Chamarajanagar

Fwd: Hi, Please watch this trailer....!!!..!!!..- "Spaces for Rent.." A Movie from our team

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:56:00 +0000

Please watch this trailer of "Spaces for Rent...". A movie by our team which is shot in Mysore

http://www.gangwayz.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5W5ORh7XUc

regards

rajesh

Sandalwood: scent of smugglers eludes Forest Department

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:57:00 +0000

The Hindu - Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007
Sharath S. Srivatsa
Sandalwood and ivory smuggling rampant despite tight control

Half of smuggled sandalwood reaches Mumbai and Delhi
Sandalwood oil is exported under the garb of edible oil

BANGALORE: The seizure of sandalwood from a well known artefacts dealer who had stored it without valid permit has once again highlighted the fact that illegal trade thrives in the city despite shortage of wood reported by the Forest Department.

"Some dealers in Bangalore have a network of agents through whom they operate. Logs change hands several times before the agents procure them for a dealer in Bangalore.

Small logs are then distributed to expert craftsmen, who are found in big numbers in Bangalore," an official familiar with sandalwood smuggling told The Hindu.

Sources in the department said sandalwood found its way to Bangalore from forests of Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Hassan, Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts where it was found in plenty.

"Once the vehicles carrying the precious wood logs hit the highway, it is difficult to catch the culprits," the official said.

According to the official: "More than half of the smuggled sandalwood from Karnataka reaches Mumbai and Delhi where the oil is ex- tracted.

Several instances where sandalwood oil has been exported as edible oil have been found in the recent past."

Sources said that a dealer should secure storage licence and accounts of transactions pertaining to sandalwood had to be declared at the end of every year.

He had to procure a licence to run a saw mill where sandalwood was used as a product.

The sandalwood procured from other States had to carry "Hammer Mark" or "Property Mark" along with the sandalwood depot number from where it originated. Besides, the transport operator had to secure exchange permit from Karnataka at the first check post that the vehicle entered from the other States, the sources said.

Although trading in ivory has been banned in all forms, the officials said a few persons were involved in the sale of ivory products that were in demand, especially in Rajasthan.

Network

"The agent network is activated whenever there is a demand for ivory, and expert marksmen are assigned the job of poaching tuskers. Here again, the dealers do not come in contact with the poachers directly and prefer to operate through agents," the official said.

Ivory supplies come through poaching elephants in Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur and Nagarahole National Parks, and forests of Kanakapura and Malai Mahadeshwara Hills.

Malai Mahadeshwara rathotsava at MM Hills

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:53:00 +0000

Many people witness Mahadeshwara rathotsava
The Hindu, Sunday, Nov 14, 2004

CHAMARAJANAGAR, NOV. 13. Thousands of people witnessed the rathotsava of lord Mahadeshwara on Saturday at M.M. Hills.
The temple of Malai Mahadeshwara is situated on the brink of a precipice atop a hillock at M.M. Hills.
The annual car festival held during Deepavali attracts thousands of devotees from distant places.
`Teppotsava'
The "Teppotsava" that takes place on Deepavali night marks the culmination of the Deepavali festivities at M.M. Hills.
M.M. Hills, situated at a distance of 120 km from Chamarajanagar and 40 km west of Mettur, is about 3,000 ft above sea level.
History
According to Veerashaiva literature, Malai Mahadeshwara was the incarnation of lord Shiva and lived during the 14th Century.
He attained "Shivanubhava" under the guidance of his guru, Adiganeshwara of the Hardanahally Math. Realising that penance was the only way to attain "siddi," he went to the Nadumalai forests (now known as M.M. Hills) and performed severe penance for 12 years.
Inspired
Inspired by Mahadeswara, the Soligas, Kadukurubas and Bedaas, who lived in the forests, became devotees of lord Shiva.
It is believed that Mahadeshwara rode a tiger in the forests. Hence, the tiger chariot procession is very popular during the annual festival.
"Mahadeshwara Sangathya" written by Meenyam Gurusidda of the 18th Century throws light on the life of Mahadeswara.

KRRS, Hasiru Sene continue weeklong stir

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:57:00 +0000

The Hindu, Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007

Bandh partial in Chamarajanagar

KRRS, Hasiru Sene continue weeklong stir
CHAMARAJANAGAR: A partial bandh was observed in response to the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha’s (KRRS) call here on Monday to extend support to the weeklong agitation launched by the KRRS and the Hasiru urging the Government to fulfil their demands.Procession
Hundreds of farmers led by leaders of the KRRS and the Hasiru Sene took out a procession from the Travellers’ Bungalow and staged a dharna at Bhuvaneshwari Circle before reaching the district office complex where they have been camping for the past seven days.
The protesters raised slogans against the Government and bureaucrats for not listening to their demands.

