Dharwad to get 20 new HOPCOMS outlets

Source: The Hindu

The Horticultural Producers' Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS) will open 20 new fruit and vegetable outlets in the city.

At a press conference here on Wednesday, Karnataka Horticulture Federation (KHF) president Ishwarchandra Hosmani said Minister for Horticulture S.A. Ravindranath would symbolically conduct the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the Shivagiri outlet here.

Funding

He said the KHF provided financial support of Rs. 4 lakh for each of the outlets. Work would be completed and the outlets, which would have modern storage facilities and spot billing facility, would open for business in four months. The outlets would sell quality produce at competitive prices, he said.

HOPCOMS would open 20 outlets in Dharwad this year and 40 outlets in Hubli next year. The Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation had provided land on lease to set up the outlets, and the HOPCOMS was ready to open outlets in new localities provided the HDMC gave it land.

A target of setting up 150 outlets in Hubli-Dharwad had been set and if land was provided, the KHF was ready to fund them, Mr. Hosmani said.

Organic produce

To a query, Mr. Hosmani said that though there were no immediate plans to open separate outlets for the organic produce, HOPCOMS would arrange for organic counters at its outlets if farmers wished to market organic products at the HOPCOMS outlets. Only organic produce that had been tested and verified by the HOPCOMS officials would be allowed to be sold at the organic counters, he said.

Dharwad to get hitech forest institute

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/dharwad-to-get-hitech-forest-institute/474422/

Dharwad will soon have a high-tech forest training institute. The state government, responding to a proposal sent by Western Ghat Task Force, has sanctioned Rs 4 crore for setting up the institute. It will come up at Gungaragatti, 15 kms from Dharwad.
Western Ghat Task Force chairman Ananth Hegde Ashisar who was here to attend a seminar on forest research told Business Standard on Tuesday that the research and training centre will help the forestry students to learn and take up advanced research of Western Ghats and Kappathgudda.


He said both Kappatagudda and Western Ghats have been declared as conservation protected areas and hence mining, felling of trees and destruction of flora and fauna in these areas have been prohibited. Considering Bedthi and Aghanasini as a bio-diversity sensitive area, it has also been declared as conservation reserve. Now, no dams or power plants can come up in this area. Nearly 50 meters on both sides of the Shalmala river has also been declared as conserve reserve. All along the river belt, the existing plant life would be conserved.
To check sea erosion, the Western Ghat Task Force has launched a new project titled ‘Karavali Hasiru Kavacha’ (Coastal Green Cover). “Earlier to prevent soil erosion, huge rocks and boulders used to be dumped on the sea shore. Now, ‘Green wall’ comprising several trees is being built. This would protect the sea bio-diversity,” he asserted.
Apart from this, the task force has identified a few villages which have rich bio-diversity. These villages are tagged as ‘Hasiru Samruddhi Grama’. So far 36 such villages have been identified.
and installation of bio-gas plants, solar units and nurturing of medical plants has been taken up in these villages. The Village Forest Committees (VFCs) have been asked to monitor the project and help the villagers.
Ashisar strongly condemned the fatal attack on Dandeli ACF Madan Nayak. He said the task force had taken up the issue seriously and had asked the government to take steps to monitor the activities in the resorts.

B’lore firm may develop solar parks in State

Source: DHNS

A private company which has developed Asia’s first and the world’s largest solar park at Charanka village in Gujarat, is likely to bag the Solar Park projects in Karnataka too.

Sources told Deccan Herald that the State government had invited engineers from EI Technologies based in Bangalore, to conduct inspections at four locations in the State where solar parks could be set up.

One of the proposed locations is Mannur village in Bijapur district, where 4,000 acres have been identified to develop a solar park of 500 MW capacity, according to Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje. Sources said other proposed locations are in Raichur and Yadgir districts.

On Friday, Karandlaje said the solar plant at Mannur would be developed with an initial capacity of 80 MW to 100 MW and would be expanded later. She said the work on the solar park would be monitored by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL), the nodal agency for promoting renewable energy. KREDL would also be responsible to provide basic infrastructure like power evacuation, water and roads to the developers.

EI Technologies engineer N Ranganath told Deccan Herald that he had been invited to conduct site inspections in the State to set up solar parks. He said like Gujarat, Karnataka was also a preferred State for tapping solar power in districts like Dharwad, Raichur, Bidar and Yadgir.

