Thursday, November 30, 2006
Underworld Wide Web. Social networking? Cops are watching you
November 30, 2006 12:08 IST
Fan clubs, which idolise underworld dons on social networking web sites, have run afoul of the city police who plan to closely monitor the content and the members of these communities.
"Though nobody has complained to us, we fear that the communities would be misused by organised crime syndicates. Moreover, there are thousands of members of communities devoted to dons," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Dhananjay Kamlakar.
There are eight fan clubs devoted to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and one each dedicated to Chhota Rajan, Chhota Shakeel and Abu Salem on Orkut.com alone.
"We will have to monitor the material posted and also the members of the networking sites," he said.
Social networking sites, especially the Google-owned Orkut, were in the news recently. The Pune Crime Branch had recently blocked a community, which had posted objectionable remarks against the Maratha warrior king Shivaji.
A public interest litigation has also been filed in the Bombay High Court asking for a ban on Orkut for hosting the anti-Shivaji community. Earlier, while hearing another PIL, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court had issued a notice to the government about the presence of a community titled 'I hate India' on the same site.
Fan clubs, which idolise underworld dons on social networking web sites, have run afoul of the city police who plan to closely monitor the content and the members of these communities.
"Though nobody has complained to us, we fear that the communities would be misused by organised crime syndicates. Moreover, there are thousands of members of communities devoted to dons," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Dhananjay Kamlakar.
There are eight fan clubs devoted to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and one each dedicated to Chhota Rajan, Chhota Shakeel and Abu Salem on Orkut.com alone.
"We will have to monitor the material posted and also the members of the networking sites," he said.
Social networking sites, especially the Google-owned Orkut, were in the news recently. The Pune Crime Branch had recently blocked a community, which had posted objectionable remarks against the Maratha warrior king Shivaji.
A public interest litigation has also been filed in the Bombay High Court asking for a ban on Orkut for hosting the anti-Shivaji community. Earlier, while hearing another PIL, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court had issued a notice to the government about the presence of a community titled 'I hate India' on the same site.
Google runs out of Answers, announces closure
IbnLiveNovember 30, 2006 at 12:30
San Francisco: Google has finally run out answers.
Four years after the high-pitched launch of its fee-based Answers service, Google has announced its closure, apparently due to its failure to catch on with the web users.
"Google is a company fueled by innovation, which to us means trying lots of new things all the time -- and sometimes it means reconsidering our goals for a project," a Google official wrote on the company blogsite.
Google Answers was based on an idea by the company's co-founder Larry Page and enlisted researchers to find answers to submitted questions at rates ranging from $2 to hundreds of dollars.
It seems Yahoo's free Answers service took away all the traffic from Google, forcing it to admit a rare defeat. On Wednesday, Google went public with its decision, saying that it would stop accepting questions this week and post the last of the answers by the end of the year.
An archive of Google Answers questions and responses will, however, remain available at the Mountain View, California-company's website, company officials said.
Incidentally, the decision comes only months after Microsoft launched a similar no-charge service called Windows Live QnA. The Answers services on the web tap into the online community for responses to queries.
"Google Answers was a great experiment which provided us with a lot of material for developing future products to serve our users," software engineers Andrew Fikes and Lexi Baugher blogged on the company website.
"Google Answers taught us exactly how many tyrannosaurs are in a gallon of gasoline, why flies survive a good microwaving, and why you really shouldn't drink water emitted by your air conditioner."
Even as the news broke, the blogsphere went wild with speculation that the shutdown was proof that the company has suffered a chink in its armour. Others, however, said Google dropped the programme as Google Answers wasn't contributing to its mission of 'organising the world's knowledge and making it useful'.
Experts also point out that Google Answers had become simply redundant on the face of its hyper-efficient search engine and its sophisticated algorithms, which are now so good that most people no longer need to pay others to answer questions for them. They can do it themselves quickly, and for free.
San Francisco: Google has finally run out answers.
Four years after the high-pitched launch of its fee-based Answers service, Google has announced its closure, apparently due to its failure to catch on with the web users.
"Google is a company fueled by innovation, which to us means trying lots of new things all the time -- and sometimes it means reconsidering our goals for a project," a Google official wrote on the company blogsite.
Google Answers was based on an idea by the company's co-founder Larry Page and enlisted researchers to find answers to submitted questions at rates ranging from $2 to hundreds of dollars.
It seems Yahoo's free Answers service took away all the traffic from Google, forcing it to admit a rare defeat. On Wednesday, Google went public with its decision, saying that it would stop accepting questions this week and post the last of the answers by the end of the year.
An archive of Google Answers questions and responses will, however, remain available at the Mountain View, California-company's website, company officials said.
Incidentally, the decision comes only months after Microsoft launched a similar no-charge service called Windows Live QnA. The Answers services on the web tap into the online community for responses to queries.
"Google Answers was a great experiment which provided us with a lot of material for developing future products to serve our users," software engineers Andrew Fikes and Lexi Baugher blogged on the company website.
"Google Answers taught us exactly how many tyrannosaurs are in a gallon of gasoline, why flies survive a good microwaving, and why you really shouldn't drink water emitted by your air conditioner."
Even as the news broke, the blogsphere went wild with speculation that the shutdown was proof that the company has suffered a chink in its armour. Others, however, said Google dropped the programme as Google Answers wasn't contributing to its mission of 'organising the world's knowledge and making it useful'.
Experts also point out that Google Answers had become simply redundant on the face of its hyper-efficient search engine and its sophisticated algorithms, which are now so good that most people no longer need to pay others to answer questions for them. They can do it themselves quickly, and for free.
Biocon CMD lip kisses Rajasthan Chief Minister
Bangalore based 'Biocon' CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (left) with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia (right) at the India Economic Summit organised by World Economic Forum and CII in New Delhi.Wipro employee's wife withdraws the first case against Premji, would file a separate case
PTI, November 29, 2006
KANPUR: The wife of a Wipro employee has withdrawn the names of company chief Azim Premji and another senior executive from a domestic violence case she had filed against her husband in a court here.
Tripti Nigam's lawyer Nandlal Jaiswal said she would file a separate case against Premji and Wipro for allegedly providing a "dating allowance" to her husband Gaurav. Wipro has denied that it pays any such allowance to its employees.
Tripti had created a flutter by naming Premji and Wipro Vice President Pratik Kumar in her case, in which she had alleged Gaurav had abandoned her because the firm paid him a "dating allowance".
Jaiswal said since the names of direct relations alone could be included in a case under the new domestic violence law, the names of Premji and Kumar were withdrawn on technical grounds. But Gaurav's name still remained in the complaint.
Tripti, a resident of Gwaltoli area here, submitted an application to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, asking him to premit her to withdraw the names of Premji and Kumar from the case. This was accepted by the court.
The court fixed December 13 as the next date for hearing the matter. Gaurav was present in the court and sought copies of the papers filed by Tripti.
Jaiswal said a separate case about Wipro allegedly providing a "dating allowance" to Gaurav would be filed against Premji and Kumar in another court.
In the wake of Tripti's allegations, software major Wipro had said on Friday, "We would like to categorically state we don't have a dating allowance in any form and hence cannot elaborate on this alleged issue."
KANPUR: The wife of a Wipro employee has withdrawn the names of company chief Azim Premji and another senior executive from a domestic violence case she had filed against her husband in a court here.
Tripti Nigam's lawyer Nandlal Jaiswal said she would file a separate case against Premji and Wipro for allegedly providing a "dating allowance" to her husband Gaurav. Wipro has denied that it pays any such allowance to its employees.
Tripti had created a flutter by naming Premji and Wipro Vice President Pratik Kumar in her case, in which she had alleged Gaurav had abandoned her because the firm paid him a "dating allowance".
Jaiswal said since the names of direct relations alone could be included in a case under the new domestic violence law, the names of Premji and Kumar were withdrawn on technical grounds. But Gaurav's name still remained in the complaint.
Tripti, a resident of Gwaltoli area here, submitted an application to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, asking him to premit her to withdraw the names of Premji and Kumar from the case. This was accepted by the court.
The court fixed December 13 as the next date for hearing the matter. Gaurav was present in the court and sought copies of the papers filed by Tripti.
Jaiswal said a separate case about Wipro allegedly providing a "dating allowance" to Gaurav would be filed against Premji and Kumar in another court.
In the wake of Tripti's allegations, software major Wipro had said on Friday, "We would like to categorically state we don't have a dating allowance in any form and hence cannot elaborate on this alleged issue."
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sushma: 'Stars in Bangalore can't think beyond themselves'
Madhu Daithota
21 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
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B Sushma is unapologetic because she believes her heart is in the right place.
Every other word she utters may be an expletive. But B Sushma is unapologetic because she believes her heart is in the right place. The singer and actress won't say that about some of our local celebrities though. She says they showed little concern when she approached them to be part of her latest album Kash, which has been made to support an orphanage. It's another story that she roped in 18 Bollywood names for the project.
"Our local stars really don't connect to a genuine cause. All they're bothered about is publicity and how much leverage they get out of it. I find them so fake," says Sushma. "None of them was ready to spare half a day because there's no commercial element in my cause! They lack commonsense and concern," she adds.
Sushma says, "Name one person whom I didn't approach. All it required was time and talent, and they kept saying 'next time'. But if it's a filmstar's birthday, they'll go to an orphanage, cut a cake and make sure the press covers it. But what after that? It's all fake and pseudo concern."
She's grateful to Syed Kirmani, Priya Sudeep, Arunachalam, Rockline Venkatesh, Madhu Bangarappa and Pankaj Advani because they were the only people who stood by her. "Kirmani postponed his engagement with a TV channel while Pankaj skipped his practice sessions. It showed they really cared," she says.
Sushma wanted to make the album in Kannada but changed plans after the lukewarm response she received back home. "It has now been made into a Hindi album and it's come out really well," she says. The album stars Sachin Tendulkar, Mandira Bedi, Sharad Kapoor, Manoj Bajpai, Tom Alter and Dolly Thakore, among others.
"Manoj Bajpai was so helpful and all he said was, 'Mention your date and time.' Raveena came down all the way in spite of being a busy mum. Even though they're stars, they behave like humans. Their intentions were true and totally unlike our local celebs who can't think beyond themselves," says Sushma.
It was for similar reasons that Sushma quit the film industry some time ago. "People here lack manners and decency. The industry doesn't know how to treat artistes. They insult you and use such foul language — there's too much filth in here. Each one manipulates you to suit his needs. In the end I had to become like them and then they couldn't tolerate me! Today I'm a very controversial person and I have no regrets," she says. And you can tell she really means that.
21 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
B Sushma is unapologetic because she believes her heart is in the right place.
Every other word she utters may be an expletive. But B Sushma is unapologetic because she believes her heart is in the right place. The singer and actress won't say that about some of our local celebrities though. She says they showed little concern when she approached them to be part of her latest album Kash, which has been made to support an orphanage. It's another story that she roped in 18 Bollywood names for the project.
"Our local stars really don't connect to a genuine cause. All they're bothered about is publicity and how much leverage they get out of it. I find them so fake," says Sushma. "None of them was ready to spare half a day because there's no commercial element in my cause! They lack commonsense and concern," she adds.
Sushma says, "Name one person whom I didn't approach. All it required was time and talent, and they kept saying 'next time'. But if it's a filmstar's birthday, they'll go to an orphanage, cut a cake and make sure the press covers it. But what after that? It's all fake and pseudo concern."
She's grateful to Syed Kirmani, Priya Sudeep, Arunachalam, Rockline Venkatesh, Madhu Bangarappa and Pankaj Advani because they were the only people who stood by her. "Kirmani postponed his engagement with a TV channel while Pankaj skipped his practice sessions. It showed they really cared," she says.
Sushma wanted to make the album in Kannada but changed plans after the lukewarm response she received back home. "It has now been made into a Hindi album and it's come out really well," she says. The album stars Sachin Tendulkar, Mandira Bedi, Sharad Kapoor, Manoj Bajpai, Tom Alter and Dolly Thakore, among others.
"Manoj Bajpai was so helpful and all he said was, 'Mention your date and time.' Raveena came down all the way in spite of being a busy mum. Even though they're stars, they behave like humans. Their intentions were true and totally unlike our local celebs who can't think beyond themselves," says Sushma.
It was for similar reasons that Sushma quit the film industry some time ago. "People here lack manners and decency. The industry doesn't know how to treat artistes. They insult you and use such foul language — there's too much filth in here. Each one manipulates you to suit his needs. In the end I had to become like them and then they couldn't tolerate me! Today I'm a very controversial person and I have no regrets," she says. And you can tell she really means that.
Mother, daughter in bowling team
Biju Babu Cyriac,
25 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
BANGALORE: Sana is just out of her teens. And she is itching to beat her mother in tenpin bowling. However, she will admit that it will not be an easy task as her mom, Sabeena Saleem, is a four-time national champion.
Both Sabeena, 38, and Sana, 20, are part of the Indian team which will take part in the Asian Games beginning in Doha next week. They probably would have watched the 15th Asiad on television had the Tenpin Bowling Federation of India (TBFI) not taken the initiative to participate in the Games at no cost to the government.
"We're all aiming for a medal in the Games, but it will be tough.We've had proper training for just a month," Sabeena told the Sunday Times of India. The 12-member Indian team (six women) trained over two sessions for one month under the guidance of Malaysian Lee Poh Choong at the Amoeba Bowling Centre, Bangalore.
"It is tough to practise daily.We end up paying Rs 500 a day and we need to train five days a week," said Sabeena.
But she admits that the cost of playing a game has come down from what it was in 1999 when tenpin bowling was introduced in Chennai.
"Then we'd to pay 150-200 per game. Now professional bowlers (there are about 100 in Chennai) are charged Rs 50 per game," said Sabeena, who has trained under six foreign coaches.
The love for the sport has passed through the genes and Sabeena's daughter Sana is determined to make it big one day.
"First, I want to beat my mom. Then I want to win medals for my country," said Sana, a final-year fine arts student of Stella Maris College (Chennai).
"Tenpin bowling looks very simple for the viewer, but it is not. After undergoing training for the last one month, I'm really serious to make it big," said Sana. At the moment, she is on her mom's trail.
25 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
BANGALORE: Sana is just out of her teens. And she is itching to beat her mother in tenpin bowling. However, she will admit that it will not be an easy task as her mom, Sabeena Saleem, is a four-time national champion.
Both Sabeena, 38, and Sana, 20, are part of the Indian team which will take part in the Asian Games beginning in Doha next week. They probably would have watched the 15th Asiad on television had the Tenpin Bowling Federation of India (TBFI) not taken the initiative to participate in the Games at no cost to the government.
"We're all aiming for a medal in the Games, but it will be tough.We've had proper training for just a month," Sabeena told the Sunday Times of India. The 12-member Indian team (six women) trained over two sessions for one month under the guidance of Malaysian Lee Poh Choong at the Amoeba Bowling Centre, Bangalore.
"It is tough to practise daily.We end up paying Rs 500 a day and we need to train five days a week," said Sabeena.
But she admits that the cost of playing a game has come down from what it was in 1999 when tenpin bowling was introduced in Chennai.
"Then we'd to pay 150-200 per game. Now professional bowlers (there are about 100 in Chennai) are charged Rs 50 per game," said Sabeena, who has trained under six foreign coaches.
The love for the sport has passed through the genes and Sabeena's daughter Sana is determined to make it big one day.
"First, I want to beat my mom. Then I want to win medals for my country," said Sana, a final-year fine arts student of Stella Maris College (Chennai).
"Tenpin bowling looks very simple for the viewer, but it is not. After undergoing training for the last one month, I'm really serious to make it big," said Sana. At the moment, she is on her mom's trail.
Bangaloreans see dip in property prices
Sujit John
24 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
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BANGALORE: The somewhat berserk run that property prices in Bangalore saw for over three years appears finally to have ended. While prices, especially of commercial property, in some areas like Whitefield have actually dipped a little, those in other locations are rising at only a steady clip.
Between 2003 and early 2006, apartment prices rose by 40% to 50% per annum in many locations.And land prices even more. But now, the average price rise is seen to be no more than 5% to 10%. The only exceptions are north Bangalore —towards the upcoming international airport —and the city centre, where end-user buying and investor sentiments are still keeping prices buoyant.