Farmers have tethered their livestock and parked their bullock carts on the road leading to the office building. They cook food in the compound of the building. The protest entered the eighth day on Monday.

A group of farmers from Jyothigowdanapura took out a “padayatra” on Sunday from the grave of M.D. Nanjundaswamy at Amrutha Bhoomi near here to the district office complex.
The farmers organised a “bhajan mela” throughout the night on Sunday. ‘Barukolo chaluvali’
A “Barukolo chaluvali” was organised on Monday.

Although Deputy Commissioner Vishwanath Reddy assured the farmers that district in-charge Secretary Koushik Mukherjee would hear their grievances on Tuesday, there were no signs of the dharna being withdrawn.

Members of the zilla panchayat, various cultural organisations, the District Merchants’ Association, writers, intellectuals and others have extended their support to the farmers. Members of the District Lawyers’ Association boycotted court proceedings on Monday. Business establishments, hotels, schools and colleges remained closed. Private bus services were suspended for the day.

JALAPATHA UTSAV

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:01:00 +0000

The Hindu, Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007

Karnataka ‘Jalapatha Utsav’ a hit
A musical programme and a fireworks show enthral tourists
Festivities: Cultural programmes were held near Bharachukki Falls as part of the ‘Jalapatha Utsav’ on Saturday and Sunday.

CHAMARAJANAGAR: A musical programme and a fireworks show enthralled thousands of tourists who had gathered at Bharachukki Falls in Kollegal taluk on Saturday to witness “Jalapatha Utsav” (Festival of Falls).
This was the first time that the district administration, in association with the zilla panchayat, the departments of Kannada and Culture, and Tourism had made an effort to showcase the breathtaking waterfall.
The waterfall at Shivanasamudram has caught the imagination of many. Nineteenth century traveller Lewin Bowring, who described Shivanasamudram as unrivalled in its splendour, said the noise of the gushing water was “deafening” while the foam emanating from the falls was “blinding”.
After starting as a mere trickle in the Brahmagiri hill ranges of the Western Ghats in Kodagu, the Cauvery river is joined by a number of rivulets during its glorious descent, swelling in size as it flows through the picturesque hills of Madikeri before entering the Mysore plateau. At Shivanasamudram, the Cauvery branches into two and cascades down rocky hillocks. With two separate falls from a height of 300 to 350 ft, the cascading Shivanasamudram Falls — Gaganchukki and Bharachukki — not only affords a breathtaking view, but also generates hydroelectricity. The Bharachukki falls at Shivanasamudram attains its full glory during the monsoon with the Cauvery in spate. The gigantic surge of water before it tumbles down is a sight to behold. The force is such that vapour and mist rise to a height of more than 100 to 150 ft.
It is this combined flow of the Cauvery and the Kapila that cascades along the rocky terrain and plunges into the valley below, before flowing along on its course to neighbouring Tamil Nadu where it comes alive once again at Hogenakkal.
The Bharachukki Falls was swarming with thousands of tourists who had come there to witness the Jalapatha Utsav. CHESCORP has illuminated the falls. Chittimela, Gorawara Kunitha, Siddapaji Padavaibhav and Sangeetha Sanje (folk dances) performed by various artistes enthralled the people gathered there.
Classical singer Sangeetha Katti sang vachanas and poetry written by Da. Ra. Bendra, which was set to music. Kikkeri Krishnamurthy, Mahendra and others took party in Sangeetha Gange.
There was also a ballad performed to the tunes of classical and devotional songs by the the Bhushan Academy of Visual Arts, Mysore, as well as a performance of his songs by music director Gurukiran. The “Jalapatha Utsav” concluded on Sunday.

