Film producer shoots actor dead
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: A budding film actor was shot dead in the wee hours of Tuesday, allegedly by realtor-turned-film producer Govardhan Murthy.ῠ Vinod Kumar, 31, was shot dead at Govardhan’s farmhouse LG Rose Heritage in Hennur Bande off Bagalur. Govardhan who reportedly shot the actor twice, is absconding. Vinod, a resident of Ramaswamypalya in Banaswadi, was playing a role in a forthcoming film Gulama. The incident has left the film industry in shock.

Vinod, the son of a retired BMTC employee, had good relations with Govardhan’s business partner Shankar Reddy. On Monday evening he had gone out with Reddy to Chikkaballapur to strike a real estate deal, the police said. Later, when they were returning, Govardhan phoned Reddy and invited them for a drink to his farmhouse.ῠ The party went on till 1 am and all of them drank heavily, a police officer said.
Later, a heated argument broke out between Reddy and Govardhan leading to the latter’s bodyguards, Tripathy and Veenu, firing shots in the air at the gate.

Hearing the gunshots, Vinod rushed outside. Police claim that Govardhan pumped two bullets into Vinod’s chest and abdomen. “Reddy took Vinod to a hospital nearby and then to Manipal Hospital. Vinod succumbed to injuries on the way,” the officer added. Vinod’s friend Babu, who claimed to be at the party venue, said: “When he was still conscious, Vinod said Govardhan had shot him.” Vinod’s friends alleged that the police was trying to book the bodyguards in the case. However, DCP (north-east) Basavaraj Malgatti clarified that a search was on for Govardhan.ῠ “We are questioning the eyewitnesses and will register a case of murder against Govardhan. The accused appears to have used a 7.7 mm pistol,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vinod’s family has claimed that Govardhan tried to “settle” the case by paying them money.
Vinod’s aunt said she received a call Tuesday morning by someone claiming to be an associate of Govardhan, who offered the money. “We flatly refused. Nothing can bring Vinod back,” she said, alleging that the murder was pre-planned.

Suitable post for Siddu soon
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president R.V. Deshpande on Tuesday denied that Kuruba leader Siddaramaiah was upset over being sidelined in party affairs and had boycotted the party rally on Monday because of this. Mr Deshpande and D.K. Shivakumar who is the new working president of the party, took charge at the rally held in Doddaballapur. Speaking at the Bangalore Press Club here on Tuesday, Deshpande said a posse of leaders like Messrs Jalappa, Veerappa Moily, Oscar Fernandes, S. M. Krishna and C.M. Ibrahim were also absent for various reasons. “I do not understand why the absence of Siddaramaiah is being highlighted,” he remarked.

Deshpande said Siddaramaiah would soon be given a suitable post in the party structure adding that there was no rift between him and the former deputy chief minister on this issue. “It was Prithviraj Chavan who told me that Siddaramaiahῠ suggested my name for the party presidentship. Where is the question of a rift between us? We are friends for the last 20 years” he said.

The Congress chief also denied that Siddaramaiah-a former Janata parivar leader-was considered anῠ outsider by Congress bigwigs and was therefore not considered for the party presidentship. “If that is the case, then the Congress would have closed itsῠ doors to all those who desire to join the party,” he said.

He did not find any logic in the argument that he and working president D.K. Shivakumar were entirely different personalities and that it would be difficult for them to carry on party work smoothly. “Shivakumar is young and hence may be a bit hot blooded. But I intend to utilise this aspect too to the party’s advantage.”ῠ The post of a Congress state working president is new in Karnataka. The decision to create the post was made by the high command. Rajasthan has three working presidents, Gujarat two and Maharashtra, one, Deshpande revealed. “The high command will decide on the role of the president and working president,” he said.

Anger over Kharge’s ‘anguish’
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: The bitter outburst of outgoing Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday that “his party did not lose the Assembly polls but was defeated by partymen,” may not be taken lightly by party colleagues. Party insiders say that moves are being made to censure Kharge for openlyexprpessing his “anguish” over the party’s debacle and taking a swipe at his own partymen.ῠ Kharge, who is with the Congress for the last forty years and was state unit president for the last three years, had said a day before handing over charge to Deshpande, that “Main haara nahin, mujhe haraya gaya hai,”(I did not lose but was defeated.” At the public rally here on Monday, after passing over the mantle, he said theῠ lack of unity in the party was responsible for the Congress failing to secure the required number of seats to form a government.

But Kharge’s remarks that he had sent the list of leaders -as many as 37 including that of former CM Dharam Singh - who if they had won, would have helped the party come to power, seems to have been distorted. His detractors have began a campaign claiming that Kharge had listed these 37 leaders as “those who had not cooperated with the party leadership.”