"The buyer response in South-East Bangalore (which saw the biggest jumps in prices in previous years) is now less than enthusiastic," says Manisha Grover, national director in property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle India. "This is reflected in lower absorption and flattening growth rate of capital values. The growth in average capital values has reduced drastically to about 5% during the current year."
A Balakrishna Hegde, president, Karnataka Ownership Apartments Promoters' Association (KOAPA), agrees: "Though the number of jobs, as also salaries, are going up, buyers have become cautious and are delaying their purchase. So there is stability in the market, which is good."
The phenomenon of speculative buying — people buying property with the intention to sell it within a few months and make some profit — is seen to have lost momentum, with investors believing that the Bangalore market is peaking. Earlier, when prices were rising at over Rs 50/sq ft a month, such speculative buying would have been rewarded with substantial gains.
"But now builders are unable to raise prices like that. In Whitefield, some developers have been forced to reduce their quoted prices from Rs 2,500-2,600/sq ft to Rs 2,000-2,300," says I Mahabaleswarappa, MD of Ittina Group.
Feroze Abdulla of Feroze's Estate Agency says central Bangalore is still hot, but the general market is not. While the city centre suffers a severe supply shortage, in other parts, supply has increased markedly. KOAPA estimates some 1.4 lakh flats are currently under construction (to be complete in 2.5 years), against the annual demand of 30,000 flats.
The same is true in the commercial property space. Here, while demand continues to be good, supply has kept pace, and in some locations has outstripped demand. Ankur Srivastava, MD of property consultancy DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, says lease rentals in the South-East belt (along outer ring road) has risen just about 5% in the last six months.
24 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
BANGALORE: The somewhat berserk run that property prices in Bangalore saw for over three years appears finally to have ended. While prices, especially of commercial property, in some areas like Whitefield have actually dipped a little, those in other locations are rising at only a steady clip.
Between 2003 and early 2006, apartment prices rose by 40% to 50% per annum in many locations.And land prices even more. But now, the average price rise is seen to be no more than 5% to 10%. The only exceptions are north Bangalore —towards the upcoming international airport —and the city centre, where end-user buying and investor sentiments are still keeping prices buoyant.
"The buyer response in South-East Bangalore (which saw the biggest jumps in prices in previous years) is now less than enthusiastic," says Manisha Grover, national director in property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle India. "This is reflected in lower absorption and flattening growth rate of capital values. The growth in average capital values has reduced drastically to about 5% during the current year."
A Balakrishna Hegde, president, Karnataka Ownership Apartments Promoters' Association (KOAPA), agrees: "Though the number of jobs, as also salaries, are going up, buyers have become cautious and are delaying their purchase. So there is stability in the market, which is good."
The phenomenon of speculative buying — people buying property with the intention to sell it within a few months and make some profit — is seen to have lost momentum, with investors believing that the Bangalore market is peaking. Earlier, when prices were rising at over Rs 50/sq ft a month, such speculative buying would have been rewarded with substantial gains.
"But now builders are unable to raise prices like that. In Whitefield, some developers have been forced to reduce their quoted prices from Rs 2,500-2,600/sq ft to Rs 2,000-2,300," says I Mahabaleswarappa, MD of Ittina Group.
Feroze Abdulla of Feroze's Estate Agency says central Bangalore is still hot, but the general market is not. While the city centre suffers a severe supply shortage, in other parts, supply has increased markedly. KOAPA estimates some 1.4 lakh flats are currently under construction (to be complete in 2.5 years), against the annual demand of 30,000 flats.
The same is true in the commercial property space. Here, while demand continues to be good, supply has kept pace, and in some locations has outstripped demand. Ankur Srivastava, MD of property consultancy DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, says lease rentals in the South-East belt (along outer ring road) has risen just about 5% in the last six months.
Sindhia may quit JD(S), to root for Siddu
25 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
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BANGALORE: The already truncated JD(S) is all set to face another split after the Chamundeshwari bypoll in Dec.
For, senior JD(S) MLA and former minister P G R Sindhia is likely to pull the trigger against party supremo H D Deve Gowda. Sindhia is expected to campaign for Gowda's bete noire Siddaramaiah in the last two days of the by-poll, sources said.
Unhappy over JD(S) joining hands with the BJP, Sindhia had decided to maintain a low profile for some time. He was also planning to revive the Janata Party by bringing together all the disgruntled members in the JD(S) and those who had left it for various reasons.
But for now, Sindhia appears to side with Siddaramaiah, he recently taunted Gowda by describing Siddaramaiah as a pro-farmer leader.
Going a step further, Sindhia along with party's national executive members M P Veerendra Kumar and Surendra Mohan have convened a meeting of the party's national council by December-end in Thiruvananthapuram to decide on expelling Gowda for having joined hands with communal forces.
In a joint statement, they appealed to all the members of the national committee, state unit presidents and members of the state committees to join hands against Gowda for having betrayed the party.
Though Gowda chose not to react, his supporters maintained that the ‘expulsion drama' was being staged in the backdrop of the by poll. JD(S) spokesperson and MLC Y S V Datta said: "There is no legal sanctity to such statements."
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BANGALORE: The already truncated JD(S) is all set to face another split after the Chamundeshwari bypoll in Dec.
For, senior JD(S) MLA and former minister P G R Sindhia is likely to pull the trigger against party supremo H D Deve Gowda. Sindhia is expected to campaign for Gowda's bete noire Siddaramaiah in the last two days of the by-poll, sources said.
Unhappy over JD(S) joining hands with the BJP, Sindhia had decided to maintain a low profile for some time. He was also planning to revive the Janata Party by bringing together all the disgruntled members in the JD(S) and those who had left it for various reasons.
But for now, Sindhia appears to side with Siddaramaiah, he recently taunted Gowda by describing Siddaramaiah as a pro-farmer leader.
Going a step further, Sindhia along with party's national executive members M P Veerendra Kumar and Surendra Mohan have convened a meeting of the party's national council by December-end in Thiruvananthapuram to decide on expelling Gowda for having joined hands with communal forces.
In a joint statement, they appealed to all the members of the national committee, state unit presidents and members of the state committees to join hands against Gowda for having betrayed the party.
Though Gowda chose not to react, his supporters maintained that the ‘expulsion drama' was being staged in the backdrop of the by poll. JD(S) spokesperson and MLC Y S V Datta said: "There is no legal sanctity to such statements."
I was beaten by my wife: Wipro man
25 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
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BANGALORE: Does Wipro give dating allowance to its employees or not? The issue that got a wide news coverage after an employee's wife filed a case that her husband started neglected her after Wipro started the allowance has taken a new turn.
The Wipro employee in question, Gaurav Nigam, on Saturday alleged that it was his wife, Tripti, who was actually beating him and he was not the guilty party.
Gaurav narrated his side of the story to the Sunday Times of India over phone from Delhi. He said he is not paid any dating allowance by the company and that his wife is drawing the name of his company chairman Azim Premji just to "harass me".
Gaurav (32) has been working with Wipro for six years as a technical consultant. He has taken a temporary transfer to the Gurgaon office, to fight the case, which has been filed by his wife in the Kanpur Magistrate's court.
Gaurav alleged that his wife used to hit him and push him when they got into an argument. "She also used to pressure me to transfer the ownership of my Sarjapur Road house and car into her name. When I would refuse, she would beat me."
Gaurav said Tripti had complained that he, his father, mother, sisters and brothersin-law had gone to her Kanpur house to kill her. Based on her complaint, the police arrested his parents and he had to get them released after filing a plea in the court.
But, he says, he can prove that she was still in Bangalore on that date. "She got a Reliance phone connection installed and activated that day." "But why is she dragging Premji's name into the case, when there is no such thing as dating allowance in our company" he asked. "All I have is the basic salary component, a transporation allowance, a special allowance and Wipro Benefit Plan."
Tripti and Gaurav, who are married for four years now, are living separately for the last 18 months. Gaurav filed for a divorce in April, and she filed a case against him under the Domestic Violence Act this October after the law came into force.
Gaurav said the problem started soon after he got married in December 2002. "She wanted everything on her terms and often threatened to book me under Section 498 of the IPC," he said.
"When I was going to the US on a long-term assignment, she said she was accompanying me. But on the last day, she refused to come with me and left for her parent's house in Kanpur," he said.
"When I was still in the US, she came back to Bangalore and started complaining to my employer, Vanitha Mahila Sahayavani and to the US Consulate in Chennai. When I came back in January, I filed for a divorce in Lucknow.
"She filed a case in the family court, saying that the apartment which I have in Bangalore was funded by her father and she took an injunction on Feb. 22. She took up a job in Bangalore, she worked for oneand-a-half months and then went off to Kanpur," Gaurav explained.
In her petition, Tripti has alleged that Wipro's dating allowance "showed their (company's) complicity in encouraging his extra-marital affairs".
She has claimed that Gaurav started neglecting her and the home after he started getting the allowance. Gaurav denied that he had any affair with any woman.
The Kanpur Magistrate's court has issued summonses to Premji and company human resources head Pratik Kumar, asking them to appear before it on November 29.
SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
BANGALORE: Does Wipro give dating allowance to its employees or not? The issue that got a wide news coverage after an employee's wife filed a case that her husband started neglected her after Wipro started the allowance has taken a new turn.
The Wipro employee in question, Gaurav Nigam, on Saturday alleged that it was his wife, Tripti, who was actually beating him and he was not the guilty party.
Gaurav narrated his side of the story to the Sunday Times of India over phone from Delhi. He said he is not paid any dating allowance by the company and that his wife is drawing the name of his company chairman Azim Premji just to "harass me".
Gaurav (32) has been working with Wipro for six years as a technical consultant. He has taken a temporary transfer to the Gurgaon office, to fight the case, which has been filed by his wife in the Kanpur Magistrate's court.
Gaurav alleged that his wife used to hit him and push him when they got into an argument. "She also used to pressure me to transfer the ownership of my Sarjapur Road house and car into her name. When I would refuse, she would beat me."
Gaurav said Tripti had complained that he, his father, mother, sisters and brothersin-law had gone to her Kanpur house to kill her. Based on her complaint, the police arrested his parents and he had to get them released after filing a plea in the court.
But, he says, he can prove that she was still in Bangalore on that date. "She got a Reliance phone connection installed and activated that day." "But why is she dragging Premji's name into the case, when there is no such thing as dating allowance in our company" he asked. "All I have is the basic salary component, a transporation allowance, a special allowance and Wipro Benefit Plan."
Tripti and Gaurav, who are married for four years now, are living separately for the last 18 months. Gaurav filed for a divorce in April, and she filed a case against him under the Domestic Violence Act this October after the law came into force.
Gaurav said the problem started soon after he got married in December 2002. "She wanted everything on her terms and often threatened to book me under Section 498 of the IPC," he said.
"When I was going to the US on a long-term assignment, she said she was accompanying me. But on the last day, she refused to come with me and left for her parent's house in Kanpur," he said.
"When I was still in the US, she came back to Bangalore and started complaining to my employer, Vanitha Mahila Sahayavani and to the US Consulate in Chennai. When I came back in January, I filed for a divorce in Lucknow.
"She filed a case in the family court, saying that the apartment which I have in Bangalore was funded by her father and she took an injunction on Feb. 22. She took up a job in Bangalore, she worked for oneand-a-half months and then went off to Kanpur," Gaurav explained.
In her petition, Tripti has alleged that Wipro's dating allowance "showed their (company's) complicity in encouraging his extra-marital affairs".
She has claimed that Gaurav started neglecting her and the home after he started getting the allowance. Gaurav denied that he had any affair with any woman.
The Kanpur Magistrate's court has issued summonses to Premji and company human resources head Pratik Kumar, asking them to appear before it on November 29.
Trouble ahead for Deve Gowda? Expulsion from party ?
Rediff.com November 25, 2006 13:32 ISTTrouble is in store for former prime minister H D Deve Gowda with moves being made by senior leaders of Janata Dal (Secular) for his expulsion from the party for his continued support to the coalition government in Karnataka in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
M P Veerendra Kumar, leader of the Parliamentary Party, Surendra Mohan and Karnataka MLA P G R Sindhia, all National Executive members, have now convened a meeting of the National Council, the party's supreme policy-making body, by the end of December or January in Thiruvananthapuram.
This is to be followed by a national conference to take the 'logical decision' to expel Gowda from the party.
The three leaders said in a joint statement that this would be a follow-up to a decision of the February 20 meeting of the National Committee, presided over by Gowda, which suspended the MLAs, including Chief Minister H D Kumaraswami from the primary membership of the party for his decision to ally wih BJP.
In that meeting it was also recommended to the disciplinary committee for their expulsion which still stood, they said.
The three leaders appealed to all the members of the National Committee, state unit presidents and members of the state commitees who oppose Gowda to join hands to make the National Council a great success.
"We have to strengthen the platform of secularism, democracy and socialism," they said.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Venkatachala in and as Ayukta
Rakesh Prakash, Times News Network
23 Nov, 2006, SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
BANGALORE: Attention greasy palms, former Lok Ayukta Justice N Venkatachala is back in action.
Only this time, he is launching a crusade on the silverscreen, enacting the role he was known for in real life in a forthcoming Kannada movie — Lancha Samrajya (Corrupt empire).
The plot of the movie was conceived a year ago when Venkatachala was making headlines with his raids on corrupt officials.
Directed by Boodhal Krishnamurthy and produced by health department employee Mahadevappa of Tumkur, it is likely to hit the screen either in the second week of December or during Sankranti. About his new assignment, Justice Venkatachala said: "Cinema is one of the powerful mediums to create awareness among people against graft."
Playing the protagonist, is Master Hirannaiah, also known for his theatrical campaign against bribery in the hugely popular Lanchavatara. Hirannaiah plays an aged man fighting the scourge of corruption. It is here that Justice Venkatachala walks in as Lok Ayukta.
"There is a scene where he raids a hospital and pulls up the authorities for fleecing the common man," Krishnamurthy said. Portions of the movie were shot in Lok Ayukta's office in Bangalore. Director Krishnamurthy says, Venkatachala's presence is a 'plus point'.
"He is popular not only in Karnataka, but also across the country. Since this is a message-oriented movie, Justice Venkatachala's words would make a lot of difference," he added.
How did the former Lok Ayukta fare in front of the camera? The director says: "He was at his natural best, all we did was to explain the sequence to him."
But would Justice Venkatachala take to full-time acting? His firm reply: "I am not interested in acting. Post-retirement, I am into alerting people against corruption through other means like giving lectures."
23 Nov, 2006, SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
BANGALORE: Attention greasy palms, former Lok Ayukta Justice N Venkatachala is back in action.
Only this time, he is launching a crusade on the silverscreen, enacting the role he was known for in real life in a forthcoming Kannada movie — Lancha Samrajya (Corrupt empire).
The plot of the movie was conceived a year ago when Venkatachala was making headlines with his raids on corrupt officials.
Directed by Boodhal Krishnamurthy and produced by health department employee Mahadevappa of Tumkur, it is likely to hit the screen either in the second week of December or during Sankranti. About his new assignment, Justice Venkatachala said: "Cinema is one of the powerful mediums to create awareness among people against graft."
Playing the protagonist, is Master Hirannaiah, also known for his theatrical campaign against bribery in the hugely popular Lanchavatara. Hirannaiah plays an aged man fighting the scourge of corruption. It is here that Justice Venkatachala walks in as Lok Ayukta.
"There is a scene where he raids a hospital and pulls up the authorities for fleecing the common man," Krishnamurthy said. Portions of the movie were shot in Lok Ayukta's office in Bangalore. Director Krishnamurthy says, Venkatachala's presence is a 'plus point'.
"He is popular not only in Karnataka, but also across the country. Since this is a message-oriented movie, Justice Venkatachala's words would make a lot of difference," he added.
How did the former Lok Ayukta fare in front of the camera? The director says: "He was at his natural best, all we did was to explain the sequence to him."
But would Justice Venkatachala take to full-time acting? His firm reply: "I am not interested in acting. Post-retirement, I am into alerting people against corruption through other means like giving lectures."
IIM-B pays, but won't say
Geetha Rao, Times News Network
23 Nov, 2006
IIM-B has said it will not disclose the pay packets of its students. What's the funda behind big buck salaries?