Ranganath said the estimated cost of developing a solar plant of 1 MW capacity was around Rs 9 crore and to develop a 80 MW plant, it would cost around Rs 720 crore. He said if the land was in possession of the government, it would not take more than six months to complete the project.

Ranganath said tapping solar energy would be inevitable in future as it had advantages when it came to total savings on the project, operation and maintenance. He said any location to develop solar park should have minimum availability of water as solar panels need periodical cleaning.

KREDL Managing Director N Prasanna Kumar said once the developer was finalised, the government would provide infrastructure and the project would begin. He said the project would be maintained by the developer for a lease agreement period of 30 years.

NWKRTC may shift new Hubli bus-stand

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3386374.ece


The plan is to move it from Gokul Road to Hosur

Improvement ahead?:Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar inaugurating the newly formed Dharwad division of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation in Dharwad on Friday.

The North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) is planning to shift the new Hubli bus-stand from Gokul Road to Hosur, according to Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar.

Speaking after inaugurating the newly formed NWKRTC Dharwad division here on Friday, Mr. Shettar said if the plan worked out, the new bus-stand would be shifted to the premises of the Hubli depot at Hosur, and the depot to Gokul Road. The Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) proposed for Hubli-Dharwad had necessitated this change, which would be convenient for passengers, he added.

Facelift

The Cabinet had given its approval to BRTS, under which bus-stands and terminals would get a facelift. A team of local legislators and others recently visited Ahmedabad to study BRTS, which had been working there for the last three years.

It could be used as a model for Hubli-Dharwad with certain modifications, the Minister said.

Mr. Shettar said efforts were on to convince the Union government to sanction projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for Hubli-Dharwad. As the population of Hubli-Dharwad had reached 10 lakh, the city was eligible for it, he said.

NWKRTC chairman Mallikarjun Sawkar said the new division would include Dharwad, Saundatti, Dandeli and Haliyal depots. A new bus depot would also be set up near the new central bus-stand in Dharwad, for which the district administration had provided three acres.

He said the NWKRTC had made profits this year. It would get 700 more buses and improve services to rural and urban areas.

The NWKRTC would introduce 20 additional buses between Hubli and Dharwad, and these buses would start from new points in various layouts and interior areas that had no bus connectivity. Plans were on to improve the city bus terminus, old bus-stand and new bus-stand in Hubli and Dharwad, he said.

‘Improve connectivity'

Chandrakant Bellad, Hubli-Dharwad West MLA, urged the authorities to introduce air-conditioned Volvo buses from Dharwad to Bangalore and to Pune. He demanded that mini-bus terminals be set up in the extension areas, with direct buses to different localities.

NWKRTC Managing Director Hemaraju said there was a need for a workshop for the division, and the NWKRTC was ready to set it up if a minimum of five acres was provided within two or three km of the divisional office.

He said Rs. 5 crore would be released to clear the arrears of retired employees this month.

---

Cabinet gives nod for Bus Rapid Transport System: Shettar

Centre urged to sanction projects for Hubli-Dharwad under JNNURM

NRI to set up Rs 10cr auto unit in Dharwad

Source: Times of India

HUBLI: It's a call of the motherland for Ravi Harsoor, an NRI hailing from Gulbarga and settled in the US, who has come forward to set up an auto ancillary unit in north Karnataka and contribute his bit to the industrial development of the region.

At the North Karnataka Investors' Meet held here on Monday, Harsoor expressed his intent to set up an auto ancillary unit at Belur industrial area in Dharwad at a cost of Rs 10 crore. It will be a pilot project and based on the response, the NRI plans to expand it further.

Born and brought up in Gulbarga, Ravi Harsoor is an engineering graduate settled in America for the past 18 years. He worked for a few years at the Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai before moving on to the US.

Speaking to TOI about his project, Ravi said he was waiting for some opportunity to set up an industrial unit in north Karnataka. It came in the form of the North Karnataka Investors' Meet.

"I was invited by the industries ministry to attend the meet. I decided to tap the potential of the region in the auto sector," he said.

"If the pilot project takes off well, we are keen on setting up a permanent auto ancillary establishment investing Rs 50 crore more," he said.

