Uncertainty over assembly session in Belgaum

11:50 AM Posted by ukmad

The rumors that the government may not hold the Assembly session in Belgaum indicate that BSY administration’s apathy to developing the district and this part of the state, according to the Kannada Organisation’s Action Committee (KOAC).

Former CM Kumaraswamy and then his deputy Yeddyurappa had announced that the government would hold the legislative session in Belgaum every year for at least one week, but this does not seem to be happening. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) has gone one step further to almost dare the government not to hold the session in Belgaum. The opposition says the Govt. has not fulfilled its promises made in the earlier sessions held here.

BSY said that the construction of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha is in progress and the city would also play host to the World Kannada Conference.

Source: Express Buzz

Provident Bangalore wins KPL

10:25 PM Posted by ukmad

Provident Bangalore won the first KPL trophy by beating Belgaum Panthers by 5 wickets.

Batting first Belgaum Panthers scored 122 for 7 in the 20 overs. Provident Bangalore scored 125 for 5 with 4 balls to spare.

One killed in road accident

4:26 PM Posted by ukmad


Narayan Patil (50) was killed on the spot when a KSRTC bus hit the two wheeler. Jayshri Patil(21) who was the pillion was injured. Both were residents of Bhawani nagar.

The accident occurred at 2pm opposite the State Bank of India main branch on Khanapur road. There was huge traffic jam due to this accident on Khanapur road and at the same time heavy down pour of showers surprised everybody.

The cause of the accident is still not known. The traffic police have registered a case.

Belgaum is second capital in crime

11:20 AM Posted by ukmad

Recently Belgaum city has seen some incidents of loot and robbery and also other crimes have put Belgaum into second position after Bangalore in the crime rate in the state, this was mentioned in a Bangalore daily.

Yesterday two houses in Ramtirth nagar were robbed for over 50 Lakhs. Last week Gold shop Shantaram Lengade was robbed for over 75 lakhs and yesterday this loot.

The robbers broke into the houses when the housemates were not in town. The burglars made away with 3,500 US dollars, 2,900 Saudi riyals, Rs 28,000, four necklace sets, 28 rings, five gold chains and two diamond-coated necklaces from the house belonging to Ujwal Joshua Aralikatti. The family left for Saudi Arabia on September 15.

The second house broken was of Namdev Badiger who had been out of city. His house is situated about 20 feet away from Aralikattis’s house. 41 kgs silver, 99 grams gold ornaments and Rs 40,000 cash kept in the cupboard was looted.

The police after reaching the spot tried their best but had no clues at all. The sniffer dogs could not go far. Seeing the recent reports of robbery in the city the Police has stepped up night patrol, the authorities said. But the common man is not satisfied with this and is quite terrified with the rising number of robberies and also the fact that the police have not been able to catch the miscreants.

The blog contacted Ujwal Joshua in Saudi Arabia and this the reply I got -

Thank you for your story. Hope this will aware other people of the thefts happening around and we strongly hope that the cops will be able to find the culprits.
Regards
Ujwal Joshua

Ujwal Joshua is a long time follower of this blog.

Belgaum Panthers in KPL finals

8:07 PM Posted by ukmad

In scintillating semi finals the Belgaum Panthers won by 15 runs against the Bangalore Brigadiers.

The finals will be played tomorrow i.e. 23 at 7.30 pm at Chinnaswamy stadium. The other finalist will be the winner of the second semi final between Provident Bangalore v Bijapur Bulls.

Belagavi Panthers socred 159/7 in 20 overs where as the Bangalore Brigadiers managed only 144/10 in 20 ovs.

Come on Belgaum Panthers You can win the KPL, ITS ours!

Id-ul-Fitr celebrated

11:03 AM Posted by ukmad

On the occasion of Id-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of holy month of Ramzan special prayers were held at the Idgah maidans and mosques on Monday.

eidbelgaumeidbelgaum-1eidbelgaum-2

Belgaum panthers take on the Bangalore Brigadiers in the semis

10:49 AM Posted by ukmad

After the loss of Mysore Maharjas the Belgaum team got its semi final birth. The panthers will play against the Bangalore Brigadiers at 3.30pm at Chinnaswamy stadium Bangalore.

