It will be Rahim Khan from the Cong., Prakash Khandre from BJP for bypolls

Source: the Hindu :-


The major political parties seem to have finalised their candidates for the Bidar Assembly bypolls.

The former MLAs Rahim Khan of the Congress and Prakash Khandre of the BJP will file nomination papers for the bypolls on Wednesday.

Ayaz Khan, who quit the Congress to join the Janata Dal (Secular) on Monday, will be fielded by his new party. Vaijanath Madana, former District Health and Family Welfare Officer, has filed his nomination papers from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The two Khans are related. Ayaz Khan, who runs the Noor group of institutions, is a nephew of Rahim Khan who runs the Roohi group of institutions.

Ayaz Khan was an office-bearer in the Minority Department of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee before joining the Janata Dal(S) in Bengaluru. He was also associated with the Bidar unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party for some time.

The former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and other leaders will be present when Prakash Khandre will file his nomination papers on Wednesday. The former president of the district unit of the BJP has represented Bhalki for two terms.

He defeated the Khandre brothers, his cousins and political rivals, in 1999 and 2004. Vijay Kumar Khandre, son of Bheemanna Khandre, former Minister and former president of Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva Mahasabha, lost his seat to Prakash Khandre in 1999.

Vijay Kumar Khandre’s brother Eshwar Khandre was defeated in 2004. In turn, Eshwar Khandre defeated Prakash Khandre in 2008. Prakash Khandre was relegated to the third spot in 2013, with Eshwar Khandre winning the polls.

Confident

Prakash Khandre says that he knows the territory well as a part of Bidar Assembly constituency was included in the Bhalki constituency before the delimitation of 2008.

The Bahujan Samaj Party has had considerable influence in Bidar. In 1994, Syed Zulfikar Hashmi was among the first BSP MLAs from South India. In 2008, Rahim Khan contested on BSP ticket only to lose to Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli of the Congress by around 3,000 votes.



source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/it-will-be-rahim-khan-from-the-cong-prakash-khandre-from-bjp-for-bypolls/article8156397.ece




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Investors promise Rs. 510 crore in Bidar

Source: The Hindu :-


Industrialists promised to invest around Rs. 510 crore in Bidar over the next few years to set up various units. Luxury hotels to boost tourism, pharmaceutical molecule makers, sugarcane-based industries, solar energy units and new energy units such as LED lights are the main units attracting such investment.

Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari said that a common effluent treatment plant will be set up at the cost of Rs. 125 crore to help industries in Bidar.

The State government has released Rs. 3.4 crore for the development of infrastructure in Basava Kalyan. Auto nagars will be developed in Bidar and Basava Kalyan, he said.

He assured the investors of providing all infrastructure under Union government-sponsored schemes such as Amrut and Hriday.

The Bidar-Kalaburgi railway line will be completed soon. The possibilities of operating civilian aircraft from the Bidar Air Force base are bright, he said.


Karnataka Small Scale Industries Development Corporation will set up industrial hubs in Gandhi Gunj, and Thana Kushnoor in Aurad in the coming years, he said. Of the 73 units approved in the State-level investors meet, 22 have started working, Mr. Tewari said.





Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/investors-promise-rs-510-crore-in-bidar/article8153669.ece



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‘A great photographer is one with passion, skill’

Source: the Hindu    :- 

Abhishek Chintamani, photography expert, addressing members of the Bidar Photographic Society on thefort premises in Bidar.— PHOTO: GOPICHAND T.



It was a pleasant Sunday morning when young people with cameras and long lenses slinging from their necks gathered under a tree at Bidar Fort.

They listened to photography experts before trekking around the fort area to capture pictures of monuments, birds and crowds. The shutterbugs took scores of pictures of the surroundings and went around showing those images to each other.

Expert Abhishek Chintamani told them in detail about camera parts and how they should be used and maintained. He told them about lenses and how different varieties of lenses should be used in different conditions, fields of activity and surroundings with different light setting. “A great photographer is not the one with the costliest lens, but the one with passion and skill,” he said.

Another expert Neeranjan Sheelavant spoke about the photography society and how to get membership of the Bidar Photographic Society.

He said that the photographic society would organise walks, exhibitions, treks and Wikipedia edit marathons for members and non-members too. Rahul spoke about the social responsibility of a photographer. Photography enthusiasts Vinayak Vangapalli, Vivekanand Hallikhedkar, Ravi Khasempur and Ajay Shetty were present



Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/a-great-photographer-is-one-with-passion-skill/article8153631.ece



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Bidar photography society open for registration.

Dear friends..

📷Are you interested in photography?
📷 Do you want to become a professional photographer?
📷 Do you want to explore various types of photography?
📷 Do you want to take up photography as your hobby?
📷 Does your spouse or child has intereat in photography?

