MLA Trimurti keep Dil connected will work for development of Belgaum
4:23 PM Posted by ukmad
Belgaum Cloth Merchants Association had called a special meeting on Tuesday morning to put forth the various difficulties faced by them to the 3 MLA’s of Belgaum. All the three MLA’s Mr.Feroz Sait of North, Sanjay Patil of Rural and Abhay Patil of South were present and all spoke about working together towards the development of Belgaum with no partisan lines in middle. Congress spokesperson Anil Potdar was also present on the occasion.
Belgaum cloth market is about 100 years old and people from surrounding 200 kms come to Belgaum for shopping. Recently the flow of consumers to the city has decreased. Parking is a major cause of concern of the merchants because of which inflow has decreased.
- Mr.Feroz Sait
Feroz Sait MLA Belgaum North said that, parking in the city is a major hindrance and he to avoids coming into the city due to it. He added that master plan should be done. Feroz Sait laid down a new plan for beautification of the Ramdev Galli to Shaniwar Khoot. Nothing concrete was disclosed but he stressed that if the association came up with a plan he was ready to execute it. He also promised to deploy the MLA funds in the business areas of the city. All work under the 650 crore JNNRUM project will be done under consultation with local people he added. Efforts will be made for the execution of the long pending Belgaum Dharwad rail link he said. Flights from Sambra had been closed only as there was no sufficient traffic and the same would commence once there is good potential. In reply to question, he said that he would ask the traffic authorities to see that a 1 meter box is marked in front of all shops which will make it easy for consumers to enter the shop.
- Mr.Sanjay Patil
Sanjay Patil MLA for Rural said that Party lines will not interfere in the development of the city and all the 3 MLAs will collectively deploy the various funds and schemes. We all now should get away from this Marathi Kannada bias and work for the betterment of the city. There are no industries around Belgaum and the Rail and air links are not so good. He asked the merchants not be a frog in the well and come out and diversify into other fields as well.
Anil Potdar from the Congress told the gathering that traffic was the biggest problem and the main cause of this problem is the 70% odd increase of traffic, which makes use of Belgaum as a transit way from Kolhapur to Goa. He suggested a fly over to be built from Hotel Shankam to Peeranwadi, which will solve this problem once for all. The ring road will need Rs.800 odd crores but here the problem was not compensation but acquisition of land he said. A textile park must be built he said. Sulab Souchyalya (toilet blocks) will be built in the main city area he added. He said if master plan is to be undertaken spot compensation should be given.
Abhay Patil MLA South agreed to the BCMA’s demand for a separate land for developing a textile market, which will house 100+ textile shops. The MLA said he is ready to show the association 3 plots that can be given for this purpose. Belgaum is a “Sudharlele Khede” (a developed village) and stated that in the past 50 years nothing has happened here for the development due to the border row. Rs. 1 crore have been allocated for parking related issues and parking facilities will be provided near Deshmukh road on the side roads, he said in reply to a question. Regarding the issues of trade license and harassment from various other govt. offices, he said he would speak to them about the same in the week and get the mater resolved. Talks have already begun with Infosys and Toyota to ask them to establish them in Belgaum.
The meeting was held at Hotel Adarsh Palace and numerous cloth merchants were present at the meet. The Belgaum Cloth Merchants Association is a body of 180 members.
Photos: Team AAB
Treats waiting for the MLAs in Belgaum
1:46 PM Posted by ukmad
Rotis and Yenne Badnikai pallya (a brinjal preparation), kunda of Belgaum, khardant and ladakki undi of Gokak and pedhes of Dharwad will make up the sumptuous fare. There would also be North Indian and Chinese cuisine for VVIPs who prefer it that way. As many as 120 hotel management students of the KLE Society’s Hotel Management College of Bangalore will be assisting the main cooks.
The legislators can keep themselves occupied: Tea and newspapers for the legislators in their rooms in the morning, gym at the JNMC Campus or yoga at the Yoga Centre.
Badminton and lawn tennis courts have also been erected for the sporty ones. A team of doctors from KLE Hospital would visit the MLAs every day. Live telecast of the session has been arranged for the legislators who just can’t have enough of work.
Belgaum is expecting over a lakh visitors to witness the proceedings as well as to meet the ministers and the MLAs.
