Election Photo ID Card Belgaum North Schedule

The Election Photo ID card program is being implemented for Belgaum North as of now. CLikc the link below to find out the place you have to go, to get your photo taken.
http://mahiuk.googlepages.com/epicnorth.htm

I dont have info about Belgaum south as yet, as I get it I will upload the same.
All those who dont have Voter ID cards kindly go and come as these programs are done once in three to four years.

Ye nahi Woh Sahi:Magar Kursi Chaiye

Source: The New Indian Express

TWO-TIME Congress MLA Ramesh Kudachi, whom the party denied a ticket to contest from Belgaum North segment, is likely to quit the party and is planning to contest from other party.

Kudachi,who arrived from Bangalore this morning told The New Indian Express, that he would take a final decision after consulting the party workers, in a day or two. He also told that Janata Dal (Secular), Bahujan Samaj Party and his former party Janata Dal (United) have contacted him and have assured him ticket from Belgaum North segment.

He said that he rejected the offer of Congress, which had asked him to contest from Belgaum South as only a 20 per cent area of his old segment was included in South segment after delimitation. 'I had asked the party to retain me in Belgaum North, as 80 per cent area of my old segment remains in the North constituency,'.

He, will now contest from other party. I want to ask all these candidates" Do they have any ethics in place? or is that its all for the people, not for themselves."

This is seen in all parties these days. You dont get a ticket from one party leave that join another get a ticket, next time they dont give you so you go back to the first party you left. Wow this is opportunism and nothing else. If you are so sure that you can win the election stand as an independent without any political party support and win. People will definitely vote for a person who is good.

Kya hoga is Desh ka.

No seats this weekend:Private bus: Difficult to come home

I had posted this story earlier.
http://belgaumblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/private-buses-will-have-no-pick-up.html
It was about no pick up points in the city after the traffic police issued new orders.

To add to this story: This week and also the weekend is the highest demand for these operators and hence all have increased their fares by Rs.50 to 100. Above that getting to Hotel Ramdev you will need to spend more & if you are coming back home then getting down at Ramdev and then bargaining early morning with the auto to take you home, be prepared to spend a lot of money.
Altough all the pvt. buses have stopped the pick up after they were fined, I found that the police were "Prassanna" on a bus operator as it said its office was located in Tilakwadi. Now this is unfair. All the bus operators have said that the Will meet the SP today and give their memorandum. I don't understand, in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore there are pick up points and in Belgaum no pick up.
Many friends of mine planning a weekend here in Belgaum have cancelled their trip seeing all this.
For the previous post i have received a comment which i would like to share with you:
"It is kind a fair that private buses not be allowed into busy streets. It's safe. One way, these private operators should handle this is by providing smaller pickup vehicles like vans, mini buses etc. On the other hand, the other private mini-bus operators are a big nonsense and the autos in Belgaum are a worth less piece to so called "Services". Never ever have they operated on meters and never have they charged sensibly. Only thing you hear from their mouth is "we dont get return trip" so we have to pay for their incompetence/stupid logic.Hope I had enough money to run my own local transport is Belgaum on meters"

Belgaum's Aniket Chindak makes Limbo Skating record:81 cars this time

Nomination process begins in Belgaum today

Source The Hindu
Last date for submitting papers is May 3
Counting of votes will take place on May 25

A notification announcing calendar of events for elections to the State Assembly from 18 segments in the district will be issued on Saturday. Polling will be held on May 22.
The Deputy Commissioner and Chief Electoral Officer for Belgaum district, M.E. Shivalingamurthy, said here on Friday that the nomination process would begin on April 26 at designated centres between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The last date for submitting nomination papers is May 3. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on May 5. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is May 7. Counting of votes will take place on May 25 at K.B. Kore Polytechnic for Nippani, Chikkodi-Sadalga, Athani, Kagwad; and B.K. Arts, Science and Commerce College for Hukkeri, Kudachi (SC), Yamkanmardi (ST), and Raybag segments in Chikkodi town. Counting of votes of Gokak, Arabhavi, Belgaum North, Belgaum South, Belgaum Rural, Kittur, Bailhongal, Soudatti-Yallamma, Ramdurg and Khanapur segments will take place at Gogte Institute of Technology at Udyambag in Belgaum.

MES team to meet Pawar, Thackeray

Source The Hindu
Five-man panel to be set up
It will appeal for support to MES in Karnataka polls
‘BJP growth has caused loss to MES’

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) has decided to set up a five-member committee to work for unity of all political parties enjoying support of Marathi-speaking people in its favour.
The committee members would soon meet Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in Mumbai and appeal to them to support the cause of MES in the Assembly elections in Karnataka.

This was decided at a meeting of MES members under the leadership of the former Minister and president of Shetkari Kamgar Paksha in Maharashtra, N.D. Patil, here on Wednesday.
The former MES MLAs, B.I. Patil, Manohar Kinekar and Digamber Patil, and senior MES leaders Malojirao Ashtekar, Deepak Dalvi and the editor of Marathi daily, Tarun Bharat, Kiran Thakur, were present.

Today’s meeting was introspective in nature as the leaders tried to look into the reasons that led to the fall of the MES in the previous two Assembly polls in the State. Mr. N.D. Patil observed that, in Karnataka, a sizeable section of Marathi-speaking youth in Belgaum district had drifted away from the MES to the BJP. The losses suffered by the MES were because of the growth of the BJP and not because of the Congress or any other party in the State.