Here is a great opportunity! Recently we launched 'Bidar Photographic Society' to promote professional photographic activities among enthusiasts.

This is a membership based formal organization. There are 2 types of memberships - Life (₹ 5000 for first 100 members) and Annual (₹ 500 pa).

For life membership you should own a DSLR Camera. This comes with many benefits including discounts in photography walks, workshops, trainings, expeditions/treks/travel, exhibitions, promotional activities, etc.

All the new members will get an opportunity to participate in one complimentary Basic Photography Workshop by professionals.

If anyone is interested in membership, please let me vinay Vengapalli  (
+919886103888)..

Play on Dara Shikoh enthrals audience

Source: The Hindu  :-



The play was staged by students of dance, drama and music department of Bangalore University in Bidar on Monday night.

A play on Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, known for his tolerance and belief in multi-culturalism, enthralled the audience in Bidar on Monday night.

The medieval drama built around King Aurangzeb and his ill-fated brothers reminded the viewers about current day debates about intolerance and the need for harmony.

The Kannada play ‘Mughal Dara Shikoh’, staged by the students of the dance, drama and music department of Bangalore University highlighted the visionary outlook of Dara Shikoh by bringing out his patronage of saints, Sufis and monks of various faiths, discourses with scholars and creative writing.

Dara Shikoh’s humility and kindness to his subjects was shown in the way he ensured education of children of slaves and treated the destitute. His ambitious brother Aurangzeb’s cruelty arising out of intolerance and puritanism were played out effectively. Light and shades were used to add meaning to the conspiracies and palace intrigues taking place on stage.

Concepts like the relationship between the believer and the Almighty and iconoclastic spiritualism were conveyed through the background music that was set to Sufi tunes.

Actors played their parts passionately. Manohar who played the eunuch contract killer Nazer, Naveen Nanjappa who played Aurangazeb, Prabhu Deva who played Dara Shikoh remained in the minds of the audience even after they had left the theatre. Even actors with minor roles made their presence felt.

Monologues by Nazer and Dara Shikoh echoed the sentiments of the time and were interrupted by long applauses by spectators.

The discussion between Aurangzeb and his childhood teacher about indoctrination and the need to expose children to multi-culturalism threw light on the present day education system.

The play tried to keep as close to history as possible, though it tried to turn narratives into visuals by adding a few extra characters in a few scenes. Some controversial issues like the killing of Saint Sarmad were left out.

Ranga Torana, a Ballari-based theatre group had invited the troupe to perform as part of Kalyana Ranga Torana, the five-day theatre fest being held at the zilla rang mandir. The play written by Rajappa Dalwai was directed by K. Ramakrishnaiah, professor of drama in the University. Prabhudev Kapagal, secretary of Ranga Torana were present.



Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/play-on-dara-shikoh-enthrals-audience/article8127269.ece


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It’s a treat for birdwatchers in Bidar

Source: The Hindu






The demoiselle cranes fly around 20,000 feet above the Himalayas and traverse 4,000 km to reach south India from Eurasia.— photos: by special arrangement





Thousands of migratory birds have arrived to spend winter on the serene backwaters of the Karanja reservoir in Bidar district.

But what has surprised birdwatchers here is the presence of innumerable demoiselle cranes, which have descended on the marshy lands.

“It was a treat for us,” says Vinayak Vangapalli, a member of the Bidar Photographic Society, whose members first noted the birds. “We went trekking and were surprised to find them. The land was so full of these birds that the soil looked littered with gray and white stones,” he said.

Mr. Vangapalli, fellow-member Vivekanand Hallikhedkar, and their friends spent hours clicking photographs of the winged visitors. “We started in the morning and came home only at night. We were happy to have sighted the rare birds,” he said. The amateur ornithologist said these birds were occasionally seen in water bodies in Bagalkot till now, but there was no record of them being spotted in Bidar. The demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) or krauncha pakshi (Koonj in Hindi) enjoys a special place in the Indian mythology. It is believed that the killing of a krouncha pakshi by a hunter inspired Walmiki to write the Ramayana.

Their journey
These cranes undertake a highly risky migration. They fly around 20,000 feet above the Himalayas and traverse 4,000 kilometres to reach south India from Eurasia. They have to avoid being hunted by eagles and other predators. They stay till March and return home by April.

The backwaters spread across five villages in Bidar taluk play host to many birds. Some varieties like the demoiselle cranes stay for 100 to 140 days between seasons. Flamingos, great cormorant, kentish plover, red crested pochard, northern pintail, black-tailed godwit, glossy ibis and other birds were spotted in and around the reservoir this year.



source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/its-a-treat-for-birdwatchers-in-bidar/article8122473.ece


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Bidar zilla panchayat to focus on completing water supply works

Source: The Hindu :--



Officials say that a month-wise contingency plan has been readied for water supply projects to be taken up till the monsoon.— Photo: By Special Arrangement



Officials’ team to stay in a village in a different taluk every month and inspect projects
With Bidar facing a severe drought, the zilla panchayat is focusing on completing water supply works quickly and planning for the future.

