DJ party mania grips Hubli on New Year eve

DJ party mania grips Hubli on New Year eve

Basavaraj F Kattimani, TNN, Dec 30, 2010, 10.34pm IST

HUBLI: Gone are the days when hotels and resorts would host orchestras to entertain their customers on the eve of New Year. Now, DJ party mania has gripped the city ahead of the D-Day.

DJ party concept was just confined to metros like Bangalore and Mumbai till recently. But this year, most of the hotels and resorts have roped in DJs (disc jockeys) to entertain the people who ring in the New Year in their hotels and resorts.

DJs from Pune, Mumbai and Goa are in great demand now. Having booked DJ troupes, the hotels are busy preparing for the New Year to take the celebrations to new heights.

Hotels don't even bother to shell out Rs 30,000 to 1.5 lakh to host DJ parties. Fees for individual ranges from Rs 400-800, while it is Rs 1,200-3,000 for couples.

Speaking to `The Times of India', Prashant Arabhavi, general manager of Mandhar Hotel (Dharwad), said: "For the first time, we are designing the venue on Las Vegas theme for the party with a Goan DJ." Prakash Agadi, manager of Cotton County Club here, said they have already booked a good number of people. Pune-based DJs will perform there.

DJ Kushal said they are in demand at parties in cities like Hubli too. DJ parties usually allow the revellers to shake a leg with DJs on stage and listen to their favourite numbers in remixed version.

Rahul Baneerjee, resident manager of Clerks Inn here, said they are not hosting any DJ parties. "But for a change, we offer a Gala Buffet to treat the revellers with 60 types of food items, including continental, oriental, Chinese and Indian. We will also send eight couples on a trip if they happen to occupy lucky seats from among 90," he added.

Dharwad HC to have another circuit Bench

Dharwad HC to have another circuit Bench
TNN, Dec 11, 2010, 09.57pm IST

DHARWAD: The high court circuit Bench at Dharwad will have another divisional Bench. The new Bench will be functional from January 3, said Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Jagadeesh Singh Kehar here on Friday. He said the decision was taken considering the large number of cases being filed at the circuit Bench here.

Justice Kehar, who visited the circuit Bench for the first time after assuming charge as CJ, was addressing the advocates. He said that 17,000 cases had been filed in the circuit Bench in the last four months and the advocates had appealed to the high court to set up another divisional Bench to clear the cases quickly. Two judges will sit in the new divisional Bench.

Justice Kehar said two divisional Benches will deal with civil and criminal cases separately. He said the number of cases filed at a single Bench in Dharwad circuit Bench was on par with that filed at the main Bench at Bangalore and hence the decision to set up another divisional Bench. He called upon the advocates and judges to work in tandem to ensure speedy justice for the litigants.

Justices A S Pachhapure, K Govndraju, V G Sabhahit and H Billappa among others were present.

Boating, amusement park planned at Tolanakere

Boating, amusement park planned at Tolanakere

Staff Correspondent -The Hindu

• Fencing, strengthening of tank bund under way
• Barring one structure, there is no encroachment on the tank area: Deputy Commissioner
• First phase of work likely to be completed in five to six months

Development plan:Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Darpan Jain speaking to presspersons after inspecting ongoing work at Tolanakere

HUBLI: The Dharwad district administration, which has chalked out a plan for the comprehensive development of Tolanakere (a tank) near Ramalingeshwar Nagar in Hubli, will initially begin work on strengthening the tank bund.

Speaking to presspersons after reviewing the ongoing work at Tolanakere on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Darpan Jain said that Rs. 1.8 crore would be spent for fencing the tank area, strengthening the tank bund and other related work in the first phase.

Mr. Jain said that the boundary of the 23-acre tank had been demarcated.

He clarified that barring one structure, there was no encroachment on the tank area. The tank area was being used by brick manufacturers who had set up kilns.

“We have informed the brick manufacturers, and will soon clear the kilns once the work gets going,” he said.

The Deputy Commissioner said the work had been undertaken under the Rs. 100-crore grant sanctioned by the State Government to the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. The first phase of work was likely to be completed in five to six months.

Second phase

Mr. Jain said that in the next phase, steps would be taken to divert sewage entering the tank. A viewing point would be created and landscaping done. There were plans to start boating once the development work was completed, he said.

“We are planning a children's amusement park and other facilities. We are working out a system to ensure there is no dearth of funds for their maintenance.”

Regarding development of the Unakal tank, Mr. Jain said that sewage entering the tank had been diverted by laying underground drainage pipes in residential areas located around the tank.

Waste management

To a query, he said the district administration had submitted an integrated solid waste management proposal to the State Government and was awaiting its approval.

On unauthorised religious structures in the twin cities and in the district, Mr. Jain said the process of clearing such structures would begin in a day or two.

“Once again our officials have issued notices, conducted spot verifications and interacted with local residents and organisations. We want them to clear such structures on their own and if they don't, we will step in and do it after taking all those concerned into confidence,” Mr. Jain added

HDMC conferred Best Practice Award

HDMC conferred Best Practice Award

TNN, Dec 8, 2010, 08.53pm IST

HUBLI: Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) is perhaps the first corporation in the state to be appreciated by the state urban development department for adopting technology to provide hassle-free services to the public.

HDMC has been chosen for prestigious Best Practice Award-2010 under city corporations' category by Karnataka Urban Development Department (KUDD) in association with City Managers' Association-Karnataka ( CMAK) for its initiative in automized building plan approval system and implementation of volumetric tariff for water supply system.

HDMC is also said to have inspired other corporations in the state to adopt the services being offered by it __ to provide building plans and fixing volumetric water tariff.

According to a KUDD letter available with TOI, HDMC has been chosen for the coveted award "for revolutionizing the way of issuing building plans (building permission)" by adopting technology called Auto DCR software.

Earlier, people had to wait for over 21 days to get building permission. But after the implementation of the new system, people are getting building licence within a week.

The documents furnished by building owners will be loaded into the software. The applicants will be called for clarification, only if found to be violating the norms while constructing building. If not, the licence will be couriered to their address within seven days.

The government is also impressed with the way the corporation implemented the volumetric tariff for water supply in the twin cities. HDMC had earlier fixed flat prices as water tariff. But it has now joined hands with Water Board to introduce volumetric traffic.

Accordingly, the water tariff will be collected as per the consumption of water, instead of fixing uniform tariff to all consumers. If a person uses less water, (s)he will pay less amount.

Speaking to `The Times of India', HDMC commissioner K V Trilokchandra said: "We are happy that the government has recognized our works. The award has further increased our responsibility to deliver better services. We will strive to provide good services to the public."

Hubli-Dharwad's incubation centre attracts start-ups

Hubli-Dharwad's incubation centre attracts start-ups

Anil Urs- The Hindu Business Line, Hubli, Dec. 6

Incubation facility at iiitb@hd (International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore Hubli-Dharwad Centre) has begun to attract start-ups.

“The facility at iiitb@hd located at IT-Park in Hubli opposite Glass House launched in 2009 had attracted only one company. But of late, we are getting many enquiries,” said Ms Suma S. Shetty, Assistant Manager, iiitb@hd.

“The incubation facility has about 2,000 sq. ft of space to let and fully equipped to house start-up companies. Space is available with or without airconditoners,” she added.