Come on Belgaum Panthers Win this!!!

Gogte circle to get a facelift

4:13 PM Posted by ukmad

Gogte circle to get a facelift

The Cantonment board has decided to give a facelift to the Gogte Circle (near Railway station). Bank of India has agreed to pay Rs.3.5 lakhs for the same and hence the board approved the renovation of the circle.

An island will be made and other amenities will be provided.

Winter session in Belgaum

12:10 PM Posted by ukmad

A 20 day winter session of the state legislature will be held at Belgaum by December end, CM B S Yeduarppa said.

KPN Photo

Border issues and development projects will be discussed during the session.

Actually, BSY in Jan.2009, while laying foundation stone for Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Halga Bastwad, had declared that the winter session would be held in new Suvarna Vindhan Soudha building, as and when completed. The Speaker makes any official announcement about the winter session in Belgaum, till then we all need to wait.

Source: Deccan Herald

Belgaum Panthers win by 8 wickets

1:30 PM Posted by ukmad

In their last match Belgaum Panthers won by 8 wickets. Still the panthers have managed to be in the top 4 teams which mean they would play the semi finals. (Not sure as the points table on the Mantrikpl.com is not updated after this match.)

See videos on Mantrikpl.com

Belgaum Panthers: 122/2 (15.1 Ovs)

Davangere Diamonds: 119/9 (17.0 Ovs)

AZIZ HAFIZ multi tasking sarkari babu

8:11 PM Posted by ukmad


younggunsAziz Hafiz hails from Belgaum and is the son of Dr. F.A. Hafiz, a renowned doctor of Belgaum. He completed his schooling from St.Pauls high school and his Pre University from RLS and he did his Civil engineering from Gogte Institute of Technology. At the time when he was doing his masters in management, he was selected as a Gazetted Probationer in the Government of Karnataka and his journey as a Sarkari Babu began. Currently he is the Deputy Director, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Government of Karnataka.aziz

Aziz is a Sarkari babu with a difference and since in college he was known for quizzing, debating, dramatics, organizing fests - the first youth festivals of the city were his doings! He loves sports, has a wide range of interests, virtually anything and everything!

He has authored a book “The Rising Sun Shall Set….” which is set in the Belgaum fort, and is a piece of poetry, with a philosophical outlook. His wife is very good painter and this also inspires him in his work.

He has worked in districts of Raichur, Bellary, Udupi, Bangalore Rural & in Bangalore City. He is also handling a project for the comprehensive computerization of the Public Distribution System as its Chief Informatics Officer (CIO). In addition, he was also Joint Director, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs & Additional Director, Procurement & Distribution. He is an authority on the Public Distribution System, Petroleum products, and Consumer affairs.

One of the tasks he is handling today may well change the way Government functions. He, as the CIO of a unique project, has collected the biometrics of over nearly 4.5 crore people which will be the basis of the unique identity for each person. In fact the UID (unique Identity card) that is being talked about is nothing but what he has done. His work is apparently being hijacked by more well known persons!!

What this will mean is - in future you can go to a kiosk and by giving your biometrics, get whatever document you want from the Government, avoiding all the touts, the delays, the transactions...... Imagine even if it happens 5 years from now, we would have taken tremendous strides towards a better government, where you would get what is meant for you, rather than someone else making merry. We may even have voting with biometrics you never know!

And a person from Belgaum would have been the reason for its success.

His job profile is a story in multi-tasking - while managing the entire Public distribution system ( the rationing system ) in Karnataka, covering 1.25 crore families, handling 2.25 lakh Metric tons of food grains & 50,000 kilolitres of kerosene oil every month, with an annual subsidy of over Rs.1500 crore and an annual turnover of over Rs 5000 crore; Managing logistics, warehousing, transportation, retailing – with a network of over 500 wholesale & 25,000 retail outlets; Launching of new products; piloting policy changes, crisis management; enforcement of laws, raids, legal processes; Managing the minimum support price operations for agricultural produce for farmers, monitoring the supply & distribution of petroleum products; maintenance of civil supplies; besides monitoring of market prices; Redressal of public grievances, consumer education & consumer guidance.

aziz1 Interviewing Aziz was an experience of a kind and after reading his answers this Sarkari Babu is not a normal one for sure. Here are some excerpts of the interview.