As a majority of workers/supporters of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra were Marathi-speaking, the committee members would request their leaders not to field candidates in Assembly pockets where MES has an edge. This would help the MES to ensure unity and elicit complete support of Marathi-speaking voters in the polls.
The Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party are expected to make a common cause with MES in the ensuing polls. It was also necessary for the leaders to remain united and work for success of its candidates, he said.

Private Buses will have no pick up points

Private buses in Belgaum, since the past 10 years or so had started pick up points in various parts of the city, especially Tilakwadi, Angol areas.

Now the traffic police have stopped the same as they these busses are causing traffic problems as they are parked on the road and that disturbs the traffic.

The police for this have booked 5 private busses. The police have asked the busses to start only form Hotel Ramdev and that there should be no pick up points in the city. Many travelers complained that by stopping this service it would be very difficult for them, as they would have to take an auto and auto charges Rs.100 from Angol to Ramdev. When complained to the police about this the police have said that if the auto does not ask fare by meter make a complaint to the police. Now you tell me friends when have you complained about the excess fare being charged to the police and when have the police responded to it.

So be prepared to shell more money for the auto to reach Ramdev to catch your bus.

Fortune Financial office in Belgaum

Fortune Financial an independent company providing a complete range of financial services including Investment Banking, Corporate Advisory, Stock Broking and Distribution, DP Services and Commodities Broking.
The company will open its office at Ganesh Empire, Khanapur Road today at the hands of Shri.Ma.Pra.Shivanand Swamigalu M Viraktmath.

Voters List in Marathi

The Voters list for the various Belgaum constituencies is also available in Marathi.
Click the View Marathi Rolls

Belgaum North

Belgaum South

Belgaum Rural

Beggars cannot be choosers:LKG admissions

I had blogged about LKG admission earlier Admission time: Is raat ki Subh Kabhi & my ending lines were “Hope all their dreams of getting admissions are fulfilled”
Mine was not fulfilled as in all the FOUR schools I had applied; I did not find my daughters name in the list of selected candidates.

I have seen this admission process since the beginning, from getting the forms to submitting them and then that waiting time for the result. I failed, my second failure in life (my first was in 3rd Std. in Maths).

In the earlier post, I had mentioned about area wise selection of students but I guess this norm was not 100% utilized. In DP student in Hindwadi did not get admission where as one living in Mahadwar Road got.

There are some points I would like to the young parents who will have to go through this next year.

1. Apply in all schools, if you are looking for English medium, then all English medium schools, when I mean all, I mean ALL. St.Pauls, Xaviers, Marys, Herwadkar, Mahila Vidyalaya etc.
2. When you apply start finding some influence or a person who could recommend your child’s name to the managing committee even before you submit the form.
3. When the lists are out and you don’t find your name in the list try hard again and again for some more influence and of course be prepared to shell out more bucks.
4. Even after all this you don’t find your luck, search for some other school.
5. Even if you are there in the list the donations could hold you back, so be prepared to spend a lot, when I mean lot, I mean LOTS n lots on money.

Some donations paid are at a all time high just like inflation. St.Pauls, I have heard people paid 50 thousand and above that, these are a selected lot of 25-30 people others will be less as still the list is to be declared. In schools wherein you name is not there in the list you can pay a minimum 30 thousand or more and influence of course to get the child admitted. This time the English medium schools had greater demand as the vernacular schools (predominantly non–Kanada) were banned by the Karnatak government for not teaching in Kannada. Many schools had taken permission saying they would teach Kannada but switched to teaching in English. Having received this ban, these schools appealed to the court but unfortunately the court refrained them from teaching in any other language other than the one they applied for.
In these schools a flat rate of 10 thousand prevailed till yesterday which might go up with time. I believe, as you don’t have long queues and you take the form fill it pay money and your child is admitted; to face the competitive world. It is said the world is very competitive, hey friends the world is competitive from the day the child is born.

After all deliberations I have settled for an ICSE applied school by paying a part amount of the donation. I am trying the other tricks I told you above to see if I can put my daughter through those so-called very good schools. If nothing happens I am happy with the school I applied for, after all ‘Beggars cannot be choosers’.

Protest planned against donation menace in schools

Source: The Hindu, Staff Correspondent Belgaum
Many government-aided schools collecting donations: KRV leader
Parents will also participate in the demonstration

‘Government should ensure transparency in admission process’

The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) will hold a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Monday to protest against “donation menace” in English-medium schools in Belgaum city.

Parents will also participate in the demonstration, KRV district unit president Rajeev Topannavar said here on Sunday.
He said that many government-aided schools in the city were illegally collecting donations ranging up to Rs. 50,000 for admission to pre-primary and primary classes. Despite the State Government’s direction to Deputy Directors of Public Instruction to ensure that no school collected donations, no steps had been taken to check the menace, he said.
Donations were being collected in the name of third party to avoid action from the Government, Mr. Topannavar said.