The fat pay packets IIM graduates get after placement at various companies always attract a lot of attention. However, recently, IIM-B decided not to divulge salaries of students since it could make them vulnerable to unscrupulous elements; also because it says it's not a placement agency.
It can be unsafe
V Ravichandar, management consultant, and alumnus of IIM-A says there may be a little concern because opportunists might hit at highsalary employees like in the case of Adobe CEO Naresh Gupta.
"Who gets how much —there is a vicarious kind of pleasure in knowing that, and that's really trouble. One must stay below-radar in today's times."
Brand expert and alumnus of IIM-B Ramanujam Sreedhar feels there may be something in that: "I have promoter-clients who are Indians settled in the US drawing huge salaries who insist on invisibility because they feel vulnerable."
Privacy please
HR trainer-consultant CVK Maithreya, who's been on the admission panel for IIM-K, says besides concern for safety, there's the aspect of personal privacy: companies may not want employees to divulge salaries; and the employee himself may not want his friends or relatives to know how much he earns.
Why tell?
On the other hand, says Maithreya, the high salaries can be an incentive for people to take up management. Plus, irrespective of publicity, the demand for managers is high and the supply is low, which means that there will be more management institutes coming up.
And there's always the feel good factor: it feels good to know an Indian earns so well. V Ravichandar says it helps to have such info, since HR managers need to know what people are being paid, they must know competitive levels. And the high salary has a positive rub-off on the institute.
Why not tell?
But Ramesh Venkateswaran, alumnus and visiting faculty, IIM-B, says he sees no logic in not revealing high salaries. And he doesn't believe employees' lives are at stake if salaries are revealed.
Also, he thinks salary levels are not a measure of the performance metric of an institute. So it can give rise to the quality being decided by the salary, while in reality, there are other parameters for quality.
Besides, the institute policy may want to keep the focus on academic excellence. Though the salaries can make students aspire to belong to such institutes, Ramanujam Sreedhar also says mentioning salaries can create inequity among those who have landed plum jobs and those who haven't, or even between IIM batchmates.
Also, it puts pressure on students who don't make it to an IIM. It also puts pressure on quality second-rung management colleges, which do produce quality students.
At the same time, one must understand that only a few IIM students get super-huge salaries, adds Sreedhar.
Negative impact
Experts say that the emphasis on salaries has had its impact on second and third-rung management colleges. They too have begun to quote salaries as an indicator of how good they are.
Placement agency?
When asked why IIM-B said it was not a placement agency, Rajeev Gowda, professor, IIMB, says probably because it meant, "we are in the business of educating people. That is, the focus is on academics. It just so happens that the students do well in the market."
23 Nov, 2006
IIM-B has said it will not disclose the pay packets of its students. What's the funda behind big buck salaries?
The fat pay packets IIM graduates get after placement at various companies always attract a lot of attention. However, recently, IIM-B decided not to divulge salaries of students since it could make them vulnerable to unscrupulous elements; also because it says it's not a placement agency.
It can be unsafe
V Ravichandar, management consultant, and alumnus of IIM-A says there may be a little concern because opportunists might hit at highsalary employees like in the case of Adobe CEO Naresh Gupta.
"Who gets how much —there is a vicarious kind of pleasure in knowing that, and that's really trouble. One must stay below-radar in today's times."
Brand expert and alumnus of IIM-B Ramanujam Sreedhar feels there may be something in that: "I have promoter-clients who are Indians settled in the US drawing huge salaries who insist on invisibility because they feel vulnerable."
Privacy please
HR trainer-consultant CVK Maithreya, who's been on the admission panel for IIM-K, says besides concern for safety, there's the aspect of personal privacy: companies may not want employees to divulge salaries; and the employee himself may not want his friends or relatives to know how much he earns.
Why tell?
On the other hand, says Maithreya, the high salaries can be an incentive for people to take up management. Plus, irrespective of publicity, the demand for managers is high and the supply is low, which means that there will be more management institutes coming up.
And there's always the feel good factor: it feels good to know an Indian earns so well. V Ravichandar says it helps to have such info, since HR managers need to know what people are being paid, they must know competitive levels. And the high salary has a positive rub-off on the institute.
Why not tell?
But Ramesh Venkateswaran, alumnus and visiting faculty, IIM-B, says he sees no logic in not revealing high salaries. And he doesn't believe employees' lives are at stake if salaries are revealed.
Also, he thinks salary levels are not a measure of the performance metric of an institute. So it can give rise to the quality being decided by the salary, while in reality, there are other parameters for quality.
Besides, the institute policy may want to keep the focus on academic excellence. Though the salaries can make students aspire to belong to such institutes, Ramanujam Sreedhar also says mentioning salaries can create inequity among those who have landed plum jobs and those who haven't, or even between IIM batchmates.
Also, it puts pressure on students who don't make it to an IIM. It also puts pressure on quality second-rung management colleges, which do produce quality students.
At the same time, one must understand that only a few IIM students get super-huge salaries, adds Sreedhar.
Negative impact
Experts say that the emphasis on salaries has had its impact on second and third-rung management colleges. They too have begun to quote salaries as an indicator of how good they are.
Placement agency?
When asked why IIM-B said it was not a placement agency, Rajeev Gowda, professor, IIMB, says probably because it meant, "we are in the business of educating people. That is, the focus is on academics. It just so happens that the students do well in the market."
Govt gives a push to Greater B'lore plan
23 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
BANGALORE: The government gave a further push to its Greater Bangalore plans by appointing Dilip Rau as administrator of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) on Thursday.
The 1972-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer steps in with the onus of being a one-man council.Apart from handling the municipal corporation responsibilities, Rau also holds the existing post of additional chief secretary, energy department.
The posting order categorically states: "Dilip Rau, additional chief secretary, energy department, is concurrently appointed as administrator of the BMP with immediate effect".
The obvious question is: What are his immediate priorities? "Improving the delivery of basic services like better roads, footpaths, garbage clearance as also getting prepared for the exercise of Greater Bangalore," he says. Sounds familiar?
How approachable will he be to the public, considering that there is no elected people's representatives to put forth any problems? "The process of consultation with the public is an on-going process. I will be meeting MLAs.
All the resident welfare associations can approach me with their problems." Any visiting hours? "Not yet decided.
Now that there would not be any "interference" by corporators as often alleged by officials, would he galvanise projects and processes?
"There is already an existing system at the BMP. There are many existing projects which need to be speeded up. If resolutions need to be passed, it will be done within the confines of the law," he says.
Rau now holds two key posts — the existing one in the energy department and the historic one of administrator at the BMP. All he says is, "There need not be any fear that the BMP will not be interactive with the public.We will not ignore aspirations of the public."
Serving in the bureaucracy runs in his family: Rau is the brother of chief secretary Malathi Das. The only Rau connection to the more popular administrator Lakshman Rau is this — Dilip Rau served as deputy commissioner (development) at the BMP during Rau Sr's tenure.
In the past, the Karnataka-cadre officer has held such postings as electoral officer, BDA commissioner, Hassan DC, among others.
BANGALORE: The government gave a further push to its Greater Bangalore plans by appointing Dilip Rau as administrator of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) on Thursday.
The 1972-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer steps in with the onus of being a one-man council.Apart from handling the municipal corporation responsibilities, Rau also holds the existing post of additional chief secretary, energy department.
The posting order categorically states: "Dilip Rau, additional chief secretary, energy department, is concurrently appointed as administrator of the BMP with immediate effect".
The obvious question is: What are his immediate priorities? "Improving the delivery of basic services like better roads, footpaths, garbage clearance as also getting prepared for the exercise of Greater Bangalore," he says. Sounds familiar?
How approachable will he be to the public, considering that there is no elected people's representatives to put forth any problems? "The process of consultation with the public is an on-going process. I will be meeting MLAs.
All the resident welfare associations can approach me with their problems." Any visiting hours? "Not yet decided.
Now that there would not be any "interference" by corporators as often alleged by officials, would he galvanise projects and processes?
"There is already an existing system at the BMP. There are many existing projects which need to be speeded up. If resolutions need to be passed, it will be done within the confines of the law," he says.
Rau now holds two key posts — the existing one in the energy department and the historic one of administrator at the BMP. All he says is, "There need not be any fear that the BMP will not be interactive with the public.We will not ignore aspirations of the public."
Serving in the bureaucracy runs in his family: Rau is the brother of chief secretary Malathi Das. The only Rau connection to the more popular administrator Lakshman Rau is this — Dilip Rau served as deputy commissioner (development) at the BMP during Rau Sr's tenure.
In the past, the Karnataka-cadre officer has held such postings as electoral officer, BDA commissioner, Hassan DC, among others.
Airport project may be delayed further
M L Kapur
23 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
HUBLI: The Hubli airport expansion project has taken a new turn with the state government directing the district administration to submit two fresh proposals envisaging it as a national and international facility.
This may further delay the expansion of the airport as the state government has all along been pushing to upgrade it as a night landing compliant allweather national airport capable of handling big aircraft like Airbus A-320.
As per the revised master plan for expansion of the airport prepared by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in September, 446 acres of additional land is required to upgrade it as a national airport.
At present, it can take only up to 50-seater aircraft. Now, the district administration has been asked to submit two proposals to the infrastructure development department — one for 446 acres and another for 650 acres of additional land to develop it as national or international airport depending on the final decision.
This emerged at a high-level meeting convened in Bangalore on Wednesday by infrastructure development minister B Sriramulu.
Revenue and district incharge minister Jagadish Shettar, Dharwad deputy commissioner M S Shrikar and AAI officials attended.
It was felt that once 446 acres of land is acquired and the airport developed to handle bigger aircraft, there will be a problem to acquire additional 204 acres land later on if the government wants to upgrade it as an international airport.
The deputy commissioner has been asked to submit the proposals to the government within a week. He was also asked to work out details for land acquisition in consultations with the 100-odd families affected by the project.
Shrikar said in fact AAI had submitted both the plans in September itself. However, he clarified that in both the cases the number of houses affected was the same as the additional land for international airport proposal was agricultural land towards the bypass.
Meanwhile, though night landing facilities for 50-seater aircraft have been provided at the airport, so far no airline has come forward to start night services from Hubli to Bangalore or Mumbai.
Recently, Air Deccan extended its Mumbai-Belgaum service up to Hubli, which will fly nonstop to Mumbai on its return trip.
But it still remains to be seen whether there is enough traffic to sustain the new service. Kingfisher Airlines also plans to start one service in the morning from Bangalore to Hubli and back.
Another service will be from Bangalore to Delhi, which will stop at Hubli on the return trip in the evening to take Bangalore-bound passengers.
23 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
HUBLI: The Hubli airport expansion project has taken a new turn with the state government directing the district administration to submit two fresh proposals envisaging it as a national and international facility.
This may further delay the expansion of the airport as the state government has all along been pushing to upgrade it as a night landing compliant allweather national airport capable of handling big aircraft like Airbus A-320.
As per the revised master plan for expansion of the airport prepared by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in September, 446 acres of additional land is required to upgrade it as a national airport.
At present, it can take only up to 50-seater aircraft. Now, the district administration has been asked to submit two proposals to the infrastructure development department — one for 446 acres and another for 650 acres of additional land to develop it as national or international airport depending on the final decision.
This emerged at a high-level meeting convened in Bangalore on Wednesday by infrastructure development minister B Sriramulu.
Revenue and district incharge minister Jagadish Shettar, Dharwad deputy commissioner M S Shrikar and AAI officials attended.
It was felt that once 446 acres of land is acquired and the airport developed to handle bigger aircraft, there will be a problem to acquire additional 204 acres land later on if the government wants to upgrade it as an international airport.
The deputy commissioner has been asked to submit the proposals to the government within a week. He was also asked to work out details for land acquisition in consultations with the 100-odd families affected by the project.
Shrikar said in fact AAI had submitted both the plans in September itself. However, he clarified that in both the cases the number of houses affected was the same as the additional land for international airport proposal was agricultural land towards the bypass.
Meanwhile, though night landing facilities for 50-seater aircraft have been provided at the airport, so far no airline has come forward to start night services from Hubli to Bangalore or Mumbai.
Recently, Air Deccan extended its Mumbai-Belgaum service up to Hubli, which will fly nonstop to Mumbai on its return trip.
But it still remains to be seen whether there is enough traffic to sustain the new service. Kingfisher Airlines also plans to start one service in the morning from Bangalore to Hubli and back.
Another service will be from Bangalore to Delhi, which will stop at Hubli on the return trip in the evening to take Bangalore-bound passengers.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
CET Cell to get 'authority' status
22 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
BANGALORE: Quite like the stop-and-shop concept, the government is turning the Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell into Karnataka Examinations Authority to hold fair and transparent entrance/aptitude tests for all private, corporate and even the government — for a price.
The higher education department will place the proposal before the cabinet. The authority is a registered society with an ISO certification.
The 18-member governing council will be headed by the higher education secretary, with four representatives from private college managements.
Any CEO of a reputed company who pays Rs 10 lakh will become member of the council subject to state government approval.
The Authority will conduct the CET for admission to professional courses in both government and private colleges.
Besides, it will also hold tests for recruitment to private/corporate organisations and even other government departments.
The government has already announced that it is working towards having a single CET for next year. The executive committee will be headed by the commissioner for pre-university education, who will hold the post of executive director.
Commissioner for collegiate education and vice-chancellors of Visvesvaraya Technological University and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences will be other members of the committee.
The panel will have administrative, financial and academic authority except for the power to create posts. It will also be empowered to enter into agreements with other public/private organisations or individuals in the course of affairs of the society.
The current assets of the CET Cell will automatically become the property of the society from the date it is statutorily registered.
BANGALORE: Quite like the stop-and-shop concept, the government is turning the Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell into Karnataka Examinations Authority to hold fair and transparent entrance/aptitude tests for all private, corporate and even the government — for a price.
The higher education department will place the proposal before the cabinet. The authority is a registered society with an ISO certification.
The 18-member governing council will be headed by the higher education secretary, with four representatives from private college managements.
Any CEO of a reputed company who pays Rs 10 lakh will become member of the council subject to state government approval.
The Authority will conduct the CET for admission to professional courses in both government and private colleges.
Besides, it will also hold tests for recruitment to private/corporate organisations and even other government departments.
The government has already announced that it is working towards having a single CET for next year. The executive committee will be headed by the commissioner for pre-university education, who will hold the post of executive director.
Commissioner for collegiate education and vice-chancellors of Visvesvaraya Technological University and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences will be other members of the committee.
The panel will have administrative, financial and academic authority except for the power to create posts. It will also be empowered to enter into agreements with other public/private organisations or individuals in the course of affairs of the society.
The current assets of the CET Cell will automatically become the property of the society from the date it is statutorily registered.
Spare the rod & the child: panel
22 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
BANGALORE: Can we punish a child for hitting another for reasons that the child thinks are justified? Isn't spanking a student a form of indisciplined behaviour? Is punishment a strategy to change a child or simply a manifestation of the adultf' anger? Are we looking at the whole child, not just his head?
These were among the slew of questions raised at the Times Round Table on "Can we spare the rod and spare the child?" held at the TOI office on Wednesday.
With a wide spectrum that included two principals, a counsellor, a child psychiatrist and education consultants, the debate could only get richer.
The panelists spoke in one voice about the need to see discipline beyond the act of using the cane. If one of them insisted that corporal punishment is a non-negotiable issue and so the debate itself becomes irrelevant, another saw the act of taming students as taking a negative position.
This premise threw up a whole range of issues crying for change, particularly in the intellectually challenging environment that we live in.
Suggestions ranged from making the classroom a more discursive space, changing parenting styles, retraining teachers, to removing the emphasis on mere scholastic learning, making examinations a time for celebration, learning the art of listening to children to exploring all other options before thinking of punishing the child.
BANGALORE: Can we punish a child for hitting another for reasons that the child thinks are justified? Isn't spanking a student a form of indisciplined behaviour? Is punishment a strategy to change a child or simply a manifestation of the adultf' anger? Are we looking at the whole child, not just his head?
These were among the slew of questions raised at the Times Round Table on "Can we spare the rod and spare the child?" held at the TOI office on Wednesday.
With a wide spectrum that included two principals, a counsellor, a child psychiatrist and education consultants, the debate could only get richer.
The panelists spoke in one voice about the need to see discipline beyond the act of using the cane. If one of them insisted that corporal punishment is a non-negotiable issue and so the debate itself becomes irrelevant, another saw the act of taming students as taking a negative position.