1. Why Sarkari Babu, you could have been in any private company and most probably by this time on a very good position and good booty.

Aziz ---> I had this penchant for the IAS in school, and even in my engineering days, everyone knew that I had my eyes set there. I am in a very enviable place, which is powerful to say the least & although I don’t have the booty, I am fairly content.

2. Who or what inspired you to join the KAS?

Aziz ---> The state services were an after-day thought, since I didn’t make it to the Civil services. The Civil services were a fascination from school days, when we had DCs coming as chief guests and everyone looking up to them with awe.... maybe that caught my attention at an early age.

3. Your father is a very well renowned doctor; didn’t he want you also to be one?

Aziz ---> 3 of my brothers are doctors and very dedicated at that. I would see them reading those huge books and getting up at odd hours whenever there was a patient who came in an emergency. I guess in school, I thought this wasn’t what I wanted to do. Fortunately, people at home let me have my say early in life.... so I chose what I wanted to do. My father is 88 and takes pride when he hears from people about how I've touched their lives.

4. You are handling a department which at this hour is the most important one as there is inflation and a scare of a drought. How important do you think this is and have you changed the way you work to tackle this situation?

Aziz ---> Today, the situation is such that I am the department! Unfortunately this took a toll on my health and I was quite unwell since about 4 months.... but I'm back to the old stress-filled days. These are difficult times and the task that’s even more difficult is to balance between scarcity and inflation. Let’s hope that our inherent resilience to combat difficult situations gets us through this.

5. As the CIO of the biometrics project, do you think this is the ultimate card for an Indian citizen?

Aziz ---> The UID is not going to be a card but a number.

What we are doing is not the UID, but a biometric based ration card, which will be used in future for different activities. First, we will have better targeting. Second, we will minimize, if not prevent, diversions, misuse & what not... of facilities that the Govt. wishes to give the people. Suppose there are allotments of sites, why should a person who has already got one or 2 get another? He will be identified and some other person who deserves it will get it.... isn’t that something to look forward to? If this happens it can become the ultimate card, maybe having a chip, and even used as a debit/ credit card.... who knows??? The possibilities are immense!

6. You have served in various capabilities and in various locations, your favorite location and why?

Aziz ---> Since I have wide interests, it has never been boring. Raichur was an eye opener, after living all my life in the comforts of home. Udupi was beautiful --- the beaches, the forests, Bangalore has been a growing experience where the proximity to the political class has been educative -- to say the least!!!! Hey but there's no place like home!!!

7. Some good and bad experiences you would like to share when at work.

Aziz ---> There are many ... I was conducting elections in Udupi when T N Seeshan was the CEC. In my constituency there was not a single banner, but when I came to B'lore the place was flooded with plastic. I felt that I had done what no one else had. Then, there was a school located where the sea water actually crashed against the plinth and the strong winds had blown away the roof tiles and broken the window panes...... the kids would sit in their class while the roof leaked and the gusts of sea water sprayed inside occasionally. This was supposed to be a polling booth. I ordered that it should be repaired; otherwise it would not be used in the elections. Everyone sneered that all the authorities come and make such promises, but this will never get repaired. I was adamant that it should be repaired immediately. Finally, it was set right and it gave me immense joy when I went back there again.

Bad experiences have been mostly when the press wrote something they partly understood or misunderstood. I have conducted some dramatic and daring raids and got many people arrested in different places. This is an unpleasant task where one invites their enmity all along.

8. What would you ask the young aspirers who want to join the administrative service?

Aziz ---> To the principled, Govt. service is not as easy as it appears. Getting in is also difficult. But if you have the inclination, choose your subjects carefully, study methodically and you'll make it. Aspire to get into the IAS.

9. You authored the book “The Rising Sun Shall Set….” What made you write it?

Aziz ---> I guess I have a penchant for writing. I wrote a lot in my college days - plays, poetry, et al. This had to follow. I'm now looking for a publisher for my next book- short stories.