The Government should either ensure that there was transparency in the admission process or take over the schools that were collecting donations, he added. K.U. Kumar, a parent told The Hindu on Sunday that some schools were demanding a minimum donation of Rs. 15,000 besides recommendation by influential persons for admission to LKG. The maximum donation being demanded was about Rs. 40,000, he said. The donation menace was rampant in English-medium schools, he said and added that some schools had increased the donation amount this year and were collecting it in the name of third party. In addition, the schools were collecting money for expansion fund and poor student fund which would add up to more than the tuition fee fixed by the Government.

Dyanoba B.P., a parent, said that providing education had become a business now days. “Private managements (including those of aided institutions) have converted the education system into a profit-earning venture as there is no one to control them,” he said.

Only a few are caught, it does not mean that the others are pious’

Source: www.hinduonnet.com
Vijaykumar Patil
Promising freebies in manifestos is a corrupt practice: Left leader
Congress told to learn from the manifestos of Nehru and Indira
‘All parties treat voters as puppets and exploit them with gifts’

The Congress promise of colour TV sets (for below poverty line families), 25 kg of rice at Rs. 2 a kg and extension of the Yeshasvini health insurance scheme to all families holding green cards is being viewed as yet another corrupt practice but in disguise.
This action has invited criticism from a cross-section of society.
The latest cases of violations of the Model Code of Conduct where the State Election Commission authorities have reportedly seized more than Rs. 3 crore and served notice on a former Minister in Mandya and sari loads in Davangere and Channapatna purportedly meant for distribution among voters on Wednesday provide evidence to what the voters view as corrupt practice.Section 4
“It is indeed a corrupt practice as per Section 4 of the Model Code of Conduct but in disguise, it has been going on since long but only a few are caught, which does not mean that the others are pious,” says a Left leader A.R. Vijaykumar.
Of late, political parties and their candidates have come out with novel ideas to lure the voters and avoid the wrath of the Election Commission.

A former BJP MLA in Mysore reportedly distributed saris in his constituency a few weeks ago, well ahead of the announcement of the elections to the State Assembly.
As the code of conduct was not in force then, the question of its violation did not arise.

The Congress promise of colour TVs is as corrupt as the action of the former BJP MLA from Mysore or the former Minister in Mandya, Mr. Vijaykumar said.
By promising TVs in its manifesto, the Congress has only tried to avoid the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct.

He questioned the silence of the Election Commission and said the latter should take cognisance of reports in the media and seize the Congress manifesto.
The Congress should be asked to withdraw its manifesto and if the party fails to do so, the Election Commission should disqualify all its official candidates from taking part in the elections.
These parties and candidates have only made a mockery of the code of conduct by adopting such techniques to lure the gullible voters.
Suppose if the Congress starts distributing the same TVs now, would it not amount to violation of the code, he asked.
A Kannada poet, K.N. Doddamani, says all parties and a majority of the candidates have been treating voters as puppets and exploiting their precious votes through corrupt electoral practices — luring them with gifts, money, liquor, etc.
Serious issues concerning the electorate, such as price rise of essential commodities and health facilities, shrinking employment opportunities, corruption, lack of basic amenities in villages and the widening gap between the haves and have-nots have taken a back seat.
The one-point programme all parties is to somehow grab power and they prepared to go to any extent to achieve it. No party is an exception to such corrupt practice.
The poor man’s needs pertain to basic things such as food, drinking water, shelter, health, good education for their children and employment opportunities but not colour TVs.
When contacted, a senior leader in the Congress was hesitant yet acknowledged that the promise of TVs was corrupt in nature and a departure from the original philosophy behind an election manifesto.

National policies :Today’s Congress leaders should look back at the party’s manifestos announced by the former Prime Ministers Late Jawaharlal Nehru and Late Indira Gandhi, which spoke on national policies and objectives rather on such freebies.
By promising TVs, the Congress has only made a mockery of the party’s glorious past, he remarked but requested anonymity.

Whose contestting form your Constitunecy:Belgaum North, South& Rural

These are the few names finalised by the various parties for the various Belgaum Constituencies.
Belgaum North: Firoz Sait(Khimjibhai) (Indian National Congress)
Shankargouda Patil (BJP)

Belgaum South: Abhay Patil (BJP), Sambhaji Patil (INC)Most likely

Belgaum Rural: Nagesh K. Desai (BJP)

The MES candidates for the all the seats have to be still decided. This time the fight will be not triangular nor the earlier way like Marathi Vs Kannada. After the delimitation the background has changed and this time the victory of any candidate will be by very very few margin of votes.
Kannada people might vote their Kannda candidate, Marathi people might vote for their candidate. The shivsena may also contest,so the marathi votes will get divided. The BSP may also file in its candidate and of course in the independents from various parties who could not get the ticket.
The votes will get divided and nobody can surely say one will win. Yes, of course money and muscle power will play a important role in some areas.

But be sure Belgaumites, this election will not be a easy one. All the political parties will play their card. But we Belgaumites, must vote for a person who will work for us, may be he is a Kannada or a Marathi or any other....Vote for a Better Belgaum.

Air Deccan stops Belgaum Mumbai Flights:Mumbai Hubli Also stopped

Air Deccan has stopped its Belgaum - Mumbai & Mumbai- Hubli flights since the past month. I have contacted the authorities to know the exact reason of this closure of this route but I have not received a reply yet. Unofficially sources said that the route has been cancelled due to lack of traffic.