Kharge when contacted, denied that a complaint has been made to the high command in this regard and attempts are being made have a show cause notice issued to him seeking an explanation for his remarks. Congress incharge of the stateῠ Prithviraj Chavan, was present when Kharge expressed his sentiments publicly and chose to ignore his remarks.ῠ
Sources close to Khargeῠ pointed that working president Shivakumar had made more damaging remarks though subtly hinting that he was aware of the factors that led to the party’s debacle in the elections. “I will not rake these up but nor will I forget them. I will reveal them before party workers at the right time,” Mr Shivakumar had thundered.
Congress sources said that it was the Shivakumar lobby which was making a mountain of a molehill with regard to Kharge’s comments at the rally.

Tadadi project only after bypolls
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: The Ultra Mega Power Plant (UMPP) proposed to be set up in Tadadi in Karwar is proving to be a bit of a headache for the BJP government which had opposed the project when it was in the Opposition sometime ago. With the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) having rejected the Kudagi and Mallur sites in Bijapur where another UMPP was proposed to be set up, the state government is back to square one, for it is left with very little choice. Source in the energy department told this newspaper that Tadadi was the only hope and that the state government would not take any step towards initiating the project in a coastal town, until the bypolls are over.

“Since there is severe opposition from the locals and environmentalists, the probability of the government going ahead with the project is unlikely. Also since BJP had opposed the project previously, it is in a sticky situation now. Discussions with the locals are being planned only after the elections likely to be held in March,” said a senior official in the department. The power crisis in Karnataka and the government’s promise to ease the situation has put it under tremendous pressure. The saffron party is hoping for the support of religious heads, who will have a major say on the project’s future.

Interestingly, a pre-feasibility report for the coal based thermal power plant in Chhattisgarh furnished by Mecon India Pvt Ltd, highlights the environmental aspects related to a thermal power plant. According to the report, which was submitted to the energy department on Tuesday, the prime fuel (coal) in the station will create pollution through particulate matters, toxic gases, chemicals in liquid forms such as acids and alkalines.

‘Probe child marriages’
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: Opposition leader in the Legislative Council V.S. Ugrappa on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe by a sitting high court judge into the mass wedding programme that was organised in Gadag district on October 4. Deccan Chronicle had published a report on the alleged child marriages at Gadag on Sunday. Speaking to reporters,ῠ Ugrappa alleged that 1,935 couples tied the knot at the mass marriage programmeῠ of which many were child marriages. “I strongly suspect that at least 25 per cent to 40 per cent of the couples were underage. This matter deserves a thorough probe and a one-member judicial commission should be constituted for the purpose,” he demanded.

Replying to a question, the Congress leader asserted that he has made an official enquiry with the Gadag district deputy commissioner who had stated that several couples who enrolled for benefits under the Adarsha Vivaha scheme had not submitted the proof of their age. “In the absence of an authentic birth certificate, the district administration, directed these couples to obtain a certificate from a government approved dentist to ascertain and certify their age. The marriages were performed based on these documents,” he explained.
Ugrappa argued that a dentist’s certificate was not sufficient proof of one’s age. He felt the officials concerned had bungled in implementing the state government sponsored Adarsha Vivaha scheme.

“The mass wedding programme was attended by the Chief Minister, health minister B. Sriramulu, tourism ministerῠ G. Janardhana Reddy, revenue minister G. Karunakara Reddy, PWD minister C.M. Udasi and several high-ranking bureaucrats. If child marriages have taken place at a programme attended by so many dignitaries, it is a grave violation and should be investigated,” Ugrappa added.

Woman, 8 others held for dacoity
 

Bengaluruῠ Oct. 7: The Chamrajpet police has arrested nine persons, including a woman, in a dacoity case.ῠ While Rajesh, 26, Madesh Swamy, 26, Ravi Kumar, 22, Putta Swamy, 35, C.ῠ Krishna, 33, M. Rajappa,ῠ 20, S. Balaji, 21, and Lingaraju, 20, were nabbedῠ on dacoity charges, the woman, Swapna, 28, was held for hatching the plotῠ to burgle her in-laws house.ῠ All the accused are residents of Kempapuraῠ Agraharaῠ and Mavalli, the police said. According to the police, Swapna, wife of Anantha Padmanabha, a resident ofῠ Chamrajpet, developed an illicit relationship with Rajesh, one of the accused. When Rajeshῠ was in a financial mess, Swapna hatched theῠ robbery plan. She got duplicate keys of her in-laws’ house made.ῠ

“When her in-laws, residents of Chamrajpet, went to attend aῠ wedding reception in August, Swapna called Rajesh, who came with the otherῠ accused and burgled the house using the duplicate keys,” the police said.ῠ One of her in-laws Timmaraju lodged a complaint with the police.ῠ ῠDuring interrogation, the accused told the police they were involved inῠ robberies inῠ Magadi outer ring road and surrounding areas.

