[Chikodi] Work on water scheme launched

Source: The Hindu

Residents of Chikkodi town can now heave a sigh of relief as work on the Centrally-sponsored drinking water supply scheme has been launched.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Wednesday launched the work on the scheme, which will be the second stage of the piped drinking water supply scheme for the town.

According to official sources, the scheme will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs. 20.4 crore. The Union Government will contribute 80 per cent of the cost while the State Government and the Chikkodi Town Municipal Council each will contribute 10 per cent of the cost. The scheme has been envisaged for the projected population of 65,000 in the town in 2036.

Mudhol hound research centre coming up

Source: The Hindu


The proposal was first made by Govind Karjol in 2008

BEST HUNTERS: The Mudhol hound is known for its hunting skills. — FILE PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR

The Mudhol hound is known for its ability to endure extreme weather and for its hunting skills. It is a favourite with farmers in this region. But the breed is on the verge of extinction.

These dogs were brought to India by Arabs, Persians and Afghans in ancient times. The dogs followed their masters from place to place.

Realising the need for preserving the breed, Minister for Minor Irrigation and Social Welfare Govind Karjol, who is in-charge of the district, decided to open a Mudhol Hound Research and Information Centre at Timmapur in Mudhol taluk of Bagalkot district. He had submitted a proposal to Animal Husbandry Minister Revu Nayak Belamagi seeking approval to start the centre under the management of Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fishery Sciences University of Bidar district in 2008.

Mr. Karjol told The Hindu that the State Government had approved the project and had released Rs. 2.5 crore to Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fishery Sciences University for taking up civil works.

The university authorities had started construction of a building for the centre and it would be developed in fives years in a phased manner by spending Rs. 5 crore, he said.

The Mudhol Hound Research and Information Centre aimed at conducting research on physical strengths, food habits, training, management and reproduction in collaboration with doctors of foreign countries, to conduct training programmes on developing the breed and providing facilities for selling these dogs, he said.

Campaign

Plans were afoot to launch nationwide awareness campaign about the dog. There were also plans to start postgraduation and diploma course on veterinary medicines and conducting dog shows and exhibitions.

[Bidar] New bridge planned near Saigaon

Source: The Hindu

The State Government will consider building a new bridge over the Manjra river near Saigaon in Bhalki taluk to ensure smooth flow of traffic between Bidar and surrounding areas.

Speaking to presspersons on Tuesday, Minister for Animal Husbandry Revu Naik Belamagi, who is in charge of Bidar district, pointed out that the Saigaon bridge was affected by floods every year.

When the bridge went under water, villages along the border of the State were cut off.

According to engineers, a permanent solution was to build a new bridge at a higher site, Mr. Belamagi said. He would appeal to the Chief Minister to sanction a new bridge, he added.

The Minister also promised that an estimate of crop loss in the district would be taken up immediately. The Government would take steps to compensate farmers who had lost crops, he said.

Roads, bridges and culverts that had been damaged in the recent rain would be repaired. Storm-water drains would be repaired in all cities, Mr. Belamagi said.

District officials and BJP leaders were present.

Belgaum One to be inaugurated on 25th Aug 2010

Source: All About Belgaum


The long pending Belgaum one centers have got a “Muhurat” of August 25, and same will inaugurated by CM Yedurappa.
Belgaum one centers were sanctioned long back on the same lines as Bangalore One success.
These centers will be a one stop single window center for major government related work and various bill payments.
Govaves, Ashok Nagar, TV center BUDA complex & Old corporation building will house these centers.
Water bills, electricity bills, House tax and insurance premiums payment will be accepted to begin with and later the services would be increased. Various other documents like Passport forms, Forms issued through Nemmadi centers will also be issued from here.
The Government of Karnataka is keen to provide integrated services to the citizens deploying the tools of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) so as to enhance Speed, Convenience, Certainty and Accountability in providing such services through the concept of a ‘One-Stop-Shop’ facility.

BellaryOne BellaryOne launched

Source: The Hindu

Initially, the city will have two service centres



FOR CITIZENS:Thimmappa (right), Municipal Commissioner; G. Somashekar Reddy, MLA and KMF Chairman; G. Janardhan Reddy (extreme left),

BELLARY: Bellary became the ninth city in the State to have integrated citizen service centres with the launch of BellaryOne on Thursday.

To start with, Bellary will have two service centres — one at the City Corporation office complex and the other at the Bellary Urban Development Authority office complex — where people could remit bills pertaining to electricity, telephone and cellphones of certain service providers, water bills and property taxes and buy passport applications. These centres would function between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. throughout the year.

