About 70 % voting in repolling at 12 booths in Karnataka

Bangalore, Apr 29 (PTI) An estimated 70 per cent of the
electorate today cast their vote in the re-polling held at 12
polling stations across nine Lok Sabha constituencies in
Karnataka.
        "We have estimated 65 to 70 per cent voter turnout at
re-polling held in 12 polling stations today," Karnataka Chief
Electoral Officer Anil Kumar Jha told PTI.
        "Polling was normal and peaceful," he added.
        The CEO had recommended re-polling at 11 polling stations
due to technical problems in EVMs and polling station at
Turuvekere in Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency because of human
error committed by election officials.
        Re-polling took place in polling stations in Lok Sabha
constituencies of Tumkur, Haveri, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga,
Raichur, Bidar, Shimoga and Hassan.
        All 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka went to
polls on April 17 in a single phase, registering an overall
67.28 per cent polling.
        CEO had earlier suspended four election officials for
trying to handle the voting machine in violation of electoral
laws. PTI KSU 

MCI team to inspect six new govt med colleges in Karnataka

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, Apr 29 (PTI) A team of Medical Council of
India will visit six new government medical colleges in
Karnataka for inspection in a week's time to take stock of
facilities available for medical students, Medical Education
Minister Sharan Prakash R Patil said today.
        The team would visit the colleges at Gulbarga, Koppal,
Chamrajnagar, Karwar, Madikeri and Gadag, he told reporters
here.
        The state government is unable to increase the quota
of medical seats in its pool as MCI is yet to inspect the six
new medical colleges, Patil said. The government will try its
best to get the MCI nod for the new colleges, he added.
        The recruitment process for the new medical colleges has
already begun and infrastructure work is underway, Patil said.
        The government is also committed to set up six more
medical colleges as announced in this year's state budget, he
said. The colleges will be set up in Tumkur, Chitradurga,
Chickballapur, Bagalkot, Haveri and Yadgir, Patil said.
        Besides, the government plans to set up super-speciality
hospitals in Mysore, Hubli, Gulbarga, Belgaum and Bellary to
make healthcare affordable.
        Lands have been identified in all these districts, except
Yadgir and Chickballapur. "We have directed the deputy
commissioners of these two districts to identify the land," he
added.
        These colleges will be established in collaboration with
the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Patil said.

Karna accepts K'rangan report to stop mining, but not quarrying, sand mining

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, Apr 28 (PTI) Karnataka today said it has
accepted the Kasturirangan committee report on the Western
Ghats to stop mining but said it would not stop quarrying and
sand mining in the ecologically sensitive area.
     "We have accepted the recommendation to stop mining in
Western Ghats but disagreed to stop quarrying and sand mining
in the ecologically-sensitive Western Ghats," Law and
Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandhra told reporters
here.
     He said the state cabinet had taken the decision as lack
of sand supply had already crippled developmental and
infrastructural activities across the state.
    The government is not against Kasturirangan report but
against demarcation of ecologically-sensitive areas in the
Western Ghats, the minister said.
    "Instead of including 1,580 villages in ecologically-
sensitive areas of the Western Ghats, the cabinet has decided
to include 850 villages," he said.
     The Kasturirangan Panel had recommended a ban on
development activities in 60,000 sq km ecologically-sensitive
area spread over six states of Gujarat, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
     Jayachandra said the state is confident of convincing the
Centre to delete those recommendations that would 'adversely'
affect the people.
     He also said the cabinet has decided to give Rs 40,000
assistance for one hectare to farmers who were hit by untimely
rains and hailstorms."The amount is more than what Maharashtra
government has announced, Rs 25,000 per hectare," he added.
    Asked why the government has decided to provide aid to
only one hectare, the minister said most farmers hold one to
two hectares of land.
    Government would utilise the fund released from National
Disaster Response Fund to compensate farmers and others who
had suffered crop and property loss due to hailstorm,he said.
     The hailstorm had damaged rabi crops, including wheat,
pulses, oilseeds and horticultural crops in over two lakh
hectares in Yadagir, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Raichur,
Koppal, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts.
    The minister said government had submitted a memorandum to
a central study team, which toured the state in March, and
urged the Centre to calculate financial aid on the basis of
the extent of loss. 