Corrupt babu in Lokayukta’s net
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: Lokayukta sleuths have for the first time arrested an officer at Vidhan Soudha for accepting a bribe.ῠ The Lokayukta police on Tuesday caught the official red-handed receiving a bribe for an official ‘favour’. Mardaan Saab Khader Saab Khandoli, a resident of Kalas village in Dharwad district, had lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta police against D.P. Hulkeri, section officer, crime section, home department, for demanding a bribe for official work.

According to the complainant, he had written to the government requesting that a case against him be withdrawn. Khandoli had been chargesheeted for taking part in the communal riots in Dharwad in 2006. As per procedure, the letter was first sent to the director general and inspector general of police and he forwarded it to the home department after giving his views.

Hulkeri allegedly promised to give a favourable statement to Khandoli in return for a bribe of Rs 10,000. Khandoli lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta police and they set a trap. Lokayukta police officials entered the Vidhan Soudha at 5.30 pm, when they were least likely to raise suspicion of officials posted at the gates, and caught Hulkeri accepting the first installment of Rs 5,000 from Khandoli. The government officer was arrested and later produced before the special magistrate. He will be remanded to judicial custody, said the additional director general of Lokayukta police Rupak Kumar Datta.

Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, when contacted, said he was extremely happy that his sleuths were able to catch a corrupt government official at the Vidhan Soudha. “I hope this is not the last case of its kind,” he said. In 2006, when he had taken charge and Lokayukta sleuths arrested an officer for accepting bribe in Vikas Soudha, Justice Hegde had said in jest, “Ab Vidhan Soudha door nahi.” (Vidhan Soudha is not far now). Lokayukta sleuths have successfully trapped 210 corrupt government officials this year.

Lake water in taps soon
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: The BWSSB has started its ambitious project of treating lake water to combat the perennial shortage of drinking water in Bengaluru. As a first step, the BWSSB has invited tenders for recycling of water from Nagavara and Bellandur lakes at a cost of Rs 280 crore. The board proposes to treat 50 million litres of water per day (MLD) from Nagavara Lake and 60 MLD from Bellandur Lake. If the project goes as planned, layouts coming up along Bellary Road will benefit from recycled water from the Nagavara lake while Mahadevapura and Bommanahalli will get potable water from Bellandur lake.

Around 900 million litres of water is supplied to consumers in Bengaluru every day but this barely meets the demand. BWSSB officials say the treated water will be purer than the Cauvery water supplied in Bengaluru.ῠ The board proposes to treat sewage, too, with latest purification technology. Treating lake water is the only economically viable solution to the water shortage problem, the board officials say, since tapping river is expensive and also requires political will. The lake water will be pumped to an ultrafiltration treatment plant and be subjected to various processes in which colour, odour, bacteria, viruses and pathogens will be removed. The water will be disinfected and get ultraviolet light treatment.

“During the rainy season, only rainwater will be treated. The treated water will be pumped back into the lake to expose it to sunlight for natural purification for around 50 days. During the dry season, sewage will also be treated,” a board official says.ῠ Demonstration centres will be set up to convince people that the treated water is safe to drink. The purification method will be explained to the public and samples of treated water will be given to them to try. Water from Bellandur Lake is already being treated by the BWSSB.ῠ With the setting up of a tertiary treatment plant, water from the lake could soon be used for domestic consumption.

Security beefed up at railway stations
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: Security has been beefed up at all the railway stations in the city in view of the festive season. Additional RPF officials have been deployed at all the stations to keep a check on any anti-social activity. With the Railways increasing the number of trains to meet the Dasara rush, the stations are densely crowded with commuters and steps are being taken to prevent any untoward incident. “We want to prevent any kind of dastardly incident on the station premises, especially in view of the recent terror attacks which have rocked the nation. We are carrying out frequent security checks on all trains to Mysore. Security has also been increased at stations in Mysore,” said additional DRM, IRTS, T.R.K. Rao.

The 41 surveillance cameras at City Railway Station are being monitored round-the-clock. The cameras are installed at strategic points, giving an overview of all the platforms and passengers boarding trains or disembarking. The cameras also rotate at 180 degrees at regular intervals so that nothing is missed and the visuals are monitored constantly by the railway department. Ten additional metal detectors have been placed at strategic points to maintain an aggressive security check at the railway stations during the Dasara festival.
Frequent inspections are also being carried out at the Mysore railway station by the railway officials. There is a tight security check for all passengers boarding trains even at stations like Cantonment and Yelahanka.

“We have appointed officials to maintain strict vigil. They have been appointed to ensure that no suspicious object is left by any terrorist at any platform, especially ones which are far from the main entrance of the railway station. There is tight security at subways and lifts also. Preventive measures have been adopted to ensure the safety of all passengers,” said a senior official.

Dandiya in terror shadow
 

Bengaluru, Oct. 7: The nights of women swirling in their colourful ghagras and glass bangles to the beat of the dandiyas as their partners keep step with them, are here again.  Nothing of the excitement of the dandiya nights has been lost. Boys and girls in their finery are as full of anticipation as ever about the nights of music and dance ahead. But the organisers of Navaratri programmes are not taking any chances this year. While being careful not to intrude into the fun of the evenings, they have, however, made sure that security is tight around the venues.

