Law varsity: Aiming for a slice of LPO pie

Law varsity: Aiming for a slice of LPO pie
DH News Service

GULBARGA: The Karnataka State Law University to be set up in Hubli-Dharwad within the next one year will aspire to produce law graduates capable of snatching a significant portion of the world’s nearly $ 50 billion worth ‘legal process outsourcing pie’. Also, the University would strive to bring about total legal consciousness in the State.

At least, that is the dream of Gulbarga University Law Faculty Dean J S Patil, who has been appointed by the State government as the full-time special officer towards establishing this law university. He will now continue to be the special officer of the university until a vice-chancellor is appointed.

It was thanks to the efforts of former law minister H K Patil, Home Minister M P Prakash and Primary & Secondary Education Minister Basavaraj Horatti that the law university was sanctioned. The Cabinet gave its approval for establishing the University when N Dharam Singh was the chief minister.


The government, on March 28, 2006, appointed Prof Patil as special officer temporarily and sought a detailed report on the proposed law university. Prof Patil submitted the report on May 10.

Speaking to Deccan Herald about the new University on Friday, Prof Patil said he would strive to make this a premier law university in the country, as globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation had opened new vistas for the legal profession in the country.

He pointed out that the global legal process outsourcing sector was now worth $ 50 billion, and India now claimed around $ four billion of this. Thanks to the IT revolution, there is scope for the country to increase this share significantly. Knowledge process out-sourcing and business process out-sourcing would come in handy for the law graduates.

After the law university comes into existence, all law colleges in the State would come under its jurisdiction. All colleges will have a uniform syllabus and examination system. Moreover, students will be allowed to change colleges mid-term.

Facilities

The University will have state-of-the-art classrooms with LCD projectors and other facilities. Also, the University library would go digital and have online connections with libraries of all the law colleges in the State (inter-library browsing scheme). This would help students browse for information and knowledge, sitting in any of the law colleges. Prof Patil pointed out that as this would be a unique law university, the establishing charges too would be more. Nearly Rs 50 crore was needed towards establishing and running the University. “The proposal has already been sent to the government,” he added.

The University would work for a minimum of 12 hours a day, with a lunch recess, and the time-table would soon be chalked out, Prof Patil said.

At present, three sites in Hubli-Dharwad have been proposed for the law university: the premises of the Walmi building on the outskirts of Dharwad City on Belgaum road, the site near the Police Training Centre between Hubli and Dharwad and the site near Rayapur opposite the RTO.

HDMC Generating revenue out of garbage

Generating revenue out of garbage
The Hindu - Staff Correspondent

Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation uses vegetable waste to make vermicompost

SUCCESSFUL PROJECT: Sacks containing vermicompost made out of waste.

DHARWAD: What can the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) do with 300 tonnes of waste generated everyday?

The HDMC has converted the "vegetable garbage", generated daily at the vegetable market in Dharwad, into a revenue earning vermicompost.

It was started as a pilot project in January by the HDMC in association with the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad.

The corporation has sold 46 tonnes of vermicompost, worth over Rs. 1 lakh, to Cotton Corporation of India and five tonnes to Khadi Gramodyoga Sangha in Hubli.About 300 tonnes of solid waste, including debris, is generated daily in the twin cities. Of this, five tonnes is vegetable waste generated at the Dharwad market. The HDMC used 100 tonnes of vegetable waste for the pilot project. It yielded 60 tonnes of vermicompost.


The HDMC made use of the existing staff for the project and the University of Agricultural Sciences provided the technical information.

After the success of the pilot project, the HDMC is now contemplating on inviting NGOs to set up similar vermicompost units in the twin cities. "Till now we have not used the vegetable waste generated in Hubli market. If any NGO is interested, the HDMC might permit them to set up vermicompost unit on build-operate-own-transfer basis," A.C. Swamy, Health Officer, who was instrumental in starting the project, said.

New unit


The HDMC is also planning to set up a vermicompost unit of international standard at University of Agricultural Sciences. An action plan has been chalked out and the project is estimated to cost around Rs. 1 crore.

The corporation has plans to implement the project in a phased manner.

Through the project the HDMC plans to transform 20 tonnes of solid waste into vermicompost everyday. Once the project is implemented, the HDMC will be able to convert about 7,500 metric tonnes of solid waste, generated in the twin cities in a year, into vermicompost.

The move would help maintain cleanliness in the city and would also check pollution level, said Dr. Swamy.

Citizens have a major role to play in this regard, he said. "So far we have only used the vegetable waste generated in the market.

"The waste generated from residential areas has remained untouched because of the problem of segregation. If people cooperate and segregate the waste at the generating end and reduce the use of plastic, the project would be a huge success," he said.

The vermicompost manufactured by HDMC is in demand.

Farmers of Kerur village in Bagalkot district and those around Dharwad have purchased the vermicompost in large quantity, officials said.

Keeping this in view, the HDMC has set up a retail-selling unit at Azad Upavana in Dharwad.

The vermicompost is being sold here for Rs. 2.50 per kg.