This premise threw up a whole range of issues crying for change, particularly in the intellectually challenging environment that we live in.
Suggestions ranged from making the classroom a more discursive space, changing parenting styles, retraining teachers, to removing the emphasis on mere scholastic learning, making examinations a time for celebration, learning the art of listening to children to exploring all other options before thinking of punishing the child.
Carry hard disk in a pen drive!
R Raghavendra
22 Nov, 2006 2258hrs IST Times News Network
BANGALORE: His first tryst with programming was in a computer class at St Paul's English School, Bangalore. That very moment he knew he was made for the world of programming.
From then on, Anil Gulecha has been on an aggressive learning mode. The internet and books have been his tutors. He is still learning.
But he has already accomplished a unique feat — that of putting a whole operating system on a thumb/pen drive and enabling it to run live on any computer without having to install it on the computer's hard disk.
In other words, you can now carry your hard disk or your entire operating system in your pocket. This effort takes computing to a whole new level.
Moinak Ghosh, an engineer at Sun Microsystems, Bangalore, recently took the lead on Solaris 10, the flagship operating system of Sun Microsystems, and came up with the version called BeleniX.
As TOI reported in July, Moinak took the whole OS and put it together as an abridged LiveCD version. Thanks to the 20-year-old Anil Gulecha, BeleniX can now "boot from a USB thumb drive."
The challenge for Anil was to take the existing LiveCD programme and modify it in a way that it identifies USB drives when these are inserted.
"You can now buy a thumb drive, visit the BeleniX website and mount the whole OS on to it. You can then carry this with you and use it. We'll now work on enhancements for future versions,"he said.
Anil is a third year computer science student at JSS Academy, Bangalore. He worked on BeleniX during his spare time and happened to cross paths with the BeleniX team at a college tech fest, where Sun was organising a contest for hackers.
Moinak helped Anil identify the need for BeleniX to be mounted on a thumb drive and then helped him through the project.
"This is my first open source project and my first experience with Unix. I'm happy with the outcome and encouraged by Moinak's support,"he said.
Anil looks forward to the days when new variants of the OS would make computing more simple and effective. Meanwhile, plenty of accolades have piled up.
"Anil has received huge appreciation from the top management at Sun. He has been nominated as one of our technology ambassadors — to talk about Sun technologies in colleges. "We equip these ambassadors with tools and information to work on new technologies and applications,"K P Unnikrishnan, director in Sun Microsystems India, said.
BANGALORE: His first tryst with programming was in a computer class at St Paul's English School, Bangalore. That very moment he knew he was made for the world of programming.From then on, Anil Gulecha has been on an aggressive learning mode. The internet and books have been his tutors. He is still learning.
But he has already accomplished a unique feat — that of putting a whole operating system on a thumb/pen drive and enabling it to run live on any computer without having to install it on the computer's hard disk.
In other words, you can now carry your hard disk or your entire operating system in your pocket. This effort takes computing to a whole new level.
Moinak Ghosh, an engineer at Sun Microsystems, Bangalore, recently took the lead on Solaris 10, the flagship operating system of Sun Microsystems, and came up with the version called BeleniX.
As TOI reported in July, Moinak took the whole OS and put it together as an abridged LiveCD version. Thanks to the 20-year-old Anil Gulecha, BeleniX can now "boot from a USB thumb drive."
The challenge for Anil was to take the existing LiveCD programme and modify it in a way that it identifies USB drives when these are inserted.
"You can now buy a thumb drive, visit the BeleniX website and mount the whole OS on to it. You can then carry this with you and use it. We'll now work on enhancements for future versions,"he said.
Anil is a third year computer science student at JSS Academy, Bangalore. He worked on BeleniX during his spare time and happened to cross paths with the BeleniX team at a college tech fest, where Sun was organising a contest for hackers.
Moinak helped Anil identify the need for BeleniX to be mounted on a thumb drive and then helped him through the project.
"This is my first open source project and my first experience with Unix. I'm happy with the outcome and encouraged by Moinak's support,"he said.
Anil looks forward to the days when new variants of the OS would make computing more simple and effective. Meanwhile, plenty of accolades have piled up.
"Anil has received huge appreciation from the top management at Sun. He has been nominated as one of our technology ambassadors — to talk about Sun technologies in colleges. "We equip these ambassadors with tools and information to work on new technologies and applications,"K P Unnikrishnan, director in Sun Microsystems India, said.
Cisco Chairman John Chambers to visit India
CRN Network, November 22, 2006
John T. Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Inc., is planning to visit India on December 6th and 7th, 2006. During this two-day visit he will be meeting with ministers, senior government officials, leaders of Indian industry, key Indian customers and partners.
Chambers will be spending a day each in Delhi and Bangalore respectively. Other engagements on Chambers' schedule include a keynote on "Network as an Enabler for Life's Experiences" to senior Indian executives at a CEO's address organized in association with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
Commenting on his India visit, David Caspari, interim president, Cisco India said, "India has become a key part of Cisco's operations worldwide and is one of the fastest growing markets in the Asia Pacific Region. The fact that John has chosen to visit the country for the third time demonstrates the importance of India to Cisco and provides an opportunity to focus on the next phase of Cisco's growth plans in India."
During his last visit in Oct 2005, Cisco had announced a three-year, $1.16 billion investment plan in India.
John T. Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Inc., is planning to visit India on December 6th and 7th, 2006. During this two-day visit he will be meeting with ministers, senior government officials, leaders of Indian industry, key Indian customers and partners.
Chambers will be spending a day each in Delhi and Bangalore respectively. Other engagements on Chambers' schedule include a keynote on "Network as an Enabler for Life's Experiences" to senior Indian executives at a CEO's address organized in association with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
Commenting on his India visit, David Caspari, interim president, Cisco India said, "India has become a key part of Cisco's operations worldwide and is one of the fastest growing markets in the Asia Pacific Region. The fact that John has chosen to visit the country for the third time demonstrates the importance of India to Cisco and provides an opportunity to focus on the next phase of Cisco's growth plans in India."
During his last visit in Oct 2005, Cisco had announced a three-year, $1.16 billion investment plan in India.
Intel India's GB Kumar to join Cisco
Sources say he will join the customer advocacy services group at Cisco
Priya Padmanabhan, CIOL
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
BANGALORE: GB Kumar, who served as director- sales, Intel (South Asia), has revealed that he is leaving Intel this month.
Industry sources say he is expected to join Cisco’s customer advocacy services division in Bangalore.
Kumar, however, did not confirm whether he is joining Cisco but said that his new role at another company would be totally different from what he has done so far in his career.
“India is well-known for its strength in services and consulting. My new assignment would revolve around these areas and not around product selling,” Kumar told CyberMedia News.
Kumar has been with Intel for ten years and has served in several positions including Internet solutions group and director, channels and OEM groups. “As I leave Intel, I see a strong roadmap ahead for Intel's innovating technologies, compelling products and passionate teams that I am sure Intel will soar to even greater heights,” he stated earlier in an e-mail.
He is expected to join Cisco on December 1. The customer advocacy division at Cisco was created by one of the company founders Sandy Lerner, and this organization is responsible for customer satisfaction, service and support, and has devised many programs and incentives to help ensure that all Cisco employees are committed to upholding this value.
Intel, meanwhile, has not announced a replacement for Kumar.
© CyberMedia News
Priya Padmanabhan, CIOL
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
BANGALORE: GB Kumar, who served as director- sales, Intel (South Asia), has revealed that he is leaving Intel this month.
Industry sources say he is expected to join Cisco’s customer advocacy services division in Bangalore.
Kumar, however, did not confirm whether he is joining Cisco but said that his new role at another company would be totally different from what he has done so far in his career.
“India is well-known for its strength in services and consulting. My new assignment would revolve around these areas and not around product selling,” Kumar told CyberMedia News.
Kumar has been with Intel for ten years and has served in several positions including Internet solutions group and director, channels and OEM groups. “As I leave Intel, I see a strong roadmap ahead for Intel's innovating technologies, compelling products and passionate teams that I am sure Intel will soar to even greater heights,” he stated earlier in an e-mail.
He is expected to join Cisco on December 1. The customer advocacy division at Cisco was created by one of the company founders Sandy Lerner, and this organization is responsible for customer satisfaction, service and support, and has devised many programs and incentives to help ensure that all Cisco employees are committed to upholding this value.
Intel, meanwhile, has not announced a replacement for Kumar.
© CyberMedia News
'BIG 92.7 FM' titled the FM King of Bangalore!
2006-11-21 13:51 Source : Moneycontrol.com
Soon after being voted the top FM Station in Hyderabad, BIG 92.7 FM has emerged as the leading FM Station in Bangalore as well. These findings are a result of a recent survey conducted by Indica Research Consumer Insights Pvt. Ltd. BIG 92.7 FM Bangalore has been adjudged as the most preferred Station via the study on various criteria such as Listenership, Awareness, Relevance, Music and RJs.
Within just four weeks after launch, BIG 92 .7 FM Bangalore enjoys a listenership base of 98% with the overall preference for the Station being 46%, way ahead of the other current players. While BIG 92.7 FM Radio Jockeys Sihi Kahi Chandru and Dayanand have been rated the most recalled RJs in the city, the Station also enjoys brand recall of 99% amongst its target audience.
The consumer feedback study stressed on factors such as local connect through lingual flavour, content that speaks on behalf of the consumer, appeal in RJs’ ‘on air’ personalities. BIG 92.7 FM topped the industry in all of these areas establishing its leadership in the Bangalore market.
Anand Chakravarthy, Head, Marketing, BIG 92.7 FM stated, “We have conducted this study in Bangalore and earlier in Hyderabad, intended to offer us a quick indication of the Station’s stance within two weeks after launch in these cities. The findings have shown that we are on top in both the cities. The challenge now lies in maintaining the position in these cities and possibly duplicating some of the successes from these cities in others where we have launched”
Speaking on the Bangalore Station’s success, says Farida Kaliyadan, Station Head, BIG 92.7 FM, Bangalore “It is our genuine native flavor that has helped us find local connect and gain much popularity amongst our listeners. The BIG 92.7FM RJs, SK Chandru, Dayanand and Kiran are true localites who cater to the Kannada tastes perfectly. Our content and delivery, music and tone are all very ethnic and typical, something Bangalore has never heard before on an FM station. Added to which, Upendra is a big name in the south and having him as our brand ambassador definitely adds to the Station’s appeal”.
Mr V. Ravi, Managing Director, Indica Research Consumer Insights Pvt. Ltd said, “The findings for BIG 92.7 FM in Bangalore have been quite commendable. The brand has been successful in getting people to try it out while the content has allowed the Station to not only hold on to the listeners, but also become one of their favourites, in a market where there are other established FM players.” He adds “The good news is also for the Advertisers who can now count on reaching out to a wider audience via the popular BIG 92.7 FM”.
The target group for these findings consists of FM listeners between the ages of 18 to 34 years from the SEC ABC categories.
Soon after being voted the top FM Station in Hyderabad, BIG 92.7 FM has emerged as the leading FM Station in Bangalore as well. These findings are a result of a recent survey conducted by Indica Research Consumer Insights Pvt. Ltd. BIG 92.7 FM Bangalore has been adjudged as the most preferred Station via the study on various criteria such as Listenership, Awareness, Relevance, Music and RJs.
Within just four weeks after launch, BIG 92 .7 FM Bangalore enjoys a listenership base of 98% with the overall preference for the Station being 46%, way ahead of the other current players. While BIG 92.7 FM Radio Jockeys Sihi Kahi Chandru and Dayanand have been rated the most recalled RJs in the city, the Station also enjoys brand recall of 99% amongst its target audience.
The consumer feedback study stressed on factors such as local connect through lingual flavour, content that speaks on behalf of the consumer, appeal in RJs’ ‘on air’ personalities. BIG 92.7 FM topped the industry in all of these areas establishing its leadership in the Bangalore market.
Anand Chakravarthy, Head, Marketing, BIG 92.7 FM stated, “We have conducted this study in Bangalore and earlier in Hyderabad, intended to offer us a quick indication of the Station’s stance within two weeks after launch in these cities. The findings have shown that we are on top in both the cities. The challenge now lies in maintaining the position in these cities and possibly duplicating some of the successes from these cities in others where we have launched”
Speaking on the Bangalore Station’s success, says Farida Kaliyadan, Station Head, BIG 92.7 FM, Bangalore “It is our genuine native flavor that has helped us find local connect and gain much popularity amongst our listeners. The BIG 92.7FM RJs, SK Chandru, Dayanand and Kiran are true localites who cater to the Kannada tastes perfectly. Our content and delivery, music and tone are all very ethnic and typical, something Bangalore has never heard before on an FM station. Added to which, Upendra is a big name in the south and having him as our brand ambassador definitely adds to the Station’s appeal”.
Mr V. Ravi, Managing Director, Indica Research Consumer Insights Pvt. Ltd said, “The findings for BIG 92.7 FM in Bangalore have been quite commendable. The brand has been successful in getting people to try it out while the content has allowed the Station to not only hold on to the listeners, but also become one of their favourites, in a market where there are other established FM players.” He adds “The good news is also for the Advertisers who can now count on reaching out to a wider audience via the popular BIG 92.7 FM”.
The target group for these findings consists of FM listeners between the ages of 18 to 34 years from the SEC ABC categories.
Syndesis opens new office in Bangalore, India
TORONTO and BANGALORE, INDIA -- (MARKET WIRE) --
November 20, 2006 -- Syndesis, the worldwide leader in Convergent Service Delivery Management (CSDM) solutions, is expanding its commitment to the Asia Pacific region with the opening of a new office in Bangalore, India. This Regional Development Center will support Syndesis' growing regional business by providing enhanced sales and services to communications service providers (CSPs) across the region, as well as enhancing Syndesis' industry-leading technical capabilities and product development capacity.
The new office builds on Syndesis' long working relationship with development firms in India and continues the company's ongoing expansion in the Asia Pacific region, including recent customer success.
"Syndesis has a critical role to play in helping operators across Asia and the Pacific to deliver a true convergence experience for today's increasingly sophisticated and demanding service subscribers," said John Lochow, President and CEO of Syndesis. "We are keen to continue sharing our unique combination of network and systems expertise so that CSPs can maintain a technological edge over their competition and continue to delight their customers. Furthermore, we are committed to growing our business in the burgeoning Asia Pacific region and to do so requires a dedicated regional presence of sales, services, development and support personnel."
The Bangalore office is a strategic extension of Syndesis' existing Asia Pacific presence, and the company currently supports more than 20 service providers across the globe, including six of the world's 10 largest service providers.
Syndesis has successfully deployed its award-winning solutions at many of the world's leading carriers, including AT&T (SBC), Telecom Italia, TELUS and Swisscom. These implementations leverage the power of Syndesis' provisioning, activation and data integrity management solutions and are enabling the automation of complex, transaction-intense, revenue-generating services.
For more information about Syndesis' expanding AsiaPac operations, or to inquire about new employment opportunities, please visit http://www.syndesis.com.
About Syndesis (www.syndesis.com)
Syndesis is the leader in Convergent Service Delivery Management, essential for the seamless, painless migration to advanced service offerings, such as Triple/Quad Play, VoIP and IPTV, and advanced architectures, such as IMS. Syndesis empowers the world's leading Communications Service Providers to deliver new network and application experiences for their customers. Renowned for customer success, in-depth network expertise and off-the-shelf support for more technologies and equipment than any other communications software developer, Syndesis is the vendor of choice in deployments at more than 20 major service providers worldwide including AT&T (SBC), Bell Canada, BT, Cingular, COLT, NuVox, Qwest, Sprint, Swisscom, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, TELUS, Verizon Business and Verizon Wireless.
November 20, 2006 -- Syndesis, the worldwide leader in Convergent Service Delivery Management (CSDM) solutions, is expanding its commitment to the Asia Pacific region with the opening of a new office in Bangalore, India. This Regional Development Center will support Syndesis' growing regional business by providing enhanced sales and services to communications service providers (CSPs) across the region, as well as enhancing Syndesis' industry-leading technical capabilities and product development capacity.
The new office builds on Syndesis' long working relationship with development firms in India and continues the company's ongoing expansion in the Asia Pacific region, including recent customer success.