A consumer court’s landmark verdict on irrigation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 05:19:00 +0000

Down To Earth, July 18, 2007
Farmers: consumers
A consumer court’s landmark verdict on irrigation
VEENA N, Jayant Rao

In January 2006, two farmers of Alur village in Chamaranjanagar of Karnataka won an unprecedented consumer case, in which water supply authorities were held guilty of negligent services in providing dam water to consumers. The duo was awarded very meager compensation for their losses , but it proved to be a major victory for the small farmer.Alur lies on the banks of the river Suvarnavati and is known for its orchards, believed to have been were planted by the rulers of the Chola dynasty about 1,000 years ago. Areca trees may have replaced coconut trees, but the traditional banana harvest is still brought in.In 1966, the state government decided to construct a dam on the river to irrigate 7,000 additional acres of land for cultivation.
The farmers of Alur village opposed the construction of the dam, some 20 km upstream. The small and medium farmers follow a diversified cropping system. They grow paddy using modern agriculture but old orchards continue bearing fruit.The government gave written assurances of continuous water flow from the dam. In all, 2,100 hectares (ha) of paddy and 730 ha of semi-dry crops were assured water from the dam. But between 2002-2005, the authorities declared a drought in the area and refused to release water. In all, about 4,000 ha of land belonging to farmers in 40 villages was affected. Only newly irrigated land was supplied adequately.Demand for justiceOn April 8, 2005, Mahesh Prabhu, a coconut farm owner, filed a complaint in the District Consumers’ Disputes Redressal Forum at Chamarajanagar, and was joined by Mamatha Murthy on September 21, 2005.Prabhu and Murthy demanded compensations of Rs 490,000 and Rs 291,000 respectively. Their main contention was the government had to pay for deficiency of service to farmers who were consumers. On January 19, 2006, the court ruled in their favour. The farmers were declared consumers and the state dam authorities were declared service providers. The tribunal, led by M G Hiremath, president of the District Consumers’ Disputes Redressal Forum, awarded a compensation of Rs 5,000 each and a nominal amount to cover mental agony and court charges.This has set a precedent for farmers all over the country who can now ensure that they get their entitlement. “Farmers are stakeholders in dams and irrigation projects, since they pay a betterment charge to help build dams,” says Mahesh Prabhu. The justice processThe first question which the court addressed was whether the complainants were in fact consumers within the ambit of Consumer Protection Act? Murthy and Prabhu proved beyond doubt that they were indeed consumers by citing Rule 4 of the Karnataka Irrigation Rules, 1965, that specifies the water rate of approximately Rs 2 to Rs 45 per hectare, be collected.All farmers pay the government betterment charges, maintenance cess and water rate for supply from the reservoir. The water rate varies and is charged differently based upon usage. This formed the basis of the complaints filed by Murthy and Prabhu. The complainants argued that the water rate was not a tax but payment for service rendered. The court upheld this view and ordered that “as such they are rendering service for a consideration and the complainants Murthy and Prabhu were consumers”.Once this contentious issue was resolved, it was necessary to see whether the complainants could further prove that the defendants had caused deficiency of service. This is where the government’s hundred percent assurance to the farmers of Alur came in handy. The engineers pleaded that illegal drawing of water from the canal and unlawful sand quarrying in the riverbed were causing water shortage to the orchards. Since canal maintenance was the government’s responsibility, it was ruled that the government officials had failed to discharge their duties. For Murthy and Prabhu, the victory is one of principle. The compensation was low for lack of substantiation by the horticulture department. It is quite likely that the government will appeal the judgment of the consumer court but the duo is ready to ensure that this time around they are justly compensated for their losses.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 05:18:00 +0000

The Hindu, Thursday, Aug 10, 2006
Factories to pay Rs. 1,100 a tonne of cane
Staff Correspondent
Sugarcane farmers of Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts reject it
· Farmers of Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts seek Rs. 1,600 a tonne
· Sugarcane Farmers' Association threatens to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations
MYSORE: Private sugar factories in Mandya and Mysore districts have agreed to pay Rs. 1,100 a tonne of sugarcane grown in the two districts.
According to an official statement from Sugar Minister's office, the managements of private sugar factories in the two districts had consented to an ex-gate price of Rs. 1,100 a tonne of sugarcane during 2006-07.
A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of managements of private sugar factories and farmers of Mandya, Mysore and Hassan districts convened by the Government on July 18.
Meanwhile, sugarcane farmers of Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts have rejected the purchase price of Rs. 1,100 a tonne of sugarcane. They have been seeking Rs. 1,600 a tonne in view of the increased cost of cultivation.
The Sugarcane Farmers' Association of Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts has threatened to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations in Mysore by preventing district in-charge Minister D.T. Jayakumar from hoisting the tricolour.
However, Mr. Jayakumar has warned sugarcane farmers that the law will take its course if they resort to such action.