The non sense foot over bridge built at Yedhe Khut, Dr.Rajendra Prasad Circle on college road near Vanita Vidyalaya will now be removed. The city corporation has invited tenders from reputed contractors for the removal of the bridge.

The foot over bridge built in 2000 by BUDA has never been used and was used for illegal activities and for advertising and recently for film shooting.

The bridge was built at a cost Rs.13 lakhs in year 2000 and now Rs.5 lakhs will be spent for the removal.

The dismantled bridge will kept at the corporation premises and later might be installed at first gate or CBT, but nothing of this is final.

This particular foot over bridge was wrongly built and main intention of building this was school children and commuters from villages who want to come into city will sue this to cross the College road.

But no one used to use this bridge, atlast its end is here.

Hope the removed bridge would be again installed in a scientific manner and in such a way that people will make use of it.

Dragflicker Dhananjay Mahadik feels short corners will be India's strong point in the forthcoming hockey World Cup starting on Sunday.

Dhananjay was born in Shriwal district of Satara.

After facing hardship at the age of 16 after his father, personnel in the Bombay Fire Brigade department expired Dhananjay shifted to Belgaum after passing class 7th to join Boy Sports Company and ever since there’s no looking back.

He works in the Indian Army.

He first picked a hockey stick in 1994 and since then he is obsessed with it.

From the age of 14 he was in the school in Belapur and it was during the computer testing that the institution found out that he was outstanding in physical fitness and had an aptitude for hockey. So he had to undergo training for three years and since then there has been no looking back. He represented the country in junior World Cup and got the opportunity to play in the senior team in the South Asian Games and now in the world cup.

Thanks Amar Kulkarni.

After the excise duty increase in the union budget yesterday the new increased prices of petrol in the city are as follows:

Petrol: Rs.53.52 earlier it was Rs.50.56 (increase of Rs.2.96)

Diesel: Rs 40.00

Historical price chart over the years

After a long stint for opening an IIT in Belgaum the last time steam is getting heated again for having one here.

Mla Abhay Patil had tried getting in other MLA's of the state with him and had also submitted a letter to union HRD minister Kapil Sibbal. But nothing concrete was mentioned then.

Now the same issue has raked up again after the Union law minister M. Veerappa Moily has promised to set up an IIT at Muddenahalli, the birthplace of Sir M. Visvesvaraya.

Belgaum MLA Abhay Patil, met union HRD minister Kapil Sibal with MP Suresh Angadi and Congress MLA Ashok Pattana on Monday in Delhi, to put forward Belgaum's case for the institute.

Mr Patil said 122 MLAs from North Karnataka, Hyderabad Karntaka and Mumbai Karnataka have signed the petition urging the government to establish an IIT in Belgaum.

The institute is needed here as it will help boost the economy of the whole region, which is backward and badly in need of development, Mr. Patil said.

Will this lobbying help in any manner is to be seen. Normally Belgaum is treated soberly on all fronts may it be Railways or other infrastructure.

One main factor missing in this whole issue is the support of the citizens of Belgaum. How many know that some one is lobbying for an IIT. There is no awareness here only then what will this impact anyone else.

Puravankara Projects Limited has appointed Jackbastian Kaitan Nazareth as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Prior to joining Puravankara, Jack, as he is known among friends, was the Executive Director of Sobha Developers Ltd overseeing their International operations, based out of Dubai.

Jack did his schooling from St.Pauls high school (1983) has a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Gogte institute of Technology Belgaum(1990) and an MBA from the Goa Institute of Management with a specialization in Marketing and Finance.

He started his career as an entrepreneur with M/s. Trinity Consultants and Engineers in Belgaum and Goa. Apart from handling International operations at Sobha Developers, he had also handled Sales, Marketing, CRM, Corporate Affairs and Facility management in the past. He was also associated with Tishman Speyer as Managing Director, Head -Sales & Marketing in their Bangalore office.

Acknowledging the new assignment, Jack said: “We need to create a vision whereby our name becomes synonymous with excellence, innovation, honor, integrity and outstanding quality and service. As COO at Puravankara, I am looking forward to all the new challenges that come our way and will draw on tried-and-tested experience as well as introduce new thinking and approaches where feasible.”