"Syndesis has a critical role to play in helping operators across Asia and the Pacific to deliver a true convergence experience for today's increasingly sophisticated and demanding service subscribers," said John Lochow, President and CEO of Syndesis. "We are keen to continue sharing our unique combination of network and systems expertise so that CSPs can maintain a technological edge over their competition and continue to delight their customers. Furthermore, we are committed to growing our business in the burgeoning Asia Pacific region and to do so requires a dedicated regional presence of sales, services, development and support personnel."
The Bangalore office is a strategic extension of Syndesis' existing Asia Pacific presence, and the company currently supports more than 20 service providers across the globe, including six of the world's 10 largest service providers.
Syndesis has successfully deployed its award-winning solutions at many of the world's leading carriers, including AT&T (SBC), Telecom Italia, TELUS and Swisscom. These implementations leverage the power of Syndesis' provisioning, activation and data integrity management solutions and are enabling the automation of complex, transaction-intense, revenue-generating services.
For more information about Syndesis' expanding AsiaPac operations, or to inquire about new employment opportunities, please visit http://www.syndesis.com.
About Syndesis (www.syndesis.com)
Syndesis is the leader in Convergent Service Delivery Management, essential for the seamless, painless migration to advanced service offerings, such as Triple/Quad Play, VoIP and IPTV, and advanced architectures, such as IMS. Syndesis empowers the world's leading Communications Service Providers to deliver new network and application experiences for their customers. Renowned for customer success, in-depth network expertise and off-the-shelf support for more technologies and equipment than any other communications software developer, Syndesis is the vendor of choice in deployments at more than 20 major service providers worldwide including AT&T (SBC), Bell Canada, BT, Cingular, COLT, NuVox, Qwest, Sprint, Swisscom, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, TELUS, Verizon Business and Verizon Wireless.
Bangalore is new home to Wisden’s Cricinfo.com
Harsimran Singh, FinancialExpress.com
Wednesday, November 22, 2006 at 0214 hours IST
NEW DELHI, NOV 21: The mobile and online cricket content market, growing at about 100% per annum, with India accounting for almost 60% of cricket content users, has led the world's largest cricket website – Wisden's Cricinfo.com – to shift base from London to Bangalore.
“Almost 60% of Cricinfo.com’s support-base of 20 million users are Indians. About 25% are based in India while the rest (35%) are located in North America (US west coast, Canada), UK (South England), Australia and Middle East,” said Cricinfo.com CEO, Tom Gleeson, who has shifted to Bangalore from London, along with his 100 strong staff.
All top domestic Internet majors like Rediff.com, Indiatimes Cricket, Sify, Yahoo India are active players in the cricket content market. Globally BBC and ESPN are the big players in online cricket content. CNBC TV 18 has also pitched in the battle by acquiring world's second largest cricket website – the Walchand group's Cricketnext.com for an undisclosed sum in August, this year.
Interestingly, the global cricket content market's fortunes vary with Indian cricket team's fortunes. "On a match day like India v Pakistan, our unique visitor count shoots upto 3 million users per day. It also shoots up when Indian team and especially Sachin Tendulkar is holding the bat," adds Tom Gleeson.
Not only website usage, but also the number mobile cricket game industry depends upon players' form. "We see more game and wallpaper downloads when the respective cricket player is doing well," says Mobile2Win CEO Rajiv Hirnandani.
Mobile2win.com develops contests, games, wallpapers, animated scorecards for the online and mobile cricket content industry. The company developed the first mobile Sachin Tendulkar based game in India. Other content like match clips, audio, quizzes, trivia, animated logos are also very popular. While a cricket SMS costs Rs 3-6, other applications like scorecards are based on a monthly subscription of Rs 50 each.
Interestingly, the content developed by cricket websites is used by other games like soccer and tennis content users as well. For instance, the ball tracking application developed by Cricinfo.com to determine LBW decisions is being used by soccer and tennis websites globally.
High growth in the telecom market, say experts is largely responsible for the boom in cricket content. “The market cuts across age and class. However, male users are obviously more than female. A monthly addition of over 5 million mobile subscribers per month is boosting the market,” says an expert. ARPUs of telecom companies dramatically shoot up on big match days.
Shortcode based SMS like 8888, 123, 7333 are also booming. The cricket market is also importing clips from TV channels and selling it online and through mobile. The prospect of 3G-technology is expected to further boost the market.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006 at 0214 hours IST
NEW DELHI, NOV 21: The mobile and online cricket content market, growing at about 100% per annum, with India accounting for almost 60% of cricket content users, has led the world's largest cricket website – Wisden's Cricinfo.com – to shift base from London to Bangalore.
“Almost 60% of Cricinfo.com’s support-base of 20 million users are Indians. About 25% are based in India while the rest (35%) are located in North America (US west coast, Canada), UK (South England), Australia and Middle East,” said Cricinfo.com CEO, Tom Gleeson, who has shifted to Bangalore from London, along with his 100 strong staff.
All top domestic Internet majors like Rediff.com, Indiatimes Cricket, Sify, Yahoo India are active players in the cricket content market. Globally BBC and ESPN are the big players in online cricket content. CNBC TV 18 has also pitched in the battle by acquiring world's second largest cricket website – the Walchand group's Cricketnext.com for an undisclosed sum in August, this year.
Interestingly, the global cricket content market's fortunes vary with Indian cricket team's fortunes. "On a match day like India v Pakistan, our unique visitor count shoots upto 3 million users per day. It also shoots up when Indian team and especially Sachin Tendulkar is holding the bat," adds Tom Gleeson.
Not only website usage, but also the number mobile cricket game industry depends upon players' form. "We see more game and wallpaper downloads when the respective cricket player is doing well," says Mobile2Win CEO Rajiv Hirnandani.
Mobile2win.com develops contests, games, wallpapers, animated scorecards for the online and mobile cricket content industry. The company developed the first mobile Sachin Tendulkar based game in India. Other content like match clips, audio, quizzes, trivia, animated logos are also very popular. While a cricket SMS costs Rs 3-6, other applications like scorecards are based on a monthly subscription of Rs 50 each.
Interestingly, the content developed by cricket websites is used by other games like soccer and tennis content users as well. For instance, the ball tracking application developed by Cricinfo.com to determine LBW decisions is being used by soccer and tennis websites globally.
High growth in the telecom market, say experts is largely responsible for the boom in cricket content. “The market cuts across age and class. However, male users are obviously more than female. A monthly addition of over 5 million mobile subscribers per month is boosting the market,” says an expert. ARPUs of telecom companies dramatically shoot up on big match days.
Shortcode based SMS like 8888, 123, 7333 are also booming. The cricket market is also importing clips from TV channels and selling it online and through mobile. The prospect of 3G-technology is expected to further boost the market.
Doubling of Bangalore-Tumkur line by March
Staff Reporter, The Hindu
FKCCI says absence of an extensive railway network has hampered industrial growth
# Electrification of Bangalore area to be completed by March
# Gauge conversion on between Kolar and Chikkaballapur
BANGALORE: The South Western Railway (SWR) will complete doubling of track between Bangalore and Tumkur by March 2007 and that of Bangalore and Ramanagaram by June 2007.
Stating this at an interactive session organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) here on Tuesday, Divisional Railway Manager, Bangalore Division, South Western Railway, Mahesh Mangal said electrification of the Railway network in Bangalore area would be completed by March 2007.
Projects
He said while the gauge conversion work was under progress between Kolar and Chikkaballapur, several other projects, such as doubling of Ramanagaram and Mysore line, construction of coaching terminal at Byappanahalli, construction of a freight terminal at Malur and modernisation of stations at Bangalore City, Bangalore Cantonment and Yeshwantapur were in the pipeline.
Schemes
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager S. Gagarin in his presentation drew the attention of FKCCI members towards several incentive schemes being offered by the railways for freight movement.
One of the members drew the attention of the officials that the two-lane Railway under bridge on Old Madras Road near Kissan factory I Bangalore had been a traffic bottleneck.
Though the stretch of NH 4 had been made six-lane, the underbridge hindered traffic movement into the city, he said.
Due to the bottleneck, many prospective investors, who intended to set up units in and around Hoskote, had migrated to other States, he claimed.
Mr. Mangal said that widening of the under bridge depended on the funding by the State Government.
In his introductory address, FKCCI president R.C. Purohit said the absence of double tracks in Karnataka's railway network had placed the State in a disadvantageous position.
Industries hit
Absence of an extensive railway network had hampered industrial growth in the State.
He urged SWR to speed up doubling work on Bangalore-Mysore line.
FKCCI says absence of an extensive railway network has hampered industrial growth
# Electrification of Bangalore area to be completed by March
# Gauge conversion on between Kolar and Chikkaballapur
BANGALORE: The South Western Railway (SWR) will complete doubling of track between Bangalore and Tumkur by March 2007 and that of Bangalore and Ramanagaram by June 2007.
Stating this at an interactive session organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) here on Tuesday, Divisional Railway Manager, Bangalore Division, South Western Railway, Mahesh Mangal said electrification of the Railway network in Bangalore area would be completed by March 2007.
Projects
He said while the gauge conversion work was under progress between Kolar and Chikkaballapur, several other projects, such as doubling of Ramanagaram and Mysore line, construction of coaching terminal at Byappanahalli, construction of a freight terminal at Malur and modernisation of stations at Bangalore City, Bangalore Cantonment and Yeshwantapur were in the pipeline.
Schemes
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager S. Gagarin in his presentation drew the attention of FKCCI members towards several incentive schemes being offered by the railways for freight movement.
One of the members drew the attention of the officials that the two-lane Railway under bridge on Old Madras Road near Kissan factory I Bangalore had been a traffic bottleneck.
Though the stretch of NH 4 had been made six-lane, the underbridge hindered traffic movement into the city, he said.
Due to the bottleneck, many prospective investors, who intended to set up units in and around Hoskote, had migrated to other States, he claimed.
Mr. Mangal said that widening of the under bridge depended on the funding by the State Government.
In his introductory address, FKCCI president R.C. Purohit said the absence of double tracks in Karnataka's railway network had placed the State in a disadvantageous position.
Industries hit
Absence of an extensive railway network had hampered industrial growth in the State.
He urged SWR to speed up doubling work on Bangalore-Mysore line.
Bangalore: Miscreants Break Mary's Statue, Chapel Windowpanes
By SAR NEWS
BANGALORE, Nov 22 -- Unidentified vandals damaged a statue of Mother Mary and the windowpanes of a convent at Karunalaya, Carmaleram in Bangalore, November 18.
Carmelite Father Thomas Puliackal, Rector, Carmelaram Theology College, told SAR News, November 22, that on November 18 at 11pm, miscreants destroyed the front windowpanes and spat on the door of the chapel.
“Hearing the commotion, our theology students rushed out but by then the miscreants had fled. After sometime, two more goons came in a car and started breaking the light shade of Adhyatma Vidya Peedham Convent opposite to our house and escaped,” said Father Puliackal.
“Later, we discovered that the statue of Our Lady placed at the entrance of Karunalayam Convent and a number of sign boards of various religious houses were damaged.”
Superior of Karunalayam, Sister Shine, said: “The statue of Our Lady in the grotto was completely destroyed. We were inside; we didn’t know until the Carmaleram brothers came that night and found it out.”
A complaint was lodged at the Varthur police station and police officials visited the convent and collected evidences.
Father Puliackal added: “Tissue papers of a liquor bar were left behind by the miscreants. This will perhaps serve as a clue to trap them.”
Carmelaram is on the outskirts of Bangalore, about 15 km from the city limits. There are around 30 religious houses of priests and nuns running schools and formation houses. This is the first time such an incident is taking place in the otherwise peaceful area.
BANGALORE, Nov 22 -- Unidentified vandals damaged a statue of Mother Mary and the windowpanes of a convent at Karunalaya, Carmaleram in Bangalore, November 18.
Carmelite Father Thomas Puliackal, Rector, Carmelaram Theology College, told SAR News, November 22, that on November 18 at 11pm, miscreants destroyed the front windowpanes and spat on the door of the chapel.
“Hearing the commotion, our theology students rushed out but by then the miscreants had fled. After sometime, two more goons came in a car and started breaking the light shade of Adhyatma Vidya Peedham Convent opposite to our house and escaped,” said Father Puliackal.
“Later, we discovered that the statue of Our Lady placed at the entrance of Karunalayam Convent and a number of sign boards of various religious houses were damaged.”
Superior of Karunalayam, Sister Shine, said: “The statue of Our Lady in the grotto was completely destroyed. We were inside; we didn’t know until the Carmaleram brothers came that night and found it out.”
A complaint was lodged at the Varthur police station and police officials visited the convent and collected evidences.
Father Puliackal added: “Tissue papers of a liquor bar were left behind by the miscreants. This will perhaps serve as a clue to trap them.”
Carmelaram is on the outskirts of Bangalore, about 15 km from the city limits. There are around 30 religious houses of priests and nuns running schools and formation houses. This is the first time such an incident is taking place in the otherwise peaceful area.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Cyber crimes leap 54 per cent in 2005
22 Nov, 2006 0308hrs IST Times News Network
PUNE: Though the state has been witnessing a decrease in crime trend in the last five years, the crime report released by deputy chief minister R.R. Patil here on Tuesday shows that the crime rate in the state had, in fact, increased by 6.1% in 2005, as compared to previous year.
A 25.87 per cent growth in economic offences in 2005 and a 54.74 per cent rise in cyber crimes over 2004 are some of the highlights of the report. The fact that 84 per cent of the accused in economic offences and cyber crimes were in the 18-30 age group is an alarming indicator of the younger generation’s involvement in white collar crimes, according to additional director general of police (CID), Jayant Umranikar.
The VIIIth issue of Crime in Maharashtra-2005, prepared on the lines of Crime in India, published by National Crime Records Bureau, New Delhi, presents an analysis of prevailing patterns and features of crime.
Property-related offences increased by 6.59% as compared to 2004, while incidents of bank robberies during the year rose by 55%. The report states that violent crime has increased by 7.99% as compared to 2004, while crimes like attempt to commit murder (10.3%), rape (11.3%), kidnapping (14.3%) and riots (13.4%) have shown an increasing trend.
PUNE: Though the state has been witnessing a decrease in crime trend in the last five years, the crime report released by deputy chief minister R.R. Patil here on Tuesday shows that the crime rate in the state had, in fact, increased by 6.1% in 2005, as compared to previous year.
A 25.87 per cent growth in economic offences in 2005 and a 54.74 per cent rise in cyber crimes over 2004 are some of the highlights of the report. The fact that 84 per cent of the accused in economic offences and cyber crimes were in the 18-30 age group is an alarming indicator of the younger generation’s involvement in white collar crimes, according to additional director general of police (CID), Jayant Umranikar.
The VIIIth issue of Crime in Maharashtra-2005, prepared on the lines of Crime in India, published by National Crime Records Bureau, New Delhi, presents an analysis of prevailing patterns and features of crime.
Property-related offences increased by 6.59% as compared to 2004, while incidents of bank robberies during the year rose by 55%. The report states that violent crime has increased by 7.99% as compared to 2004, while crimes like attempt to commit murder (10.3%), rape (11.3%), kidnapping (14.3%) and riots (13.4%) have shown an increasing trend.
Investors shy away from IT Park
M L Kapur, 21 Nov, 2006 Times News Network
HUBLI: The government's initiatives to take information technology (IT) to Tier-II cities may well seem halfhearted if one goes by the fate of the state-of-the-art IT Park here. There are virtually no takers for more than 2 lakh sqft of space ready for occupation.
The Hubli IT Park, developed at a cost of Rs 45 crore, is managed by Keonics on behalf of the Software Technology Parks of India and attempts to sell the idea to potential IT/ITeS investors have come to naught. Sources attribute this to lack of imaginative marketing strategy. While inaugurating the IT Investors' Meet here on May 20, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy had announced a conditional offer to attract new investors. The package envisaged competitive rates comparable with neighbouring states.
The offer was valid for a period of six moths, which lapsed earlier this week without attracting a single new investor. Neilsoft, a Pune-based engineering software solutions firm, had set up base here a day before the investors' meet.
Sources said what worked against attracting potential start-up ventures was the condition that concession would be given to firms which take a minimum of 10,000 sqft of space. Not many new ventures need that kind of space.