Two of Harsoor friends, Virupannavar and Goutam Chopra are also joining hands with him in this venture.

Now, the team is in the process of identifying land in Belur and finding prospective buyers.

They plan to start the unit by the end of December.

Harsoor is running real estate and health care projects in the US. He is also owns a BPO in Mysore.

Dharwad's truck terminal likely to be ready soon

Source: The Hindu

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The truck terminal at the Belur Industrial Area, near here, is expected to be ready for use by March.

It has been constructed by D. Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal Corporation Ltd. at a cost of Rs. 7.82 crore, and would be the first truck terminal in north Karnataka and the second in the State.

The first one was inaugurated in Mysore recently. The terminal is coming up on eight acres beside the main road of the industrial area.

It is expected to provide a safe and well-equipped parking facility for trucks and other heavy vehicles entering the industrial area.

At present, these vehicles are being parked on the roadside and the drivers lack proper facilities.

Unsystematic parking of vehicles is also creating traffic problems. Govind Tejwadekar, engineer in-charge of the project, said the truck terminal could accommodate 183 vehicles and 40 trailers at a time.

The terminal has a cafeteria, and a dormitory that can accommodate 100 drivers.

Space

“Space has been provided for a petrol station and a police station. Attention has also been given to ensure greenery. As many as 120 shade giving saplings have been planted and a garden is being developed on the terminal's premises,” Mr. Tejwadekar said.

Work on the terminal commenced in September 2010 and was expected to be completed in a year.

Mr. Tejwadekar said that the actual works started only by March last year as the site selected for the project was slushy.

“It took around six months to fill the land. Besides, certain changes in the original plan were made at the last minute. This delayed the completion of the work,” he said.

User-fee

It has been planned to maintain the terminal by collecting user-fee . Sources said a final decision would be taken upon completion of the work.

[Dharwad] Prepaid autorickshaw counter opened

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article2539386.ece

A prepaid autorickshaw counter was inaugurated at the railway station hereby Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner K. Ramachandra Rao on Friday.

He said the prepaid counter was a long-pending demand of the public. Such counters would be set up at the new bus-stand, Hubli railway station, and Hubli old bus-stand, he added.

The notification issued by the Government on fares to be charged by prepaid autorickshaw drivers had been displayed at the counter. Policemen would be deployed to monitor its functioning, he said.

Notification

As per the notification, the minimum fare is Rs. 15 for the first 1.6 km and after that Rs. 10 for every km. Presiding over the programme, Deputy Commissioner Darpan Jain said auto service should improve along with public transport.

Service tax

A service tax of Re. 1 would be charged towards the maintenance of the counter and salary of the operator manning the counter, he said.

Regional Transport Officer J. Purshottam, Deputy Commissioner of Police P.R. Bhatkurki and Assistant Commissioners of Police Sanjiv Patil and N.S. Patil spoke.

[Dharwad] Campus interview @ JSS College by First Source, a BPO firm

Source: The Hindu



First Source, a BPO firm, will conduct interviews at JSS College here on May 30. Students who have passed PUC/diploma/degree and those who have passed SSLC with minimum six months of experience can take part. Candidates should have knowledge of computers and know Kannada, English and Hindi. For details, call 0836-2460886. — Staff Correspondent

Airtel unveils 3G services in North Karnataka

Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/airtel-unveils-3G-services-in-North-Karnataka/5113113082

The North Karnataka region has over 30% of airtel’s customer base having GPRS connectivity. Besides, the region has the second largest number of 3G enabled handsets in Karnataka after the city of Bangalore.