Recently Aissel Solutions, a start-up offering solutions in pharmaceutical and media sphere with six employees, has started operating in 200 sq. ft.

Ms Shetty said Aissel started by Mr Prasad Patil is a business research and technology solutions start-up creating products and services for global pharmaceutical and media companies.

In the last six months, enquires for space have increased at iiitb@hd. The price quoted for space with air conditioner is Rs 55 a sq. ft and without it Rs 45 a sq. ft.

Incubation space is accorded priority to proposals based on work that has commercial potential carried out at the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (iiitb).

“But of late, lot of enquires are from information technology (IT) professionals working in Bangalore's major IT companies and turning entrepreneurs by getting venture funds for their ideas,” said Ms Shetty.

“When we launched the facility in 2009, only one company — Pluto Engineering Solutions (PES) — came up to set up facility,” said Ms Shetty.

PES, a start-up founded by Kiran P. Vaidya, offers solutions in structural engineering and has 20 employees on its role and operates in 600 sq. ft.

PES is primarily engaged in analysis, design and detailing of steel and RCC structures in addition to architectural services.

Sadhanakeri Lake to sport new look soon

Sadhanakeri Lake to sport new look soon

GURURAJ JAMKHANDI, TNN, Dec 3, 2010, 09.13pm IST

DHARWAD: Sadhanakeri, the lake that was a source of inspiration to Jnanpith laureate poet Da Raa Bendre, is now ready to inspire new-generation Bendres with a new look. The lake and its surroundings have been given a facelift under the Baaro Sadhankerige project sanctioned by the department of tourism (GoI), and is all set to be thrown open to the public in a month.

DC Darpan Jain, who has succeeded in taking the project to the logical end, told reporters here on Thursday that civil works at the tank site are completed and the park is expected to be inaugurated before January 26.

The area spread over eight acre land has been transformed into a park which houses an amphitheatre, a musical fountain, boating facility, canteen, walk path, landscaping, playing equipment for children, etc. Nirmiti Kendra has made the dream come true at a cost of Rs 2.58 crore.

Jain said a proposal was submitted to the Union government in 2006, seeking funds for development and beautification of the historic tank. The Centre had allotted Rs 3.6 crore for the project and the work had been entrusted to a private contractor. However due to poor quality of work, the amphitheatre collapsed, forcing the government to terminate the contract and assign the work to Nirmiti Kendra under the direct supervision of DC in April 2010.

Measures have been taken for illuminating the park and also creating parking space. There are toilet blocks in and outside the park.

Two pedal boats and a mechanical boat would be operational for the public. The park would be a plastic-free zone. Cultural programmes at weekends would be regularly organized at the amphitheatre.

The lake and park would initially be maintained by Nirmit Kendra.

State to get two world class education hubs

State to get two world class education hubs

November 30th, 2010

DC Correspondent

Nov. 29: The education sector is set to receive a heavy flow of investment as if things go according to plan, the state will develop two education hubs; one at Chikkaballapur and another at Dharward, and the institutions will be set up with an initial investment of Rs 1,475crore.

According to senior officials of the department of higher education, “The Chennai-based Marg Group has been granted permission to set up the education hub at Dharwad, while the Manipal-based MAHE University will develop a world-class multi disciplinary global education campus at Doddaballapur in Chikkaballapur district.

The State High Level Clearance Committee (SHLC) has cleared both projects.” In fact, for the first time, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) will allot land for the two institutions to be set up. Just recently, educational institutions had appealed to the state government asking it for land to develop new campuses.

According to sources, the Marg group will invest Rs 980 crore for the proposed education hub at Dharward, which is expected to create 2,690 employment opportunities and the KIADB will distribute 100 acres of land for the purpose.

“According to the proposal, this education hub will accommodate a number of educational institutions under one roof. It is a first-of-its-kind experiment in the state and nobody has invested such a large sum of money to build a campus,” said the sources.

Meanwhile, the MAHE University is making an initial investment of Rs 495 crore for the hub at Doddaballapur taluk, and the KIADB will allot 60 acres of land for this purpose.

Mr Rajesh H. Rao, an overseas education consultant, said that the proposed education hubs are expected to be the country’s answer to the fear of foreign investments in the education sector. “The education sector has a lot of scope for investment. Such big investments and exclusive hubs help institutes share an understanding with prestigious institutes from foreign countries while providing quality education to our students,” said Mr Rao.

Hubli Airport: Land would be acquired within a month, says DC

Hubli Airport: Land would be acquired within a month, says DC

TNN, Oct 19, 2010, 10.09pm IST

HUBLI: The Dharwad district administration, which is trying hard to complete the land-acquisition process towards the expansion of Hubli airport so that it can hand over the land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development, has sought an immediate assistance of Rs 100 crore.

DC Darpan Jain told reporters on Monday that several hurdles in completing the land-acquisition process had been cleared and about 99% of the land owners had given their consent to part with their land.

He expressed confidence that the entire land-acquisition process would be completed within a month. "We have sought a grant of Rs 100 crore to compensate the land owners, and we expect to receive the same from the government shortly," he added.

Jain said the survey for laying four-lane road between Hubli and Dharwad had been completed and tender bids on the Rs 174-crore project would be opened on October 26.

Shettar lays foundation stone

Shettar lays foundation stone

TNN, Oct 18, 2010, 10.32pm IST

HUBLI: Dharwad district minister Jagadish Shettar has said the upcoming sports complex plays a vital role in the making Hubli-Dharwad, collectively a mega city.

Speaking after laying a foundation stone for a sports complex at the Gymkhana Grounds here on Monday, he said north Karnataka has sporting talent in abundance, "but lack of government will to create proper infrastructure is proving to be a dampener". "Because of this, sportspersons with sound background are making their own arrangements to compete in top sporting events, while others who are poor go unnoticed," he added.

Shettar appreciated the efforts of Karnataka Gymkhana Association (KGA) for building the complex without much help from the government. "Efforts are being made to build an indoor stadium at Heggeri Grounds, and also to complete the work on a pavilion at KSCA Stadium in Rajnagar," he added.

Appreciating the efforts of KGA, MP Pralhad Joshi said there will be less scope for confusion in the development works taken up under PPP model and there will be a sense of ownership about the property among the public.

Highlighting the need to improve sports infrastructure in the twin cities, DC Darpan Jain hailed KGA for voluntarily building a sports complex. Jain also expressed happiness over putting the land to optimal utilization, at least after 90 years of its being handed over by the government to KGA.

Stating that there is a lot of sporting talent in the region, Jain said there is a huge inflow of students into the twin cities needing good sports-related infrastructure. The DC requested KGA authorities to identify the poor but talented sportspersons and train them.

Indoor stadium to be ready soon

DHARWAD:Indoor stadium to be ready soon

GURURAJ JAMKHANDI, TNN, Oct 11, 2010, 09.38pm IST

DHARWAD: The indoor stadium at Dharwad for which the foundation stone had been laid eight years ago is finally getting ready for the use of sportspersons. The jinxed stadium has seen several obstacles before being dedicated to the public. If everything goes according to the plan the stadium should be available for use latest by November end.

