Dec 23, 2009 / Labels: Bangalore, BPO
City ranks first as BPO destination
/ Labels: Green Rally
Green rally, really?
Johnlee AbrahamFirst Published : 23 Dec 2009 05:02:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 23 Dec 2009 08:26:34 AM IST
BANGALORE: Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao seems to be sending a mixed message on his cycle- mounted crusade against global warming as throughout the rally trailing him is a fuelguzzling government vehicle with his private secretary in it.
Rao, a sports enthusiast, took leave from work to participate in the six-day event to cycle from Bangalore through Mysore, Hassan, Mercara, Irupu, Sultanbathery and Ooty to “spread environment awareness among people.” The irony, however, is that during the 900-km cycle rally his official Innova with his personal assistant followed the entourage led by the transport commissioner.
The commissioner, who should have been cycling to the “blue mountains” was seen in the city on Saturday at ITC Gardenia attending an “official” function and from there he is said to have headed back to Mysore in his official car to continue the cycle rally.
According to the BSA cycle rally organisers, “The commissioner is climbing the toughest course of the journey to reach Ooty (the official car still trailing).
He is still 34 km from the destination.” The 70-member cycle team after reaching Ooty on December 22 would rest and the next day would cycle to the Bandipur Forest for a finish.
It is a known fact that using official vehicles for personal use comes as a second habit to officials. But taking the personal assistant (also a government servant) for a private sponsored “cycle rally” is taking too much for granted.
When bureaucrats and politicians take out a “green rally”, a whole cavalcade of polluting vehicles follow and in that smoke “environment awareness” sounds too flimsy and is a public stunt.
/ Labels: Education act
State seeks refuge in Right to Education Act
/ Labels: BIAL
Experts slam House panel report on BIA
TNN 23 December 2009, 03:32am IST
/ Labels: Renewable energy
Intelligent grids important for energy efficiency: Abdullah
Bangalore, Dec 22 (PTI):
New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah today said India needs to build a modern intelligent grid to save energy and improve efficiency of electrical gadgets.
Along with augmentation of power through solar, wind and nuclear methods, the country needs to upgrade its grids too, he said, adding that there were huge opportunities for building the "smart grid".
Smart Grid is a system that allows electricity supplier to monitor usage of home appliances using a two-way digital technology, thus, increasing energy efficiency.
"For India to continue on its path of aggressive economic growth, it needs to build a modern intelligent grid," he said, inaugurating a one-day seminar on smart grids organised by Consortium of Electronic Industries of Karnataka (CLIK) here.
While, blanket energy efficiency is important, India would greatly benefit from intelligent energy efficiency in the form of demand response and grid-responsive appliances, he said.
Renewable energy sources, when integrated into the grids, will help consumers determine operating costs, improve energy efficiency and prevent depletion of existing fossil and water resources, he said.
He said when it came to pushing forward renewable energy, differences among states and centre should not hamper the country from achieving its power generation goals.
/ Labels: Microbes, Ulsoor Lake
Microbes released into Ulsoor lake
Bangalore Dec 22 DH News Service
Employing the eco-friendly method, about 3,000 litres of Activated Effective Microbes were released into Ulsoor lake here on Monday, as part of cleansing and rejuvenation project of the water body. To dispel the odour and waste present in Ulsoor lake, activated effective microbes (EM Technology) has been used.Kiran P Kulkarni, project convener, EM Technology - Global Academy of Technology said, “EM Technology is an environment-friendly technique used to cleanse water bodies. Micro-organisms like lacto bacilli, yeast and phototrophs are mixed in equal quantities in liquid form, which would further be used for cleaning.”
Kulkarni explained, “The technology is an environment-friendly method as the microbes feast on the biodegradable materials. The lacto bacilli will grow in the water dispelling the odour in the lake, while yeast and phototrophs feed on the sludge that exists in the lake. These micro-organisms are harmless and also survive in our own bodies, without causing any harm. Phototroph is an organism that manufactures its own food from inorganic substances using light for energy and hence, it is safe to use these to cleanse the lakes.” A few examples of phototrophs are green plants, certain algae, and photosynthetic bacteria.
Defence activities
Emphasising on the importance of the lake, he said, “The lake is of great importance to the Madras Engineers Group in terms of boating and other defence activities. The water body which comprises of approximately three crore litres of water, has been divided into two portions and the injection of micro-organisms has been started in one part of the lake.”