At the Palace Grounds the dance and dandiya party which starts around 8.30 pm every night, goes on till about 12.30 am. “We have dandiya nights till October 9 and the four days see a huge rush of people coming in to dance. We want all of them to have a fun-filled festival without having to feel anxious about security. So we have installed metal detectors and provided more staff to secure the grounds,” says Palace Grounds administrator Mr Swami.

Organisers like him are understandably cautious considering the continuing terror attacks across the country and the low intensity serial blasts that rocked the city a couple of months ago. Their worry is that places which see large crowds could become soft targets of those out to cause trouble. “Places with a big crowd can be easy targets. We have taken the best possible security measures this year,” Mr Swami explains. The venues have begun to resemble fortresses even as people turn out in their festive best, ready to enjoy themselves. Police are out in force at almost at every spot where a dandiya dance or a Durga Puja is being held.

The Bengali Association has installed surveillance cameras to check the crowds at the RBANMS Grounds in Ulsoor where it is conducting the Durga Puja. “We have extra security to check everyone entering our pandals on all the days of Durga Puja, and have also installed surveillance cameras in the pandals this year,” says Debasis Mukherjee, a member of the association.

The association has been organising pujas for over two decades, but this is the first time it has hired 25 security men for the venue. Three security staff check every individual entering the pandal and a metal detector does a double check. Despite the tight security, the festive spirit does not appear to have been dampened with people seeming determined to enjoy the dandiya nights and the pujas as they always have.

Hiring clothes, trinkets may not be a good idea
 

Bengaluru, Oct. 7: In their enthusiasm to look their best for the dandiya nights, many boys and girls give in to the temptation of hiring clothes and trinkets to wear for the dances.  The result can be anything but enjoyable, with some of them suffering from skin rashes thanks to their borrowed finery. Dermatologists report seeing more youngsters with skin rashes around this time of the year.

“Young girls with skin rashes often come to me around the time of the festive season and when questioned, a majority of them admit having hired clothes and jewellery,” says Dr Sheena P., a consultant dermatologist. According to her dermatitis is a common problem among girls after the festivities. “When you wear hired clothes, you are not aware of how clean they are. They may have been kept locked for a long time, or the chances are that someone else who may have used them before had some kind of infection,” explains the doctor.

Junk jewellery can also cause skin rashes. “Many young girls who want to look good wear a lot of junk jewellery but oxidised jewellery or camel bone jewellery may not suit sensitive skins,” says Dr Vina Rao, a consultant dermatologist, who explains that basic metals like gold or silver are usually safe to wear.

“These two metals generally suit everyone, but when youngsters are getting ready for such colourful nights they prefer trinkets, which in the long run harm their skin,” the doctor adds.
Dermatologists strongly advise against hired clothes and trinkets. But if this cannot be helped they recommend that the clothes are properly cleaned before wearing. “The clothes must be dry washed and the trinkets cleaned with dettol,” they stress.

Mysore gears up for big day
 

Mysore Oct. 7: The authorities are working overtime as the countdown for the famous Jamboo Savari, the grand finale of the 10-day Dasara festivities, begins. District-in-charge Minister Shobha Karandlaje, held a meeting with all authorities concerned to take stock of the preparations.  Arrangements relating to the Dasara procession, torchlight parade, tableaux, security arrangements, issue of passes for VIPs, and parking of vehicles were discussed.

Work on making 42 tableaux for the Dasara procession is going on on a war footing at the APMC yard at Bandipalya on Nanjangud Road.  The Tejas light combat aircraft, Bofors Cannon, and a tableaux to commemorate the platinum jubilee of the Kannada film industry  being made by the Information Department, are expected to take centrestage this year.

 The tableaux sub-committee plans to display flex boards of eight Maharajas of Mysore including Adi Yaduraya and Narasimharaja Wodeyar, and of Dewans Sri Rangacharlu, Seshadri Iyer, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Kantharaj Urs, Sir Mirza Ismail, besides six music vidwans in different parts of the city.  On Thursday, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will offer puja to Nandi Dwaja at the Balarama Gate of the Palace during the auspicious Dhanur Lagna between 12.39pm and 12.53pm, to launch the procession.

 Starting from the palace, the procession will take a 5-km route passing through Chamarajendra Circle, K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, Ayurveda College Circle and Highway Circle before finally entering the Torchlight Parade Grounds. The Army exhibition offered live demonstration of bomb disposal.  Subedhan Sudhan, member, MEG, said, “Our aim is to educate the general public about bomb identification and the action required to deal with it once found.”

Mr. Sudhan, an expert member of the bomb disposal squad, has defused more than 80 live bombs in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Mumbai. The crowd was curious about the ZU 23mm Anti Aircraft Gun, which is a part of the 127 Light Air Defence Regiment. The ZU-23 mounts twin 23-mm cannons on a towed two-wheel carriage and has a capacity to fire 2000 rounds in a minute.