The services are being provided by the Directorate of Electronic Delivery of Citizen Services, e-Governance Department on a public-private partnership model.

Speaking after inaugurating the centre, G. Janardhan Reddy, Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development, called upon the people to make use of the facilities and services provided.

“Depending upon the need, more such centres will be opened with round-the-clock services,” he said and instructed the Municipal Commissioner to organise public meetings about the services being made available to the public.

M.N. Vidyashankar, Principal Secretary, e-Governance, said that the services were launched for the first time in 2005 in Bangalore and after five years, there were 70 centres in different localities working round-the-clock.

Hubli-Dharwad, Shimoga, Mysore, Mangalore, Tumkur, Davangere and Gulbarga are the other cities where this facility was available.

“From today, people can remit bills pertaining to electricity, telephone bills of BSNL, Airtel and Vodafone, and buy passport applications. In two days, services for remitting water bills and property taxes will be added. By August 31, we want to provide at least 10 services at these Bellary One centres,” Mr. Vidyashankar said.

G. Somashekar Reddy, MLA and Chairman, Karnataka Milk Federation, who presided over the function, said that the development of the city was going on and simultaneously special services such as Bellary One was being provided. He wanted the people to take advantage of it.

N. Thippanna, MLC, T.H. Suresh Babu, MLA, B. Shivappa, Deputy Commissioner, and M.N. Nagaraj, Superintendent of Police, were present.

Thimmappa, Municipal Commissioner, welcomed the gathering. D.S. Ravindran, CEO, e-Governance, proposed a vote of thanks.

Hubli IT Park drawing more companies

Source: Hindu

Persistent efforts to attract information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITES) companies to the Information Technology (IT) Park in Hubli, which became functional in 2002, seem to be showing results with more companies evincing interest in starting their operations here.

The IT Park in Hubli was inaugurated by the then Union Minister for Information Technology Pramod Mahajan on September 19, 2002 amid much hype. However, the park was a showpiece for a few years with major companies remaining reluctant to start their operations here.

Initial years

In the first four years, only Tata Teleservices and RMS Technologies set up their units at the park apart from the branch of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), and 1.6 lakh sq.-ft space remained unutilised. The only silver lining at that time was that the STPI branch had received good returns and was expanding its operations to other cities in north Karnataka.

In its attempt to attract investors, the State Government organised “Destination Hubli” in Bangalore in 2004 to showcase the city as an IT destination. This was followed by IT Investors' Meet in 2006 here, during which the Government announced reduced rent at the park to attract more companies.

Results

“Ever since the IT Investors' Meet was held, we tried to keep in touch with the companies that had evinced in starting their operations here. In the subsequent years our follow up yielded results,” H. Devanand, Manager of Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) at Hubli and in-charge of the park, told The Hindu.

Now, of the total 1.72 lakh-sq.-ft space available in the four-storey park, only 82,000 sq. ft is vacant.

Expansion

An area of 16,000 sq. ft was recently allotted to the STPI for expansion of its existing set up at the park.

Meanwhile, Hubli Electricity Supply Company (Hescom) has proposed to take around 30,000-sq.-ft area on rent for its proposed Data Entry Centre and a private firm has evinced interest in taking 20,000 sq. ft on rent in the park.

“Of the 16,000-sq.-ft space allotted to the STPI, 6,000 sq. ft will be utilised immediately. The rest will be utilised in a phased manner,” Mr. Devanand said.

Another significant issue is that after remaining inactive for four-and-a-half years, the International Institute of Information Technology Hubli-Dharwad (IIIT-HD) became functional in 2008 with the launch of two finishing school programmes by IIIT-Bangalore. Now, IIIT-HD is successfully running the programmes and is also conducting other IT-related activities.

[Bellary] Foundation stones for various development works

Source: Hindu

Foundation stones for various development works, proposed to be implemented in Bellary district at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,300 crore, including the controversial Bellary airport, was laid here on Friday by senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The other projects included super-speciality hospital, three concrete roads from Torangal-Sandur, Kudligi-Sandur and Hospet Sandur, drinking water projects, buildings for the newly established Krishna Devaraya University among others.

In view of the Bellary airport issue embroiled into a controversy and an interim stay granted in a writ petition filed by a section of farmers opposing the airport, not to dispossess the petitioners from their lands, the bhoomi puja for the airport was got done near the T.B. Sanitorium (around 25 km away from the original place identified for the airport) at the hands of a farmer couple.

Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development G. Janardhan Reddy had announced that he would get the bhoomi puja performed by a farmer-couple.