Fodder rotting at 30 centres in Bidar

Over 67 tonnes of fodder stored in 30 fodder centres across the district is rotting as farmers have not bought it.

The near-zero demand for fodder follows the State government’s delay in announcing a subsidy.

MLAs have condemned the inaction of the government. Fodder damaged is national waste, they are saying. The zilla panchayat or the district administration should protect the fodder from rotting, said Bandeppa Kashempur, JD(S) leader and MLA.

‘Distribute’

“If the government cannot store it properly, it should distribute it to farmers for free.

“If they announce that fodder is available in the centres, the farmers will use their own transport and carry it home. That will save the fodder and the government’s money,” he said.

‘Don’t delay’

Fodder distribution should not be delayed or cancelled due to lame excuses like subsidy release, said Ishwar Khandre, Congress MLA. The zilla panchayat should not wait for the State government to announce subsidies.

“The district administration has already spent money on procuring fodder. Now they should not let that investment go waste. The zilla panchayat should distribute fodder for half the price to farmers now and claim the subsidy later,” he said.

Rain

Officials said that the fodder was stored in the open in most fodder centres and would start rotting in the rain.

“It has to be piled up in heaps and covered with plastics to be preserved. But as of now, we have no instruction from the State government in this regard,” a senior officer said.

Zilla panchayat president Baburao Shankarrao said he had instructed officials to find a way to store it well till the stock was sold out.

“We will also consult the State government on this issue,” he said.

Source:  http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3545003.ece

Train timings may be changed

Union Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa has said there was a possibility of changing the timing of the Nanded-Bangalore Express to make it an overnight train from Bidar to reach Bangalore.

The Minister, who was here to attend a private function, told presspersons on Friday that the new timing may be implemented from July this year.

To another question, Mr. Muniyappa said that other railway projects in the district would be expedited, as they had been pending for long owing to the delay in land acquisition.

url: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3534742.ece

GNDEC Tie-up with foreign varsities

Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College here has tied up with 16 foreign universities to provide better training and placement facilities. The college will also organise a two-day seminar on career advancement programme , college committee chairman S. Balbir Singh said in a release

source:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3521628.ece

IAF pilot, family die; kid survives mishap

In a tragic road accident, a pilot of Indian Air Force, Sqn Ldr Amit Kathuria died along with his wife and an infant. The accident occurred on national highway near Sastapur village in Basavakalyan town of Bidar district of Karnataka when the car in which the family was travelling was hit by a loaded trailer truck.

While both Sqn Ldr Kathuria, 35, and his wife Durga, 30, died on the spot, help came from another motorist, driving behind the couple and a witness to the accident. The Sikh motorist not only pulled both the kids out of the car but also tried to save the younger kid by rushing him to the hospital, though it died on the way. He then traced the four-year-old elder son Dhruv’s school to Hyderabad by asking him and then making frantic calls to reach his teachers. Subsequently, the Air Force officials and the victim’s family was informed of the mishap.

Sqn Ldr Kathuria, a helicopter pilot, was posted at Hakimpet Air Force Station and was on his way from Pune to the city after a week-long trip. A pall of gloom descended as news of the tragedy reached his friends and colleagues at the Air Force base.




Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/iaf-pilot-family-die-kid-survives-mishap-124

Army recruitment camp in Bidar till 10 June

The Indian Army will hold a army recruitment camp at the Nehru Stadium here from Sunday to June 10. Colonel Vidhan Sharan of the Army recruiting office in Belgaum has urged candidates not to be influenced by touts and agents who promise to give jobs to those who pay bribes.

Selection is based on merit and completely free, he said in a release. Those interested should bring documents of SSLC, PUC, ITI or other courses.

They need 12 passport size photographs, character certificate and certificate of residence and certificates of participation in sports activities in the last two years.

All documents should be in English or Hindi. said the release.



Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3481991.ece

Last year's GIM promise falls flat in Bidar

Progress report of projects: seven of 19 promoters back out, 10 in pipeline, two speeding ahead


While the State government is all set for the Global Investors' Meet 2012 that is to begin in Bangalore from June 7, it is time to look back and access the progress of projects that were signed at last year's meet in Bidar district.