Deputy commissioner Darpan Jain, who visited the indoor stadium near R N Shetty stadium here, expressed confidence that the work will be completed in six weeks. When done, the stadium will have a seating capacity of 350, floodlight and generator to ensure uninterrupted power supply.

It was the dream of sports lovers in Dharwad to have an indoor stadium in the city to ensure that the sports activity does not get disrupted for a major part of the year due to rain.

The plan for the stadium was prepared way back in 2001 and the foundation stone was laid in August 2002.

The construction work was assigned to Karnataka Land Army but in the absence of funds flowing in, the work did not progress much.

Meanwhile, the 70-feet wall of the stadium collapsed on January 26, 2008 injuring one person. The mishap occurred when thousands of people had gathered to celebrate Republic Day at the R N Shetty stadium which is just a few meters away from the indoor stadium. The then DC M S Srikar had ordered an inquiry into the incident. A team of experts arrived from Bangalore on February 7, 2008 to find the cause of the collapse and reported that negligence on the part of construction agency had been responsible for the mishap.

DC Darpan Jain said the well-equipped stadium has come up at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. Jain informed that proposals have been sent to the government to sanction Rs 3.50 crore to develop a synthetic track at R N Shetty Stadium, and Rs 1 crore to construct a sports hostel.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has proposed to construct a complex at the Karnatak University premises, and the varsity has given the approval in principle to provide land for this purpose. All facilities will be provided here to conduct sports activities regularly.

Mangalore, Dharwad can boast of science centres soon

Mangalore, Dharwad can boast of science centres soon

TNN, Oct 9, 2010, 05.24am IST

BANGALORE: More and more students in Karnataka are keen on pursuing a career in science. In view of this, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) will start science centres in Dharwad and Mangalore for Rs 8.5 crore each.

NCSM director G S Rautela on Friday said the Council plans to start 13 science centres across India by 2012. Two ones will come up in Dharwad and Mangalore. "There is high interest among students towards science in Karnataka. In fact, we have the highest number of pending proposals from the state. Science centres will be set up in Mysore, Haveri, Tumkur, Gadag, Raichur and Bidar in phases," Rautela said.

Among the 26 science museums in the country, Bangalore-based Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) attracts the second highest number of visitors each year, he said. Kolkata Science City gets 1.4 million visitors while VITM attracts around 9 lakh visitors every year.

This year's edition of the national student science seminar was held in Bangalore where 35 students from all states/UTs presented views on `India and world science: Are we there?'. Participating schools will be given a Newtonian telescope developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore.

NOBEL PRIZES CEREMONY

To encourage schoolchildren to pursue careers in science, the council plans to send four students from different parts of the country to attend the Nobel prize ceremony every year.

Rautela said the council is in talks with the Stockholm-based Nobel Foundation to allow high school kids from India to attend the ceremony. "We already have a programme to send four children every year to Korea Science Festival. We have also send bright high school students to Nasa. Now, we want to choose four students from different zones of the country and send them to the Nobel prize ceremony," he said.

Traffic police go hi-tech with e-challan

Traffic police go hi-tech with e-challan

Vincent D'Souza, TNN, Oct 6, 2010, 10.14pm IST

HUBLI: On several occasions, traffic cops have found themselves on the other side of the law, by faking the challan book. But that is just impossible now in the twin cities, as the Hubli-Dharwad police commissionerate has now gone hi-tech.

For the first time in the country, e-challan machines have been introduced to do away with all kinds of manipulations and to bring in transparency in penalizing traffic violators. A total of 10 units of e-challan or handheld machines developed by Hubli-based Trinity Technologies and Software Solutions Private Limited, is being used by the traffic cops in twin cities for the past few weeks. The process of obtaining another 12 machines is on, traffic ACP Sanjeev M Patil told `The Times of India.'

He said this advanced technology will save cops a lot of time, as it would take 3-5 minutes for cops to manually note all necessary details such as type of vehicle, registration number, name of owner, fine amount etc. The e-challan machine, which has printers attached to it will generate the receipt instantly on punching the violation code.

Also, the total number of cases booked and amount of fine collected on a particular day will be known at the end of the day with just a click of a button. Earlier, it used to take at least half an hour for the cops to add figures from the manual receipts.

Patil said at the end of the day, the cops operating e-challan machines will transfer the data into the computer at the police station, which will be then moved into the central server located at the commissioner's office. The process of the adopting GPRS technology is on and once it is done, data will be directly stored in the central server without wires.

The user-friendly device will also help police improve their image, as there is no scope for public to doubt them regarding the amount of fine. They will not have to ask a series of questions or bargain with the police before paying up for the violation. Patil said the number of cases booked has also gone up by 30% since the introduction of e-challans.

The new device also has the provision to issue court notices and has a ISD card reader to detect smart cards. The software developer, Rajneesh Ganjiyal, said there is scope for further modification of the device.

Industries to set up units at Dharwad

Industries to set up units at Dharwad

Aug 2, 2010, 09.41pm IST

DHARWAD: Mahindra and Mahindra and few other industries have expressed their willingness to establish their units at Dharwad. Minister for large and medium industries, Murugesh Nirani, said a JCB unit with an investment of Rs 500 crore will be set up at Dharwad.

Nirani told The Times of India on Monday that Baba Kalyani group will shift its proposed unit from Bangalore to Dharwad. Also, Hero Honda, which proposed to produce one lakh vehicles every year at Dharwad has now decided to manufacture two lakh vehicles per year, the minister disclosed.

Speaking on the government's future plans, the industries minister said it will introduce a new scheme __ `Udgyoga, Uddime' (employment, industry) __ to reduce unemployment among rural youths. Separate offices will be established at Gulbarga, Belgaum, Mysore and Bangalore divisions to implement the scheme effectively. The Centre will join the state government in sponsoring this scheme.

M&M may set up unit at Dharwad

M & M may set up unit at Dharwad

BS Reporter | 2010-08-03 01:50:00

Mahindra and Mahindra, and a few other industries have expressed their willingness to establish their units at Dharwad. Minister for large and medium industries Murugesh Nirani said an earth-moving equipment unit with an investment of Rs 500 crore would be set up at Dharwad.

Nirani told Business Standard here on Monday the Baba Kalyani group was planning to shift its proposed unit in Bangalore to Dharwad. Hero Honda which proposed to produce 100,000 vehicles per annum at its proposed plant at Dharwad to be set up over an area of 500 acres, had decided to produce 200,000 vehicles, Nirani said.

The government will introduce a new scheme — Udyoga, Uddime (employment, industry) to make rural youths employable. Separate offices will be established at Gulbarga, Belgaum, Mysore and Bangalore divisions to implement the scheme effectively.

The Centre will join the state in sponsoring the scheme. Stating Karnataka’s share in India’s exports was 13.3 per cent, Nirani said, efforts were being made to stabilise export ratio.

Earlier, Nirani inaugurated the computerised trade information centre of the Vishweshwaraiah Industrial Trade Centre (VITC) and National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI) at the district industries centre premises in Dharwad and participated in the founders’ day programme at the Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries at Hubli.

End of JNNURM Dream for Twin Cities, but in for UIDSSMT

The Government is planning to extend the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to some more cities in the country. It was proposed to include the following 28 cities/urban agglomerations with population of 5 lakh and above under the Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) component of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM):

S.No.

