Maha Mastakabhishekha from Jan 15 at Varur

Maha Mastakabhishekha from Jan 15 at Varur
The Newindpress.com

Tuesday December 19 2006 12:11 IST

HUBLI: Ten-day Pancha Kalyana and Maha Mastakabhishekha will be observed to Navagraha Theerthankara idols installed at Jains’ pilgrimage centre, Varur here from January 15.

Addressing a news conference here on Monday, seer Yuvacharya Gunadharanandi Maharaj said that Opposition Leader of Lok Sabha L K Advani would be present on January 15 to hoist the flag.

Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, former union minister Ananth Kumar, Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar, MP Prahlad Joshi and others would be present.

On Jan 16 and 17, Jain Munis would deliver lectures. Sri Siddeshwar Swamiji of Bijapur would deliver preachings at 6.30 am on Jan 15, 16 and 17.

Vishwashanthi Yagna would be performed on 16, Navagraha Yagna on 19, Pattabhishekha on 23, Gnyana Kalyana Programme on 24 and Maha Mastakabhishekha ritual would be performed to 105-ft tall Parshwanath Theerthanakar idol on Jan 26.

Governor T N Chaturvedi would participate in the rituals to be held on Jan 20 and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda on Jan 21. All the noted personalities and politicians were invited, he said.

He said that renowned musicians would perform concerts during all 10 days. Minister Shettar was supervising the preparations and district administration would extend complete support to make the event a success.

S I Chikkanagoudar, MLA said that transport, drinking water, sanitary and other civic facilities would be provided for the convenience of devotees.

Work on project to start only after consent from residents

Work on project to start only after consent from residents
The Hindu - Staff Correspondent

People in some areas are opposing the water supply project
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# Work on the project has been stalled in some wards
# The 24X7 water supply project is funded the by World Bank
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DHARWAD: Work on the 24x7 drinking water supply project, which has been stalled in Dharwad, will resume in those wards where the residents have welcomed the project and requested the Hubli Dharwad Municipal Corporation to go ahead with the work.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the residents of Dharwad, convened by HDMC Commissioner P. Manivannan here on Sunday.

Some residents of Ward number 9, who are opposing the World Bank-funded project refused to participate in the meeting. Soon after the meeting started, some of the residents of some areas in Ward number 9, where Mr. Manivannan held interactions with the residents on Saturday, came to the venue of the meeting shouting slogans against the project.

However, residents of Ward numbers 8 and 10 and some areas that come under Ward number 9 submitted memoranda to the Commissioner requesting him to resume the work immediately.

Following the development, the Commissioner directed the authorities concerned to resume work in areas where the residents have given their consent for being part of the pilot project.

The Commissioner also announced that efforts to convince those residents who are opposing the project would continue and work would start in such areas only after taking the residents into confidence.

A section of residents of ward number 9 in Dharwad are opposing the implementation of the project. They have expressed their opposition in the three meetings that were convened.

Hubli's IT dream

Hubli's IT dream
M L Kapur - TIMES NEWS NETWORK

17 Dec, 2006 0008hrs IST

HUBLI: The city's dream to be on the IT map of the country as Tier-II investment destination has turned sour. First, it was Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) that declined the offer of land and now Quest has backed out.

Bangalore-based Quest, an engineering services IT company, has surrendered 25 acres of land recommended to it by the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation at Rayapur between the twin cities.

It waited for nearly five months for the government's approval, but when the delay started proving detrimental to the company's expansion plans, Quest withdrew its request last week.

Industry sources said Quest was planning to set up an IT-related engineering services design centre in Hubli with a potential to employ 800 engineers. HDMC had recommended the allotment of land in July, but the government nod did not materialise.

The HDMC had, in fact, recommended allotment of 25 acres of land each to TCS and Quest, but TCS declined the offer, saying its requirement was for at least 50 acres and that too in an IT-specific Special Economic Zone.

HDMC had subsequently recommended the same land for other small IT/ITeS players. Quest was also annoyed with the government's refusal to back its application for ITspecific SEZ approval for the HDMC land at Rayapur.

HDMC had adopted a resolution to set apart the said land for IT/ITeS companies at its council's meeting soon after the Hubli IT Investors' Meet held in May. Later, the proposed law university also staked claim for the same land.

Meanwhile, sources said Quest has since obtained an IT engineering products SEZ approval for its 300-acre site in Belgaum. The design centre proposed for Hubli is also likely to be shifted to its Belgaum SEZ. Thus, the hype and hoopla generated by the IT investors' meet has come to naught. What really went against Hubli was the government's ambivalence on the HDMC's recommendation for land allotment to IT/ITeS companies.

The government could not take a final decision even in five months as two local ministers were working at cross purposes. While district incharge minister Jagdish Shettar backed the IT/ITeS proposal, primary education minister wanted the land to be allotted to the proposed law university.

So Hubli's loss may actually be Belgaum's gain. But the only silver lining is that the neglected north Karnataka region will finally carve a niche for itself on the IT map of the state with the Quest SEZ expected to become operational in the near future.

Water supply will not be privatised: Commissioner

Water supply will not be privatised: Commissioner
The Hindu - Staff Correspondent

Project to become functional by February end in Hubli
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# Water tariff to be arrived at after getting the opinion of the residents
# Eighty per cent of the work under the project has been completed, says Manivannan
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DHARWAD: P. Manivannan, Commissioner, Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, has categorically stated that there is no move to privatise water supply through the World Bank funded 24x7 drinking water supply pilot project being implemented in the twin cities.

Addressing presspersons here on Sunday, the municipal commissioner clarified that the French company, which is executing the work of laying new pipelines for the project, had been hired only for sharing the technical expertise and would be only looking after the maintenance of the water supply system.

The existing pipeline is not strong enough to sustain the pressure required for supplying water round the clock. Therefore a new technology is being used for laying quality pipeline, and the foreign company is hired for the same work, he said.

The residents need not have to pay more for the water they get.

Based on the amount of water they use, they have to pay the tariff and there is no question of charging them more, he said. The water tariff would be arrived at only after getting the opinion of the residents. For the purpose a meeting would be convened on January 6, he added.

Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) are implementing the pilot project with the association of Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.

Slum dwellers and families falling under low-income group will continue to get free water supply through public taps. Ashraya houses will get free water supply, he explained.

Mr. Manivannan said already eighty per cent of the work under the project had been completed. The pilot project would become functional by the end of February in Hubli and by March 31 in Dharwad, he said.

However the commissioner admitted that there were lapses on part of the KUIDFC officials and Rural and Urban Development Association (RUDA) that has been entrusted with the work of educating the residents of the wards .