Sabotage: Police to take fresh measures
 

Bengaluru Oct. 7: The Mysore city police and the district administration will take a second look at the entire security system following fresh intelligence inputs that there could be attempts to cause a stampede on Vijayadashami day, the final day of the nine-day celebrations, on Thursday.  Sources told Deccan Chronicle that the intelligence inputs pointed to one of the three places - Mysore Palace or the route of the Dasara procession or Bannimantap - where attempts could be made to cause panic among thousands of spectators that could lead to a stampede.

“We are aware of the modus operandi that could be adopted to achieve this but it is not appropriate to reveal it. However, we are geared up to thwart any such attempts. We will ensure that Mysore does not get the dubious distinction of another Jodhpur,” a top police officer remarked.  It may be recalled that about 200 people died in a stampede near Chamunda-devi temple at Jodhpur, Rajasthan a few days ago. 

According to sources, the top civil and police officers immediately got in touch with the authorities in Jodhpur and found out the exact cause of the stampede and the steps which could have prevented the stampede. “Though the topography of Chamundadevi temple in Jodhpur and Mysore are totally different, still some lesson can be learnt in order to make our arrangements fool-proof,” sources added.

Authorities declined to disclose if the intelligence inputs point to any terrorist groups having such designs. “It is not appropriate to reveal this,” an officer said and added, “That Mysore city has been targetted by the terrorists is a known fact. So, it is imperative for us to make elaborate security arrangements and a fool-proof system on the occasion. We are taking all steps.”

While Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has decided to be in Mysore from Wednesday afternoon to personally monitor the arrangements. Home minister, Dr V.S. Acharya is in constant touch with the DG & IGP, Srikumar, IGP (intelligence) Jyotiprakash Mirji and the Mysore city police commissioner. Mysore district incharge minister Shobha Karandlaje has been camping in Mysore since the commencement of the nine-day festival.

Farmers concerned over relocation
 

Hubli Oct. 7: Farmers spread over 45 villages are concerned about the government’s plans to shift flood affected villages of Gadag, Bagalkot and Dharwad district to safer locations.
The government plans to shift villagers of Holemannur and Gadagolli in Ron taluk where people have been living in temporary sheds after their homes were washed away by the waters of Bennehalla stream and Malaprabha river last year.

Although it has promised all basic facilities including roads, culverts and water supply to the rehabilitated villagers, as well as schools, a panchayat office, a primary health centre and veterinary hospital, farmers are anxious about the lack of space to store fodder, agriculture equipment and for their livestock.  While new houses will  be constructed for those below poverty line, those better off will be allotted only sites in proportion to their submerged land. The villagers also want traditionally designed houses.

“There is mixed response for government’s  move to shift our village. We will arrive at a consensus after holding a meeting soon,” says Hole Alur GP president Sumitramma Kataraki. “The government should ensure that enough space is allotted for our fodder, cattle and farm equipment,” says Mudiyappa Hiremath of Menasagi village. 

 ”We have received written consent from the majority of the people to shift the flood affected eleven villages in Ron taluk and the process is under way to address their concerns about basic infrastructure at their new locations,” says Gadag DC S. Sriraman.  The government has meanwhile started a scientific study to desilt the Bennehal stream and divert the Tuprihalla stream water in Ramdurg  to prevent flooding in future.

Deccan Chronicle

BJP’s call to Rajini
 

Chennai Oct. 7: After being isolated in Tamil Nadu politics and no allies in sight, the BJP on Tuesday made an appeal to Tamil film actor Rajinikanth to accede to his fans’ wishes to enter politics as he enjoys goodwill of the people in the state.ῠ “It is appropriate time for Rajinikanth to start his party since he had already earned goodwill from the people of Tamil Nadu,”ῠ S. Thirunav-ukkarasar, BJP national secretary told reporters here at his party’s state headquarters.

“If Rajini floated a political party like Telugu actor Chiranjeevi in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, we will certainly welcome it,” he said in response to a question on some Rajnikanth fans floating a party Desiyaῠ Dravida Makkal Munn-etra Kazhagam (DDM-MK) in Coimbatore on Monday.ῠ However, the BJP leader said it was up to the actor to decide when to start his own party.ῠ In the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, the ’superstar’ Rajinikanth appealed to his fans to vote for the BJP led NDA in the election. Despite his appeal, the BJP and its ally AIADMK lost all the seats in Tamil Nadu. When asked whether BJP would go for an alliance if the actor starts his new party, Thiruna-vukkarasar said, “Whet-her he launches a new party or joins our party, we will welcome it.” On alliance with AIADMK, he said, “BJP and AIADMK share similar sentiments on Sethusa-mudram project, Amarnath issue and terrorism.”