Keonics deputy manager H Devanand said that many firms, including the BPO arm of ICICI, made inquiries about the facilities available here, but no deal has been struck so far since the package was announced.
Meanwhile, certain other investors like Bangalore based Sankalp Semiconductors, who need limited space to expand to this Tier-II city, have set up their development centre on the BVB Engineering College campus.
It is learnt that both Neilsoft and Sankalp Semiconductors are satisfied with their decision to set up base in Hubli. Both companies have plans to expand their capacities here in the near future.
According to sources, the state government is learnt to have put its final seal of approval on HDMC's proposal to allot 25 acres of its land in Rayapur to five IT/ITeS companies. Another 25 acres is also on offer to some other IT companies in the queue.
HUBLI: The government's initiatives to take information technology (IT) to Tier-II cities may well seem halfhearted if one goes by the fate of the state-of-the-art IT Park here. There are virtually no takers for more than 2 lakh sqft of space ready for occupation.
The Hubli IT Park, developed at a cost of Rs 45 crore, is managed by Keonics on behalf of the Software Technology Parks of India and attempts to sell the idea to potential IT/ITeS investors have come to naught. Sources attribute this to lack of imaginative marketing strategy. While inaugurating the IT Investors' Meet here on May 20, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy had announced a conditional offer to attract new investors. The package envisaged competitive rates comparable with neighbouring states.
The offer was valid for a period of six moths, which lapsed earlier this week without attracting a single new investor. Neilsoft, a Pune-based engineering software solutions firm, had set up base here a day before the investors' meet.
Sources said what worked against attracting potential start-up ventures was the condition that concession would be given to firms which take a minimum of 10,000 sqft of space. Not many new ventures need that kind of space.
Keonics deputy manager H Devanand said that many firms, including the BPO arm of ICICI, made inquiries about the facilities available here, but no deal has been struck so far since the package was announced.
Meanwhile, certain other investors like Bangalore based Sankalp Semiconductors, who need limited space to expand to this Tier-II city, have set up their development centre on the BVB Engineering College campus.
It is learnt that both Neilsoft and Sankalp Semiconductors are satisfied with their decision to set up base in Hubli. Both companies have plans to expand their capacities here in the near future.
According to sources, the state government is learnt to have put its final seal of approval on HDMC's proposal to allot 25 acres of its land in Rayapur to five IT/ITeS companies. Another 25 acres is also on offer to some other IT companies in the queue.
Panel proposes Muslim quota in police force
21 Nov, 2006 2257hrs IST Times News Network
BANGALORE: The long arm of quota has found its way to the police force in Karnataka. Just as the debate on having quota for Muslims gathers pace, the Karnataka State Minorities Commission has proposed 15% reservation for Muslims in the police force in communally sensitive areas.
In its latest report submitted to chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on November 17, 2006, the committee chairman Alhaj K S Mohammed Masood said: "In Dakshina Kannada, Mangalore and other affected areas in the coastal belt, it is recommended that at least 15% of the police force should be drawn from the Muslim community, which has been adversely targeted and affected by the riots. As a control and precautionary mechanism, it is imperative that the police force should have Muslim police also."
The Commission's report comes in the aftermath of recent communal violence in Mangalore. They recommended that in communally sensitive areas, police stations should be manned by suitable dedicated policemen drawn from minorities. "The Commission is of the view that in the offices of IGP, DSP, ACP and in sensitive police stations, some of the persons belonging to minority community should be posted as sub-inspector or at least as police constable," the report states.
It has asked the state to appoint Muslim officers in the offices of deputy commissioner, zilla panchayat, assistant commissioner, head quarters assistant to deputy commissioner in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Karwar.
To increase surveillance in sensitive areas, the Commission has suggested constitution of peace committees comprising representatives from all communities. These committees, with principal secretary (home) as the chairperson, are to be assisted by a police cell headed by a DIG rank officer.
BANGALORE: The long arm of quota has found its way to the police force in Karnataka. Just as the debate on having quota for Muslims gathers pace, the Karnataka State Minorities Commission has proposed 15% reservation for Muslims in the police force in communally sensitive areas.
In its latest report submitted to chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on November 17, 2006, the committee chairman Alhaj K S Mohammed Masood said: "In Dakshina Kannada, Mangalore and other affected areas in the coastal belt, it is recommended that at least 15% of the police force should be drawn from the Muslim community, which has been adversely targeted and affected by the riots. As a control and precautionary mechanism, it is imperative that the police force should have Muslim police also."
The Commission's report comes in the aftermath of recent communal violence in Mangalore. They recommended that in communally sensitive areas, police stations should be manned by suitable dedicated policemen drawn from minorities. "The Commission is of the view that in the offices of IGP, DSP, ACP and in sensitive police stations, some of the persons belonging to minority community should be posted as sub-inspector or at least as police constable," the report states.
It has asked the state to appoint Muslim officers in the offices of deputy commissioner, zilla panchayat, assistant commissioner, head quarters assistant to deputy commissioner in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Karwar.
To increase surveillance in sensitive areas, the Commission has suggested constitution of peace committees comprising representatives from all communities. These committees, with principal secretary (home) as the chairperson, are to be assisted by a police cell headed by a DIG rank officer.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Unwired, Chennai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad
Times News Network
WiMax promises high-speed mobile data and telecom services India is finally getting rid of cable connectivity. Last month Chennai was declared the first WiMax enabled city. Then Pune followed suit. Or the other way around.
In between, Bangalore and Hyderabad also declared they were offering the same services. Some of course duck the fact that they don't offer 100 per cent availability or access yet. However, as of two weeks ago, Baramati, a small city near Pune, seemed to have pipped all the others.
Whatever the truth, the fact is both metropolitan and mofussil India are falling over themselves trying to provide wide-area broadband wireless access to its consumers.
And whereas the older Wi-Fi network is limited to about 30 metres within offices, campuses and scattered "hotspots" in airports, etc, WiMax or worldwide interoperability for microwave access is like Wi-Fi on steroids.
It's an inexpensive way to cover a large area up to a radius of 50 kilometres ideal for rural towns as well as most cities which have limited infrastructure offering high speed access to the Internet from a notebook, personal digital assistant or any similar hand-held device.
Research firms are already predicting India will have 13 million WiMax subscribers by 2012.
This is important because after globalisation and the Internet have created rapid growth in IT related interfaces, connectivity has now become vital to Indian business and society.
At the same time only a little more than half a percent of the population has residential Internet access with just 60 million users in all.
The reason is not far to see: The telecom infrastructure is inadequate and last-mile connections are typically via copper cable, DSL and fibre optic landlines where installation costs are high since they require ripping up kilometres of roadways while disrupting already chaotic traffic in order to lay cables.
In such a scenario the ability to provide connections wirelessly would not only lower the cost of services but also ensure a much-needed impetus to accelerated growth.
Embracing wireless as a dominant delivery mode will be an economically viable solution to Internet adoption that can revolutionise lifestyles in the country.
WiMax technology has the potential to provide extensive Internet access that can boost the economy, deliver better education and healthcare facilities and improve entertainment services as it has done in other places in the world.
WiMax promises high-speed mobile data and telecom services India is finally getting rid of cable connectivity. Last month Chennai was declared the first WiMax enabled city. Then Pune followed suit. Or the other way around.
In between, Bangalore and Hyderabad also declared they were offering the same services. Some of course duck the fact that they don't offer 100 per cent availability or access yet. However, as of two weeks ago, Baramati, a small city near Pune, seemed to have pipped all the others.
Whatever the truth, the fact is both metropolitan and mofussil India are falling over themselves trying to provide wide-area broadband wireless access to its consumers.
And whereas the older Wi-Fi network is limited to about 30 metres within offices, campuses and scattered "hotspots" in airports, etc, WiMax or worldwide interoperability for microwave access is like Wi-Fi on steroids.
It's an inexpensive way to cover a large area up to a radius of 50 kilometres ideal for rural towns as well as most cities which have limited infrastructure offering high speed access to the Internet from a notebook, personal digital assistant or any similar hand-held device.
Research firms are already predicting India will have 13 million WiMax subscribers by 2012.
This is important because after globalisation and the Internet have created rapid growth in IT related interfaces, connectivity has now become vital to Indian business and society.
At the same time only a little more than half a percent of the population has residential Internet access with just 60 million users in all.
The reason is not far to see: The telecom infrastructure is inadequate and last-mile connections are typically via copper cable, DSL and fibre optic landlines where installation costs are high since they require ripping up kilometres of roadways while disrupting already chaotic traffic in order to lay cables.
In such a scenario the ability to provide connections wirelessly would not only lower the cost of services but also ensure a much-needed impetus to accelerated growth.
Embracing wireless as a dominant delivery mode will be an economically viable solution to Internet adoption that can revolutionise lifestyles in the country.
WiMax technology has the potential to provide extensive Internet access that can boost the economy, deliver better education and healthcare facilities and improve entertainment services as it has done in other places in the world.
ITC Infotech sets up centre for Finnair, Finland's biggest airland
2006-11-21 08:26 Source : Moneycontrol.com
ITC Infotech India Ltd has set up a dedicated development centre for Finnair, Finland's biggest airline. Finnair recently started its services to New Delhi.
Finnair had signed a five-year, multi-million dollar deal with ITC Infotech early this year. ITC Infotech will be involved in implementing the frequent flyer loyalty programme, e-ticketing and other operational application systems at Finnair.
Mr Tom Källström, Vice President, eBusiness Development, Commercial Division, Finnair, inaugurated the development centre at ITC's tech park campus in Bangalore, which has a seating capacity of 100.
ITC Infotech had recently set up dedicated Development Centre India (DCI) for Danske Bank, the largest bank in Denmark and leading player in the Scandinavian financial markets.
ITC Infotech India Ltd has set up a dedicated development centre for Finnair, Finland's biggest airline. Finnair recently started its services to New Delhi.
Finnair had signed a five-year, multi-million dollar deal with ITC Infotech early this year. ITC Infotech will be involved in implementing the frequent flyer loyalty programme, e-ticketing and other operational application systems at Finnair.
Mr Tom Källström, Vice President, eBusiness Development, Commercial Division, Finnair, inaugurated the development centre at ITC's tech park campus in Bangalore, which has a seating capacity of 100.
ITC Infotech had recently set up dedicated Development Centre India (DCI) for Danske Bank, the largest bank in Denmark and leading player in the Scandinavian financial markets.
Biozeen, a biotech consulting firm of Bangalore to open an office in the Lehigh Valley
November 18, 2006,By Jeanne Bonner Of The Morning Call, mcall.com
Biozeen is a biotech consultant. Co-founder lives in Easton.
The company, Biozeen, is a division of Bangalore Biotech Labs. It provides engineering, consulting, research and training to pharmaceutical and biotech firms. The company operates a training facility in Bangalore for engineers and other workers in the biotech field. It offers courses in animal cell culture and microbial fermentation, among others.
It's not clear how many people Biozeen will employ when it opens an office here, nor where it will locate in the Lehigh Valley. The announcement came from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which said the company might eventually employ 30 to 50 people in the Valley.
While the company has operations in India, its management has roots in the Valley. Biozeen's co-founder and chairman, Cherian Philip, lives in Easton. He was until recently the general manager of Sartorius BBI Systems of Bethlehem Township. Sartorius, formerly known as B. Braun Biotech, makes fermenters and other equipment for biotech and drug companies.
The announcement is the reverse of what's become common news. Many American companies have set up offices in India or outsourced manufacturing there. Agere Systems, for example, opened its second chip design operation in India last year. The Hanover Township, Lehigh County, chipmaker employs chip and software designers at its Indian operations. The company said its presence there helps facilitate interaction with clients in Asia.
Pennsylvania has stepped up its investment in attracting companies with international operations. The state added $15 million to the 2006-07 budget for international business development. It has 22 international trade representatives, including one in India.
''We are deeply committed to broadening our cooperation and facilitating trade and investment in the region,'' said state Secretary of Community and Economic Development Dennis Yablonsky in a statement. He was in Bangalore on a trade mission Friday.
A department spokesman said Biozeen will be eligible for incentives because it will bring jobs to the state. The state offers grants, loans and tax credits to any company that relocates here or to existing businesses that add jobs.
Biozeen is a biotech consultant. Co-founder lives in Easton.
The company, Biozeen, is a division of Bangalore Biotech Labs. It provides engineering, consulting, research and training to pharmaceutical and biotech firms. The company operates a training facility in Bangalore for engineers and other workers in the biotech field. It offers courses in animal cell culture and microbial fermentation, among others.
It's not clear how many people Biozeen will employ when it opens an office here, nor where it will locate in the Lehigh Valley. The announcement came from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, which said the company might eventually employ 30 to 50 people in the Valley.
While the company has operations in India, its management has roots in the Valley. Biozeen's co-founder and chairman, Cherian Philip, lives in Easton. He was until recently the general manager of Sartorius BBI Systems of Bethlehem Township. Sartorius, formerly known as B. Braun Biotech, makes fermenters and other equipment for biotech and drug companies.
The announcement is the reverse of what's become common news. Many American companies have set up offices in India or outsourced manufacturing there. Agere Systems, for example, opened its second chip design operation in India last year. The Hanover Township, Lehigh County, chipmaker employs chip and software designers at its Indian operations. The company said its presence there helps facilitate interaction with clients in Asia.
Pennsylvania has stepped up its investment in attracting companies with international operations. The state added $15 million to the 2006-07 budget for international business development. It has 22 international trade representatives, including one in India.
''We are deeply committed to broadening our cooperation and facilitating trade and investment in the region,'' said state Secretary of Community and Economic Development Dennis Yablonsky in a statement. He was in Bangalore on a trade mission Friday.
A department spokesman said Biozeen will be eligible for incentives because it will bring jobs to the state. The state offers grants, loans and tax credits to any company that relocates here or to existing businesses that add jobs.
DiBcom Opens Development Center in Bangalore, India
Electronic News Network, 11/20/2006
Palaiseau, France-based mobile TV-focused fabless semiconductor provider DiBcom reported today it is investing in India by opening a software development center in Bangalore as an extension of its R&D team in France, to complement all of its software development activities.
The company also says this Indian entity is a normal consequence of its partnership strategy with its global hardware and software vendors, which have requested more personalized and dedicated resources to support collaborative development and product integration in associated platforms.
DiBcom intends to provide increasingly sophisticated software stacks to adapt both DVB-T and DVB-H receivers into different platforms with its new DIB7070 family of chips that combine a tri-band RF tuner with an integrated DVB-T and DVB-H demodulator.
Targeted applications for the chips include residential and automotive set top boxes; desktop and laptop PCs; personal media players and LCD TVs; and cell phone and Smartphone accessories.
www.dibcom.com
Palaiseau, France-based mobile TV-focused fabless semiconductor provider DiBcom reported today it is investing in India by opening a software development center in Bangalore as an extension of its R&D team in France, to complement all of its software development activities.
The company also says this Indian entity is a normal consequence of its partnership strategy with its global hardware and software vendors, which have requested more personalized and dedicated resources to support collaborative development and product integration in associated platforms.
DiBcom intends to provide increasingly sophisticated software stacks to adapt both DVB-T and DVB-H receivers into different platforms with its new DIB7070 family of chips that combine a tri-band RF tuner with an integrated DVB-T and DVB-H demodulator.
Targeted applications for the chips include residential and automotive set top boxes; desktop and laptop PCs; personal media players and LCD TVs; and cell phone and Smartphone accessories.
www.dibcom.com
Mum about money: IIM on an undercover job!
Priyanka Tiwari, 20 Nov, 2006 2056hrs IST Times News Network
IIM-Bangalore's decision to not disclose the impressive salaries being offered to students is being deemed as a sensible move.
Much is made of the whopping pay packets that IIM or IIT students bag even before they've stepped out of the hallowed precincts of their institutes. Just last week, an IIM-Calcutta student was offered a record stipend of Rs 10 lakh approx ($22,000) for his summer training! The salary of two IIM Bangalore students -- Gaurav Agarwal and Venkatesh Shankararaman -- became the topic of discussion and reason for jubilation when they bagged plum pay packets. While Venkatesh was offered Rs 30 lakh per month -- the highest offer for a domestic position, Gaurav Agarwal received the highest ever offer of £105,000 ($193,000) per annum in London.