There was only one flight by which we were connected to Mumbai now that is also not there. For Hubli there is Kingfisher airlines which flies to Mumbai and hence might be the Hubli Mumbai Deccan flight might have been cancelled. But what about Belgaum, nor do we have Kingfisher no Deccan now. If we have to go by air to Mumabi we will have to go to Hubl or Kolhapur and take a flight.

Why does this happen only to Belgaum?

With inputs from Mr.Harish Mahendrakar

Time for Results

The picture is taken in St.Xavier's School, Where the list of successful candidates for LKG has been put up. I was not so lucky to see my daughters name. This time the candidates were selected by lottery system and I missed the number by 2. Many missed by one. Being optimistic other parents also said "Chalta hai, still we have other schools" God Bless.

Admission tensions are boiling over!

I had blogged about LKG admission earlier [link].

Here is an important follow up. All schools, especially English medium, saw long lines of parents to obtain forms. This time the English medium schools had greater demand as the vernacular schools (predominantly non–Kanada) were banned by the Karnatak government for not teaching in Kannada. Many schools had taken permission saying they would teach Kannada but switched to teaching in English. Having received this ban, these schools appealed to the court but unfortunately the court refrained them from teaching in any other language other than the one they applied for.

"I was one amongst the thousands of parents waiting in line for their child's admission. The best part about the process is that I made friends with parents of other children. While waiting in these long queues, we would share information about other schools (like St Xavier's forms availability on Apr 17th) and discuss strategies of obtaining new forms."

At Divine Providence School, I saw parents lined up at 10 pm the previous night – just to get forms. They even chose to sleep at the gates to be the first in line. I could not personally muster the courage to sleep overnight and instead went there at 4 am in the morning. I was amazed to see 200 parents already lined up at 4 am – all very anxiously waiting! Imagine the difficult scenario. By 7 am all the forms were given out and parents were asked to go into classrooms, about 50 in each – fill the form & pay Rs.10. After which parents sped off to St. Joesphs in Camp, Belgaum.

There are 180 odd seats and 2000+ applications in all schools. This discrepancy could be because some may be applying everywhere but still the demand and supply difference is huge! In some instances the school management is being considerate to parents who camp overnight – they are handed coupons so that their queue is marked, as a result of which they don’t have to stay over night. On this same day, the line for St. Pauls was most likely the longest.

After we submitted the forms, we were given an acknowledgement wherein the date of interview was mentioned. They completed all interviewing within two days. Most children were asked similar questions – What is your name baby? Who is this – your dad or uncle? Sing a rhyme and so on.

Now that the interviews over, the fate of admission is hanging in uncertainty. With God’s grace and a combination of the child’s ability & luck the admissions will be determined! If the child is selected the parents will certainly celebrate. If not, then what? Touch the management or some other VIP’s feet, pay a hefty donation and get the child in school (?)

At this moment all the parents are eagerly awaiting approval. All admission results are expected in the next week. Some schools have said they would post the decisions (via mail). This week will be a nightmare for most parents. Our innocent children are oblivious to these complicated & tense situations – they only have a pure wish of ending up in a big school soon.

Personally, I am under immense pressure! I have never had such tension in my entire life – for any exam or result. What if my child doesn’t get admission? What should be my future course? Many agents have surfaced in Belgaum city to plunge into the new trade of admissions. Most of them will be fake (from a qualitative perspective). All I can say to the parent community is to stay optimistic – things will hopefully workout for all of us – May God be with you!

Edited with inputs from PK.

SHANKARGOUDA PATIL From BJP:Belgaum North

SHANKARGOUDA PATIL will contest the election from Belgaum North Constituency. A list of 136 candidates was released by the central BJP board in Delhi yesterday.

Summons issued

The Principal District Judge, Arun Choudapurkar, on Thursday issued notices to the Regional Commissioner Amita Prasad, Belgaum City Corporation Commissioner P.A. Meghanavar and Mayor Prashanta Shantinath Budavi following a petition from corporators Neelima Pawashe and Arun Gauli belonging to the Marathi group in the corporation council. Ms. Pawashe and Mr. Gauli have challenged the election of the Mayor citing irregularities in the conduct of the election. Subsequently, the district judge issued summons to three officials and two corporators Shanta Uppar and Jyoti Bhavikatti, who had also contested for the post last month and directed the respondents to appear before him on April 19.
Source: The Hindu

PIL against Suvarna Soudha being built in Vaccine Depot:

This is the PIL field by the Social Justice forum against the building of the Suvarna Soudha at Vaccine Depot.
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BANGALORE
Original Jurisdiction WRIT PETITION NO. ___________ OF 2008 ( PIL ) BETWEEN Social Justice Forum Represented by its President Sri S.B.Hundre Age: Major, Occ: Business, R/o 333, Roy Road, Tilakwadi, Blegaum Tal and Dist:Belgaum. .. Petitioner
AND 1. The State of Karnataka, Represented by its Chief Secretary Vidhanasoudha, Bangalore. 2. The Deputy Commissioner Belgaum District, Tal and Dist: Belgaum. 3. The Government of Karnataka Represented by its Secretary to the Department of Public Works Department M S Building, Bangalore. 4. The Government of Karnataka Represented by its Secretary to the Department of Executive and Legislative Wing, Vidhanasoudha, Bangalore. 5. The Government of Karnataka Represented by its Secretary to the Revenue Department M S Building, Bangalore 6. The Government of Karnataka Represented by its Secretary to the Department of Forest M S Building, Bangalore. 7. The Government of Karnataka Represented by its Secretary to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, M S Building, Bangalore. 8. The Government of Karnataka Represented by its Secretary to the Department of Environment, M S Building, Bangalore. ...Respondents
PETITION UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
The petitioner above named states as follows: ---
1. The subject matter of this petition is the area measuring 50acres under the actual possession and enjoyment of the 7th respondentwherein the Vaccine Institute is set up. The said Vaccine Institute isin possession of 156 acres 10 Guntas of land under different Sy.Nos.bearing Sy.Nos.715,716A,716B/2,717,718,719,720,727,728,729/1 of Angolvillage. Out of the Sy.Nos. mentioned, in an area measuring 25 Acrescomprised in Sy.No.1409/B/A+B2/2 the offices and staff quarters of 7threspondent are constructed. The remaining 83 Acres 24 Guntas is thickly forested area with old full grown forest species interspersedwith grass land and seasonal streams. The land bearing Sy.No.715 and716 measuring 19 Acres and 15 Guntas is also thickly forested areawith grass land patches and seasonal streams. The land under theremaining Sy. nos. also displays similar geographic, topographic andforest cover. About 38 acres of land is already earmarked as deemedforest. This Vaccine Institute is a thick forest in itself, and is located in a residential area ofBelgaum city. The buildings of the institute are located in a verysmall part of the entire 156 acres as stated hereinabove. The rest of the land, though it is in the Campus of the Institute, it is not atall in the actual use and enjoyment by the offices and staff and iscovered with natural vegetation, forest trees and shrubs.
2. The Government of Karnataka has proposed to utilize an areameasuring 50 Acres out of the total area measuring Acres156-10 Guntasas described in Para no.1 above for the construction of SuvarnaVidhana Soudha.
3. That, it is pertinent to note that, this Vaccine Institute of Science and its campus though comes within the city of Belgaum, it is a fully dense forest with rare species of trees , birds, wild animals,and rarest of rare botanical plants. It is home of several species ofminor fauna, insects, archnids, birds, amphibians, reptiles, birds andmammals. It can by no means be considered for fragmentation ordevelopmental activity as it would grievously harm its unique nature.
4. Being located in an Urban area in the midst of thicklypopulated residential area, the Forest in the Vaccine Institute i.e.Urban forest enjoys an unique status, alongside serving innumerablefunctions in terms of controlling the pollution levels of the area,recharging ground water levels, maintaining cooler temperatures etc.The urban forest in the said Vaccine depot as described in so manywords consists of open scrub forests, grass lands and seasonal streamsshowing all the characteristics of a forest Ecosystem.
5. That, the correspondence made to the Forest Departmentclearly shows that 38 Acres of land comprised in the said Vaccinedepot is reserved as deemed forest and it is duly recorded in the listmaintained by the Forest Department. The copy of the list disclosingthe deemed forest area in the said Depot along with the forwardingletter issued by the Forest department is produced as Annexure-A. Thepetitioner is producing herewith the copy of the aerial photograph ofthe Vaccine Institute campus as Annexure-B. The petitioner isproducing herewith the list of plantations, trees, and vegetationavailable in the said campus of 156 acres which is produced asAnnexure –C. The petitioner is producing herewith the copy of the listof birds which are found and are available in the said campus asAnnexure-D.
6. The petitioner states that, after knowledge of the proposedacquisition of the said Vaccine Institute campus for the purpose ofconstructing Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, a representation was made to theHon'ble Governor of the State of Karnataka, by 'Save Vaccine Institute Action Committee' which is produced as Annexure –E. Therepresentations given by other social organizations and the petitionerare produced as Annexure –F, G, H The copies of the R of R pertainingto the Vaccine depot and the area covered by it, are produced asAnnexures –J to J 10.
7. That, the petitioner, considering the situation,location and the rarest of rare heritage conserved in the said Vaccinedepot, made a representation to the State to form an Eco park inVaccine depot on 8.04.2006 the copy of the said representation isproduced as Annexure –K. The copy of the reply given by the DyCommissioner Belgaum on 26.12.2006 to the petitioner stating that thesaid Vaccine depot area is proposed for Suvarna Soudha is produced asAnnexure –L.
10. That, the petitioner and its members has taken severe painsto collect the necessary documentation from the appropriatedepartment. The copy of the note prepared on the Ecological, Economicand Social importance of the Campus of Vaccine depot is produced asAnnexure-P. The copy of the Ecological report of Flora of the VaccineInstitute is produced as Annexure-Q.
11. That, various institutes, social organizations, and thepresent petitioner made several representations to the respondents.Several alternative locations were suggested to the respondents. The access to the said Vaccine depot is solely through the residential colony of Tilakwadi Belgaum; in fact the said Vaccine depot is located at the end of Tilakwadi Belgaum. It is surrounded on the other side byArmy area and except the city approach road there is no other road to approach the said depot. This being the fact, it is very hard anddifficult to set up Suvarna soudha when the approach road fully goesthrough calm and quiet residential area of Tilakwadi. The housing of Suvarna Vidhan Soudh in the said Vaccine depot campus would upset,alter, remove, and change wholly and solely the total complexion ofthe Campus in the depot.
12.The House to be constructed in the Vaccine depotCampus is intended to be used only for a short period of wintersession. That, though the area sought to be used by the State is to anextent of 50 acres, yet the State will grab and destroy the entireuniqueness of the Forest Campus in the said depot. That, on therequest of several interested persons in the past, an inspection ofthe said vaccine depot and its campus was done, and the thenDevelopment Commissioner for Northern Karnataka Sri.Chiranjiv Singh,even recommended to set up an Art gallery and Museum in the buildingand to turn the remaining area into a Botanical Garden., the copy ofthe recommendation is produced herewith and marked as Annexure –R.