Mysterious fever hits Madhavaram
 

Chennai Oct. 7: Finding an empty bed in a hospital in Madhavaram turned difficult last fortnight after residents in the area poured into every available medical institution complaining about a mysterious fever.ῠ Medical investigations revealed that most patients were suffering from ‘ratῠ fever’ (leptospirosis) caused by water, contaminated with animal (rat) urine, coming into contact with unhealed cuts in the skin, eyes or with the mucous membranes.ῠῠ

“At least two people in each household in our area are bed ridden due to fever,” said high court advocate and area resident Jayanthi.ῠ “My son and I have took ill at the same time last week. The case is no different in our neighbourhood,” she said adding that the doctors of the nearby St Anthony’s hospital have diagnosed it to be a case of ‘rat fever’.ῠ Another resident Chellamuthu said three in his family were hospitalised.

Other residents complained that contamination in the water supplied by Madhavaram municipality had led to the problem. The huge population of rats in the area could also have been the cause for the infection, they alleged. Speaking to this newspaper, Dr Mathipa of St Anthony’s hospital said, “All the beds in our hospital are occupied. All 153 patients are being treated only for leptospirosis, which was confirmed following tests of blood samples received from the state-run leptospirosis laboratory attached to the Madhavaram poultry farm.”ῠ Around 500 patients were treated in the last month alone, she added.

“We have been witnessing high patient influx since early September,” she observed adding that consumption of drinking water contaminated by rat urine could not be ruled out as the cause, as it was a case of mass infection.ῠ However, Madhavaram municipal commissioner Vijayalakshmi denied the reports about any outbreak of epidemic and said the water samples were tested.

Scientists to monitor
 

Chennai Oct. 7: Marine scientists are to be deployed along the Indian coastline to monitor pollution on a real time basis and help identify areas that are vulnerable to disasters and erosion.ῠ Various agencies like the Space Application Centre (SAC), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service (INCOIS) and Centre For Advanced Study in Marine Biology (CASMB) have come together for this initiative. The data provided by the country’s remote sensing and communication satellites and geographical information system (GIS) will be used for effective management of coastal resources.

“This is a new initiative to mitigate the effects of natural disasters like cyclones, floods and sea erosion. Marine scientists are being trained to analyse and interpret the data from remote sensing and GIS tools. Training were by given by experts from SAC, INCOIS, NRSA and CASMB. They will become experts in mapping, monitoring and resource planning,” said Dr T. Balasubramanian, director, CASMB. “Also any pollution, erosion or changes in the shore line will be picked up by the scientists with the help of these data,” said Dr T. Thankaradjou, convener of the training programme.

Rs 127cr for slums in city
 

Chennai Oct. 7: Noon meal centres, concrete roads and public toilets will be built under several schemes formulated by the Chennai corporation to improve the living condition of people living in about 230 slum settlements in the city. Addressing a two-day national mayors’ conference in New Delhi, Chennai mayor M. Subramanian said Rs 127 crore would be spent on the schemes which would also see the installation of new streetlights.ῠ A release from Ripon Buildings quoting Mr Subramanian said the upgradation of slums would be funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.ῠ Steps were also being taken for construction of multi-storeyed parking lots for better transport management, the release said.

According to corporation commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni, the civic body had initially proposed to install solar-powered streetlights in slum areas with narrow roads.ῠ The use of solar lamps would help reduce the electricity bill, and on an annual basis Rs 1,000 could be saved per lamp, he said.ῠῠ Under the scheme’s first phase, 10 slums had been identified and each would get 100 solar lamps.ῠ For the current financial year, the corporation would install 12,000 new streetlights and 50 per cent of these would be in slums, he said.

Far from madding crowd
 

Chennai Oct. 7: The living conditions of mentally ill people in the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) have improved substantially, thanks to support from social workers and students who chip in with their time and resources, it has transformed from the dingy, dangerous place it used to be fifteen years ago, to a productive and cheerful unit, that is more self-sufficient than most private institutions.ῠ However, all is not rosy for the 1,700 inmates, as the prestigious institute is plagued by an appalling shortage of staff, resulting in spurts of violence that are difficult to quell, and even incidents of homicide, especially in the ‘criminal ward’ where round-the-clock monitoring is required but never is in place.

While some of the city’s most reputed psychologists provide their services at the IMH, which receives nearly 500 out-patients before noon everyday, the lower ranks of ayahs are forced to do double shifts.ῠ “We have not been able to replace the ayahs who have retired, and now there is just one to supervise the Occupational and Industrial Therapy Centers,” says Kalavathy of the center for the past 25 years.ῠ Though medication is available in plenty, therapeutic care takes a back seat, as counselors and social workers are few.

The dearth of skilled technicians willing to train patients at the welding, carpentry and weaving units has resulted in the patients having to give up one of the best methods of treatment available - occupational therapy. “We have ample space to start industrial units here, but nobody wants to come forward to teach skills to our patients.ῠ It would be nice if big industries came forward to employ our inmates, who are more than competent to undertake assembly-line jobs,” says Dr Sathianadhan, IMH director.