Name of the State

Name of Town

1.

Andhra Pradesh

Guntur

Warangal

2.

Chattisgarh

Durg- Bhilai Nagar

3.

Gujarat

Bhavnagar

Jamnagar

4.

Karnataka

Belgaum

Hubli-Dharwad

Mangalore

5.

Kerala

Kozhikode

6.

Madhya Pradesh

Gwalior

7.

Maharashtra

Amravati

Aurangabad

Bhiwandi

Kolhapur

Solapur

8.

Orissa

Cuttak

9.

Punjab

Jalandhar

10.

Rajasthan

Bikaner

Jodhpur

Kota

11.

Tamilnadu

Salem

Tiruchirappalli

Tiruppur

12.

Uttar Pradesh

Aligarh

Bareilly

Ghaziabad

Gorakhpur

Moradabad

On account of resource constraints, these cities could not be included in UIG of JNNURM.

Public private partnership can play a significant role in supplementing Government’s efforts of building infrastructure in urban areas. JNNURM encourages urban loal bodies to use public private partnership for this purpose.

Request for inclusion under UIG of JNNURM have been received from a number of cities including Warangal, Karamsad, Gandhinagar, Hubli-Dharward, Gulbarga, Belgaum, Gaya, Biharshariff, Pawapur, Nalanda, Rajgir, Sultanpur-Lodhi, Kurkshetra- Pehowa, Gurgaon, Aurangabad, Vrindavan, Kurnool, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Guntur, Panipat, Bellary, Calicut, Darjeeling, Klimpong & Kurseong, Deoghar, Sambalpur, Dhule, Malegaon, Kolhapur, Port Blair, Kaithal, Siliguri, Haldia, Amravati, Solapur and all cities of Bihar with population above 2 lakh.

Cities that are not covered under this component are eligible for coverage under another component of JNNURM, namely Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) subject to availability of funds.

This information was given by Shri Saugata Roy, Minister of State, Urban Development in reply to a question in Lok Sabha Today.

Global Investor's Meet, 3rd & 4th June 2010, Bangalore, INDIA

B’lore India Bio kicks off

B’lore India Bio kicks off

Bangalore, June 2, DHNS

The tenth edition of Bangalore Bio, annual biotech conference in India, Bangalore India Bio 2010, was inaugurated by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa here, on Tuesday.

Yeddyurappa said “The year 2010 is very significant for the conference as we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Bangalore Bio. The event has pan-India significance and the new name ‘Bangalore India Bio’ itself indicates the same.”

Further, he said, the biotech sector in Karnataka enjoys comfortable position in terms of growth and revenues. The government has already announced several fiscal incentives and concessions for the sector in the ‘Millennium Biotech Policy.’ “We have also proposed a Bio-Venture fund of $10 million and also plan to start 10 BT finishing schools to groom the industry ready biotech professionals.”

The State government would set up biotech parks in Mysore, Mangalore, Dharwad and Bidar. Bio-cluster part of Bangalore Biotech Park would be developed in the PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode and the process of selecting the developer is in the final stage, he added.

Karnataka had added 11 BT firms over the 12 months while rest of India added 32 firms. The state attracted investments of Rs 1,500 crore in the last one year. The chief minister also handed over letter of intent to Manipal Institute of Life Science and Dayanada Sagar Institute to start Biotech finishing school.

Steady growth

Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said the country’s biotech industry is on its growth trajectory. In the financial year 2010 the revenue from biotech sector was around was around $3 billion and the ancillary industries registered revenue of around $1 billion. She said the overall revenue from the sector was about Rs 18,500 crore which is about $4 billion and expect to cross the $5 billion mark soon.

Further, she said, climate change and clean energy were turning out to be huge opportunities for the sector. Karnataka constitutes 50 per cent of BT firms in India. Out of 380 BT companies in India, 198 are in Karnataka, she added.

12 Tata firms keen to invest in Karnataka, says official

12 Tata firms keen to invest in Karnataka, says official

Economic Times - 31 May 2010, 2127 hrs IST,IANS

BANGALORE: At least 12 companies of the $70-billion Tata Group have shown interest in investing in Karnataka and help develop infrastructure, a senior official said on Monday.

"A delegation of Tata firms has evinced interest in housing, hospitality and steel sectors. We have approved a proposal from Tata Metaliks to set up a steel plant at Haveri in central Karnataka and offered land to the group for housing projects at different locations in the state," Industries and Commerce Principal Secretary V P Baligar told reporters here.

In the run-up to the Global Investors' Meet (GIM 2010) June 3-4, the Tata delegation led by Tata Steel vice-chairman B. Muthuraman held discussions with Minister for Large and Medium Industries Murugesh R Nirani and officials to find out what the state government was offering to prospective investors.

"We are interested to invest in Karnataka in power, steel, housing, tourism, communication and aerospace sectors and look forward to full support of the state government for the ongoing projects and future investments in the state," Muthuraman said.

The Tata Housing Development Co has shown interest in replicating its Nano housing model in the state, which offers budget flats for about Rs 400,000.

"We have agreed to offer land at various places, including Devanahalli and Doddaballaupur near Bangalore, Dharwad in the northern region and Mysore and Harohalli in the southern region," Baligar said.

Tata Power has shown interest to investment in gas-based power plant at Gadag, Belgaum or Davanagere in the northern region of the state.

The state government has also offered to allot land anywhere in the state for any Tata group project.

The state high level clearance committee has already cleared the proposal of Tata Elxsi to expand its software development park in Bangalore.

Representatives of Tata Sons Ltd, Tata Housing Development Company Ltd, Tata Communications, Tata Power, Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd, Tata Steel Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata International Ltd, Tata Chemicals Ltd, Tata Docomo and Indian Hotels Company Ltd also participated in the discussions.

Rs. 5-lakh cr.-worth investments coming Karnataka's way: Nirani

Rs. 5-lakh cr.-worth investments coming Karnataka's way: Nirani

THE HINDU - SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Photo: K. Murali Kumar

400 MoUs to be signed during Global Investors Meet

BANGALORE: Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries Murugesh R. Nirani, with Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, V.P. Baligar, at a press conference in Bangalore on Monday.

The investment proposals being cleared by the Karnataka government are now expected to touch Rs. 5-lakh crore by the end of the two-day Global Investors Meet (GIM) that begins in Bangalore on June 3, according to Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries Murugesh R. Nirani.

Addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Monday, after inspecting the preparations for holding the GIM at the Palace Grounds, the Minister said the government had decided to hold a meeting of the State High-Level Clearance Committee (SHLCC) on the last day of the GIM (June 4) as new investment proposals were still coming in. The SHLCC would accept applications on investment proposals till noon on June 4, he said.

The Minister said the government would sign about 400 memoranda of understanding with leading industrial houses such as ArcelorMittal (Rs. 30,000 crore for a steel plant); Shell (Rs. 1,376 crore for a R&D Centre); Lafarge (Rs. 1,500 crore for a cement plant); Tata Elxsi (Rs. 486 crore for a hardware designing unit); Birla Cement (Rs. 3,000 crore); Reliance (Rs. 6,796 crore for gas pipeline); GAIL (Rs. 8,656 crore for gas pipeline), Infosys and Wipro.