A massive shamiana would be erected at the Dental College premises for these meetings. Artists from Belgaum would present light music during lunch time and in the evening for the benefit of MLAs.
Source: Express Buzz
10:40 AM Posted by ukmad
The Belgaum Shahar Shetkari Sanghatana, which has taken up the cause of farmers struggling to save their lands from being acquired by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board, has alleged that police officials and their staff attached to the Malmaruti Police Station are harassing farmers.
A procession was taken to the DC’s office, against the KIADB had proposal to acquire fertile and irrigated agriculture land off Pune-Bangalore National Highway 4 (Express Highway) falling under Survey Nos 628, 629 and 630 only to allot to a private society controlled by BJP MLA (from Belgaum South) Abhay Kumar Patil. This was being done though the land had been earmarked as Green Belt area.
The farmers are small and marginal landholders. They are raising crops such as paddy, wheat and jowar for their living. However, the KIADB had proposed to acquire their land in an illegal manner and without observing procedural norms only to hand it over to Alpasankyatar Krushi Sahakar Sangh controlled by Mr. Patil.
A complaint was also made to the Governor and the High Court following which the Regional Commissioner of Belgaum Revenue division directed the KIADB against pursuing with the acquisition. Yet, the police were harassing and even arresting innocent farmers and creating panic among their families, it claimed.
The police were behaving in a threatening manner instead of providing protection to these poor families, it alleged. Though the matter was brought to the notice of the Superintendent of Police Sonia Narang, there was no let-up in the harassment by police. It was not clear whether the police stood for the politically influential and the rich or the poor and the weak.
This blog has has been following up this story, see earlier stories
http://belgaumblog.com/2008/09/farmers-concerned-over-kiadb/
http://belgaumblog.com/2008/07/farmers-accuse-mla-of-trying-to-grab-land/
http://belgaumblog.com/2007/10/farmers-say-don%e2%80%99t-take-our-land/
Source:The Hindu
Abhay Patil MLA arrested
9:58 AM Posted by ukmad
Photo Taken from Tarun Bharat.The police on Friday arrested BJP MLA Abhay Kumar Patil and four of his supporters in connection with the attack on the Chief Engineer, Irrigation, North Zone, Belgaum, on Thursday. He was produced in the JMFC IV Court which granted him bail. The other accused Raju Patil, Rajendra Pawar, Deepak Jamkhandi and Sanjay Patil were also produced in the court which granted them bail.
Earlier, Various organisations condemned attack on irrigation official. Protest was organised by Karnataka State Engineering Service Association. Associations seek action against policemen for remaining mute to the attack.
A large number of employees of the Irrigation, Public Works and other State Government departments on Friday took out a procession in protest against the attack on S.S. Khanagavi, Chief Engineer of Irrigation, North Zone, and seeking the arrest of BJP MLA Abhay Kumar Patil here on Friday.
Source The Hindu
BJP, Sangh Parivar activists beat up Chief Engineer in Belgaum
7:40 AM Posted by ukmad
Attack: Police try to shield Chief Engineer of Irrigation S.S. Khanagavi from Sangh Parivar activists in Belgaum on Thursday. In what could be termed as an “embarrassment” to the Bharatiya Janata Party Government in the State, the workers of the ruling party, Vishwa Hindu Parishat and other members of the Sangh Parivar, apparently led by BJP MLA Abhay Kumar Patil, beat up Chief Engineer of Irrigation, North Zone, Belgaum, S.S. Khanagavi in the presence of the police under the pretext of showing disrespect to “Hindu” religion.
Sporadic violence was reported on Thursday during the Bharat bandh” call given by the VHP over the land transfer issue to Amarnath shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, which evoked near-total response.
The attack on the senior State Government officer led to an instant protest with all the employees in the north zone coming out of their offices and raising slogans against Mr. Patil and demanding his unconditional apology for what they described as “most condemnable” and “uncivilised act.”
Karnataka Engineering Service Association president Shivanand Hugar announced that all the employees in the Irrigation in the north zone comprising the districts of Belgaum, Bijapur, Gadag and Bagalkot would stop office work from Thursday to protest against the incident. He hoped that engineers and other employees in other government departments would also protest against the attack on the senior official.