Bharti airtel, India’s largest telecommunications company, announced the launch of its 3G service in the North Karnataka towns of Hubballi, Dharwad & Belagavi today. Home to the largest customer base of airtel mobile customers in Karnataka, these towns today joined the airtel 3G map in India, to offer unparalleled airtel internet experience on 3G. This follows the successful 3G launches in Bengaluru, Mysore, Mangalore, Udupi, Manipal, Shimoga, Davanagere & Tumkur.  The North Karnataka region has over 30% of airtel’s customer base having GPRS connectivity. Besides, the region has the second largest number of 3G enabled handsets in Karnataka after the city of Bangalore. With nearly 50% of retailers in North Karnataka selling airtel GPRS packs, this is a very apt region for the availability of 3G services.    Firmly entrenched as an industrial hub in Karnataka, airtel’s 3G operations are set to change the way North Karnataka functions.  When 3G operations are underway, many customers will get to experience the differentiators that airtel brings to the table.  airtel internet on 3G gives customers the power of higher speeds to enjoy multimedia services, high-speed mobile broadband and internet access with the ability to view videos on your mobile phone, make video calls, watch live TV, access high speed internet and enjoy live streaming at never before speeds.  Speaking at the launch, Mr. Venkatesh V, CEO - Karnataka Circle, Mobile Services, Bharti airtel Ltd said, "The launch of our 3G services is the start of a new era, the beginning of a journey of mobile internet revolution in Karnatak. As we begin our operations in North Karnataka, we believe that it is a transformational shift we are ushering in. We aim to bring to our customers an enriched user experience on the back of a world class delivery. The launch of mobile number portability services is an added bonus for all those seeking 3G services for video calls and enjoy the advantage to the power of mobile internet"  airtel’s 3G services, delivered on a state-of-the-art high speed HSPA network, usher in a new era of unique life enriching services in entertainment, utility, commerce and health – all now on the customer’s mobile phone.  The launch of its 3G services is a key milestone in Bharti airtel’s vision to play a leading role in delivering the power of the mobile internet to an increasing number of people in India. With the mobile industry across the world expecting to connect 2.4 billion people to the internet over the next five years, most for the first time, it is incumbent upon service providers to bring all the ecosystem players together in a cohesive manner – handset manufacturers, equipment vendors, application developers and even consumers – to scale up the penetration for 3G services in the country.  Comparison between 2G and 3G  2G/ 2.5G 3G Speed 10 kbps to 256 kbps Up to 21 Mbps EXPERIENCE Voice plus basic  Data Applications Advanced data applications APPLICATIONS Digital Voice & Circuit switched Digital voice, Packet & Circuit Switched 2G 3G Music download 1 min 6s Blogs 37 s 7s Email ppt 4 min 25s Photo viewing 10s 1s Video clip viewing 2 min 12s PPT viewing 4 min 24 s Latency 100ms 50 ms Keeping the focus on the user experience and relevant services, airtel’s 3G price plans are personalised and simple to understand:  1. PAYG VBC (Pay as you go): For all existing airtel 2G customers who want to experience the power of airtel internet on 3G for a short while, this tariff plan is the solution. The customer will pay the same prevailing data rates as on 2G service, but with the advantage of a faster mobile broadband. 2. Sachet Plans: The objective of these plans is to drive mass trial and adoption of 3G, and will serve as the natural upgrade path to higher rental plans. These plans will have validity of lesser than or equal to 10 days. Name of the plan MRP Free Data Validity Sachet Plan Rs. 9 10 MB 1 day (Same day) Sachet Plan (Time based) Rs. 45  30 minutes 1 day (Same day) Sachet Plan Rs. 60 65 MB 3 day 3. Standard Plans: These plans are best suited for the mid to high-end users of data and will have a validity of 30 days. Name of the plan MRP - Prepaid MRP - Postpaid Free Data Validity Standard Plan Rs. 103 Rs. 100 100MB 30 Days Standard Plan Rs. 200 Rs. 200 250MB 30 Days Standard Plan Rs. 450 Rs. 450 600MB 30 Days Standard Plan Rs. 750 Rs. 750 2GB 30 Days 4. FlexiShield Plan: This plan has a combination of free data usage and a low inbuilt VBC rate. The plan is constructed in a way that it provides the customer, the flexibility to start from a relatively lower initial rental commitment and shields from a bill shock. Name of the plan MRP -Prepaid MRP - Postpaid Plan Details Validity FlexiShield Plan Rs. 675 Rs. 675 Initial Free Data of 1.25GB. After the initial free data is exhausted, VBC rate of 1p/100Kb, will be applicable for data usage at 3G speed, till total Data Bill reaches Rs. 2000. After reaching bill cap, customer can continue to enjoy internet access, at speed of  20Kbps 30 Days Note: Sachet Plans available only on Prepaid, FlexiShield Plan available on both postpaid & prepaid airtel has also introduced a first of its kind internet usage calculator that will help customers monitor and analyse their current internet data usage and choose an airtel 3G plan accordingly.