13. That, the Government of Karnataka on 23.8.2007 by its orderbearing No. Kome.107WBR 2006 Bangalore has unanimously decided toacquire 50 acres of land of the said vaccine depot campus and hasfurther formed several committees and has also sanctioned the workestimate to the tune of 30% of total Rs.230 Crores i.e. 70 Crores and hasty steps are being taken up to uproot all the forest trees andvegetation available in the said vaccine depot campus, the copy of thesaid order is produced as Annexure –S. The copy of the recommendationletter sent by the Deputy Commissioner, Belgaum, to the ChiefSecretary, State of Karnataka, Vidhan Soudh, proposing to acquire thearea in Vaccine Depot Campus, is produced as Annexure T. The copy ofthe letter iaddressed by the MLA Campus of Vaccine Depot is producedas Annexure –U. The Deputy Commissioner and the Tahasildar of the Cityof Belgaum have committed a blunder mistake in selecting the Vaccinedepot area; the respondents have not even consulted the Department of Forest and Pollution Controlboard before proposing the construction of Suvarna Soudh in the saiddepot. The 7th respondent is insisted to handover the possession ofthe vaccine depot area to the department of PWD and other departmentsso as to start the work.
14. It is pertinent to note that the said vaccine depot campus is rarest specie of forest and it is unique one. There are several other options available to the respondents to acquire alternative areas which would be nearer to the National Highways and to theAirport considering the badly needed requirement. If a barren or otherwise suitable area abutting to the Highways and away from thecity area is chosen for housing the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, that would meet the convenience and keep the nature and identity of theVaccine Depot Campus from being ruined and destroyed of its richheritage.
16. That the petitioner Forum is an Association registered under the provisions of the Society Registration Act with registrationno.DR/SOR/267/2000-01 and having its registered office at 333, Royroad, Tilakwadi, Belgaum. The petitioner association is activelyinvolved in taking steps to secure protection of public rights and interests in order to have fair and fearless life to the citizen ofBelgaum. The present petition is filed to secure protection to the Campus in the Vaccine Institute and it is essentially to protect the public interest. The petitioner does not have any individual interestin the subject matter of this petition. Hence this petition is filedin the form of PIL. That the petitioner is actively trying its levelbest to protect and preserve the said Vaccine depot since more than 3to 4 years ; there was not even a proposal to construct the SuvarnaSoudh in the said Campus and the petitioner was consistentlypersuading the Deputy Commissioner Belgaum T he copy of the intimation issued by the Dy.Commissioner Belgaum,assuring to take suitable action to protect the Vaccine Depot area, isprodued as Annexure V. The copy of the representation given by theG.S.Science College, Tilakwadi, Belgaum, to the Dy.CommissionerBelgaum, requesting to protect and preserve the Vaccine Depot area isproduced as Annexure W. The leading news papers have time and againinsisted to protect the Vaccine depot area and its heritage to strikeecological balance; the copies of some of the paper publications areproduced as Annexures X and X-1.
17 . That the respondents are not at all inclined to listen to the reasoned say of the petitioner or other social organizations andthey are bent upon to start the construction work in the said vaccinedepot at the earliest and hence there being no other alternativeremedy available to the petitioner, this petition in the form of P I Lis filed under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India. Thepetitioner states that there is no other petition or case pending inthis court or before any other court on the same cause of action. Grounds
18. That, the decision taken by the respondents to house SuvarnaVidhansoudha in Vaccine depot campus (hereinafter referred to as thesaid campus for the purpose of brevity), is improper, incorrect ,andunjust, apart from being violative of the provisions of the ForestConservation Act 1980 and other enactments.
19. That the said campus is unique in its nature and is the lungarea of the city of Belgaum. 38 Acres of the portion of the saidCampus comes under the reserved deemed forest. Rare forest trees,beautiful and unique breed of birds and rare vegetation is the mark ofthe said campus. In the guise of constructing over an area of 50 acresof the said campus , the respondents would one day or the otherdestroy the entire campus and its uniqueness only for accommodatingthe House for a short period of winter session which is absolutelyillogical , and unjustifiable.
20. That, there are several other options available to therespondents to select an appropriate area abutting to the NationalHighway and to the Airport. It is advisable to construct the saidSuvarna Vidhansoudha on the outskirt of the city, so as to strike abalance to the convenience of members of house on one side and thecitizens of the city on the other.
21. That if the said campus is not preserved and maintained, itwould cause ecological imbalance destroying the rare breeds of birdsand unseen kind of forest trees which are standing in the said campusfor more than 300 to 400 years, in the lung area of city of Belgaum.
22. That, there was a recommendation by the earlier Commissionerof the City of Belgaum by name Sri Chiranjeev Singh to earmark thesaid campus for eco park, but over looking the said recommendation thepresent task undertaken by the respondents is unjust, incorrect, andillegal.
23. That the students of various colleges have made a survey andsubmitted their reports which would definitely reflect that the saidcampus is useful for the purpose for which it is kept and housing amuseum , art gallery, and reserving the said area for eco park woulddefinitely enrich the cultural asset of the State of Karnataka .
24. That several acres of land are available near Airport area and near Bhutaramatti area on the outskirts of the city of Belgaum which are abutting to National Highway. If the Suvarna Vidhanssoudha is constructed on such an area, it would do justice to the unique campus,environment and heritage..
25. That the respondents are not making use of the saidproposed soudha for the whole of the year but only for a short periodof winter session and the said building would be used for the otherpurposes which are not at all permissible within the campus of the said vaccine depot.
26. That the petitioner and other social organizations including all the leading news papers have discussed the pros and consof housing the said soudha in the said campus but unfortunately therespondents without considering the just and judicious balance is bentupon to destroy and remove the unique vaccine depot once for all fromthe map of the city of Belgaum.
27. That, despite the description of the Vaccine Instituteand its Campus as narrated in this petition, the Belgaum Development Authority or the concerned Authority has not taken any steps to earmark the area in the Campus of the Vaccine Institute as 'Green Belt area' or in other words an area that needs to be preserved andprotected to keep Forest Asset in the Urban area alive.