Jack told this blog that, “ he is one of those many Belgaumites who got the best education, climate and vegetables and all I needed was to pursue a dream to fulfill. I learnt languages and made friends in that place who are still close to my heart. And when you have what life truly has to give you, it becomes a passion to pursue perfection.
I am truly blessed to be what I am today and I owe it to my family, friends and above all my Alma Mater St. Pauls. The Jesuits turned around my life twice, once at St. Pauls and then at Goa Institute of Management, Goa.
GIT was just about 3 idiots, infact we were many idiots so to say. Am so glad that all of the students are doing well in life.
But all said and done there is no place on earth that gives you the language 'kaay be' or the chai of the railway station. From Mahantesh Nagar to Udyambag and from Ganeshpur to the Dhabas on Bangalore highway, Belgaum reckons me to be back there And I will maybe retire there in the company of the wonderful friends that I made there and the large family that still lives life to the full. Belgaum it is and I am a Belgaum boy!”

Puravankara Group began operations in Mumbai and has established a considerable presence in the real estate industry in the metropolitan cities of Bangalore, Kochi, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Mysore and overseas in Dubai.

In his early twenties when he he had just got married a year back, life was at it s best for Mahantesh Mali. Working in industries in Udyambag he was leading a happy life. But this was not to be, on his birthday it self in 1993 he was diagnosed for being HIV positive. It was a shock of life time for him. He then became very weak and doctors said that he could live for another two years for a maximum. Mahantesh was out of his mind and he was grasping end to be very near. He weighed only 28 kgs in 1994 and could not even drink water, he was just a piece of bones.

The thought that he would die was eating him. His wife stood next to him not knowing what had happened to her husband. She decided to live life positively and encouraged Mahantesh to look at life positively and one day he too decided that, lets face it and he removed all the bad thoughts from his mind and decided to work for the welfare of HIV positive patients. He was very good at speaking and making one understand in his own language. With time two years passed by and nothing happened to him. This gave him more confidence to enjoy life and take it as it comes and today in 2010 Mahantesh Mali is the president of the Spandana network which looks after the welfare of HIV patients.
He is healthy and takes only a single medicine and is now father of a two year old (HIV Negative) child leading a happy life with his wife and many children.

Yes many children, he just started Nandana Makkala Dhama which houses 30 children from various areas of Belgaum district who are all HIV positives and all have been either left off by their parents or they have no one to take care of.

Nandana Makkala Dhama

Nandana Makkala Dhama is an initiative of staff of Spandana Network with Mr.Mahantesh R Mali at the helm of affiars. The Makkala Dhama formally inaugurated by Mr. Manjunath BH, Regional Commissioner, Belgaum and Dr. Ashok Muragod, District Superintendent, Belgaum on 31st December 2008.

The staffs of the Spandana Network decided to start an orphan home for the HIV positive children feeling their needs in the district. The staffs contributed their one month salary for this noble cause. The network also did an advocacy with Children and Welfare Department and succeeded to get a building for 10 years. The Honorable Minister Mr. Balachandra Jarkiholi donated an Ambulance for this cause.

This is the first such hostel in north Karnataka working without any government aid.

A small interview with Mahantesh Mali:

What is that you would like to say to all about HIV positives?

Nobody dies of AIDS they all die of fear and stigma. It is our duty to spread awareness so that society treats people living with HIV with care and compassion. Social stigma and discrimination killed more people than AIDS. However, the situation was changing as HIV infected people were being accepted by general public. HIV positive people lose immunity and were prone to diseases such as TB, diarrhoea, etc. Providing medicines for such people should be the priority of government hospitals.

Have you got any support from the local MP and MLA's?

(Laughs) He says we call all of them but we have not received any concrete help anyone local MLA's and MP's. We had called Mr.Angadi many a times but he still hasnt visited our functions. Only Mr. Balachandra Jarkiholi donated an ambulance and has promised to construct a building once we get land for our Makkala Dham.

How do you identify these children?

We are on tour on 5 days in various parts of the district and then we try and identify children who are positives or who have been left off by their parents or their parents have expired. We have identified about 700 HIV positives in Belgaum district but we cannot manage all of them dude to lack of funds hence we are only looking after 30 students.

What is that you do at this Makkala Dham?

We get these children from rural areas like Hukkeri, Raibag, Gokak, Savadatti and surrounding areas teach them here for a year and then make arrangements to shift them to govt. school for actual schooling.
During this time we take complete care of them with medicines, food and shelter.