[Hubli-Dharwad] Work on four-lane road to be launched on Saturday

Source: The Hindu

The Rs. 177.73-crore project to link Hubli and Dharwad

Preparatory talks: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar speaking in Hubli on Wednesday.

The four-lane road between Hubli and Dharwad, a longstanding demand of the residents of the twin cities, is another step closer to being realised with the bhoomi puja for the project to be performed on Saturday.

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and in charge of Dharwad district Jagadish Shettar told presspersons here on Wednesday that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa would perform the bhoomi puja for the Rs. 177.73-crore project.

While the Centre has sanctioned Rs. 100 crore towards the project, the State Government's share is Rs. 77.73 crore. The tender had been finalised and the work order issued to the contractor.

Rapid transit system

As there was a proposal to have a World Bank-funded Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) between the twin cities, the contractor would work in coordination with the officials of the Directorate of Urban Transport; the four-lane road would be laid keeping in mind the requirements of the BRTS, Mr. Shettar said.

Two dedicated lanes would be required for the BRTS, which is a Rs. 500-crore project, making it a six-lane road. “However since the proposal is still in an initial stage, we will be implementing the four-lane project,” he said.

The Minister said a stretch of 19 km between Hosur Circle in Hubli and Jubilee Circle in Dharwad would be developed as part of the project. Of this, 13.75 km of concrete road would be laid between Naveen Hotel near Unakal Tank in Hubli and JSS College at Vidyagiri in Dharwad, he said.

Underpasses would also be constructed at Unakal, Navanagar and Bhairidevarakoppa, and an overbridge at Navalur.

Besides, junction improvement work would be taken up at the Jubilee Circle, Court Circle and NTTF Junction in Dharwad, and Hosur Circle in Hubli, Mr. Shettar said.

Afforestation

The Minister said the Forest Department had completed the survey on the number of trees to be felled to facilitate the road widening. A sum of Rs. 27.27 lakh had been paid to the department for afforestation.

Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Darpan Jain said the administration was also contemplating shifting the trees where possible.

The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board had also been paid Rs. 2.84 crore to shift existing water supply lines along the route, Mr. Shettar added.

---

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to perform the bhoomi puja

A 19-km stretch to be developed as part of the project

[Dharwad] Karnatak University to provide land for IIIT

Source: The Hindu

Dharwad: Vice-Chancellor of Karnatak University – Dharwad H.B. Walikar has said that the university was ready to hand over 20 acres of land for the establishment of the proposed Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Dharwad.

Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, Mr. Walikar said the Centre has sanctioned one of 14 new IIITs proposed to be set up in different parts of the country. Earlier, a proposal was mooted to set up the IIIT in Gulbarga but Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya, who is the alumni of Karnatak University, has favoured setting up of IIIT in Dharwad. So, the Government sought land for the purpose.

The KUD has submitted a proposal urging the Government to set up the prestigious institute on the varsity premises. And, the Government has been requested to allow the faculty of the proposed IIIT to teach postgraduate students of KUD. According to Prof. Walikar, once the proposal gets Government's approval, the institute would be set up on KUD premises.

Research centre

On the new projects to be launched in the next academic year, he said Rs. 1.5 crore has been earmarked for the construction of Mathematics Research Centre in the varsity which would be named after the former Vice-Chancellor and mathematician D.C. Pavate. It will provide opportunities for students to take up research in mathematics.

Scholarship

Besides, the varsity would launch scholarship programmes for the students taking up courses in basic sciences. A 100 would be provided annual scholarship of Rs. 10,000 each for three years. While the varsity will contribute funds for providing scholarship to 50 students, managements of educational institutions will contribute the rest of the amount. During the second phase, the scholarship programme would be extended to postgraduate science students, he added.

In order to select eligible students for the scholarship, State-level test on par with the CET would be held followed by counselling. Those who secure the first hundred ranks would be given scholarships. And, only students interested to take up B.Sc. with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology (PCMB) combination would be eligible.

Correspondence course

Karnatak University will launch postgraduate correspondence course in mathematics, MBA and mass communication and Journalism from the next academic year. It is proposed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangalore University to offer M.Sc. in electronic media. An additional MoU with the VTU will ensure faculty development programme for the teachers in basic sciences. In reply to a query, Prof. Walikar said mineral water plant would be set up in every hostel to ensure that the students get clean drinking water.