28. That, the said Vaccine depot is surrounded on threesides by thickly populated area residential area with narrow congestedroads. The Air Force residential quarters and Commondo and shootingareas are abutting to the said Vaccine Institute. Hence it is notsafer to house the Soudh in the said Campus area part from the factwhether it is legally permissible.
29. The Vaccine Institute provides an a uniquelaboratory and natural museum for school and college children toobserve and study the nature. There is diverse assemblage of allanimal life; studies from simple studies to more serious ones can beundertaken by students at all levels. It is pertinent to note that nodangerous animals are present in the Campus and as such it becomessafe for the study and use of the said Campus. The children of lowerclass who can not afford to take expensive excursions outside the cityfor enjoying and learning about the nature can exploit the opportunityin the said Vaccine depot Campus.
30. The Flora of the Vaccine Institute is unique andremarkable one in as much as the Campus represents a mini eco-systemthat has evolved and stabilized over hundreds of years and as such allcomponents within it are equally important as they are interlinked andcontribute to the over all biodiversity of the Campus. The Campus is made up of Mosaic of different vegetation types, ranging from grasslands, to scrub to trees and thus has great diversity. All these are natural systems and as such the whole area represents a heterogeneousnatural habitat. The tress which are more than 100-150 years old arethe assets of the said Campus. These tress and the natural heritagebadly require full protection and care. Hence even imagining theconstruction of Suvarna Soudh also in the said Campus would beillogical and ridiculous.
31. The Vaccine Institute Campus attracts differentspecies of birds, mammals and invertebrates and as such their losswill result in the loss of biodiversity and hence construction insidethe Campus is not advisable.
32. It goes without saying that once the Soudh is built in the said Campus it will result in increased traffic causing air and noisepollution. This will in turn affect the beneficial effect of the saidCampus on the locality. That apart the present area is residentialarea but if the Soudh is constructed in the Campus the whole areawould eventually become a commercial area rendering it congested andhardly useful for other purposes.
33. It is therefore advisable to construct the Suvarna VidhanSoudh outside the city limits in a well planned and well developed layout to stop any problem in future for expansion and for spreading ofplanned commercial, administrative and residential areas to enhanceoverall quality of city and to reduce the congestion within theexisting city.
34. It is pertinent to note that, within the meaning of section 2of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, as laid down by the Hon'bleSupreme Court in the case T.N.Govadvarman Thirumalpad vs. Union ofIndia reported in 2006 (6) Scale 582, 'if a land answers thedefinition of a forest land even though it is not so reserved, itcould be considered as forest land'. It is submitted that if a reportfrom the Competent Committee is solicited, it would resolve the matterin controversy in a justifiable manner. That apart several otherissues which have got bearing, on the matter in controversy in thepresent petition are discussed meticulously in the said case. Thestress and tenor of the ratio laid down in the said judgment isprotection of the environment and Ecological balance.
35. It is submitted that the Hon'ble Supreme Court, in the caseof Live Oak Resort Pvt.Ltd. Vs Panchagani Hill stations MunicipalCouncils, reported in 2001(8) SCC Page 329, has opined that, the development of the area shall not be at the cost of ecologicalimbalance. The Apex court has made it clear in several cases that, theprotection of environment and preservation of ecological balance isthe need of the hour and all developmental activities aimed atdeforestation shall have to be considered with utmost circumspection.
36. It is pertinent to note that, the Hon'ble Supreme Court, inthe case of KIADB Vs C. Kencheppa reported in 2006 (6) SCC 371, hasopined that, the development should not impair ecology andenvironment.
37. It is submitted that, in the case of Bombay Dyeing and Mfg.Co. Ltd. Vs Bombay Environmental Action Group, reported in 2006(3)SCC 434, the Hon'ble Supreme Court has laid down that, in a case wherein the matter in controversy pertains to violation of Environmentor Ecological balance, Public Interest Litigation, is the remedy forredressal of grievance.
38. The setting up of Suvarna Vidhan Soudh in the Campus ofVaccine Depot, seriously impairs environment and ecological balanceand hence it is in brazen breach of the provisions of the law ofenvironment and ecology, as enjoined under The Environment ProtectionAct, 1986, The Forest Conservation Act 1980, The KarnatakaPreservation of Tress Act, 1976, The Indian Forest Act, 1927 and otherallied enactments. In the light of the various provisions of theenactment referred supra, it becomes abundantly clear that, thesetting up of Suvarna Vidhan Soudh, in the Campus of Vaccine Depot, isabsolutely illegal and illogical. The action on the part of therespondents in purporting to set up the said Soudh in the Campus ofVaccine Depot, is operating contrary to the law of Environment and Ecology and as such it is oppressive, inequitable and contrary to thereal justice in the matter.
39. The reading of the facts and grounds and circumstances narrated supra makes it clear that, the Deputy Commissioner Belgaum,the Development Commissioner North Karnataka, the Sicence colleges ofBelgaum, all the leading news papers of the State of Karnataka andIndia , the Social organizations of the city of Belgaum in general and the petitioner in person, unanimously assert and appeal that theflora and fauna of the Vaccine depot Campus is stretching its hands tosave it from being ruined and destroyed at the hands of respondents,in brazen breach of the laws of Forest, Ecology and environment.
GROUNDS FOR INTERIM RELIEF
39. That the said Campus as narrated is an Urban Forest withremarkable uniqueness. It is the asset of the State and treasure ofnatural vegetation. The forest department has already enlisted an areameasuring 38 Acres within the said Campus as deemed forest. The saidCampus requires timely protection from being ruined and destroyed oncefor all from the map of city of Belgaum. The paras and grounds as narrated supra make it very much clear that, looked at from any angle,it is not advisable to construct the Suvarna Vidhan Soudh in the saidCampus. As such the interim order as prayed deserves to be granted.
PRAYER .WHEREFORE, under the facts and circumstances stated supra it isrespectfully prayed that this Hon'ble court be pleased to A] Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of Certiorari,quashing Annexure- i.e. the Government order dated 23.8.2007 bybearing No. Kome.107WBR 2006 Bangalore, proposing to construct SuvarnaVidhan Soudh, in the Vaccine Depot Campus, Belgaum; B] Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of Mandamusdirecting the respondents not to change the nature and identity of theEntire Vaccine Depot Campus measuring 156 acres and its rich heritagetherein.
INTERIM PRAYER It is further prayed that pending hearing and the disposal of the topnoted petition on merits, the respondents be restrained from changingthe nature and identity of the said Vaccine Depot Campus measuring 156Acres, situated in the city of Belgaum.