More than 2,000 delegates were expected to participate in the GIM, he said.

Top industrialists and investors who had confirmed their participation included Lakshmi Mittal of ArcelorMittal, Kumaramangalam Birla of the Aditya Birla Group, Raghupathi Singania of JK Tyres, Sajjan Jindal of JSW Steel, Vikram Kirloskar of Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Vijay Mallya of the UB Group.

Posco may exit Karnataka project, Tatas seek entry

Posco may exit Karnataka project, Tatas seek entry

Posco will most likely not go through with its Rs32,336 crore proposal after the steel giant was denied a mining licence in advance for the Bellary plant

Live Mint Madhurima Nandy and K. Raghu

Bangalore: Even as Posco’s plan to set up a steel plant in Karnataka may be on the verge of getting scrapped, the Tatas are in advanced talks to invest Rs10,000 crore in the southern state.

Tata Sons Ltd is seeking to put money into sectors such as real estate, infrastructure and power across 9-10 projects, Murugesh Nirani, Karnataka’s small- and medium-scale industries minister, said in Bangalore on Monday.

Posco will most likely not go through with its Rs32,336 crore proposal after the steel giant was denied a mining licence in advance for the Bellary plant, the minister said.

It won’t now be part of the Rs3 trillion of investment expected to come to the state, the minister said, three days before the Advantage Karnataka-Global Investors Meet (GIM) that’s scheduled to be held this week.

Brotin Banerjee, managing director, Tata Housing Development Co. Ltd, said the realty arm of Tata Sons had significant interest in the state as part of the group’s investment plans.

Karnataka lost out in the race to host the Nano car plant, which went to Gujarat after being forced to leave West Bengal.

Of the total promised investments so far, the single largest share had belonged to Posco, followed by ArcelorMittal India Ltd’s Rs30,000 crore steel plant project, also in Bellary.

Most of the investments are in the steel and cement sectors, more than half of which is in the mineral rich areas of northern Karnataka.

The two-day GIM is taking place after a decade, with ArcelorMittal chairman Lakshmi Mittal expected to be present at the inauguration.

“Posco had too many conditions and also wanted a captive mining licence as a pre-condition before any investment, but we didn’t agree to it,” said V.P. Baligar, principal secretary (industries) in the Karnataka government.

When asked about the Karnataka project, Posco-India Pvt. Ltd vice-president Vikas Sharan said, “It is being handled directly from Korea. We are not handling this; we are responsible for only the Orissa project.” An email sent to Posco’s Korea office was not answered.

ArcelorMittal has already paid Rs260 crore towards land acquisition to the Karnataka Industrial and Area Development Board while Posco has not made any payment to the government even after its project was approved earlier in May, said a senior government official, who didn’t want to be named.

“We have applied for a mining licence for three mines in Bellary and are awaiting clearance,” said a senior ArcelorMittal India official.

“The final clearance comes from the Central government,” the official added.

madhurima.n@livemint.com

Karnataka: 'Tech address'ing the world

Karnataka: 'Tech address'ing the world

Times of India, May 29, 2010, 05.04am IST

Karnataka is a formidable avatar when it comes to the tech front. Little wonder that it is a prestigious address in the world of tech business today. We bring you some facts and figures which makes Karnataka what she is in the tech galaxy.

As a Knowledge hub Karnataka has 103 R&D Centres, 20 Universities, 158 Engineering Colleges, 39 Medical Colleges, 44 Dental Colleges, 47 International Schools and 1003 Industrial Training Institutes. Powered by over 5 lakh IT professionals, Bangalore, better identified as the IT Capital of India is the 4th largest technology cluster in the world, the other 3 being Silicon Valley, Boston and London. Bangalore has over 2,184 IT Companies of which 743 are MNCs. Of the 87 CMM Level-5 IT Companies in the world, 32 are in Bangalore. And with each passing day Karnataka's family of knowledge workers is only getting bigger.

Foreseeing future growth, the Government blue print on the infrastructure scene has a lot to offer. A fast track elevated expressway leading to Electronic City, hardware tech park near Bangalore International Airport, robust telecom OFC network of over 60,000 Kms etc. are some of them.

Secondary cities are being actively promoted through establishing IT Parks and Networks. High speed data facility operating centres are to soon dot the landscapes of Mangalore, Mysore, Dharwad, Belgaum, Shimoga, Gulbarga, Tumkur and Davanagere. An IT Investment Region (under the GoI scheme) covering a minimum area of 40 Sq Kms or 4,000 hectares of land is being setup near the Bangalore International Airport. If all this were not enough, the Government is also planning Industrial corridors from Bangalore to Davanagere through Tumkur, Bangalore to Bidar, Honnavar to Shimoga and Chitradurga to Belgaum through Haveri, covering most of the districts. The Animation and Gaming Academy is also round the corner.

Strengthening vital infrastructure in Tier-II and III cities seems high on the Government's agenda. Air-connectivity is being augmented in these cities. While the existing airports at Belgaum, Hubli-Dharwad and Mangalore are being upgraded, Greenfield airports are being planned in Shimoga and Gulbarga. An IT Park with 2.75 lakh sq ft built-up facility catering to IT & BPO companies and the Aryabhata Tech park at Hubli are already functional.

The Semiconductor Policy 2010 is tell tale of the Government's intent to give a thrust to the hard ware front. Financial assistance to firms for filling IP, assistance to augment the Orchid Tech Space in STPI to a Characterization Lab, special incentives for setting up of ATMPS on a case-to-case based on specific employment potential, a focus school under IIIT equipped with state-of-the-art research labs etc. are some of the policy highlights. There also is a special fund of Rs.10 crores earmarked for semi conductor excellence which will encourage innovation and R & D in Chip Design, product development, telecom etc. apart from the fiscal incentives as per the Karnataka Industrial Policy 2009-2014.

Also in the proposal stage are the ICT and the Electronic Hardware policies. The later may raise the curtain on the Electronics Hardware Manufacturing Hubs (EHMHs) proposed in four corridors. The ICT policy may see the creation of a separate authority for the IT & BT sectors, entry tax exemptions on capital goods and power tariff concessions. Both the policies will have the fiscal incentives as per the Karnataka Industrial Policy 2009-2014.

The Millennium Biotech Policy II is to bring in BT parks such as Nutri-Nutraceutical and Phyto-pharmaceutical (Medicinal Plant) Parks at Mysore, Marine Biotech Park at Mangalore, Vivarium (Animal House) at Bidar and Agri-Biotech Park at Dharwad. The Government also seeks to fund Rs.1 crore per BT finishing school which will bring in 10 BT Finishing Schools. All Research Labs will automatically come under the Green Category. All fiscal incentives and concessions offered under the Karnataka Industrial Policy 2009-2014 shall be extended to the Biotechnology industry and the R & D Centres. The Bangalore Helix - Bangalore Biotech Park with SEZ facilities already offer world class Infrastructure, state-of-the-art Biotech Incubators, Common Instrumentation Facilities and R&D centres. While on the functional aspect are the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) and Centre for Human Genetics (CHG) Campus, elements like Biotech Incubation Centre (BIC), Common Instrumentation Facilities (CIF), Biotech Industries Cluster and Common Effluent Treatment Plant bring in the required value adds for the investor.

