Movies as on 16-01-2009

Theatre	Movie	Timings
Big Cinemas	Chandni Chowk to China	12,3,6.15,8pm,9.30pm
	Ghajni	10.15am,4.30pm
	Circus(K)	1.30pm
Ritz Srikrishna	Sundarigalu	11.15am
	Yug (K)	12.30pm,3.15pm,6.15,9.15
Nirmal	Anu (K)	12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Huns	Chand (K)	12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Arun	Wrong Man	12.30pm,2pm,4pm,7pm
Roopali	Chikpote Sach…	12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Balkrishna	Max Payne	12.30,3.30,6.30,9.30
Chitra	Circus(K)	12,3,6,9
Swaroop	Chandni Chowk to China	12.15
	Ghanji	2.30,6.30,9.30
Hira	Rab ne Bana de Jodi	12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Hira	Taye (K)	9.30 am
Prakash	Shivmani (K)	12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Nartaki	Chandni Chowk to China	3,6,9
	Ghanji	11.30 am
Santosh	Gulam (K)	12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Globe

Lele Ground is a fortress

The MES has planned a Maha Mellava at the Lele (Subhash Chandra Bose) grounds has been turned into a fortress. About 200 policemen have surrounded the ground and no one can enter the ground.
Barricades have been put on the roads leading to the ground. No is being allowed to go on the ground. The MES has called in for the Maha Mellava at 12pm as time passes by the atmosphere will get hotter there.

Kingfisher air timings from Belgaum to Bangalore: Revised: understandable

Belgaum second capital unlikely

The BJP government in the State seems to be in no mood to accord the ‘second capital’ tag to the border town of Belgaum, which has been a long-cherished dream of the people of the district.

Now, Belgaumites have to be satisfied with just being host to the winter sessions of the Legislature.The government has dropped the idea citing technical reasons.

Should Belgaum be declared the second capital? Several divergent views have been expressed on the issue.

I will pressurize the government to declare Belgaum as the second capital. According second capital status to Belgaum will help development of north Karnataka. All these days development has happened only in and around Bangalore. So it is very essential.
Prabhakar KoreBJP MLC

Belgaum has grown tremendously in recent years. It is getting what it wanted. Mini Vidhana Soudha has become a reality with the land being acquired for it. Every year winter session will be held here.A circuit bench of the High Court has been set up at Dharwad, just about 75 kms away from Belgaum. The city has a host of good educational and medical institutions. Next to Bangalore, Belgaum boasts of providing quality education. The city has an airport which will be expanded soon. Sugar industry is vibrant. A superfast train can be introduced from Belgaum to Hubli.For me, Belgaum is a 'happening city' and I am happy with it. This is exactly what we wanted. A city need not be declared as a capital but it should grow the way a capital should develop. Bangalore is choking with both human and vehicle population. Development has to shift to other cities. Declaring Belgaum as second capital will pave way for similar demand by people of Gulbarga.
In the years to come, the states are bound to be reorganized. The Kolhapur division comprising Sangli, Ratnagiri, Karad, the Belgaum division comprising old Bijapur, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Karwar, parts of Mangalore and Goa would form a new state with Belgaum as the capital. The population in all cities is growing. The Kolhapur division is far away from Mumbai. Goa is facing elections frequently. Belgaum is growing in a systematic way and it has a mix of people speaking various languages. I am sure that Belgaum will be the ideal choice for a state's capital.
Umesh KattiBJP MLA & Minister
About six years ago during the Kannada Sahitya Sammelan, I had raised the demand to accord second capital status to Belgaum. In fact, the Sammelan had passed a resolution to this effect. Even today I hold the same view.Some years ago we were forced to assert that Belgaum belongs to Karnataka as the boundary dispute aggravated.Because of our consistent demand, the government is holding the legislature session for the second time in Belgaum. Officials are now not in a position to ignore Belgaum just because it is far away from the capital. The city, though not an official second capital, has acquired somewhat identical status with hosting Assembly session. Activities will shift from Bangalore to Belgaum once the mini Vidhana Soudha is constructed.There is a need to decentralise power. Bangalore is congested and Belgaum is the best alternative though Mangalore is the 'commercial capital'. In the coming session, I am going to press for declaring Belgaum as the second capital.
Dr M P Nadagouda,MLC

It is not possible to officially declare second capital. The Constitution does not allow States to have second capital.
B V Acharya, former Advocate General
Source: Deccan Herald Story 1 & 2 here

Media coverage of Belgaum: assembly session

Media coverage of Belgaum: assembly session
In continuance of my all India media coverage of Belgaum during the Assembly session, here are some interesting points.
The national media is not covering the assembly as it yet to start, its giving great importance to the other issues like MES maha Mellava. Yesterday I had posted news bites from PTI; see a part from Bangalore Mirror.

The Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary row could whip up passions yet again. The day: Friday. The place: Belgaum. For, the state government will hold its winter session of legislature in the border district.
The same day, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) plans to hold the Marathi Mahamellav. The MES (splinter group) is staging the rally in protest against Karnataka holding its winter session in Belgaum.
Sonia Narang, SP, said, “We have not granted permission to the MES. In 2006, permission had been granted and things had gone worse. This time, we don’t want to take risks. It is left to the government to allow them to hold the rally or not. We have taken all security measures.”
A meeting of the Marathas will be held at Lele Grounds, Tilakwadi on Jan 16 in Belgaum.
The MES has split due to the denial of tickets in the recent Assembly polls. One of the MES factions is led by Kiran Thakur, editor of Marathi newspaper ‘Tarun Bharat’. Its members are: Vijay More and Shivaji Sunthkar, former Belgaum mayors; B I Patil, former MLA; and Kiran Saynak, T K Patil and Narayan Kitwadkar, all corporators.The other faction is led by former Maharashtra minister Prof N D Patil. He has the backing of Manohar Kinyekar, Narayanrao Tarale, Digambar Patil and Vasantrao Patil, all former MLAs; Maloji Ashtekar, former Belgaum mayor; and Deepak Dalvi, a senior MES leader.
Source: Bangalore Mirror

Media Coverage: Continued…
All the news media have taken into context the PTI news bite and added their own reports to it.
See this on from Outlookindia - http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?651718
One more on the same lines from Zeenews -http://www.zeenews.com/states/2009-01-14/498784news.html

Chandni Chowk to China Paid Preview first time in Belgaum at Big Cinemas

Another great time for Belgaum.
The first ever paid preview of the movie Chandni Chowk to China will be premiered today a day ahead of the official rerelease.
The first show will be on Screen 1 at 8.15pm and on Screen 2 at 9.30pm.
So you can see the movie before all see it, any takers..

Belgaum is getting hotter, politically

The Karnataka Govt. citing the danger of a law and order situation has arrested Ex MLA and MES leader Manohar Kinekar, last night. Other couple of other MES leaders was also arrested with him.
The state govt, has denied the MES permission for the parallel Maha Mellava and hence these arrests. A few more could be arrested today.
There is huge police establishment in Belgaum since yesterday and Belgaum is turning into a fortress. About 4000 police personal have been called in for duty to Belgaum from various other places. Rapid Action force has also been called in.
The situation could get hotter through the day.
Even after the arrests the MES claims it will hold the maha Mellava, may what come.
Source inputs Tarun Bharat & Pudhari

Karnataka gives politicians chance to revive border row:Belgaum Media Coverage

This bit of news seems to be a continuing coverage of PTI of the issue.
I am posting this on this blog as the same will be covered by the national media, and the manner in which it is covered is important to us. But I personally liked the heading of the post (Karnataka gives politicians chance to revive border row).

Karnataka's decision to hold an assembly session in Belgaum from January 16, has given politicians a fresh opportunity to rake up the long standing border dispute with Maharashtra which is now pending with the Supreme Court.The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and some Maharashtra politicians such as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chagan Bhujbal have for long been agitating to realise their demand for merger of 856 villages and towns of Karnataka, including Belgaum, Karwar and Nippani with Maharashtra.However, MES failed to win a single seat in the Marathi-dominated areas in last year's assembly elections and the emotive appeal of the issue seems to have lost traction with the younger generation of Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka.Bhujbal, one of the leading lights of the agitation in the '80s, however, told PTI it was wrong to say the movement has lost its relevance just because the MES is not in control of the Belgaum municipality and was without representation in the Karnataka Assembly.While MES believes the Karnataka move is aimed at thwarting their "just" struggle, Karnataka, sees the session as an opportunity to remove the feeling of alienation among the Marathi-speaking people of Belgaum and at the same time assert its right over the city.This will be the second time when a Karnataka assembly session will be held in Belgaum. Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had decided to hold the first one at the end of 2007 while announcing that Belgaum would be developed as the second capital of Karnataka and Rs 100 crore would be spent for its development.The delay in arriving at an amicable solution to the boundary row was due to political and electoral interests of national parties in both the states, Bhujbal said."Delay is inevitable, but justice is important. The matter is now pending before the Supreme Court and the State Government is pressing for an early solution," he added.Maharashtra has a rightful claim over Belgaum and other areas on the basis of language and geographical continuity, said Bhujbal.Even as the dispute awaits the Supreme Court verdict, pro-merger Marathi politicians are hopeful that justice will be done and the court's judgment will go in their favour.
Source: http://newsx.com/story/41455

