbis’ 46.87 per cent stake in SRS is worth about Rs 1,698 crore. But that hasn’t changed their lifestyle much. Vidya still lives in Belgaum, Narendra in rented quarters in Worli Seaface, Mumbai. He was trying to buy a flat in south Mumbai, but settled for one in Prabhadevi instead. “Prices are much too high,” he says. He is distinctly uncomfortable talking about his wealth. “I look at my stock prices every day, but I am not the kind who will sit with a spreadsheet trying to figure out my wealth,” he says. In fact, it took a lot of persuasion to get Murkumbi to meet for this story on billionaires. He relented on the condition that the interview would largely revolve around the wealth of the farmers, not his. “SRS now buys over Rs 2 crore worth of cane every day from 50,000 farmers,” he says, proud of his contribution.

That has changed Shindogi. Now, the crop is sugarcane all the way. Hardly anything else is grown any more. Take Raiappa Mallappa Kalti. In 2000, he used to ride a bicycle, grow maize on his 40 acres and make about Rs 1 lakh a year, which barely covered his farm and family expenses. After the SRS plant came up, he switched to sugarcane. He sells his crop to SRS and is paid within 15 days. Says Kalti: “I drive a Tata Indica now, have increased my holdings to 100 acres and make Rs 20 lakh-30 lakh an acre.”

To farmers in these parts, Vidya is “more than the mother who gave birth to us”. SRS has helped them with better seeds, fertilisers and loans at the initial stages. It has also bettered their farming methods and monitored cane quality. Says Shetty: “We were taken to training programmes in Coimbatore, where we learned how to increase the yield. Five years back, we used to get 30-40 tonnes per acre. Now we get 50-60 tonnes per acre, sometimes even 70.”

The farmers, however, have been careful with their new found wealth. No flashy cars or clothes for them. Most have used the money to increase their land holdings, build bigger houses, educate their children (even send them abroad) and buy better irrigation systems. They say that if they knew that the shares would be worth this much today, they would have bought more of them. Now they joke about what they could buy if they sell their stock. Says Shetty: “Four of us have cars, now we are thinking of buying an aeroplane.”

courtesy Businessworld dated Sep 2 2006

Belgaum Air Timings

2007-07-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

ttp://airdeccan.net/

Belgaum to host IT investors' meet

2007-07-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Hindu Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Belgaum to host IT investors' meet

Staff Correspondent

Entrepreneurs from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune to be invited

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparations on, but date is yet to be finalised
New sites identified for IT and Apparel Parks, SEZs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belgaum: In an effort to boost industrial development in this border district, which is being projected as the second major industrial destination after Bangalore, the Government has decided to convene an investors' meet exclusively for the information technology (IT) sector.

Highly placed sources told The Hindu here on Tuesday that at least 100 prospective investors and entrepreneurs from the three major IT cities — Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune — would be invited to participate in the meet. The District Industries Centre (DIC) has started making preparations for the meet, but date is yet to be finalised.

The investors' meet held here on March 8 brought investment proposals worth Rs. 810 crore from 108 firms, promising employment opportunities to 12,000 people. More proposals followed, taking the total to 156. Of these, 106 firms have shown interest in going ahead with their proposals, but have been held back owing to constrains at the two major industrial areas in Udyambag and Autonagar. The DIC has identified new localities on the outskirts of Belgaum city for an IT Park, an Apparel Park, a general Special Economic Zone (SEZ), two SEZs for the sugar and engineering sectors, and other major industries.

According to Minister for Horticulture and district in-charge Shashikant A. Naik, 169 acres and 32 guntas in Survey No. 152 adjacent to Visvesvaraya Technological University has been identified for the IT Park. An area of 5 acres and 17 guntas has been earmarked to set up an earth station to facilitate high-speed Internet/wireless communication facilities for the IT Park.

Another 69 acres and 32 guntas of land has been identified for the Apparel Park, close to the IT Park. Sources said that a group of entrepreneurs engaged in the powerloom/textile manufacturing sector in Belgaum had floated a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to develop the Apparel Park.

Mr. Naik said 3,000 acres had been identified in Hukkeri taluk for the establishment of an SEZ.

5,000 acres of land marked for SEZ

2007-07-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

5,000 acres of land marked for SEZ
15 Sep, 2006 l 2306 hrs ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK

BELGAUM: The district administration has identified 5,000 acres of land near Kakati village on the national highway to establish a special economic zone. The project, after approval, would generate employment for 1.5 lakh people.

Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has already assured that the project will get approval, MLA Abhay Patil told reporters here on Friday.

Patil said the proposal has been prepared by the administration and the identified land belongs to the forest department, but is not reserved forest.

Land from Ramdurg and Saundatti taluks would be allotted to the forest department and its land here would be acquired for the SEZ.

Two companies from Delhi have evinced interest in investing in the proposed SEZ. Kumaraswamy has been asked to give tax and power concessions for the companies investing in the SEZ, and hold a meet of investors in Belgaum.

To this, the CM has given his nod during discussions with office-bearers of the Belgaum Chamber of Commerce, he said.

A proposal has also been sent to the government to establish a truck terminal and Autonagar near Honga, on the national highway.

The present Autonagar scheme failed as it is away from the highway, and garages have refused to move there, Patil said.

He also said that land to create infrastructure for Vidhana Soudha here has been identified and the acquisition process will begin soon.

The chief minister, during the assembly session here, is expected to lay the foundation stone for the proposed Vidhana Soudha, ring road and international-level cricket stadium, he said.

Hope this come true soon

2007-02-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

Belgaum airports on Centre’s radar

From B S Arun DH News Service New Delhi:
In a key initiative to upgrade and expand Karnataka’s regional airports at Hubli and Belgaum and turning the Indian Navy’s airstrip in Karwar into a civilian strip, a high-level team of Civil Aviation Ministry will visit the state for two days from January 24. Led by ministry joint secretary K N Shrivastava, who handles matters relating to airports at the ministry, the team consists of senior officials from the Airports Authority of India [AAI] which manages all the civilian airports of the country. The team will first visit Belgaum and then Karwar and Hubli. The major task of the Ministry, Mr Shrivastava told Deccan Herald here on Monday, would be to expand the Belgaum and Hubli airports so that they are able to receive larger aircraft of the size of A320s.

For this, the runway of the two airports, which now handle small aircraft like ATR, needs to be extended and terminals enlarged to cater to a larger number of passengers. While Belgaum airport, which belongs to the Indian Air Force, will get additional land of 370 acre — as against the current 150 acre —Hubli will get about 250 acre of additional land. In both the Tier II cities, the state government has agreed to give land free. While the state government will give the additional land required at these locations, the AAI will take care of the infrastructure development. For this, AAI is likely to spend a total of about Rs 250 crore for the three airports. The joint secretary, who was earlier managing director of Bangalore Metro, said the upgradation of airports was a joint effort of the state and the Centre as these airports needed expansion in view of the opening up of the aviation sector and the willingness of the airlines to operate to smaller cities. Air Deccan is already flying to these cities while Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines has expressed willingness to operate to these two major centres. Expanding the naval airstrip at Karwar and making civil aircraft operate on the coastal region had been one of the long-standing demands of the state government which could be realised soon. AAI sources said the state government needed to provide for better transport facilities for passengers to travel between Hubli and the airport, which is situated on the outskirts. The Ministry is yet to take up the other proposals of the State such as construction of greenfield airports at Shimoga, Gulbarga, Hassan and Bijapur.