But as much as it may be a reason to cheer, IIM Bangalore has decided to not reveal the salary/stipend offers that its students receive from here on because it creates unnecessary psychological pressure on other students of the institute to meet greater expectations.
And others agree. "Highlighting salary details, especially when they are above normal compensation levels, creates psychological pressure on other students and draws the attention of unscrupulous elements. The expectations of parents, students and teachers are upped, but the worst affected is the student whose salary gets disclosed as he is inundated with queries," says Prof Devi Singh, director IIM Lucknow.
Prof Salwan, placement chairman at IIM-Indore also agrees that disclosing pay packages increases the burden of expectation on other students. "However, I think that most students are mature enough to understand that salary packages are just one of the components of their job profile," adds the Prof.
Also, the hype created around hefty pay packets tends to sideline other factors involved in job selection. Training and placement head at IIT-Mumbai Prof Subash Babu feels disappointed that only the salaries offered by organisations gets reported. "There are many other issues which deserve attention while differentiating job offers. Of course, the pay offered is a huge attraction, but a large number of students look for jobs that are professionally challenging and relevant to their field of expertise and interest," says Prof Subash and adds that he is contemplating a policy proposal to ensure that salary offers to students are not made public.
But students mince no words while criticising the hype created over job salaries. Says Shobhit Bhatnagar, an IIT-Kanpur student, "Disclosing unexpectedly high salaries offered to students puts other students under tremendous pressure, especially from their parents."
The psychological angle is confirmed by experts as well. "Imagine the stress created on brilliant students who have not been able to bag an equally good offer. It also increases the burden on average students who try to overreach themselves," says psychologist Dr Parveen Shukla.
However, the institutes' decision to not reveal the salaries offered to their students is not the end of the problem. For, in many cases, it's the companies that disclose these offers. Explains Prof Rajiv Sinha, head of the training and placement department at IIT-Kanpur, "There's stiff competition between companies as well and they highlight their salary offers to outdo their competitors. At least in the IITs, disclosing salaries is the prerogative of the recruiting company."
This, when companies make students they are employing sign a confidentiality clause saying that salaries offered by them should not be made public, as Sourav Mukherjee, chairperson of the placements department at IIM-Bangalore points out. He adds, "The decision of IIM-Bangalore, which has been collectively taken by students, dean and director would now meet that clause."
IIM-Bangalore's decision to not disclose the impressive salaries being offered to students is being deemed as a sensible move.
Much is made of the whopping pay packets that IIM or IIT students bag even before they've stepped out of the hallowed precincts of their institutes. Just last week, an IIM-Calcutta student was offered a record stipend of Rs 10 lakh approx ($22,000) for his summer training! The salary of two IIM Bangalore students -- Gaurav Agarwal and Venkatesh Shankararaman -- became the topic of discussion and reason for jubilation when they bagged plum pay packets. While Venkatesh was offered Rs 30 lakh per month -- the highest offer for a domestic position, Gaurav Agarwal received the highest ever offer of £105,000 ($193,000) per annum in London.
But as much as it may be a reason to cheer, IIM Bangalore has decided to not reveal the salary/stipend offers that its students receive from here on because it creates unnecessary psychological pressure on other students of the institute to meet greater expectations.
And others agree. "Highlighting salary details, especially when they are above normal compensation levels, creates psychological pressure on other students and draws the attention of unscrupulous elements. The expectations of parents, students and teachers are upped, but the worst affected is the student whose salary gets disclosed as he is inundated with queries," says Prof Devi Singh, director IIM Lucknow.
Prof Salwan, placement chairman at IIM-Indore also agrees that disclosing pay packages increases the burden of expectation on other students. "However, I think that most students are mature enough to understand that salary packages are just one of the components of their job profile," adds the Prof.
Also, the hype created around hefty pay packets tends to sideline other factors involved in job selection. Training and placement head at IIT-Mumbai Prof Subash Babu feels disappointed that only the salaries offered by organisations gets reported. "There are many other issues which deserve attention while differentiating job offers. Of course, the pay offered is a huge attraction, but a large number of students look for jobs that are professionally challenging and relevant to their field of expertise and interest," says Prof Subash and adds that he is contemplating a policy proposal to ensure that salary offers to students are not made public.
But students mince no words while criticising the hype created over job salaries. Says Shobhit Bhatnagar, an IIT-Kanpur student, "Disclosing unexpectedly high salaries offered to students puts other students under tremendous pressure, especially from their parents."
The psychological angle is confirmed by experts as well. "Imagine the stress created on brilliant students who have not been able to bag an equally good offer. It also increases the burden on average students who try to overreach themselves," says psychologist Dr Parveen Shukla.
However, the institutes' decision to not reveal the salaries offered to their students is not the end of the problem. For, in many cases, it's the companies that disclose these offers. Explains Prof Rajiv Sinha, head of the training and placement department at IIT-Kanpur, "There's stiff competition between companies as well and they highlight their salary offers to outdo their competitors. At least in the IITs, disclosing salaries is the prerogative of the recruiting company."
This, when companies make students they are employing sign a confidentiality clause saying that salaries offered by them should not be made public, as Sourav Mukherjee, chairperson of the placements department at IIM-Bangalore points out. He adds, "The decision of IIM-Bangalore, which has been collectively taken by students, dean and director would now meet that clause."
Wipro’s secret out
Deccan Herald
Bangalore: Steve Hamm’s “Bangalore Tiger-How Indian Tech Upstart Wipro is rewriting the rules of Global Competition” was formally launched on Monday, with the author speaking about the way he went about writing the book.
Hamm who is a senior writer with Business Week in New York said the word tiger in his book came from the popular name calling of westerners of Asians as “tigers”, and that he wanted to write about the tech industry through the eyes of one company. He said that he was impressed with the way Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro had made the company climb to such great heights. The book is a narrative of not only the company, but also about personal life of Premji.
Bangalore: Steve Hamm’s “Bangalore Tiger-How Indian Tech Upstart Wipro is rewriting the rules of Global Competition” was formally launched on Monday, with the author speaking about the way he went about writing the book.
Hamm who is a senior writer with Business Week in New York said the word tiger in his book came from the popular name calling of westerners of Asians as “tigers”, and that he wanted to write about the tech industry through the eyes of one company. He said that he was impressed with the way Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro had made the company climb to such great heights. The book is a narrative of not only the company, but also about personal life of Premji.
Residents chase survey staff
Special Correspondent, The Hindu
Bangalore: Residents of Indiranagar, and in particular those of Chinmaya Mission Hospital Road, on Monday chased the staff of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation who came to the spot to conduct a preliminary survey before commencing the formal civil works.
People residing in the vicinity of the CMH Road and the 100-foot Road of Indiranagar told The Hindu that a section of angry residents and traders, who were awaiting the arrival of the survey staff, chased them even as they alighted from a Government car. The survey staff were accompanied by a contingent of police personnel, but the latter, sensing the anger of the people, chose to stay away. The survey staff suggested some remedial measures to the people.
Thereafter the survey staff left for another spot about a kilometre away on the same stretch of road where again they were threatened with "dire consequences" if they attempted to commence their work.The former Chamarajpet MLA and resident of Indiranagar, Pramila Nesargi, who has taken up the cause of the residents and traders of Indiranagar, told The Hindu : "Come what may we will not permit the authorities to take up the metro rail work. Let them shoot us down before commencing the work. The metro rail will not be permitted on CMH Road at any cost."
She said: "Let them shift the alignment to the Old Madras Road which runs parallel to the CMH Road. Shifting it will even reduce the length of the rail link by 0.5 km and save the tax-payers' money."
The BMRC authorities said that they had been to CMH Road to finalise their plan to start the work. "The people started demanding the Government order relating to the alignment. Why should we show the Government order to all. We wanted to start work after receiving directions from senior officials. The alignment has been finalised and there is no question of changing it at the present juncture," an official said.
Bangalore: Residents of Indiranagar, and in particular those of Chinmaya Mission Hospital Road, on Monday chased the staff of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation who came to the spot to conduct a preliminary survey before commencing the formal civil works.
People residing in the vicinity of the CMH Road and the 100-foot Road of Indiranagar told The Hindu that a section of angry residents and traders, who were awaiting the arrival of the survey staff, chased them even as they alighted from a Government car. The survey staff were accompanied by a contingent of police personnel, but the latter, sensing the anger of the people, chose to stay away. The survey staff suggested some remedial measures to the people.
Thereafter the survey staff left for another spot about a kilometre away on the same stretch of road where again they were threatened with "dire consequences" if they attempted to commence their work.The former Chamarajpet MLA and resident of Indiranagar, Pramila Nesargi, who has taken up the cause of the residents and traders of Indiranagar, told The Hindu : "Come what may we will not permit the authorities to take up the metro rail work. Let them shoot us down before commencing the work. The metro rail will not be permitted on CMH Road at any cost."
She said: "Let them shift the alignment to the Old Madras Road which runs parallel to the CMH Road. Shifting it will even reduce the length of the rail link by 0.5 km and save the tax-payers' money."
The BMRC authorities said that they had been to CMH Road to finalise their plan to start the work. "The people started demanding the Government order relating to the alignment. Why should we show the Government order to all. We wanted to start work after receiving directions from senior officials. The alignment has been finalised and there is no question of changing it at the present juncture," an official said.
IT gals do not have it
Geeta Rao
20 Nov, 2006 2139hrs IST Times News Network
They're achievers, earn well, but struggle to find that work-life balance.
Projects, deadlines, working for 10-12 hours sometimes, and then the traffic. That's why some women IT professionals spoke to the CM and his deputy recently, requesting for better infrastructure. Many, young mothers, find the 'golden time' between 6-9 pm spent in buses, not with their kids. There is no quality of life, they say. But what kind of lives do they lead anyway?
Traffic's terrible
For young Dechamma, with an MNC major for three years, traffic's a huge bugbear. Up early, she catches the 7.15 am bus to reach office by 8.15 am. If she takes the 7.30 am bus, she reaches only by 9.30! Then it's work till 5.15 pm, with breakfast and lunch breaks, and she's home by 7.15. A full 12 hours gone, and a neat 25 per cent of it in traffic. So, she plugs in her earphones and listens to music on the bus. However, that's better than travelling by car (which most own) and getting caught in a jam, she says.
No time
Shobha Ramakanth, with an IT major for three years, says IT employees earn great salaries, but spend them? No time. "We earn well but there's no time to spend money. We just look forward to the weekend, but are so pooped we sleep almost all day. No socialising. Sundays are spent in catching up on personal work like buying groceries for the next week."
Before leaving home at 7.30 am, Shobha rushes out on a glass of milk, has breakfast and lunch at office. Some colleagues pick up dinner at the office, catch the bus, reach home by 9 pm and microwave the dinner.
Nupur K, from an IT MNC, says her older colleagues with kids have a huge worklife balance issue.
No exercise
At work, they sit in front of the computer for 10-12 hours, and the weight piles on, says Shobha. There's just no time for exercise, though facilities include gyms, tennis, basketball, badminton courts and more. Take time off, and you must make up by coming in on Saturdays.
Trupti, in the IT field for eight years, has a one-yearold and rushes back home after work. "I could gym at the office, but I don't, since it means an hour less with family."
Weekends, holidays
The traffic's gotten to Dechamma so, she doesn't move out on weekends. "I just don't want to see another vehicle," she says. Another software pro gets Sunday evening and Monday morning blues each week. Shobha doesn't have time for anything, so she married an architect (not an IT guy, by choice) so at least one of them has a normal life. Shobha says most IT colleagues spend 15 days annually at a hill station with family. Or visit relatives who live abroad.
Trupti believes vacations are a must. "It must be a 10-day break at least, otherwise you keep thinking of the
Monday that's fast approaching."
Beat the problem
Asha S, an IT employee lives close to the office in the heart of the city. So there's time in the evening and during weekends for herself. Trupti, husband and child eat out a lot, and watch movies during weekdays. But it's her support system that keeps her afloat. "I'm the kind who wants everything, home and work. But I have my parents and inlaws around, so they all help."
Work or life?
Says Hema Ravichandar, Strategic HR Advisory, "While worklife balance has always been more of a challenge for women, when offices are located outside Central Business Districts, travel times place a greater demand on the employee's time. Also it becomes tougher for employees to visit paediatricians or attend parent-teacher meetings and return to the workplace. However, company campuses situated outside CBD have space to allow for gyms, lifestyle enhancement, hobby centres and even on campus guest houses which are a boon to coping with the heavily burdened infrastructure."
20 Nov, 2006 2139hrs IST Times News Network
They're achievers, earn well, but struggle to find that work-life balance.
Projects, deadlines, working for 10-12 hours sometimes, and then the traffic. That's why some women IT professionals spoke to the CM and his deputy recently, requesting for better infrastructure. Many, young mothers, find the 'golden time' between 6-9 pm spent in buses, not with their kids. There is no quality of life, they say. But what kind of lives do they lead anyway?
Traffic's terrible
For young Dechamma, with an MNC major for three years, traffic's a huge bugbear. Up early, she catches the 7.15 am bus to reach office by 8.15 am. If she takes the 7.30 am bus, she reaches only by 9.30! Then it's work till 5.15 pm, with breakfast and lunch breaks, and she's home by 7.15. A full 12 hours gone, and a neat 25 per cent of it in traffic. So, she plugs in her earphones and listens to music on the bus. However, that's better than travelling by car (which most own) and getting caught in a jam, she says.
No time
Shobha Ramakanth, with an IT major for three years, says IT employees earn great salaries, but spend them? No time. "We earn well but there's no time to spend money. We just look forward to the weekend, but are so pooped we sleep almost all day. No socialising. Sundays are spent in catching up on personal work like buying groceries for the next week."
Before leaving home at 7.30 am, Shobha rushes out on a glass of milk, has breakfast and lunch at office. Some colleagues pick up dinner at the office, catch the bus, reach home by 9 pm and microwave the dinner.
Nupur K, from an IT MNC, says her older colleagues with kids have a huge worklife balance issue.
No exercise
At work, they sit in front of the computer for 10-12 hours, and the weight piles on, says Shobha. There's just no time for exercise, though facilities include gyms, tennis, basketball, badminton courts and more. Take time off, and you must make up by coming in on Saturdays.
Trupti, in the IT field for eight years, has a one-yearold and rushes back home after work. "I could gym at the office, but I don't, since it means an hour less with family."
Weekends, holidays
The traffic's gotten to Dechamma so, she doesn't move out on weekends. "I just don't want to see another vehicle," she says. Another software pro gets Sunday evening and Monday morning blues each week. Shobha doesn't have time for anything, so she married an architect (not an IT guy, by choice) so at least one of them has a normal life. Shobha says most IT colleagues spend 15 days annually at a hill station with family. Or visit relatives who live abroad.
Trupti believes vacations are a must. "It must be a 10-day break at least, otherwise you keep thinking of the
Monday that's fast approaching."
Beat the problem
Asha S, an IT employee lives close to the office in the heart of the city. So there's time in the evening and during weekends for herself. Trupti, husband and child eat out a lot, and watch movies during weekdays. But it's her support system that keeps her afloat. "I'm the kind who wants everything, home and work. But I have my parents and inlaws around, so they all help."
Work or life?
Says Hema Ravichandar, Strategic HR Advisory, "While worklife balance has always been more of a challenge for women, when offices are located outside Central Business Districts, travel times place a greater demand on the employee's time. Also it becomes tougher for employees to visit paediatricians or attend parent-teacher meetings and return to the workplace. However, company campuses situated outside CBD have space to allow for gyms, lifestyle enhancement, hobby centres and even on campus guest houses which are a boon to coping with the heavily burdened infrastructure."
You will get SMS alerts on your land
S Kushala
20 Nov, 2006 0128hrs IST Times News Network
BANGALORE: "There is a transaction on your land bearing survey no. X of Y village of Z taluk. This is for your information. Sender: Bhoomi."
An SMS beeps on your mobile. This alert system, designed by Bhoomi, a part of e-governance department, which should be up in a month, will help landowners who reside in places other than where their property is situated.With dubious transactions via impersonation becoming the order of the day, such tip-offs about mutation can come as a boon, e-governance secretary Rajeev Chawla told TOI.
"The software is ready and has to be integrated with the Bhoomi system. We are in talks with SMS service providers on the user charge and other modalities,"he said.
The department will charge a fee for users who want this facility and their mobile numbers will be registered in the Bhoomi kiosk.