The entire lake requires about 20,000 litres of EM technology solution to be cleansed of the odour and the sludge. Kulkarni added the technology has been used in 150 countries for its eco-friendly aspect and is used in Tamil Nadu extensively by the municipality to clean and maintain water bodies.
/ Labels: BDA
Legislators, MPs garner prime sites
| Bangalore Dec 22 DH News Service | |
Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) rules say that no one who owns a house or a site in the Bangalore Metropolitan Area is entitled for a BDA site. But legislators, it appears are exempted from the rule. | |
| BDA does not allot sites to an applicant if his/her family members or dependents own a site or a house. The applicant should file an affidavit declaring that he/she did not own a property in the City. The rule is applicable even to those who get sites under ‘G’ category - under which the Chief Minister allots sites at his discretion. But in actuality, the rule is violated with impunity. As per Chief Minister Yeddyurappa’s reply in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, as many as 132 persons including 57 MLAs, seven MLCs, five MPs, nine ministers and four former MLAs have been allotted 50x80 ft sites under the ‘G’ category since 2008. The allottees have to purchase the sites. A random check by Deccan Herald of the affidavits submitted to the Election Commission by some of the MLAs at the time of filing their nominations for the 2008 Assembly elections, revealed that a large number of the G category beneficiaries owned immovable properties in the City. For example, Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy, mining tycoon from Bellary, in his affidavit before the EC had declared he owned non-agriculture land worth Rs 5.8 crore in KR Puram. The property is in the name of his wife Vanaja. Yet, the CM has allotted him a BDA site measuring 50x80 ft in prime locality, RMV II stage. In different places Dr Hemachandra Sagar, Chickpet MLA, owns immovable properties in different places in the State capital. According to his own declaration before the EC, he owned properties worth Rs 12.16 crore in the City. He too has been allotted a site in HSR Sector III. A Manju, MLA from Arakalagud has two houses each worth Rs one crore in Bangalore. The CM has generously granted him one site in Anjanapura. Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy owns two sites in AECS Layout, besides non-agriculture land in different places. But that has not come in his way of getting a BDA site in HSR Sector VI. S R Vishwanath of Yelahanka, who has a share in the residential property worth Rs 1.06 crore at Coffee Board Layout, has been allotted a BDA site in RMV Extn, Lottegollahalli. Minister Aravind Limbavali has been allotted a site in HSR Sector III. As per his affidavit before the EC, his wife owned commercial shops and residential buildings in Thippasandra, KR Puram hobli. Other allottees Vidyaprasanna Theertha Swamiji of Kukke Subrahmanya; playback singers K J Yesudas and P B Sirinivas, B Y Raghavendra, MP, Ministers Suresh Kumar, Anand Asnotikar, Goolihatti Shekhar, P M Narendraswamy, KPSC member Dr M Nagaraj, Jayanth Thinekar of Khanapur, film producer Chandulal Jain (who died recently) and Pankaj Chavan, ADC to the Governor are among other allottees. Replying to a question by JD (S) member Revanna, the CM said the sites have been allotted on the basis of the affidavit filed by the applicants. When the member asked whether criminal action would be taken if the beneficiaries were found filing false declaration, the CM just said, “We will take action.” | |
L&T gets contract for Metro work
BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limioted has awarded the contract of construction of the viaduct and three elevated stations between the Yeshwanthpur Station and Peenya Depot to L&T, ECC division, Chennai.
An official release said three stations — Outer Ring Road, Peenya 1A and Peenya Village — will come up on the 4.8-km stretch of Reach 3A on the North-South Corridor of Namma Metro Phase I.
CostThe cost of construction of the elevated corridor and three stations on this section is Rs. 303 crore.
The Yeshwanthpur-Peenya-Hessarghatta Cross is a part of the North-South extension of Namma Metro. On the southern side, the line extends from R.V. Road Terminal to Kanakapura Road (Jaraganahalli).