It’s bland food, uniform always
 

Chennai Oct. 7: The inmates of the 214-year-old Institute of Mental Health constantly complain about the tasteless food, which is one reason why they demand spending money from visitors. “We use the money to buy fruits or chocolates as our tongues have lost all sense of taste due to the food served here,” said one of them. They also grumble about not being allowed to wear saris, and crib about not having jewellery (this restriction is imposed to ensure the safety of women inmates)ῠ But ask if they want to go back home, to live with their families, and they say ‘no’.ῠ ” I find security here, something I cannot dream of finding back home. I have a father, six brothers and a ten-year old son to call my own, but I have decided to stay here all my life,” says 33-year old Devi, who has lived at IMH for the past 15 years.

The social stigma attached to mental illness is a huge roadblock to the re-location of over 800 patients at the IMH, who have shown good response to treatment and are capable of leading a normal life with their families, and even earn their own living.ῠ Very often, patients are dumped at the hospital by relatives who stand to gain. On Sunday, when a 73-year old lady had a stroke, doctors found that she had been an inmate since 1966, although her family has extensive property in Coimbatore. “The neurosurgeon called for an emergency operation, but when we contacted the patient’s brothers for their consent, they refused, saying that the patient was so old, that the surgery will not be useful,” Dr Nambi, the consultant said.

Media confused by CM’s Lanka speech
 

Chennai Oct. 7: The DMK’s public meeting at Mylapore on Monday to explain its stand on the Sri Lankan Tamils had the media in a tizzy after party president M. Karunanidhi’s speech. Media persons were left wondering which government did Karunanidhi have in mind - the Centre or his government in Tamil Nadu - when he declared that “the time has come to decide if this government should continue.” Since the previous lines had been about the Centre, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, the obvious inference was that the DMK was threatening to pull out of the UPA if Delhi failed to leash Colombo.

A leading new agency, several English news channels and an outstation daily filed their reports highlighting the ‘DMK’s threat to pull out of the UPA’. It was only after a few local dailies contacted the chief minister’s public relations officer (PRO) to find out which government he had referred to did the state government get into damage-control mode. The local dailies were hurriedly contacted to clarify that Mr Karunanidhi had only his government in mind and not the Central government. This forced many dailies to change their headlines from “threat to pull out” to “sacrifice his government.”

Mr Karunanidhi issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday criticising a section of the media that had interpreted his speech as a threat to pull out of the UPA government, while praising others about sticking to facts.ῠ The truth was the latter had the benefit of clarification from his information officers while the rest chose to decode the speech on their own.

Disabled take bumpy road for IDs
 

Chennai Oct. 7: Krishnamurthy (38) from Otteri limps along the mud road at 8 a.m. to reach the State Resource and Training Centre (SRTC) at K.K.Nagar here on Tues-day. He hopes to get his identity card, which can be used to avail state benefits for the physically challenged.ῠ After nearly five hours of wait, he was informed that the doctor did not turn up. He has to come back next Tuesday to get his ID card. Siddharth, a hearing impair-ed person from Adyar also has to return empty handed for the same reason.ῠῠ While most others got their IDs, nearly 20 physically challenged people from Kancheepuram district had to return dejected as the District Revenue Officer (DRO) from that district did not turn up.

“I have come all the way from Sriperumbudur for the ID card. The condition of the approach road is so pathetic that anyone will find it tough to walk on it. After four hours of wait, I am told that the DRO has not come,” said a quadriplegic who was literally carried by her mother along the mud road.ῠ Though the present DMK government announced a slew of welfare schemes for the physically challenged such as free bus passes, monthly monetary assistance, scholarships, the attitude of bureaucrats and government appointed doctors towards the differently abled has not changed much. This is visible in the SRTC campus when some doctors meant for examining the differently abled leave their offices without completing the tests for those who had already registered themselves. When social welfare minister P.Geetha Jeevan was told of the hardships faced by the physically challenged, she said, “I will take corrective measures immediately.”

MK staging drama: Captain
 

Chennai Oct.7:ῠ DMDK leader Vijayakanth on Tuesday demanded the dismissal of Union telecommunications minister A. Raja for the alleged irregularities in the allotment of spectrum space.ῠ Addressing the media here at his party office, Vijayakanth alleged that the ruling DMK government had started issuing veiled threats to his partymen who are to take part in the youth conference scheduled for October 18. “My cadres are not allowed to put up banners and posters. They are not even allowed to paint on the walls,” he said.

Replying to a query on the Sri Lankan issue, he said the chief minister M. Karunanidhi is staging a high drama by asking everybody to send teleg-rams to the Prime Minister. ῠ”If MGR had been there, this issue would have been settled earlier,” he said.ῠ DMDK presidium chairman Panrutti. S. Ramacha-ndran recalled that in 1983 when MGR had convened an all party meeting to discuss the Sri Lankan issue, DMK leader M. Karun-anidhi had walked out of the meeting.