Some of your experiences while working in this field?

Mostly all are bad, but one incident which still hurts me is the case of a school building in Bassavan Kolla(behind Hindalco) which was lying un utilized as the school was shifted from there to a more bigger building. We got permission from all the authorities and just before the day we were supposed to take possession of the building the villagers opposed this and said that we wont allow HIV positive children around our village. Still the said building is lying un utilized for over 8 months now. This stigma from the minds of the people needs to be removed.

How do you manage the expenses of the Makkala Dham?

All the expenses are borne by the staff of Spanadana network. We pay Rs.4000 as rent for the building and then there are food, clothing expenses. Noble people do come forward and donate food, clothing etc but we dont have a continuous inflow of funds.
We really want to expand to our own building but we dont have funds.

There are very noble people around like Mr.Mahesh who donated a TV and a satellite connection so that the children can watch TV. Mahesh also arranged parties on his birthday at the Dham.

One good experience is also has to be mentioned. Just next our present building in Sadashiv nagar we had to open another office under a separate scheme of the Govt. where only registration of the patients would be done. But a lady of the apartment opposed this and field a police complaint. All the residents also joined in, but we explained them that this was only a center for registration and nothing else. But still they did not hear. After a few days of working over there the lady herself came forward and gave us the space for the second office.

What are your current needs?

Our current needs are many but we need cots (muti level) so that we can accommodate all the children in the small space we have. If any one is interested in donating anything they can contact me. It can be in kind or otherwise.

What are your future plans?

Future plan is to build a own building for the Makkala Dham and try and get more children in it.

Do you work only for HIV patients or others as well?

We mainly work for HIV patients but we work for others as well. A few months back there was a old man suffering from leprosy lying on the main road towards KLE hospital. We immediately bought some clothes for him gave him water and called the leprosy mission and got him admitted there. We have performed last rites on 17 people till now with the help of Mr.More Ex mayor.

About Spandana Network:

Spandana Network is a registered society working for and by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in Belgaum. It was started in 2005. Spandana Network Belgaum is affiliated to Karnataka Network for people living with HIV/AIDS, a State network of people living with HIV/AIDS. Spandana Network is working in Belgaum District from last four years. Network has registered 4500 PLHIVs including 600 children in which 50 children are orphan or semi orphan (Single Parent). 62 people work under the network selflessly to create awareness about HIV in entire Belgaum district.

At Spandana its not only awareness creation or giving medicines the consecrated staff of the network work all the time to identify people affected with HIV throughout the district and with the same also perform last rites on people who cannot afford or dont want to perform the last rites as the person has died being HIV positive.

On the other side at Spandana they have also managed to marry 17 couples together all being HIV positives. All the married couples are now happily leading a new lease of life.

Nandana Makkala Dhama

Mahantesh R Mali
4^th Cross, Nidhi Building, Near Kannada Marathi primary school, Sadashiv Nagar Belgaum.

Phone: 9611404408
0831- 4209865

In todays rail budget presented by Mamata Banerjee, the long awaited demand for the Belgaum – Dharwad rail line has been approved by the rail minister and work should hopefully begin on the same in this fiscal. The said new line will be in cost sharing with state government and Public Private partnership. No specif time period has been mentioned for the beginning and completion of the work in the budget. So its only a hypothetical plan still.

Belgaum also got some surprises in the form of survey of new rail lines. They are

Belgaum-Bagalkot-Raichur & Belgaum – Sawantawadi ( the budget speech mentions this as Samantwadi must be a typo error)

These routes will be surveyed and the feasibility report will be submitted.

Bagalkot-Kudachi new rail line has been included in this budget which means work will commence on this route during this fiscal.

Adarsh Stations: Bagalkot, Gokak Road.

New trains:

Hyderabd - Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus (Bi-weekly) and
Tirupati- Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus(daily)

(This train was earlier linked together as Haripriya Express and Raylseema express.)

Pune-Ratnagiri-Goa-Bangalore-Mysore-Tirupati-Pune

Indian Railways provide the facility of issuing e-tickets, through IRCTC,

by utilising internet services. At present, a maximum service charge of Rs 15

for Sleeper Class and Rs.40 for AC Class tickets is levied. I propose to reduce

the maximum limit of service charge to Rs.10 for Sleeper Class and Rs.20 for

AC Class.