/ Labels: New year Party
Party till 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve
Staff Reporter BANGALORE: There is some good news for those planning to be a part of the New Year’s Eve revelry in the city. All hotels, eateries, bars and restaurants have been allowed to be open till 1 a.m. on January 1. Police Commissioner Shankar M. Bidari took the decision to extend the deadline by an hour after he received a number of requests from hotels and eateries seeking to remain open beyond the Cinderella hour to bring in the New Year. Rules now demand that all hotels, eating houses and restaurants should close by midnight, all bars and restaurants serving liquor by 11.30 p.m. under the Karnataka Excise Act Rules and Licence provisions. On New Year’s Eve, bars, restaurants and clubs will be permitted to be open till 1 a.m. only after obtaining permission from the Excise Department, a photocopy of which should be submitted to the Station House Officer of the jurisdictional police station by December 31, 3 p.m. As a general order has been issued in this regard, there is no need for owners/managers of hotels/restaurants, bars and eating houses to submit individual application seeking permission, Mr. Bidari said in a communiqué.Police extend deadline on request from hotels and eateries 
Relief: Restaurants will be permitted to be open till 1 a.m. only after obtaining permission from the Excise Department
/ Labels: Renewable energy
South India to emerge as hub for renewable energy
Bangalore: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said by 2022 the country would be able to establish an additional 20,000 MW of energy generating capacity from renewable sources. “Most of this is going to be established in south India,” he said, while delivering the inaugural address at a seminar on smart grids here on Tuesday.
Dr. Abdullah said power generation from renewable energy sources — biomass, wind, solar, small hydel stations (up to 25 MW) and waste — was 15,542 MW at the end of October. He said fears about global warming had provided an impetus to the search for new capacity from renewables. Karnataka, he said, “has played an important role in this endeavour”.
K. Jairaj, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, said energy from renewable sources would play an important role in Karnataka’s plan to add 10,000 MW of capacity in the next five years. He said smart grids would enable better grid planning by integrating weather data to the network. He said since renewable energy from sources such as solar and wind depend on weather, this would help grid operators to plan power generation.
At least we don’t fall on slushy roads’
Raghava M. BANGALORE: So what is good about their area? Vajpayee Nagar resident Shantakumari comes up with a quick repartee: “Should it rain again, at least we won’t slip and fall on slushy roads; we can now at least walk on asphalted roads to come out of the flooded areas.” Shantakumari, another resident of the area, is unstinting in her praise for the work done by Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy in the constituency. “Many of the mud roads have been asphalted. The side drains are now in a better shape compared with what they were three years ago,” she said, adding, “Thanks to him there is demand for houses in our area.” This counting of blessings is a common factor amongst many residents in Bommanahalli, Hongasandra and Mangammanapalya wards. “For many years we have had to endure mud roads. It’s only now that we are seeing concreted and asphalted roads,” said Prakash D., a Mangammanapalya resident. “The advantage for Mr. Reddy is that he is the resident of this area and knows our problems,” said Manjunath, a resident of Hongansandra. After being elected, Mr. Reddy has worked to improve roads, side drains and drinking water supply. “Some Rs. 350 crore is being spent on various works in the area,” said Mr. Reddy, adding that works for an estimated Rs. 865 crore are on the cards. The Bommanahalli Main Road, once a bumpy stretch, is now in far better shape. As the road proceeds towards Hongasandra, there are signs of development: new drains are being built while the side drains are being repaired. But as usual, it is the sharp voter who has the last word. “Of course, there is a difference in the quality of drains that are being laid in different areas,” said Savitramma, Hongasandra resident, mincing no words.
/ Labels: BIAL
‘I was not party to decisions on airport’
Special Correspondent Bangalore: Reacting to the Joint House Committee report on the BIAL, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a founder director in company and MP, has said that he was not a party to the decisions taken by the board after the company signed the concession agreement. Mr. Chandrasekhar pointed out that he had resigned from the position in the company in March 2002, well before the consortium of Zurich Airport, Siemens and L&T was awarded the concession and licence for the project. “I have been a critic of the way this airport [at Devanahalli] was developed, the monopoly status given to it and the shutdown of the valuable HAL airport infrastructure and the obvious conflicts of interest between the shareholders, Siemens, L&T, and the award of the largest contracts in the project to themselves,” Mr. Chandrasekhar said in a statement issued here on Tuesday. He said the “conduct of the shareholders” in the matter of “potentially inflated contracts given to themselves deserve to be investigated and clarified.” “I have repeatedly asked that the project cost and the capital expenditure of this project to be disclosed in public interest which has not happened till date,” he remarked. He said that he concurred with the committee that “BIAL was the worst example of a PPP”, although he believed in public-private partnerships (PPP) for creating infrastructure. Asked for his comments, a BIAL spokesperson said the company is yet to receive a copy of the report. Mr. Chandrasekhar has also urged Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to start a “public consultation” on BIAL’s project cost, viability and the required returns for the company. In a letter to Mr. Yeddyurappa, he said the consultation should also explore the argument that BIAL needed monopoly power in order to recover its costs. He pointed out that the closure of HAL Airport was aimed at providing BIAL a monopoly.