Govt to go ahead with formation of new taluks: Karnataka Minister

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, April 23 (PTI) Karnataka government has decided to go ahead with the proposal of the previous BJP regime on formation of new taluks, Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad said today. 

"We have not dropped the proposal made by the previousJagadish Shettar government on formation of new taluks. We will go ahead to form new taluks," he told reporters here. 

As the principal opposition, Congress had criticised the then BJP government's decision on carving out new taluks, terming it as part of the "election strategy" to woo the electorate during the May 2013 State Assembly elections. 

Government will also consider forming more new taluks apart from 43 new ones proposed by the Shettar government, Prasad said. 

"We have received several new proposals on carving out new taluks from the existing ones," he said. 

"The move is aimed at ensuring effective delivery of public services," he added. Karnataka has 220 taluks. 

Prasad however said before announcing new taluks the Siddaramaiah government wants to put in place basic facilities to taluk administration. 

Government would provide Rs 326 crore assistance to farmers for replanting horticultural crops hit by untimely rains and hailstorms early this month in the state, he said. 

"We have decided to give Rs 40,000 per hectare assistance to farmers, especially in Bagalkot and Bijapur areas, who have been hit by untimely rains and hailstorms. The amount is more than what the Maharashtra government has announced, Rs 25,000 per hectare," he said. 

Government would utilise the fund released from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to compensate farmers and others who had suffered crop and property loss, owing to hailstorm. 

The hailstorm had damaged rabi crops, including wheat, pulses, oilseeds and horticultural crops in over two lakh hectares in Yadagir, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Raichur, Koppal, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts. 

Government had submitted a memorandum to a central study team, which toured the state in March and appealed to the Centre to calculate the financial assistance on the basis of the extent of loss, Prasad said.

No CBI probe into killing of youth by anti-naxal force: Karnataka Home Minister K J George

B D Narayankar reports
       
Bangalore, Apr 22 (PTI) Karnataka Home Minister K J George
today refused to pay heed to the demand for a CBI probe into
the killing of a youth by Anti-Naxal Force personnel at a
checkpost near Sringeri in Chikmagalur district, even as a
section of his partymen insisted on probe by the central probe
agency.
        "The CID is competent to investigate the incident and the
government would take appropriate action once the probe report
is submitted," he told reporters here.
        The Anti-Naxal Force personnel allegedly had shot dead
Kabeer at Tanikodu check-post on Sringeri–Karkala Road on
April 19. The police, however, had clarified that the ANF
officials mistook him for a Maoist.
        George said he has told the CID officials to expedite the
preliminary report and they have assured him that they would
submit it in the next two to three days.
        The Karnataka Muslim Federation, led by Information
Minister Roshan Baig and veteran Congress leader Janardhan
Poojary have urged Siddaramaiah to hand over the investigation
to CBI.
        George said there is nothing wrong in Poojary demanding a
CBI enquiry into the matter, but he could only decide after
the submission of the preliminary report.
        "Moreover, I am only a recommending authority. The
decision to hand over any case to the CBI rests on the Chief
Minister," he contended.
        He also argued that handing over the case to CBI would
demoralise his department, however, he was not against taking
such a step.
        On several occasions in the past the government has given
some cases to CBI, George said.


        To a query, George said the final report on Mallikarjun
Bande encounter case would be submitted to the government in
the next 10 days.
        "I had placed a preliminary report in the Assembly. Now I
am waiting for the ballistic and IT report on reconstruction
of sequence of crime. They have told me that they would submit
these two reports in next 10 days," he said.
        Bande, known for daredevilry in dealing with criminals,
along with another policeman, was injured in the shootout with
alleged criminal Munna Darbar, who was also shot dead, on
January 8.
        Bande died of bullet wounds on Januray 14 at a hospital in
Hyderabad where he was shifted from Gulbarga on January 9
after he sustained head injuries and had been kept on
ventilator.