Work has commenced on only two of the 19 projects approved for setting up industries in this backward district. Entrepreneurs had promised investments worth Rs. 1,318.94 crore and employment to 11,568 skilled and unskilled workers. During one of his visits to Bidar, the then Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had announced that such unprecedented investments would change the face of Bidar.

“The initial enthusiasm has gone now. Seven of the 19 promoters backed out and only 12 projects have moved ahead. Of them, only two are in advanced stages of implementation,” sources said.

Of the two, one is a steel products industry and the other is an expansion of an existing unit in the Bidar industrial area. Officials estimate that if all the 12 projects were completed, it would have provided jobs to around 5,000 people.

In the ten projects that have commenced, some have been allotted land, some have started work on building the plants and others have started erecting machines. According to them, recessionary trends in the market and delay in land acquisition have affected progress.

“The investors wanted 564 acres of land. While some were willing to set up their units in the industrial estates that already exist in the district headquarters and the taluks, others wanted new land to be acquired. We had put forward the proposals to the Revenue Department and the State government. Land acquisition is in progress, but it has not been as fast as we had hoped,” government sources said.

Officials also felt that some industrialists were not interested in starting industries, but in the land or to avail tax benefits offered by the government.

But industrialists deny this. They blame delays on the apathy of government departments to issue clearances for setting up of industries, large-scale corruption and the delay in setting up a common effluent treatment plant in the industrial area.

“An investor needs to get hundreds of clearances before he can set up a factory. This stifling attitude of the bureaucracy towards private enterprise has not changed even after liberalisation,” says Bidar Chamber of Commerce and Industries president B.G. Shetkar.

He pointed to corruption at all levels of governance and rubbished allegations that industrialists were here only for the land. Industrialists have filed complaints against officials for demanding and accepting bribes. During a public hearing in Bidar a few months ago, two industrialists representing Hyderabad-based Balaji Enterprises had complained to the former Lokayukta Shivaraj Patil that Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board officials had not allotted sites to them even after demanding and accepting bribes. Justice Patil had told the officials to speed up the process of allotting the sites.

In a review meeting last year, another industrialist had told the then Regional Commissioner Shalini Rajneesh that officials of the KIADB and the Industries Department had refused to clear his project and allot sites if he did not pay a bribe. Ms. Rajneesh had promised to look into the matter.
MORE PROMISES

When contacted, Large-and Medium-Scale Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani said he would ensure that all the promises of investments made in this year's GIM would be fulfilled. He also promised to direct senior officials of his department to look into allegations of corruption against officials.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article3480692.ece

Watch BIDAR on FOX Traveller Channel.

Its  so exciting to share, one hour episode on BIDAR will be telecasted as a part of " It happens only in India" show on FOX Traveller Channel on Sunday 10 th June 2012 at 8:00 PM and  same episode will be repeat telecasted on same channel on  15 th June 2012 Firday at 12:00 Noon  and 16 th June 2012  Saturday at 4:00 PM and 7:00PM. 


Story revolves like this: 


Bidar, is a small town in North Karnataka. It was the erstwhile capital of the bahmani Sultanate whose tombs and the impressive Bidar Fort are still present there. At the fort Sugandha also picks up some its soil from an unlit portion which she takes to a local craftsmen who uses it to make Bidriware, the metal art which is unique to Bidar. She also visits a cave temple which reached through an underground tunnel.The tunnel, through which an underground river runs, is infested with cockroaches and bats, but faith reighns supreme here. She also meets the dynamic DC of the district who has the only mobile office in India. Sugandha accompanies him and a minister on one of their inspections and gets a taste of governance on the move. She also visits the Mailar Temple, where she is witness to some of the most bizarre practices like whipping and devotees going into a trance and predicting the future... and it was very grim unfortunately for the world!


We hope this show will highlight Bidar at national and international level.


Watch Part 1/5 of  Bidar Episode here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFL5lhm9mnw&feature=youtu.be