/ Labels: Christmas
It smells like Christmas
Madhuri N. Rao Bangalore: The celebratory spirit is already on. So is the aroma of baked goodies if you walk through the right localities. Already fruits soaked in rum and brandy are finding their way into slow-cooked puddings and cakes. Homes and bakeries are busy turning out an array of mouth-watering goodies for Christmas. As usual, Niligiris is in full steam with its scrumptious range. Duraimurugan, at the Brigade Road outlet, said: “The sales of Christmas cakes begin early December. We are famous for our rich plum cake and are already selling 150 to 200 kilos daily. We have priced them at Rs. 280 a kilo. Also there are exclusive Christmas items such as chocolate Santa Claus costing Rs. 275 for 300 gm, chocolate Xmas trees at Rs. 100 for 150 gm, rose cookies at Rs. 25 for 100 gm, marzipan at Rs. 50 for 100 gm, and turkey meat at Rs. 250 a kg.” The annual Niligiris cake exhibition, which is now a tourist attraction, only helps spread the firm’s brand name. Another Bangalore favourite, Sweet Chariot, is also seeing its delicious confections such as butter plum cake and rich plum cake fly off the shelves. Recession? Perish the thought. As Wazeer Ahmed, Manager, put it: “Recession cannot affect any festive celebration. People cut down on their daily expenditure and save for the festive season. Even at this point of time, when the whole world is facing cutbacks, we are expecting a huge crowd. In fact even more than last year.” Biju Thomas, owner of Thom’s Bakery & Stores, does not share Mr. Ahmed’s optimism. He said he expects far fewer customers this year due to recession as the sales had been dull during Deepavali. “Last year we sold around 3,000 kilos of cakes during Christmas though we are not expecting that much this year.” Apart from these big outlets, there are hundreds of small bakeries putting out their best for the season.
Scrumptious: Looks good, smells good.
/ Labels: Renewable energy
State lauded for efforts to tap renewable energy
BANGALORE: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday complimented the State Government and in particular, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, for the efforts made to tap renewable energy.
Dr. Abdullah had a round of discussion with the Chief Minister, Minister for Energy K.S. Eshwarappa and senior officials at the Secretariat here. He promised support to Karnataka in exploiting new and renewable energy sources.
He said that the State had done well in tapping hydel, biomass and wind energy.
He told presspersons that the Copenhagen Conference and the pact on climate change is “an eye-opener for both the developed and the developing countries” to sustain growth.
Dr. Abdullah said his Ministry would take steps to provide for solar lighting at select heritage sites in Karnataka, including Hampi, Mysore Palace, Belur-Halebidu, the Vidhana Soudha and the Raj Bhavan.
He said that now 1,300 MW of solar energy is being generated in the country and this would be increased to 11,000 MW in another three years.
The Union Minister lauded the efforts of the State Government in making it mandatory for all new buildings to be equipped with solar heaters while approving building plan.
“It is a unique step taken by any of the State Governments in the country,” Dr. Abdullah said.
Earlier, Mr. Yeddyurappa presented a graphic picture of the power scenario in the State and appealed to the Union Government to extend more financial assistance to bridge the widening gap between demand and supply. The Chief Minister said the State Government has taken several initiatives to facilitate the use and promotion of renewable energy sources.
He said the State has a potential of over 23,624 MW of renewable energy sources and had tapped about 2,596 MW of power which constitutes about 11 per cent of the total power generation, including hydel and thermal sources.
“The State Government is finalising a renewable energy policy to facilitate further production,” he said and appealed to the Union Minister to grant speedy clearances (Forest and Environment clearances) for the power project proposals submitted by the State Government.