A plan to distribute meals at Rs. 1 has been mooted and will be implemented soon, he added.

Registrar S.B. Hinchigeri and Prof. A.S. Balasubramanya were present.

[Dharwad] New truck terminus to come up

Source: Times of India

DHARWAD: A new truck terminus will soon come up on a 7.26-acre land at Belur Industrial Area off Dharwad. The terminus, being developed at a cost of Rs 8 crore, will accommodate 184 trucks. Facilities like dormitory, drinking water, retail shops, toilets, dhaba and police station will also come up there.

District minister Jagadish Shettar visited the site on Monday along with DC Darpan Jain. He said the project launched in September 2010 would be completed before December this year. "A proposal has been submitted to the government, demanding funds to construct a hi-tech truck terminus at Anchatgeri near Hubli. Once the funds are sanctioned, the work on the terminus will be taken up on 50 acres," he added.

MP Pralhad Joshi and MLA Shankarpatil Munenkoppa were present.

Dharwad to have new IIIT

Source: DHNS

The IT dream in north Karnataka has just gotten more distant. In a surprising volte-face, the state government has proposed shifting the new Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) from Gulbarga to Dharwad.

Earlier this month, the state government had announced that a new IIIT would be housed at Gulbarga as part of the 20 such  institutes being set up by the Centre across the country. But the state government has now written to the Centre to locate the new IIIT in Dharwad instead of at Gulbarga. Confirming the move, state Higher Education Minister V S Acharya said the IIIT was being shifted as Gulbarga already had two universities—a central university and a state university. “Moreover, the Employment State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is establishing a medical college and hospital in Gulbarga. Since there is a constraint on land, we decided to shift the IIIT to Dharwad,” he said. Acharya said Dharwad was chosen as Hubli-Dharwad was the second largest city in Karnataka. “Dharwad has a very supportive academic environment, and we felt that it would be better suited to have the IIIT in Dharwad,” he said. Since Karnatak University in Dharwad was nearly 50 years old, it would provide a supporting environment for the IIIT. The state government will now have to identify around 50 acres  to hand over to the Central government. Interestingly, Hubli-Dharwad already has a functional IIIT. With the present proposal, the twin city will have two IIITs. The Bangalore unit of IIIT has opened a centre in Hubli that offers a finishing school programme in collaboration with the IT industry. Currently, it offers certification programme in Information Technology Management, and Embedded and Real Time systems. The institute has also been holding special recruitment drives for students from the region. The IIIT will be established on a private-public partnership model, with Centre bearing 50 per cent of the cost of establishing the institute.  The state government will bear 35 per cent, and industry will bear 15 per cent of the total cost. The capital expenditure will be around Rs 128 crore, while the Centre  will provide partial support towards recurring expenditure of upto Rs 10 crore to the IIIT depending on requirements.

Four day Dharwad Utsav starts this weekend

Source: Times of India


DHARWAD: The people of Dharwad district will have an opportunity to enjoy some enchanting and vibrant cultural performances as part of Dharwad Utsav- 2010-11 for four days from Saturday. However, this year's events will not feature artistes of national and international repute as preference is being given to local talents who have made a name in the field of music and art and are now residing elsewhere.

The programmes this time have been spread out to different venues in the district in a bid to reach out to the larger sections of the people including those in rural areas.

As many 201 cultural troupes including 2,457 artistes will enthral audiences on stages set up at different places of Hubli-Dharwad, Annigeri, Navalgund, Kalghatagi and Kundagol.

Deputy Commissioner Darpan Jain said cultural performances will be held in 10 places in Dharwad, six places in Hubli and one each in other towns. This time, the newly-developed venues like Sadhanakeri, Nrupatunga Betta, Kittur Chennamma Park, Karnataka Kulapurohita Alur Venkatarao Bhavan, heritage sites like Chandramoulishwara temple in Unkal, Amrutheshwara temple in Annigeri, Dr D Veerendra Heggade Kalakshetra and Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) auditorium will play host to the performances.

Conducting cultural programmes at these places may also help promote tourism, Jain said.

