Jodha Akbar Row in Belgaum Also

Marching ahead: Activists of Sri Shiv Pratishthan taking out a procession in Belgaum on Thursday in protest against the alleged assault by the police on their leader Sambhajirao Bhide in Sangli on Wednesday.
The Jodha Akbar Show in Nartaki was cancelled.
Source: The Hindu

Belgaum gets NOTHING

The Rail budget presented by Lalu Prasad as every time has nothing for us Belgaumites. All those demands made by the Belgaum Chambers and others have gone on deaf ears. What we got from the budget is here.

Mrashtra's Belgaum bid futile: Centre

Source: Deccan Herald
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that Maharashtra has been fighting a futile legal battle demanding the annexation of 814 villages in Belgaum, Karwar, Bidar and Gulbarga districts of Karnataka, which have significant Marathi-speaking people.
“It is neither feasible nor desirable to demarcate the borders of villages, taluks and districts in a manner that the people speaking one language can or may be retained in one state only. Such a solution has severe practical problems and severe consequences, which have been succinctly laid out by States’ Reorganisation Commission (SRC) in its report,” said an affidavit by the Director of the Union Home Ministry, which is in the possession of Deccan Herald. However, copies of the affidavit are yet to be provided to the parties.The document, prepared by then Solicitor-General Golam E Vahanvati and filed on November 16, 2006, said, “It is submitted that in the process of reorganisation, a certain minimum amount of linguistic overlap is to be expected along the border.”Linguistic homogeneity as a concept is beset with practical problems, espe-cially in the case of a multi-lingual country like India, as discussed in SRC report.
In another affidavit prepared on August 23, 2006 but not filed following public outcry in Maharashtra, the Centre had urged the apex court to “dispose of the suit” filed by the Maharashtra government in 2004.With a piece of advice, the UPA government said boundary disputes in any multi-lingual country are best resolved with the mutual consent or agreement of the states concerned arrived at through amicable negotiations, which the Centre is committed to facilitate.The Centre said: “The various insinuations and allegations by Maharashtra are not admitted.”It justified the findings in the report submitted on September 3, 1967 by Mehr Chand Mahajan, the chairman of the commission constituted to resolve the border dispute between the two states, and said the matter was settled 41 years back. The next hearing of the case has been scheduled for March 26. The previous hearing in January third week was adjourned after Maharashtra which was to file its reply on the day did not do so.

Foundries in Crisis

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

Sonu Nigam concert to raise funds for school

The charismatic singer from Bollywood Sonu Nigam is all set to give a live performance for the first time in Belgaum in the first week of March.
The concert will be organised by the Sri Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Education and Cultural Trust, which runs the Jain Group of Institutions (JGI) in the country, to raise funds for setting up Jain Vidyaniketan in Belgaum.
The concert will be held at the district stadium from 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. on March 4. The entry passes, priced between Rs. 200 and Rs. 2,500, will be available at the Jain College in Peeranwadi, Swamy Bakery, Ajanta Café and Jain MATS in the city. R.G. Dharwadkar, Principal of the Jain College of Science and Arts, and Radhe Shyam Heda, Managing Trustee of JGI, said here on Wednesday that the JGI planned to establish 100 vidyaniketans in the country in the next five to 10 years.
The JGI expected to make about Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh from the event featuring Sonu Niigaam.
Three standards — LKG, UKG and first standard in Kannada medium — were being planned to be started from the academic year 2009-10.
All children living within a radius of 20 km of the school would be provided free transportation.
Source: The Hindu

Stop this treatment for us

Story taken from my associate blog: http://belgaumnri.blogspot.com/
We are totally upset over the recent attitude and act of state government especially education department and vice chancellors of VTUThe VTU Bosh and Rexorth R & D centre is opened in Mysore and even the German tool room was established at Bangalore, the e-learning studio of VTU is in Mysore,Why not the proper expansion of VTU takes place in Belgaum.
Why the government have this sham and show off in showing its attitude towards North Karnataka in general and Belgaum in particular, North Karnataka cities mainly Belgaum and twin cities hubli dharwad are the best potent cities with diverse culture and skilled manpower resource ,I highly feel off for such attitude of state government, I want Belgaumites to come forward and fight for such discrimination , Why not Belgaum have such development centre and studios.
The wake up call some weakness and strength
Strength :Belgaum contributes second largest revenue to state and first in horticulture export
Weakness: Cargo handling facility at Belgaum Airport for agriculture and horticulture export was planned and never executed.

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

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

Still at LargeIT park ( only foundation stone , no facilities)
Textile Park ( Private partnership , in progress)
Power generation projects ( 1 Shelved and 2 are on hold for indefinite time)
Food and Agriculture park (bureaucratic delays and lack of support to contractor)
International cricket stadium ( only land allotted and no further move on it)
Airport expansion funds available with state government from AAI but not ready to utilize for settlement of farm land acquired by farmers , fight over the cost of landRing road , just ringing around in papers
Suvarna Vidhan Suadha , only foundation stone
Vaccine institute to be developed in Belgaum as research centre, no further news on it
Auto complex an utter flop due to lack of proper planning .
Lot of entrepreneurs investing in border district of Maharashtra. Well there are many still but will never work till are made aware and brought to public noticeLet Belgaum flourish and we the Belgaumites reap benefits of it.

Schoolmates collaborate for a good cause

Sonu Nigam in Belgaum on March 4

Is Belgaum Real estate in Real Boom?

Lashkar, JKLF, SIMI used Yellamma Gudda as terror camp'

Terror Activities increase

A treat for Belgaum art lovers

Belgaum: A three-day art exhibition will be held at the Millennium Gallery in Tilakwadi here from Friday.

The exhibition, being organised by the city-based Movable Art Circle (MAC) and sponsored by Chairman of KLE Society and Chancellor of KLE University Prabhakar Kore, will be inaugurated by Mr. Kore's wife Asha P. Kore. Sixty exhibits will be on display. The entry is free. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Eight artists from Belgaum, Kolhapur and Kolkata will participate in the exhibition. While Sadalge, Sunil Mathad and Meenakshi Sadalge are from Belgaum, Sanjivv Sankpal and Atul Dake are from Kolhapur in Maharashtra, and Debashish Gosh, Ranjan Paul, Dipnarayan Paul from Kolkata.
Artist Balu Sadalge told The Hindu on Thursday that a similar event was held in Kolkata last month. The next show would be at Chitrakala Parishat on Kumara Krupa Road in Bangalore from February 21 to 27.
MAC will organise an art camp in which 12 artists, including Somanand Gadakari, P.B. Gavani, Dilipkumar Kale, Chandrakant Kusnoor, D.S. Chougale, V.Guggeri, Anil Prakash, Prakash Sidnal and Udaykumar, will participate.

Petrol Costs: Rs.52.73

In Belgaum Petrol Costs: Rs.52.73 now
earlier its was costing Rs.50.44

Stamp duty on Buildings now 900 per Sq/ft

From now on if u buy a Flat or land you will have to shell Rs.900 per Sq/feet as Stamp duty to the government. This come s to 11% almost.
Earlier the rate was Rs.440 per Sq/feet. A 100% increase is done only with a view to increase the goverenmenrtts revenue. What a way to do it?????

Dark & Rainy Valentines Day

Belgaumites are having a Dark and Rainy Valentines day. The weather was cloudy the whole day. There were some drops of rain in the afternoon in osme areas. But at 7.30pm it started to pour and the showers really turned heavy till 9pm. Now there is no electricity as usual in the whole city. The electricity went off at round 7.40pm.

Anyways to all my readers Wish you all a Happy Valentines Day