Besides, the State Government is now in the process of formalizing steps that may soon bring in the much needed element of 'flexibility in policy initiatives' to cater to the changing demands of the industry. As part of a few more new initiatives, KEONICS is to set up IT parks in secondary cites like Mysore, Mangalore, Shimoga, Belgaum and Gulbarga. BPO units in rural areas are to enjoy fiscal incentives from the Government. As a move to popularize Internet usage in rural areas by, Electronic Public Consumer Outlets (e-PCOs) are to be set up.

If one were to catogorise the existing biggies, the Karnataka tech theatre looks something like this:

Integrated Chip Design - Texas Instruments, Intel, AMD, Siemens, Synopsys, Philips, Analog Devices, National Semiconductors, Freescale Semiconductor, Broadcom etc.

System Software - Oracle, SAP, Novell, Sun Microsystems, HP, Network Associates etc.

Communication Software - Lucent Technologies, Nortel, Siemens, Motorola, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Sony, Sasken, Nokia etc.

Multinational R&D centres - Texas Instruments, Motorola, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, GE,SAP, AstraZeneca, Microsoft, Intel, Philips, Cisco, Oracle, AMD, IBM etc.

Biotech Exporters - Biocon India Ltd, Sami Labs, Sartorius India Pvt. Ltd, Aurigene Discoveries, Astra Zeneca India, Strand Genomics, Metahelix, Avesthagen, Novozymes Sigma Aldrich, MWG India, Cipla, Himalaya Drug Co., Natural Remedies etc.

In all, Karnataka is on the threshold of a renewed technological revolution. One now has to see how many more await to enter Karnataka when the doors open at the Global Investors Meet 2010.

S M Krishna opens passport service centres

S M Krishna opens passport service centres

ANI 2010-05-28 19:40:00

Bangalore: External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said on Friday that the inauguration of passport seva centres marks the culmination of a long and arduous process of changing a 50-year old system in line with today's needs.

Addressing the gathering after inaugurating passport seva centres at Bangalore, Mangalore and Hubli, Krishna said: "Inauguration marks a red letter day in the quest of my Ministry to bring about quantum improvement in the quality of Passport services to our citizens."

"This also marks the culmination of a long and arduous process of changing a 50-year old system in line with today's needs," he added.

Krishna said the change involved a study of the existing processes, study of the procedures being followed in other countries, adapting these best practices to India.

"There were challenges and difficulties which needed to be surmounted before the system could be opened to the public," Krishna said.

In his address, Krishna said the era of globalisation has brought rapid change in the growth rate and integrated India more closely with changing world.

"The process of economic liberalization and reforms envisioned by Shri Rajiv Gandhiji and pursued with dedication and redoubled vigour by the central government since the early 1990s, brought about high growth rates and also integrated our country more closely into the rapidly globalising world," he said.

"The resultant opportunities and the growing proportion of the youth in our county pushed the demand for passports to unprecedented levels and between 1958 and 2006, the number of passport applicants increased 133 times and between 2006 and 2010, the number of passport applicants almost doubled," Krishna added.

The project involves setting up of seventy seven state of the art Passport Seva Kendras across the country in the first phase, a 24x 7 call centre operating in 18 languages, capturing biometrics of all applicants, more counters and increased public dealing hours.

The project also provides connectivity of the system to the district police headquarters to ensure faster police verification, status updates to the citizens through SMS and email, and uniform procedures and transparent and time bound completion of all processes.

"Live trials have revealed that these measures have indeed led to a quantum improvement in the speed of processing of passport applications," Krishna said.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has enhanced the amount payable to the State Government from Rs 100/- to Rs 150/- per verification.

"I would like to request the State Government, through the good offices of the Hon'ble Chief Minister and the senior police officials present, to extend their fullest cooperation to the Passport Office to get all police verification done expeditiously for the benefit of the residents of Karnataka State," Krishna said.

In his address Krishna also appreciated the work of Tata Consultancy Serivices.

Krishna also said a similar centre would be launched at Chandigarh in June.

After the pilot locations start working and are certified by an independent authority, the project will be rolled out across the country. (ANI)

No land in Bangalore, govt tells investors

No land in Bangalore, govt tells investors

P M Raghunandan, Bangalore, May 27, DHNS:

Planning investments in Karnataka? Not anywhere in and around Bangalore. Or, at least, this is what the State government has of late been telling investors, especially those in the manufacturing sector. Reason? The high land price.

Except for a few acres that is acquired or identified for acquisition long ago, the government does not have land in Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural districts to offer it to investors. And it also has no plans to acquire any either in the coming days.

As a result, the government has reserved the two districts for only high-end IT and aerospace sectors. “The land prices in the two districts are too high for acquisition. Moreover, there is hardly any land available here. So, we have decided to allow only for two sectors — high-end IT and aerospace,” V P Baligar, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce said.

Illustrating his statement, he said the government was paying a whopping Rs 70 lakh an acre as compensation in Devanahalli for the proposed Devanahalli Industrial Park, the highest ever compensation given for land acquisition by the government.

Currently, the government has just 2,321 acres in Bangalore Urban, while in Bangalore Rural, it has 3,011 acres, mostly in Devanahalli. The government, therefore, is hard-selling Tier-II cities and small towns close to Bangalore — Tumkur and Ramanagara for fresh investments.

That is also the reason for the Department of Industries and Commerce’s land acquisition spree in these cities and towns. The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has acquired 12,205 acres in Ramanagara alone, the highest among districts, for creating a land bank. It is followed by Belgaum with 10,842 acres, Bijapur 9,926, Dharwad 9,347, Tumkur 8,363 and Bellary 6,151 acres.

Baligar said investors keen on land close to the State capital were being persuaded to opt for nearest towns like Sira, Kunigal in Tumkur district, Bangarpet, Malur, Srinivasapur in Kolar district and Ramanagara, where land is cheaper. “With good road and railway connectivity, these towns are as good as Bangalore for investors,” he explained.

The government aims at having a total of 1,00,861 acres in the land bank exclusively for industries. Of that lot, 87,005.06 acres is private land and 13,856.09 acres belongs to the government. The KIADB has so far acquired 12,379.14 acres, issued preliminary notification for acquiring 46,734.03. It is yet to initiate the process to acquire41,747.38 acre across almost all districts.

It is in Ramanagara the government has acquired largest extent of private farm land (12,250 acre) for the land bank. The government is bound to hardsell Karnataka at the proposed Global Investors Meet next month. But if prospective investors are looking for land in and around the Capital to put up their projects, then they are in for disappointment.

State proposes seven SEZs for global investors’ meet

State proposes seven SEZs for global investors’ meet

DH News, Subrahmanyan Viswanath, May 19,

Bangalore: With D-date for Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) approaching near, project proposals are flying off drawing boards fast and furious. The State government is working overtime to make the most of the two-day meet to woo as much investment as possible.

So much so, as many as seven Special Economic Zone (SEZ) proposals besides two industrial parks have been lined up for global and domestic private players participating at the GIM. Of the seven SEZs, three are Information Technology (IT), one each in aerospace, textile, food processing and pharmaceutical sectors.