SMS, mobile calls replace telegrams
 

Chennai Oct. 7: If the number of telegrams sent by DMK activists in Tamil Nadu to the Prime Minister’s office asking him to intervene to save the lives of Tamils in Sri Lanka is any indication then one of the fastest means of communication is on a fast decline. “We used to handle hundreds of telegrams everyday. Now they have come down to just a trickle and our department has been converted into a customer care centre for BSNL subscribers to sell recharge coupons,” one employee of the telegraph department said. Even the DMK telegrams failed to add substantially to these numbers he observed.

According to the Telecom department, there is a decline of 38 lakh telegrams during the past three years with the numbers falling from 59.50 lakhs in 2005-06 to 21.40 lakhs in 2007-08 across Tamil Nadu. “At this rate telegraph service may become extinct soon mainly because it will become unviable for the P and T department,” said a senior officer.
“With the arrival cheap mobile telephony and SMS telegrams have lost their usefulness. Only a limited number of individuals are using this medium, even for sending greeting teleg-rams,” observed a counter staff. But the service has found a big backer in the corporate world. Even modern communication giant Reliance Communications, depends on this old medium to maintain customer relations.

“It is especially helpful to inform our customers regarding fines, special notices and to remind them to settle huge bill amounts” a manager of the company disclosed. Courts, legal departments of government undertakings, the Public Service Commission (PSC) and a few government departments continue to use telegrams for notices and interview calls.ῠ But the omnipresence of internet and mobile telephony would gradually spell the doom of the telegram - once an integral part of any Indian movie.

Cameras to catch thieves
 

Chennai Oct. 7: Shoplifters and petty thieves who plan to make the best use of the Diwali season would have to smile and say ‘cheese’ when they steal this time as they are most likely to be facing a CCTV camera. Atleast 80 CCTV cameras would soon be installed at all important shopping zones in the city during this festival season to ‘monitor the movements of anti-social elements and also to regulate traffic’, according to Chennai police commissioner R. Sekar.

Speaking to reporters after the installation of four CCTV cameras at Purusawalkam on Tuesday, the commissioner said that police have taken up several measures to ensure the safety of the shoppers. “We have already installed 16 CCTV cameras in T. Nagar besides opening up several watch towers from where policemen would be monitoring the public and directing the traffic. Two ambulances will also be available at T. Nagar to handle medical emergencies,” he said.

The CCTV camera units have been set up using the funds donated by local businessmen. “We wanted these traders to contribute towards setting up the cameras to make them realise that it is their neighbourhood and they need to keep a watchful eye over it. We only do the facilitation process, it is their responsibility to have a crime-free neighbourhood,” the commissioner said.

He pointed out that the police were also working with shopping mall owners and other large business establishments to set up CCTV units to monitor their neighbourhoods. Installing a camera at crime-prone locations is bound to deter criminals and other anti-socials from committing offences.  “A single camera can do the job of several policemen,” Mr Sekar said.  Deputy commissioner of police, Kilpauk, MC Sarangan said that the local businessmen keenly participated in setting up the surveillance project and were forthcoming in contributing funds towards setting up the CCTV cameras.

Notice to engineer and Kovai collector
 

Chennai  Oct. 7: The Madras high court on Tuesday ordered notice, to the Coimbatore district collector and the assistant engineer of PWD, Coimbatore, on the petitions, seeking to quash the order of the latter, directing the Annur Town panchayat (ATP) and Annur Dakni Sunnath Maajith Jamath Committee (ADSMJC), to remove the two burial grounds in the Annur village. A division bench comprising Justice T. Sudanthiram and Justice K. Kannan admitted the petitions filed by ATP and ADSMJC.

According to ATP and ADSMJC, they were using Eri poromboke land in Annur village as the common burial grounds for time immemorial. The authorities have removed 174 encroachments in the area recently. The two burial grounds were situated on the corners of the Eri poromboke. They were in no way hindrance to the storage of water even during the raining season.  There was no other government land available to be used as a burial ground. On September 24, 2008, the assistant engineer issued notices, directing them to vacate the premises on or before October 11. The assistant engineer failed to follow the procedure contemplated under the Tamil Nadu protection of tanks and eviction of encroachment act while issuing the notices, they contended.

Deccan Chronicle

SANDAKAN, Mon.:

Officers from the Road Transport Department (RTD) and the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (Puspakom) have been urged to avoid over-lapping of enforcement and explain their functions to the public.

“This is necessary as there were complaints that RTD and Puspakom officers are doing similar functions, causing much confusion among the public,” Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said at a dialogue session with the Sandakan Chinese Chamber of Commerce and transport operators here today.

He said a committee will be set up to monitor public complaints on enforcement by RTD and Puspakom.

New Straits Times