Belgaum Legislative Assembly session 2009 website

To get all the details of the entire Belgaum Legislative Assembly session 2009, visit http://belgaum.nic.in/session-09.html
At the moment the various details like, Accommodation, Maps etc have been mentioned.
All is in Kannada and in Flash mode.
The site will be updated daily and you can get a host of information from the site. I will also be following the same here. Even photographs and detailed materials as to what happened in the day will be posted on the same place I guess.
But instead of only one person seeing the site, I thought it will be nice if you all see it and give me news bites.

52 yrs on, Maha-Karnataka boundary row still stirs emotions

This is a PTI news bite pasted as on their site;
(PTI) Despite the over fifty-year old boundary dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka becoming a matter of less concern for the new generation, the issue continues to stir emotions among the votaries of merger of Marathi-speaking areas with the southern state.
As Karnataka prepares to hold Assembly session in Belgaum, a border district, the pro-merger groups revisit their long struggle and are hopeful of "justice".
Leaders of pro-unification Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and politicians from Maharashtra, who participated in various agitations in Belgaum, said they were still awaiting the Supreme Court's verdict on the dispute, one of the last unresolved offshoots of the linguistic reorganisation.
"Justice delayed is justice denied. But we are still positive and hopeful that we will get justice," a top leader of MES, Kiran Thakur, told PTI.
MES has been observing November 1, the Rajyotsava Day (foundation day) of Karnataka as `Black Day' and January 17 as "martyrs day" every year to commemorate the martyrdom of five people from Belgaum who were killed in police firing protesting the decision to include the city in Karnataka.
The session starting in Belgaum from January 16 is the second since then Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy took the decision at the end of 2007. He had even announced that Belgaum would be developed as the second capital of Karnataka and Rs 100 crore would be spent for its development.
Karnataka sees the session as an opportunity to remove the feeling of alienation among the people of Belgaum and at the same time assert its right over the city. PTI
Source: PTI

Treats waiting for the MLAs in Belgaum

The joint session of the Karnataka legislature will being from the 16th and a host of cooks about 100 will be coming in to treat them with some wonderful dishes.
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

Happy Sankrantri

Big Cinemas hikes prices from 16 Jan

This bit of news is from reliable sources.

A big cinema, which is now charging a flat ate of Rs.60 for rickets will now charge Rs.60 for SILVER class, Rs.80 for GOLD class and Rs.100 for PLATINUM class beginning from January 16.

Also there was a query about the online booking being not there for Big Cinemas Belgaum, I followed it up with the higher authorities and here is their reply:

Dear Mr. Uday, We sincerely apologize & deeply regret the inconvenience faced by you with regards to Web Booking of Tickets for our Cinema at Belgaum, however currently we are incapacitated to extend the On-line/Web Booking, as the statutory permission is awaited. However we are working on the same, and hope to start Web Booking facility for Belgaum very soon. We value your patronage and look forward to your continuous association with us even in the future.
Thanks & Regards,
Mohit Dubey
Head - Quality &Revenue Enhancement Adlabs Films Ltd.

Belgaum to Bangalore Air timings changed: Fly Kingfisher

Assembly session preparations at peak

Hardly three days remain for the historic second session of the Karnataka Legislature to begin and the work to build the legislature halls is in full swing.






The Vidhan Sabha will have a green carpet and the Vidhan Parishad will have Red carpet. Almost 80% of the work of both halls is completed and now mikes etc and other last minute work is being undertaken. All the ministers coming in the city are having a look at the arrangements made.