PPP initiative

According to official sources, Expression of Interest (EoI) have been invited for implementation under public-private-partnership (PPP) initiative as part of government’s ambitious Suvarna Karnataka Development Corridor (SKDC) programme. For implementation, selected bidder (individual entities / consortium) will be responsible to plan, design, build, finance, opearte, manage and maintain them, besides marketing and branding. While IT SEZs will come up at Dharwad, Kolar and Mysore, aerospace SEZ is planned at Bangalore Rural, textile, food and pharmaceutial SEZs at Hassan and industrial parks in Bidar and Gulbarga.

The aerospace SEZ at Devanahalli, sources said, will house units focused on providing IT, design, R&D services and MRO (maintenance, repair & overhauling) facilities on a 252 acre plot. While processing area would comprise facilities for aircrafts, helicopters, IT & design services, avionics services and manufacture of aircraft components, non-processing zone is for ancillary developments like training institutions and research centres.

IT SEZs at Dharwad, Kolar and Mysore will come up on 30 acre plots and house both IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) units. The pharma SEZ on 270 acre area in Hassan is aimed at building quality facilities to attract global and domestic tenants.

Processing area

The textile SEZ over 581 acre plot in Hassan will have processing area of 65 per cent to house textile and related industries like weaving, garments, spinning and related service sector units, household and technical textiles etc. The food processing SEZ at Hassan will come up on 285 acre plot for exported oriented units.

The industrial parks in Gulbarga and Bidar, planned on 200 acre and 300 acre plots respectively, sources said is envisaged to house MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) units across a range of manufacturing sectors serving as hub for MSME manufacturing.

The engineering park at Chitradurga on 200 acre plot will house steel ancillary units like auto components, surgical and hospital equipment, architectural products, hardware, kitchenware, lifestyle products, stamping and forging. At Tumkur, it will come up on 500 acre plot focused on machine tools / precision tools, industrial machinery, hardware, industrial fasteners et al.

DH News Service

* IT SEZs: Prososed at Dharwad, Kolar & Mysore.

* Aerospace SEZ: Bangalore Rural

* Food, Textile & Pharma SEZ: Planned at Hassan

* Industrial parks: To come up in Bidar & Gulbarga

IT & BT projects worth $20.38 b on offer at Global Investors Meet

IT & BT projects worth $20.38 b on offer at Global Investors Meet

Bangalore, May 6, , DH News Service:

With preparations for next month’s Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) in full steam, the State government is on the overdrive leaving no stone unturned to make a success of it.

The State’s Information Techonology & Biotechnology (IT&BT) department has lined up a whopping US$20.38 billion worth of IT, BT, electronic hardware and solar farms projects to be taken up by prospective investors. These projects, official sources told Deccan Herald, are being offered on a public-private partnership model and MoUs for the same with successful players inked on June 3, 2010 during the two-day GIM.

Incidentally, while day one (June 3, 2010) will focus on four sectors of aerospace, infrastructure, tourism and biotechnology, day two will see deliberations on automobile, IT, minerals, power, food processing, textile, health and education sectors. Sources said, IT Investment Region (ITIR), proposed to come near Bangalore International Airport envisages to attract total investments of US$20 billion by 2030. Deloitte Touche have been appointed consultants for the project. Bid evaluation of the projects will be taken up on May 31, selection done on June 1 and signing of Letter of Intent on June 3, 2010, sources said.

The IT parks in Tier-II cities of Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga and Shimoga hopes to attract US$30 million, electronic hardware manufacturing hubs at Bangalore-Tumkur, Mysore-Nanjangud, Shimoga-Hassasn and Hubli-Dharwad at investments of US$100 million. Solar farms at Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bellary and Raichur at US$100 million investments, Bangalore Biotech Park (US$50 million), Agri-Biotech Park at Dharwad (US$20 million), Marine Biotech Park at Mangalore (US$20 million), Vivarium (animal house) at Bidar (US$20 million), Nutri-Neutraceuitcal Park at Mysore (US$20 million) and Phyto-Pharmaceutical Park in CFRTI, Mysore (US$20 million).

For biotech cluster at Bangalore, 50 acres would be provided for investments of US$50 million to be developed on PPP model and granted SEZ status, sources said adding incubation centre and instrumentation facility will come up on 14-acre land for which the Centre has provided US$3 million for instruments.

Hubli-Dharwad Road may be 4-lane one in three years

Hubli-Dharwad Road may be 4-lane one in three years

TNN, May 1, 2010, 09.09pm IST

HUBLI: If authorities have their way, then the much-anticipated four laning of Hubli-Dharwad Road may be a reality in three years' time. The state cabinet has approved a proposal on widening the 20-km road at a cost of Rs 155.40 crore.

The project comprises service roads, underpasses, footpaths and road-dividers. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the project, which was envisaged in the wake of increased traffic on the road connecting the twin cities.

Nod for four new power projects

Nod for four new power projects

Special Correspondent - Hindu

Bangalore: Karnataka, which has been facing a power shortage for the past two years, will have four new gas-based power projects along the route of the Dabhol-Bangalore gas pipeline being executed by Gas Authority of India Ltd.

The State Cabinet, which met here on Thursday, approved the projects, apart from a high-speed rail link to Bengaluru International Airport at Devanahalli and a monorail that will be connected to the Namma Metro rail network. The Metro network will be extended to new areas, including Kengeri on the western outskirts of Bangalore.

Location of plants

Briefing presspersons on the Cabinet decisions, Home Minister V.S. Acharya and Law Minister S. Suresh Kumar said three of the power projects — 700 MW each — would come up at Hukkeri in Belgaum district, Mundargi in Dharwad district and Harapanahalli in Davangere district in the private sector.

The fourth is the 2,000 MW gas-based project at Bidadi to be executed by Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. Each of these projects will require around 300 acres of land. Construction of the gas pipeline is expected to be completed by 2012.

Dr. Acharya said the Cabinet also approved the purchase of 700 MW of electricity on a short-term basis from cogeneration units (200 MW) and from Jindal Power (500 MW). While the cogeneration units will be paid Rs. 5 a unit, Jindal will be paid Rs. 6.50 a unit, and this short-term contract is valid until May 31. The State has been purchasing nearly 1,000 MW over the past two months to tide over the shortage. The high-speed rail link to the international airport from the Parade Ground on Mahatma Gandhi Road will be via Hebbal and Yelahanka.

The Cabinet also decided to stand guarantee for a Rs. 1,000-crore loan for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike meant mainly to widen some of the arterial roads. The Cabinet approved the upgrading of National Highway 4 between Hubli and Dharwad (20 km) at a cost of nearly Rs. 150 crore. The Union Government has granted Rs. 50 crore for this and has promised that another Rs. 50 crore will be provided. Tenders will be called shortly.

Other decisions

The following are the some of the other Cabinet decisions: only officers of the IAS and professors who have put in 10 years of service will be eligible for appointment as registrars of universities; nearly 1300 personnel to be recruited to the Department of Survey Settlement and Land Records; special duty allowance for police personnel serving in the Anti-Naxal Force; and 12.28 acres of land to be granted to the Indian Institute of Human Settlement in Kempe Gowda layout of the Bangalore Development Authority at a subsidised cost.