Aviation grid to be formed

Aviation grid to be formed
The Hindu - Staff Correspondent

All existing airports to be developed
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# Night-landing facilities for Hubli and Belgaum airports soon
# Work has begun on developing airport in Mysore
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TORANAGAL (BELLARY DISTRICT): The Union Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to develop all existing airports in the country with the help of State governments and set up an aviation grid, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel has said.

In a brief chat with presspersons here on Friday, Mr. Patel said there were several airports in the country, big and small, which were either defunct or needed to be upgraded. "We are working with a vision of setting up an aviation grid by making all these airports functional with the help of the State governments," he said.

He said the first phase of the Bangalore International Airport would be ready by 2008. Anticipating heavy inflow of traffic in the near future, the airport design had to be revised and was being implemented in two phases. "We hope to see that the airport at Bangalore comes up with world-class facilities," he said.

About the development of airports in the State, he said work had begun in Mysore and the Mangalore airport had been upgraded as an international airport with a flight taking off to Dubai recently. A considerable sum was being spent on developing the Hubli and Belgaum airports by providing terminals and night-landing facilities, he said.

The proposals for airports in Gulbarga and Hassan were awaiting the signing of memorandums of understanding with the State Government. The State Government had to provide the land required and also share in the initial costs, he said.

He said that the airport in Bellary could also be developed provided there was demand from the public. The State Government should also come forward to share the cost.

Mr. Patel was here to inaugurate the airport developed by Jindal South West at its integrated steel plant and also lay the foundation stone of Kaladham, a heritage village being built by the Jindals, and also a five-star hotel coming up adjacent to the Jindal airport.

North Karnataka to have more airports....compared with south

Air Deccan to reach Gulbarga, Hassan
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

2 Dec, 2006 0115hrs IST

GULBARGA: The Air Deccan has written a letter to the Karnataka government, dated November 24, expressing its readiness to provide its service in Gulbarga and Hassan, said V. P. Balegar, principal secretary to the infrastructure development department of the Karnataka government,on Wednesday.

Participating in an interactive programme, organised by the Hyderabad-Karnataka CII, Balegar said that the Union government in its letter to the Karnataka government in October,had sought information on which company would provide its air facility if airports were started in Hassan and Gulbarga, for which it was ready to provide a special grant of Rs. 20 crore to the selected company.

He said that 567 acres of land has already been acquired in Srinivas Saradgi village, which is in the outskirts of Gulbarga City and he has asked the Gulbarga deputy commissioner to acquire another 125 acres of land for expanding the proposed Gulbarga airport into an international airport.Balegar said the construction of Gulbarga airport would commence as soon as the Airport Authority of India gave its nod.

The principal secretary to the infrastructure development department said that the Karnataka government has proposed to have airports in 12 district headquarters of the state. For this purpose,the government has already decided to apply for getting permission for constructing airports in Shimogga and Bijapur.

Karnataka chief minister Kumarswami has written a letter to the union government requesting to make necessary arrangements for using the Bidar and Karwar Air Force airports for civilians too. Balegar said that the government has asked Belgaum district administration to acquire another 370 acres land and the Hubli-Dharwar Administration to acquire another 400 acres of land for expanding the existing airports. The Bellary airport would also be developed, he said.

The Principal secretary of the infrastructure development department said that while the percentage of air travel was 20% in 2004-06 from April to July, it has increased to 57% in 2006 from April to July of this year.

Balegar further said that the Karnataka government has written letter to the railway ministry expressing its readiness to share 50% of the construction of the Bidar-Gulbarga railway line and has requested to come forward to sign an MoU on this matter

Vendors protest RPF 'harassment'

Vendors protest RPF 'harassment'
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

2 Dec, 2006 0114hrs IST

HUBLI: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) stall vendors at Hubli railway station struck work on Thursday and Friday to protest against alleged harassment at the hands of the RPF personnel.

The management of these stalls has recently been handed over by the railways to the newly created IRCTC. The departmental vendors had employed two helpers each who were issued identity cards.

But IRCTC officials said that since the handing-over process was at a transition stage, the RPF personnel were targeting the old helpers and fining them heavily for 'unauthorisedly loitering on the platforms'. They said the restaurant on the main platform and four stalls remained closed in protest on Thursday. The restaurant opened on Friday, but later closed down.

One IRCTC vendor, Fateh Ahmed, who was on catering duty at the South Western Railway general manager's office on Thursday, asked his son Fiyaz to attend to the stall in his absence in the interest of passengers.

He said the RPF recovered a fine Rs 1,000 from Fiyaz as he was unable to produce the IRCTC helper's identity card. Five other helpers were also fined Rs 1,000 each on Thursday. RPF refused to recognise their old identity card.

SWR chief public relations officer B S Dasarathi said the issue has since been sorted out. IRCTC area manager B Ramesh has been authorised to issue temporary identity cards to the helpers so that they can work at the stalls.

HIV patient commits suicide A HIV infected patient, undergoing treatment at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli, committed suicide by jumping from the third floor of the hospital building on Thursday. KIMS director M G Hiremath said the patient seemed depressed for the past two days and took the extreme step. He succumbed to the injuries.