Special Attractions:

Scores of cultural, literary and theatre shows include performances by reputed artistes including vocal concerts by Pandit Somanath Mardur, Balachandra Nakod, sitar by Rais Khan and Hafiz Khan, dance by Yogini Gandhi from Pune, light music by Gayatri Deshpande, Rasa Manjari by Ajay Warrier and troupe, Shahnai by Basavaraj Hediggond, tabla by Ravindra Yavagal and Kiran Yavagal and others.

Besides, there will be performances by visually challenged and specially abled children, magic show and bike rides by Kudroli Ganesh and folk performances. Movie shows in selected villages and laser show by the department of information will also be held as part of the event, he said.

Folk Games:

Along with sports events like wrestling and kabadi, the Utsav committee has also contemplated on including folk games at the event. Cart race, a popular folk game of the region, will be organized, he said.

[Dharwad] Rs 50 cr sought to upgrade Dimhans

Source: Times of India

DHARWAD: Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Dimhans) will be developed on lines of Bangalore-based Nimhans. A Rs 50-crore proposal to this effect has been sent to the government.

Dimhans director Dr Shivanand Doddamani and MP Pralhad Joshi told reporters here on Sunday that the development works include setting up of neurology and neurosurgery units and introducing new post-graduate courses, which would be taken up in three phases between 2011 and 2015.

New courses to be started here are MD and DPM in Psychiatry, MPhil in Clinical Psychology, and Psychiatric Social Work and diploma in Psychiatric Nursing. The government has issued a notification converting the 10 non-teaching posts into teaching posts for the purpose and the courses would start once the vacancies are filled. An independent de-addiction ward would start functioning once the process of appointments is completed.

Nimhans management has agreed to allow Dimhans staff to take part in training programmes and academic activities to enhance their skills. Likewise, they have also agreed to send their experts for rendering academic services at Dimhans. Steps have been taken to train medical, para-medical staff and others under National Mental Health Programme, they said.

About the ongoing works related to the construction of forensic ward, rehabilitation centre, mechanized laundry and modern kitchen are nearing completion and these units would be inaugurated in March. Tenders have been called for Rs 2.66 crore administrative block works.

Replying a query, Dr Doddamani said steps are being taken to curb illegal paying guest business, "allegedly" run by Dimhans staff for the students. Besides, enhancing the capacity of the existing hostels, steps have been initiated to construct a new one for the benefit of students.

Tata Docomo launched its 3G services in the cities of Hubli, Dharwad and Belgaum on Monday

Source: The Hindu


Tata Docomo, the GSM arm of Tata Teleservices Limited, formally launched its 3G services in the cities of Hubli, Dharwad and Belgaum on Monday. District Superintendent of Police R. Dileep inaugurated the services at a function the firm's office in Hubli. Managing Director of VRL Logistics Anand Sankeshwar, and CEO of NS Infotech Santhosh Huralikoppi were present, a release said.

Dharwad-Belgaum road to be six lane

Source: Times of India


DHARWAD: The congested Dharwad-Belgaum road will be made six-lane at a cost of Rs 500 crore. The work will begin soon.

Dharwad MP Prahlad Joshi said the work has been awarded to Maharashtra-based Ashok Builders and the work on the 79.95 km road is expected to be completed within the next two years.

The project will be on Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer (FBOT) basis. Joshi said the Union ministry had finalized the project and the work will begin by the end of this month. Of late, there has been heavy traffic between these two major commercial cities and traffic congestion was much high.

Thanking the Union minister for surface transport, Kamal Nath, for clearing the project, Joshi said the widening of the road into six lane will help the overall development of the Mumbai-Karnataka region.

He said similar projects between Haveri and Dharwad have also been proposed to the ministry.

Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank Recruitment 2010 Online Registration Commences on December 22

Source: http://updates.highereducationinindia.com/2010/karnataka-vikas-grameena-bank-5114.php

Dharwad: Karnataka Vikas Grameena (KVG) Bank has invited applications from Indian citizens for appointment as Officer Scale I, Officer Scale II and Officer Scale III and Office Assistants (Multipurpose). Candidates desirous to apply can register themselves online by visiting the Bank's official website: http://www.kvgbank.com/.