Mr. Khanagavi, who felt humiliated, refused to comment on the incident and returned home under police security after saying: “I have got the reward for my 35 years of service to the government and people of the State, that too from a Hindu organisation; its all God’s wish.” He denied of any personal differences with Mr. Patil, who the former said had come to his office for the first time.
But, sources in office told The Hindu that Mr.Patil had made phone call to Mr. Khanagavi during election campaign and just two days ago. Mr. Khanagavi, who refused to lodge a complaint, finally yielded to the pressure from his staff and lodged complaint with the APMC Police Station later in the evening.
The drama unfolded when a group of less than 100 left the main procession led jointly by BJP MP Suresh C. Angadi and Mr. Patil and marched to the Irrigation Office on Club Road. Four of them entered the chamber of Mr. Khanagavi and reportedly asked him to close the office in support of the bandh. When Mr. Khanagavi, who maintained that he cannot close the office and came out of his chamber to convey the same to other members of the group waiting outside, some of the group members allegedly pounced upon him and assaulted him. The police present at the spot managed to escort Mr. Khanagavi to his chamber. Then the group members shouted slogans and abused Mr. Khanagavi for allegedly abusing and hurting Hindu sentiments.
Mr. Patil made a dramatic appearance within moments after his supporters finished their job, took control over the group and staged a dharna demanding apology from Mr. Khanagavi.
After refusing to yield for half-an-hour and apparently persuaded by Superintendent of Police Hemant Nimbalkar, Mr. Khanagavi finally came out of his chamber and tendered his apology.
But, as Mr. Patil and his supporters dispersed, the irrigation department employees started expressing anger and started demanding apology from the MLA.
K'taka: Cong MLAs worth Rs 256 crore; BJP 203 crore
12:39 PM Posted by ukmad
The special Legislative session in Karnataka gets underway on Wednesday. The Congress, which will sit in opposition, leads the table with candidates with very high assets while the ruling BJP comes second, indicates statistics available with Karnataka Election Watch.
The Congress has 35 MLAs with very high assets (Rs 20 crore and above) and their total worth is Rs 256.6 crore. In 2004, the party after the election was worth just Rs 54.2 crore which would mean that the party has seen a 373 per cent jump in the last four years.
The Congress, incidentally, has the richest two MLAs in the 224-member House.
M Krishnappa, from the Vijay Nagar constituency in Bengaluru, is worth Rs 147.88 crore. His liabilities are estimated at Rs 69.85 crore.
Second on the list is Feroz Nurrudin Sait (Congress) from the Belgaum Uttar constituency with assets and liabilities estimated at Rs 58.55 crore and Rs 0 respectively.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has 40 MLAs with very high assets and their total worth is Rs 203.8 crore as against the Rs 51.4 crore in the 2004 elections. The party has seen a jump of 296 per cent in the past four years.
Anand Singh from the Vijayanagara constituency is the richest BJP MLA with assets worth Rs 57. 34 crore. The liabilities of Singh who is also the third richest MLA are estimated at Rs 7.37 crore.
The JD(S), which came third in the election with just 28 seats, has 16 MLAs with very high assets and are worth Rs 112.9 crore. The richest MLA from the JD(S) is H D Kumaraswamy, the former chief minister of the state. Kumaraswamy who won from the Ramanagar constituency, 50 km from Bangalore is worth Rs 30.20 crore, thus making him the ninth richest MLA in the House. His liabilities are estimated at Rs 23.12 crore.
Ek se Do Bhale Do se Teen Bhale: Belgaum Constituency RECONSTRUCTED
1:35 PM Posted by ukmad
Some parties have opposed the way in which this exercise was done. But now Belgaum has been divided into 3 parts. Basically two parts of the old 197 Belgaum Constituency. It is renamed as Belgaum NORTH & Belgaum SOUTH. The other one is Belgaum RURAL.
If elections are held by this new Constituency, I tell you it will be fun. The Marathi's and the Kannadigas will have to fight two places. And the best part is the Marathi voters have been equally divided in North and South. Mahadwar road, Tashildar Galli etc Marathi strong hold fall in NORTH and Vadgaon, Tilakwadi areas and Shahpur fall in South.
I have given a list of areas included in both the Constituency here.
You can click here to read for more details, as to know which Constituency you now belong to.
I can assure you Belgaumites, now that we will have 2 (leave the rural) MLAs will that make any difference to us, that’s to wait and see.