The panchayat has fixed deadlines to complete all works under the Jal Nirmal Yojana, multi-village drinking water supply scheme, and other individual schemes, and has given the responsibility to oversee the project to district-level officers.

A team of senior officials, led by Pavan Kumar Malapati, zilla panchayat chief executive officer, will stay overnight in a village in a different taluk every month, to inspect works and receive grievances.

“A month-wise contingency plan is being readied for actions to be taken up every month till the next monsoon,” says Mr. Malapati.

Apart from using surface and borewell water, the works include identification, cleaning and reuse of traditional water bodies like open wells, lakes and tanks. They also include repair, flushing, hydro fracture and energisation of dried bore wells or of those bore wells that have reduced yields.

Attempts will be made to reach two important targets before summer: setting up 360 reverse osmosis drinking water plants and creating recharge pits for all dead and low-yielding bore wells.

A simple design to recharge borewells was perfected by the zilla panchayat 10 years ago and it included trenching, creating a filter with boulders, sand and coconut fibre, and cutting out slits in the metal vertical pipe. Then CEO Naveen Raj Singh, P.M. Khan, senior geologist and engineers like Arun Kumar recharged over 400 dead bore wells by spending less than Rs 2,000 for each pit. “We will carry forward this design and try to keep the cost low,” a senior engineer said.


Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/bidar-zilla-panchayat-to-focus-on-completing-water-supply-works/article8115625.ece



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Development has not been an issue in Bidar

Source: The Hindu -:-




Byelection being held due to death of Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli, BJP MLA

With the Election Commission announcing by-election to the Bidar Assembly seat, politicians in this border district seem to have got busy. Bidar is among the 12 Assembly seats that will witness byelections in eight States in February.

Voting in Bidar will be held on February 13.

The vacancy was created by the death of Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli, BJP MLA, on November 27. This is the third byelection to the Assembly seat and the first to be held due to the death of an incumbent.

No party has yet announced its candidates, though there are some developments in political circles of various hues.

The development of Bidar taluk, considered backward by the D. M Nanjundappa committee, has seldom been the poll promise of candidates. Issues like communal tension and Lingayat domination have dominated the elections in Bidar that has the maximum number of minority votes after Mangaluru. The death of Nagamarapalli may have added the sympathy factor to the list of issues this time.

Nagamarapalli and Veerashetty Kushnoor were the only two Lingayats to go to the Vidhana Soudha from Bidar. But Lingayat voters have tilted the scales in each of the 15 elections held till now.

The city known for its multi-culturalism and multi-linguistic residents, has chosen two Kurubas, a Vaishya and a Kanauji Brahmin and a Marathi Brahmin to represent them in the Assembly.

The high percentage of Muslims in the city, which was the capital of the Behmani and the Baridshahi Sultans for five centuries, is another issue that gains currency before elections.

Candidates and their followers raise questions of how five Muslim MLAs have been chosen from Bidar while it is not so in neighbouring districts.

Polarisation of votes on religious lines has been a constant trend. It began with the pre –poll communal violence in 1967 that led to the defeat of Maqsood Ali Khan. Trader Chandrakanth Sindhol was among the first Jan Sangh MLAs to be elected to the State assembly that year.





Mohammad Shafioddin (Congress) 1952

Maqsood Ali Khan (Congress) 1957 and 1962

Chandrakanth Sindhol (Jan Sangh) 1967

Manikrao Phulekar (Congress) 1972

Veerashetty Kushnoor (Congress) 1978

Mohsin Quamal (Congress) 1982

Narayan Rao Mannalli (BJP) 1983

Mohammad Laiquddin (Congress) 1985

Narayan Rao Mannalli (BJP) 1989

Syed Zulfikar Hashmi (BSP) 1994

Ramesh Kumar Pande (BJP) 1999

Bandeppa Kashempur (Independent) 2004

Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli (Congress) 2008

Rahim Khan (Congress) 2009

Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli (BJP) 2013






Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/development-has-not-been-an-issue-in-bidar/article8118413.ece







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Don’t close railway gate in Bidar, say residents

Source: The Hindu -:




Residents of Anand Nagar Colony have urged the government and the Railways not to close gate number 47 as it is the only way to access the colony in Bidar.

Entry point

In a letter to Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari, they said that around 500 persons from 120 families live in the area and had no other entry point to their colony.

Shankar Rao Sindhe and Kashinath Pyage have signed the memorandum.







Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/dont-close-railway-gate-in-bidar-say-residents/article8122456.ece


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Project on dengue wins accolades at science congress

Source: The Hindu :-





Sankalp Dhummansure, a student of St. Joseph English Medium School, Bidar collecting data about dengue. —Photo: Gopichand T.




It was done by students of St. Joseph English Medium School, Bidar

A high-school science project from Bidar aimed at creating awareness about dengue and preventing it from spreading, has won accolades at the 23rd National Children’s Science Congress held recently in Chandigarh.

The project titled ‘Better environmental management for control of dengue’, listed the environmental conditions that contribute to the spread of the disease, and suggested ways to prevent it. The team members were Sankalp Dhummansure, Basavadarshan, Nishchay Patil, Mohit Kautge and Karthik Asthure.

The five students of St. Joseph English Medium School went around the city and collected data on infected water sources, patients who had suffered from the disease and common mistakes by residents that led to breeding of mosquitoes.

They visited around 500 houses in two blocks of Bidar city and Shamarajpur Agrahara village nearby. They got details from the district health office and the disease surveillance office about the occurrence of the disease, as well as information on rainfall for the last three years from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

They also went door-to-door creating awareness about the disease and how to stop breeding of mosquitoes. They told home makers that some drugs and vaccines were being tested in France.

They used statistical tools like averages and data indexing to analyse data. “When we analysed temperature data, we realised that Aedas aegypti mosquito survives best between 16 degree Celsius and 30 degree Celsius, with a relative humidity of 60 to 80 per cent,” says Sankalp. “Its population fluctuates with rainfall and water storage. We used this to prepare a simple chart that explains dos and don’ts.”

They have also prepared a picture tutorial on how to keep surroundings clean. Their findings were well received by the jury and delegates, he said. School authorities have congratulated the team.






source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/project-on-dengue-wins-accolades-at-science-congress/article8091063.ece




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‘Further cost escalation may delay Kalaburagi-Bidar line’

Source: The Hindu -;





M. Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, has expressed concern over the proposal to escalate the cost of the broad gauge line between Kalaburagi and Bidar. At a vigilance committee meeting here on Thursday, he said that it would further delay the project.

Officials from South Central Railway said that a proposal had been submitted to the Railway Board to escalate the project cost from Rs. 844.15 crore to Rs. 1,542.42 crore.

They said that the escalation was mainly due to the increased compensation awarded by the courts for the land acquired for the project. Mr. Kharge said that the Railways would have to own the blame for the increased compensation as the advocates had failed to place the records properly before the court.

He suspected collusion between the advocates hired by the Railways and those who had challenged the earlier award of compensation that resulted in the case not being presented properly before the courts. Mr. Kharge said that the Railways should challenge the award by the local courts in higher courts. . “If remedial measures are not taken immediately, the land cost of the project may increase abnormally and reach up to Rs 1,000 crore.”

Mr. Kharge pointed out that the original cost of the Bidar-Kalaburagi rail line sanctioned in 2003 was Rs. 369.70 crore. It went up to to Rs. 844.15 crore in 2014. “It will be difficult for the State government to share the cost if such steep escalations are proposed.”

The Railway officials said that forest clearance had not been given for a portion of the land on which the line had to be laid. Of the 110.40-km long line, a 37.32-km line from Khanapur to Humnabad had been commissioned for passenger service in 2013, and engine rolling had been completed on a distance of 16.32 km from Humnabad to Hallikhed (K). Engine rolling had been completed from Gulbarga to Sultanpur (10 km), and Sultanpur-Margutti Tunner (38 km) too.

The work of drilling a 1,700 metre-long tunnel at Margutti was in progress. The bridge across the Bennethora had been completed and the project was expected to be completed by December.





source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/further-cost-escalation-may-delay-kalaburagibidar-line/article8079800.ece




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Bidar SP gets a warm farewell

Source: The Hindu :-


Members of resident welfare associations and NGOs joined police personnel in Bidar on Saturday in saying goodbye to Superintendent of Police C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy, who has been transferred to Mandya.

Citizens and youth association members garlanded him and wished him at a simple ceremony at the district police office.

They said that his two-year term saw a marked improvement in policing in this border district which was otherwise plagued by vacancies of police officers and personnel, and cross border crime. They credited him with strengthening policing by the use of technology and several people-friendly measures, including boosting the morale of the police force. New SP Nikam Prakash Amrut, Additional SP G. Sangeetha and others were present. The officer, who worked with the IT bellwether Infosys, before joining the Indian Police Service, used technological tools in vital fields like crime detection, law and order maintenance and traffic management.

Bidar became the first district in the State to complete the digitisation of crime records.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/bidar-sp-gets-a-warm-farewell/article8060228.ece


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