 

The online registration will commence from December 22, 2010. Last date of online registration for the aforesaid post is January 21, 2011. Selection of the candidates will be made on the basis of a written test. The written test for the post of Officers (all scales) is scheduled to be held on April 17, 2011(tentative). Whereas, written test for the post of Office Assistants (multipurpose) will be conducted on April 24, 2011 (tentative).

 

The written test will be held at Dharwad (11), Belgaum (12) and Bijapur (13). Interested candidates can apply online by visiting the Bank's aforementioned website. Candidates must have a valid E-mail ID. In case a candidate does not have a valid E-mail ID, he/she should create the same. After filling the online application form, candidates will have to send the print out of the same along with all the required documents through ordinary post. Candidates must write, Print out of Application for the post of (name of the post applied for) in Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank, on top of the envelope containing the application form. For further details, candidates can visit the Bank's aforementioned website

Boating, amusement park planned at Tolanakere (Hubli)

Source:


Barring one structure, there is no encroachment on the tank area: Deputy Commissioner
First phase of work likely to be completed in five to six months

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Development plan:Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Darpan Jain speaking to presspersons after inspecting ongoing work at Tolanakere HUBLI: The Dharwad district administration, which has chalked out a plan for the comprehensive development of Tolanakere (a tank) near Ramalingeshwar Nagar in Hubli, will initially begin work on strengthening the tank bund.
Speaking to presspersons after reviewing the ongoing work at Tolanakere on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Darpan Jain said that Rs. 1.8 crore would be spent for fencing the tank area, strengthening the tank bund and other related work in the first phase.
Mr. Jain said that the boundary of the 23-acre tank had been demarcated.
He clarified that barring one structure, there was no encroachment on the tank area. The tank area was being used by brick manufacturers who had set up kilns.
“We have informed the brick manufacturers, and will soon clear the kilns once the work gets going,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner said the work had been undertaken under the Rs. 100-crore grant sanctioned by the State Government to the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. The first phase of work was likely to be completed in five to six months.
Second phase
Mr. Jain said that in the next phase, steps would be taken to divert sewage entering the tank. A viewing point would be created and landscaping done. There were plans to start boating once the development work was completed, he said.
“We are planning a children's amusement park and other facilities. We are working out a system to ensure there is no dearth of funds for their maintenance.”
Regarding development of the Unakal tank, Mr. Jain said that sewage entering the tank had been diverted by laying underground drainage pipes in residential areas located around the tank.
Waste management
To a query, he said the district administration had submitted an integrated solid waste management proposal to the State Government and was awaiting its approval.
On unauthorised religious structures in the twin cities and in the district, Mr. Jain said the process of clearing such structures would begin in a day or two.
“Once again our officials have issued notices, conducted spot verifications and interacted with local residents and organisations. We want them to clear such structures on their own and if they don't, we will step in and do it after taking all those concerned into confidence,” Mr. Jain added.

SDM College to celebrate 30th year with a bang

Source: Times of India

DHARWAD: The SDM Utsav-2010 to be hosted by SDM College of Engineering and Technology in Dharwad on November 25 and 26, promises to be a cultural treat for the connoisseurs. SDM Education Society secretary Jinendra Prasad said the mega event is to mark the 30th anniversary of SDM College of Engineering and Technology.

Danceuse Nirupama Rajendran, noted playback singer Kunal Ganjawala, dancers from Orissa and Rajasthan, besides local artistes will enthral the audience. An air show, technical exhibition, robotic competition and religious discourse by Swamy Sukhabodhananda add to the attractions. Business tycoon Captain Gopinath will be there to inspire the students with his pep talk.

AICTE chairman S S Mantha will inaugurate the event on Thursday and water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai will inaugurate the air show. Director of NAL A R Upadhya will declare open the technical exhibition.

Swamy Sukhabodhanand will deliver a discourse at 6 pm, followed by Nirupama Rajendran's dance.

On November 26, VTU VC H Maheshappa will inaugurate the robotic competition and Captain Gopinath will deliver the key-note address. SDME Society president D Veerendra Heggade will preside.

Kunal Ganjawala's concert will be followed by an attractive fire cracker show. Special arrangements have been made for the schoolchildren to visit the exhibition and also participate in the air show.

A runway has been laid at the college grounds and a demo on unmanned aerial vehicles will also be held