Basvanna Mandir:Yearly fest: JP Foundries Wins Rajiv Gandhi National quality award

Inox to open doors by March 2009

Multiplex scene may be getting crowded in places like Mumbai, but in Bangalore and other cities multiplex operators see a big untapped market waiting to be explored.

Multiplex operators are taking their operations to tier II cities now. Inox, the multiplex operator, which claims to be the first to move into untapped markets, now plans to enter Belgaum and Hubli with multiplexes of 4-screen. It plans to have a four-screen multiplex in Belgaum and another four screens in Hubli.
It has signed up developers in Hubli and Belgaum for setting up its multiplexes. The eight screens will be operational by February-March ‘09. The multiplex operator spends an average of Rs 2.5 crore per screen.

Don’t speed on Belgaum roads now

Now all those who speed up on the road while driving will be fined Rs.300. The district administration has commenced this venture from yesterday. Various roads have been identified and the speed on each road has been defined.
Photos taken from Tarun Bharat
If you are found crossing the prescribed speed limit you will be fined Rs.300. I hope speed signs with the prescribed speed limits might have been put on the said roads. I have not been able to see those yet but I guess signboards must have been put up.
Prescribed speed limit (km/hr) on various roads in the city of Belgaum.
May be this was required but till when will the speed gun work? Anyways hope for the best.

Bahubali idol to be consecrated in Belgaum

Four brothers may contest polls:4 different parties

LG Announces Lifestyle Digital Home Exhibition in Mahaveer Bhavan , Belgaum

In Keeping with its commitment to re-defining the standards of Indian living style, LG Electronics India, the leader in consumer durables has announced a lifestyle digital home exhibition at Belgaum . The exhibition will highlight the experience of living in a LG digital home. The exhibition starts from the 04th April to 8th April 08 at Mahaveer Bhavan , hindwadi Belgaum the timing of it will be from 11 AM to 9 PM. The LG exhibition aims to create a sophisticated brand experience of a modern household for consumer durable buyers.

Marathi group to challenge election of Belgaum Mayor

Belgaum will vote on 22nd May

Voting for the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka, 2008 for Belgaum(Belgaum North, Belgaum South & Belgaum Rural) will be held on 22.05.2008 (Thursday).

Date of Issue of Gazette Notification will be 26.04.08 (Saturday).

Last Date for making Nominations would be 03.05.08 (Saturday)

Last Date for withdrawal of candidatures would be 07.05.08 (Wednesday)

Polling date:22.05.08(Thursday)
Counting will be done on 25-05-2008