10. What is the best thing about Belgaum you like?

Aziz ---> There is so much. Having lived in the Fort, the past is nostalgic, the weather is lovely. But, I guess the many friends I have and many I came across all make it so much of a drawing force. .... Now I wonder why my 7 year old son likes it. What did he like????

11. What are your thoughts on this website?

Aziz ---> It is informative, and in a way makes us feel it’s ours!!! It has made me addictive and I'm busy trying to look up on old friends and trying to make a comment wherever I can...... & thanks for being a facilitator......

12. Your views on rate tape in the system?
Aziz ---> Red tapism has become synonymous with the bureaucracy. Why? Could be because many in the govt. want to bring in delays, create frustration and thereby create an easy way out, so as to get their “share”! It could also be due to flaws in the processes, and the "system" where decisions are passed on endlessly. Unfortunately, many officers don’t have the guts to take even minor decisions, and keep passing the files.

13. Vision for Belgaum?

Aziz ---> My vision for Belgaum: There's so much to do; in every way. First, citizen’s participation needs to be looked at differently. Ward committees, resident welfare groups need to be active. Make the corporators take up your cause, rather than theirs. Take roads, have a long term plan to concretize all the roads, keeping in mind drainage, water supply, cabling - so we don’t have road cutting later. Get rid of all overhead cables, especially since so many trees keep falling. Try and merge the Cantonment with the Corporation - the Cantonment act is a vestige of the British era and I don’t think it goes well with the concept of local self govt.
Tourism needs to be promoted in a big way - facilities need to be established and publicity also needs to be given.

I'd also love to see an astro-turf for hockey, since we have immense talent for the sport.

Campaign for a shorter rail link to Hubli & get a Shatabdi or Rajdhani to ply. Flights to Goa, in addition to Pune- Mumbai, B'lore.

I want to see so much done that’s why I keep adding comments whenever someone has a thought in print.


Durga Maa Daud for a better younger generation

11:37 AM Posted by ukmad

People in large numbers joined the "Durga Mata Daud" (run) expressing solidarity with each other and wishing a strong and better future for the younger generation. The run is organized annually by the Shri Shiv Prathisthan Hindusthan. The run is being organisd for the past 16 years, in the initial couple of years the response was quite meager and now about 30,000 people participate.

The run is part of the Navaratri celebrations in which people from all walks of life, including children and the aged, participate with the single objective of expressing solidarity with and inspiring the youth to lead a healthy life free from intoxication and other evils of society. The run is also aimed at inculcating patriotic and brotherhood feelings and motivating the youth to work for building a strong nation, both economically and culturally. Children garbed in the colorful costumes of Shivaji and his mother, Jijabai, and soldiers lead the run in a chariot.

All along the run one can hear cheers and loud drum beats and prayers to Goddess Durga. It proceeded on different streets and lanes of the city in the early hours of the morning. Children who rarely get up early after watching pogo and Cartoon network get up early and get ready for the run. The run is welcomed in each street by the Yuvak Mandals. You can see beautiful Rangoli’s put up all along the route of the run. Each day from first day of Navratri until Dasar the run is organized in different and predefined routes. Each day it is estimated that about 15,000 people participate in the run.

In this modern corporate world of Mumbai marathon and Delhi marathon, the scene here is also the same and well organized, only fact there are no corporates behind the arrangements.

Run Belgaum Run.



Contract burglars behind the jewelry burgle

11:34 AM Posted by ukmad

Maharashtra police suspect the hand of inter-state contract burglars who robbed the Shantaram Lengade jewelry shop. The burglars don’t know who the boss is but do the loot and hand over the booty to a specified person and take away their contract money.

The burglars keep a close watch on the shop they plan to rob and stay in the said city for over a month.

Source: Express Buzz

Swine flu affects 36 now

8:50 PM Posted by ukmad

Today two more people were tested positive for H1N1 influenza virus. This takes the total number of affected persons to 36 in Belgaum.

Police clueless in the gold loot case

11:04 AM Posted by ukmad



Still the Belgaum police has not been able to get to the looters of the Lengade brothers where in about 75 lakhs worth gold was looted.

The police have made four teams and they are in the process of searching them. In the mean while Police have released sketches of 4 persons based on inputs that are suspected to be the persons behind this loot.