VRL Group plans foray into cement business

VRL Group plans foray into cement business

BUSINESS STANDARD Mahesh Kulkarni|2010-03-29 01:10:00

Hubli-based transport tycoon, Vijay Sankeshwar, who operates India’s largest road transport company, VRL Logistics Ltd, is foraying into cement manufacturing business. He has formed a new company, VRL Cements Ltd, with his son Anand Sankeshwar and other family members to set up the cement unit. The company has proposed to set up a 2 million tonne per annum greenfield cement plant for an investment of Rs 954 crore in north Karnataka.

"We have submitted a proposal to Karnataka government which is developing a cement zone in the Gulbarga and Bagalkot region. We have sought land from the state government. Once the project is approved by the high level clearance committee and the land is allotted, we will prepare a detailed project report for the path ahead," Vijay Sankeshwar, Chairman, VRL Group told Business Standard.

He said, to begin with, he along with his son, will put in the promoters’ equity contribution of Rs 100 crore to start the project. The balance funds will be raised from the market to set up the greenfield cement plant. VRL Cements has sought 300 acres from the state government in Badami taluk of Bagalkot district which has abundant reserves of limestone, a key raw material for the cement industry.

The company’s proposal is presently awaiting the nod from the high-level clearance committee. The cement facility is expected to create 180 jobs. As part of the project, VRL has also proposed to set up a 50 Mw coal-based captive power plant.

Sankeshwar said VRL Cements plans to manufacture cement clinkers, Portland cement, Portland slag cement, white cement among others. Initially, the company plans to market its products in Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Kerala.

"The key requirement to succeed in the cement business is a good logistics network and we already have a vast network across the country. VRL is an extremely well known brand in the whole of south India and we will leverage the strength of our brand name to establish cement business," he said.

As regards sourcing of limestone, VRL Cements plans to form a joint venture with MML, a state-owned mining company, he said.

VRL Logistics is India’s largest road transport company, which operates 1,620 vehicles (232 buses and 1,388 trucks). The company, which reported a turnover of Rs 600 crore in 2008-09, is likely to end the present fiscal with a growth of 15 per cent.

Karnataka is the seventh largest producer of cement in the country. There are 16 cement plants in the state producing around 11 million tonnes per annum, which is about 6.5 per cent of India’s production.

The state has limestone deposits of about 17,253 million tons, about 22.5 per cent of India’s reserves.

The Karnataka government has approved 19 cement projects in the last three years with a total capacity of 44 million tonnes per annum, including those of Lafarge of Switzerland and Heidelberg from Germany. The state government expects to add at least 20 million tonnes of cement by the end of 2011.

Hero Honda to set up Rs 2,000 cr manufacturing plant in Karna

Hero Honda to set up Rs 2,000 cr manufacturing plant in Karna

28 Mar 2010, 1444 hrs IST, PTI

BANAGALORE: Karnataka government is alloting 500 acres near the northern district headquarters town of Dharwad to Hero Honda to set up a Rs 2,000 crore two wheeler manufacturing plant with annual capacity of one lakh units, Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh R Nirani said.

"Hero Honda is coming.We are going to give them 500 acres near Hubli airport near Dharwad.They are investing Rs 2,000 crore. They need 1,000 skilled workers. It will have annual capacity to manufacture one lakh two-wheelers", he told PTI.

He also said he would hold second round of discussions with South Korean steel major Posco in Seoul in April first week regarding the company's plans to establish a six-million tonne annual capacity steel plant with an investment of Rs 32,000 crore in Karnataka.

Nirani said discussions would also be held with the TVS group in the next few days on the possibility of the latter putting up an engine manufacturing unit in the State.

State-of-the-art kitchen opens at Hubli railway station

State-of-the-art kitchen opens at Hubli railway station

TNN, Mar 27, 2010, 10.21pm IST

HUBLI: Minister of state for railways, K H Muniyappa, on Saturday said the catering services of the railways is in for a major overhaul.

Speaking after inaugurating Cell Kitchen at Hubli railway station, he said a survey conducted by IRCTC revealed that over 50% of passengers were not happy with the quality of food being supplied in trains while 15.09% and 13.73% passengers were upset with bedroll and overcharging, respectively.

Muniyappa said IRCTC has taken steps by introducing hamper system in base kitchen, conducting food and hygiene audit, centralized rate contract for reputed branded quality product, signed MoU with HPCL for smooth supply of LPG and adoption of fuel-efficient practices in kitchens.

He said IRCTC is taking up the challenge of improving the quality of catering services, spreading awareness among the passengers to curb overcharging, and ensuring cleanliness in compartments, etc.

Cell kitchen

The Cell Kitchen launched in Hubli railway station is the first state-of-the-art kitchen in South Western Railway zone and 20th in Indian Railways. Built at a cost of Rs 45 lakh, the kitchen has modern equipment like steam cooking, cold storage room, dish washing system, etc.

The food prepared in Cell Kitchen will be supplied to pantry cars and stalls. Cell Kitchen is mandated to provide quality coffee, tea, breakfast, meals at regulated prices.

Water sports catches up in Hubli

Water sports catches up in Hubli

Express News Service 16 Mar 2010 08:48:51 AM IST

HUBLI: There has been overwhelming response to the adventure water sports festival organised for the first time in Hubli. Braving scorching heat, hundreds of people including children and women are thronging the Unkal lake to take part in the thrilling events.

The five-day festival is organised by State Youth Affairs and Sports Department in association with General Timmaiah National Academy of Adventure Sports and the district administration.

According to organisers over 1200 people were being trained in water sports as part of the festival. About 30 instructors from the academy and the Sports Department have been training and guiding people taking part in adventure water sports in the lake.

Facilities and equipment have been made available for taking part in sports like rafting, water scooter, canoeing, carole ride, kayaking, water-skiing and wind surfing.

Before taking up an exhilarating ride on water, life-saving jackets will be given to the each person as a precautionary measure.

Shabbir, the team leader of trainers at the festival told Express that allaying fear about water among people, particularly the youths, is the aim behind organising the event. We have already organised the adventure water sports festival in Karwar, Mangalore, Davangere, Manglore, Udupi and Hassan. We are also planning to organise it in other cities where there are lakes, he said.

Many youths at the venue said that they were thrilled to take part in water sports for the first time.

Adventure water sports to begin on Saturday

Adventure water sports to begin on Saturday

TNN, Mar 12, 2010, 10.36pm IST

DHARWAD: The department of youth services, in association with General Timmaiah National Adventure Academy, will organize a five-day adventure water sports camp at Unkal Lake from Saturday.

DC Darpan Jain told reporters here on Friday that the meet will feature water skiing, canoeing, water scooter and surfing among others. Experts from the academy will guide the participants at the camp. Minister for youth services and sports Goolihatti Shekhar will inaugurate the meet on Saturday at 1 pm.

The DC said plans were afoot to introduce more adventure sports in the district by developing hillocks and water bodies. Para-gliding, aero sports, rock climbing and other such adventure activities will be organized in the days to come, he added.

Jain said lakes at Kelgeri, Sadhanakeri, Navalur, Kalgahtagi, Navalgund and Kundgol will be developed under lake-development projects as part of environment protection programmes. Efforts are on to develop Sanjeevini Park between Dharwad and Hubli into a bird sanctuary, he added.