The SMS alert can also be for a legal transaction initiated by the owner. For those who don't have mobile phones, the department is considering another form of informing them, says Gurumurthy of Bhoomi Monitoring Cell.
Under Bhoomi, as many as 4.9 crore farmers have availed of the services by obtaining Record of right, tenancy and crop certificate. Fee of Rs 15 is charged per record.
20 Nov, 2006 0128hrs IST Times News Network
BANGALORE: "There is a transaction on your land bearing survey no. X of Y village of Z taluk. This is for your information. Sender: Bhoomi."
An SMS beeps on your mobile. This alert system, designed by Bhoomi, a part of e-governance department, which should be up in a month, will help landowners who reside in places other than where their property is situated.With dubious transactions via impersonation becoming the order of the day, such tip-offs about mutation can come as a boon, e-governance secretary Rajeev Chawla told TOI.
"The software is ready and has to be integrated with the Bhoomi system. We are in talks with SMS service providers on the user charge and other modalities,"he said.
The department will charge a fee for users who want this facility and their mobile numbers will be registered in the Bhoomi kiosk.
The SMS alert can also be for a legal transaction initiated by the owner. For those who don't have mobile phones, the department is considering another form of informing them, says Gurumurthy of Bhoomi Monitoring Cell.
Under Bhoomi, as many as 4.9 crore farmers have availed of the services by obtaining Record of right, tenancy and crop certificate. Fee of Rs 15 is charged per record.
'India on high growth'
19 Nov, 2006 0100hrs IST Times News Network
BANGALORE: Development and prosperity can be achieved only through active collaboration between various stake holders — the government, industry and the citizens, said Ravi Uppal, vice-chairman and MD, ABB India Ltd and president of South Asia Pacific Region on Saturday.
Delivering the graduation ceremony address at the PES Institute of Technology (PESIT) he said: "India is on high growth trajectory, but we still have to overcome problems like poor infrastructure, lack of civic amenities, poverty and illiteracy. It is easy to blame the government, but we need to work together for development."
Though the opportunities today are plenty, the task of sustainable development is daunting. "Even if India continues to grow at a rate of 8 to 10 per cent, it will take us 25 years to reach the world's average per capita income," Uppal said.
Outlining the need for aligning the education system to the needs of corporate world, he said: "One of the biggest challenges is to develop vocational skills and training programmes in our institutions to meet industry requirements," he added.
Founder-chairman, PES Institutions, M R Doreswamy said the PES Group of Institutions has adopted 12 rural government schools, providing free vocational training for school dropouts, adopting community parks, tree plantation programmes and drinking water schemes.
Higher education minister D H Shankaramurthy urged the youth to work towards prosperity.
BANGALORE: Development and prosperity can be achieved only through active collaboration between various stake holders — the government, industry and the citizens, said Ravi Uppal, vice-chairman and MD, ABB India Ltd and president of South Asia Pacific Region on Saturday.
Delivering the graduation ceremony address at the PES Institute of Technology (PESIT) he said: "India is on high growth trajectory, but we still have to overcome problems like poor infrastructure, lack of civic amenities, poverty and illiteracy. It is easy to blame the government, but we need to work together for development."
Though the opportunities today are plenty, the task of sustainable development is daunting. "Even if India continues to grow at a rate of 8 to 10 per cent, it will take us 25 years to reach the world's average per capita income," Uppal said.
Outlining the need for aligning the education system to the needs of corporate world, he said: "One of the biggest challenges is to develop vocational skills and training programmes in our institutions to meet industry requirements," he added.
Founder-chairman, PES Institutions, M R Doreswamy said the PES Group of Institutions has adopted 12 rural government schools, providing free vocational training for school dropouts, adopting community parks, tree plantation programmes and drinking water schemes.
Higher education minister D H Shankaramurthy urged the youth to work towards prosperity.
Snake's day out creates traffic snarl in Bangalore
Monday, 20 November , 2006, 10:51, Sify
A snake sneaked into a luxury van, creating panic and bringing to a grinding halt lunch hour traffic at the busy Krishnarajendra Circle in the heart of the city.
The incident occurred when the snake slithered from the sprawling Curzon Park, adjacent to Karnataka High Court and the State Secretariat Vidhana Soudha, to the road near the traffic signal.
Scared by the zooming vehicles and the cry raised by the two wheeler riders on seeing the reptile, the frightened snake sneaked into a van. The sight of the snake unnerved the driver, who rammed into the pavement, throwing traffic out of gear and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.
Police requisitioned well known snake catcher Mohan who rushed to the spot and caught the non-venomous snake effortlessly.
A snake sneaked into a luxury van, creating panic and bringing to a grinding halt lunch hour traffic at the busy Krishnarajendra Circle in the heart of the city.
The incident occurred when the snake slithered from the sprawling Curzon Park, adjacent to Karnataka High Court and the State Secretariat Vidhana Soudha, to the road near the traffic signal.
Scared by the zooming vehicles and the cry raised by the two wheeler riders on seeing the reptile, the frightened snake sneaked into a van. The sight of the snake unnerved the driver, who rammed into the pavement, throwing traffic out of gear and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.
Police requisitioned well known snake catcher Mohan who rushed to the spot and caught the non-venomous snake effortlessly.
Drag racing accident
Thursday, 16 November , 2006, 12:24, Sify
Drag racing is a favourite sport for many youngsters in the city. Unfortunately the thrills can prove to be pretty dangerous too and sometimes fatal as in the case of Arun. Arun (23), a resident of Cauvery Nagar near Banashankari and his friend were racing against other on Bannerghatta Ring Road on Tuesday night.
As they were trying to overtake each other, Arun lost his balance and hit an electric pole, he died on the spot. The pillion rider Arun (18) sustained serious injuries and has been admitted in a hospital.
Drag racing is a favourite sport for many youngsters in the city. Unfortunately the thrills can prove to be pretty dangerous too and sometimes fatal as in the case of Arun. Arun (23), a resident of Cauvery Nagar near Banashankari and his friend were racing against other on Bannerghatta Ring Road on Tuesday night.
As they were trying to overtake each other, Arun lost his balance and hit an electric pole, he died on the spot. The pillion rider Arun (18) sustained serious injuries and has been admitted in a hospital.
Kannada number plates violate law
Monday, 20 November , 2006, 10:54, Sify
The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) launched ‘Kannada Numerals’ week at Malleswaram Grounds yesterday and there has been a great deal of campaigning asking vehicle owners to use Kannada numerals on number plates. Many have responded but in most cases, this has been at the cost of English numerals. This is in total violation of the Motor Vehicles Act which states very clearly that English numerals are compulsory. However, both the Police and the RTO officials are turning a blind eye to this violation.
The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) launched ‘Kannada Numerals’ week at Malleswaram Grounds yesterday and there has been a great deal of campaigning asking vehicle owners to use Kannada numerals on number plates. Many have responded but in most cases, this has been at the cost of English numerals. This is in total violation of the Motor Vehicles Act which states very clearly that English numerals are compulsory. However, both the Police and the RTO officials are turning a blind eye to this violation.
CAT was easier this year
Monday, 20 November , 2006, 10:55, Sify
Bangalore had 18,500 students appearing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) held at the city yesterday for admission to top B-Schools, including the six Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) in India. The examination was held at 16 centres and went off peacefully without any malpractices. The question papers were found to be easier when compared to those of the previous years and the number of questions were reduced to 75 this year from the earlier 90.
Bangalore had 18,500 students appearing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) held at the city yesterday for admission to top B-Schools, including the six Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) in India. The examination was held at 16 centres and went off peacefully without any malpractices. The question papers were found to be easier when compared to those of the previous years and the number of questions were reduced to 75 this year from the earlier 90.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Police to close case, Nikhil may go free
17 Nov, 2006 2316hrs IST Times News Network
BANGALORE: Chief ministers H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Gowda,who was involved in a restaurant brawl last month, could go scot-free.
The reason: the police said the hotelier has refused to identify Nikhil. The police are now filing a B-report, which is drawn up when there is no evidence to back up a case.
Nikhil Gowda (19) and his friend Syed Ehtesham allegedly roughed up staff at Empire Restaurant on Church Street after the staff refused to serve them food at 3 am on Oct 29.
In the brawl, Nikhil was injured, and he had filed a complaint with the Cubbon Park police against the restaurant staff.
ACP Bipin Gopalkrishna, when asked if the B-report had been filed, said: ‘No'. Are the police preparing a B-report?
"Yes, we are going to do that, because the restaurateur has refused to identify him (Nikhil)."Asked if there was any timeframe to file the report, he said, "No, there is no such thing. But we might file the report today or any time in the future."
Police commissioner N Achuta Rao said the city police have not filed the Breport yet. Two senior officers are supposed to be probing the case.
But, there is really nothing to investigate as both parties have agreed not to aggravate the issue and are willing for a compromise. No arrests have been made.
BANGALORE: Chief ministers H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Gowda,who was involved in a restaurant brawl last month, could go scot-free.
The reason: the police said the hotelier has refused to identify Nikhil. The police are now filing a B-report, which is drawn up when there is no evidence to back up a case.
Nikhil Gowda (19) and his friend Syed Ehtesham allegedly roughed up staff at Empire Restaurant on Church Street after the staff refused to serve them food at 3 am on Oct 29.
In the brawl, Nikhil was injured, and he had filed a complaint with the Cubbon Park police against the restaurant staff.
ACP Bipin Gopalkrishna, when asked if the B-report had been filed, said: ‘No'. Are the police preparing a B-report?
"Yes, we are going to do that, because the restaurateur has refused to identify him (Nikhil)."Asked if there was any timeframe to file the report, he said, "No, there is no such thing. But we might file the report today or any time in the future."
Police commissioner N Achuta Rao said the city police have not filed the Breport yet. Two senior officers are supposed to be probing the case.
But, there is really nothing to investigate as both parties have agreed not to aggravate the issue and are willing for a compromise. No arrests have been made.
Bridal Bliss makes lovely brides
Friday, 17 November , 2006, 10:20, Sify
Fitness One recently launched Bridal Bliss which is a unique package for brides. Besides availing a fitness package at a nominal price, a Bridal Bliss member can also avail privileges and discounts at skin care stores, jewellery stores, aromatherapy salons and sports gear shops.
Bridal Bliss was launched amidst much fanfare. The launch party recreated a dream-like wedding ambience with music, mehendi, bangle sellers and tattoo designers. Shiamak Davar’s troupe entertained the guests. So all you brides-to-be, you know where to head.
Fitness One recently launched Bridal Bliss which is a unique package for brides. Besides availing a fitness package at a nominal price, a Bridal Bliss member can also avail privileges and discounts at skin care stores, jewellery stores, aromatherapy salons and sports gear shops.
Bridal Bliss was launched amidst much fanfare. The launch party recreated a dream-like wedding ambience with music, mehendi, bangle sellers and tattoo designers. Shiamak Davar’s troupe entertained the guests. So all you brides-to-be, you know where to head.
Karnataka CM denies vindictive action against Shivakumar
Friday, 17 November , 2006, 10:18
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today denied that he had indulged in 'vindictive politics' against Congress leader D K Shivakumar as alleged by him yesterday.
Speaking to newsmen after releasing copies of several documents related to the illegal stocking of iron ore issue, he said 20 companies were engaged in iron ore collection business at Nandhihalli village in Bellary district of which eight belonged to Mr Shivakumar.
The forest officials had arrested three people in Bellary on Tuesday night and booked cases against 15 others for allegedly storing over two lakh tones of iron ore valued at Rs 27 crore in the yard belonging to PKP mines illegally. Three of the names against whom cases were filed included that of the wife, brother and sister of Mr Shivakumar.
Explaining the officials action, he said the mobile squad of the forest department raided the yard of PKP Mines in that area and seized iron ore which was illegally stocked there. When Mr Shivakumar was the Urban Development Minister he had misused his powers and brought pressure on the officials of the Mysore Minerals Company to secure iron ore at Rs 350 per ton while other companies quoted Rs 1250. Nearly five lakh tons of waste dump were purchased by his companies at Rs 25 to Rs 75 a ton.
He said there was an agreement between Mr Shivakumar's companies and the PKP Company, with regard to sale of waste dump, but details of transactions were not mentioned thereby 'committing fraud' on the state's exchequer in the form of sales and income taxes. His company lawyers had also misled the High Court in connection with the case, he said.
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today denied that he had indulged in 'vindictive politics' against Congress leader D K Shivakumar as alleged by him yesterday.
Speaking to newsmen after releasing copies of several documents related to the illegal stocking of iron ore issue, he said 20 companies were engaged in iron ore collection business at Nandhihalli village in Bellary district of which eight belonged to Mr Shivakumar.
The forest officials had arrested three people in Bellary on Tuesday night and booked cases against 15 others for allegedly storing over two lakh tones of iron ore valued at Rs 27 crore in the yard belonging to PKP mines illegally. Three of the names against whom cases were filed included that of the wife, brother and sister of Mr Shivakumar.
Explaining the officials action, he said the mobile squad of the forest department raided the yard of PKP Mines in that area and seized iron ore which was illegally stocked there. When Mr Shivakumar was the Urban Development Minister he had misused his powers and brought pressure on the officials of the Mysore Minerals Company to secure iron ore at Rs 350 per ton while other companies quoted Rs 1250. Nearly five lakh tons of waste dump were purchased by his companies at Rs 25 to Rs 75 a ton.
He said there was an agreement between Mr Shivakumar's companies and the PKP Company, with regard to sale of waste dump, but details of transactions were not mentioned thereby 'committing fraud' on the state's exchequer in the form of sales and income taxes. His company lawyers had also misled the High Court in connection with the case, he said.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Boom & zoom: Rs 7 cr per acre in Devanahalli, Bangalore
S Kushala & Smitha Rao | Times of India 16, Nov 2006Devanahalli: Here’s Bangalore’s ultimate commercial toast to real estate — an astronomical Rs 7 crore per acre.
That’s the present going rate for acreage at Devanahalli where the international airport is coming up. The flights are yet to take off the tarmac but land value in this hitherto sleepy suburb has touched the skies, thanks to the national highway and the upcoming airport.
Check the shocking difference between government value and market rates. On paper: What is put out officially at the sub-registrar’s office is Rs 40 lakh per acre. Ground reality: The going rate or market value is a dizzying Rs 7 crore per acre.
Explain officials at the Stamps and Registration Department: “Under-valuation of the properties is also increasing as the stamp duty paid is very low compared with the price paid. We are in the process of revising the guidance value in Devanahalli in tandem with the market prices. The draft notification has been issued which has hiked the guidance value by 50% in some prime areas.’’
What was Rs 1 crore per acre five years ago has now sky-rocketed to Rs 7 crore for the lands abutting the highway. Land value started escalating when the land acquisition proceedings began for the Bangalore International Airport. The foundation stone laying ceremony and the subsequent commencement of work pushed the land rates further up. The six-laning of the highway has favourably added to pushing up the land values.
Two years ago, value of the land in villages on the fringes of airport was Rs 80 lakh per acre. What was being quoted at Rs 3 lakh per acre in the interior villages has now touched Rs 2 crore.
At Chikkasonne, a village close to airport, land prices have shot up from Rs 5 lakh per acre to Rs 2.5 crore. At Uganadi, which is close to the highway cutting across Devanahalli, the going rate is anything between Rs 3 crore and Rs 3.5 crore. At Sadahalli, sites are being sold for Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per sqft; further away, it is Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,600 per sqft.
Neglected village lands, now bought by developers, boast of such fancy titles as Airport View, Airport Meadows, Airport Park, Airport Hills.
Here’s to the international airport brand.
Official price Rs 40 lakh per acre
Market value Rs 7 cr per acre
Two years ago Value of the land in villages on the fringes of airport was Rs 80 lakh per acre.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Work, interrupted. Mobile phones at work
GEETHA RAO
13 Nov, 2006 2251hrs IST Times News Network
With the constant diversion caused by mobile phones at work, we now have interrupt-driven workstyles.
You are in the middle of the meeting, discussing an important point with your client, when your mobile goes off; you excuse yourself, take the call, get back, but then... where were you? You lose the thread of the discussion and take some time to continue from where you left off. Interruptions at work, something that happens to many of us in these instant-connect days, can be frustrating. But that's the "interrupt-driven" workstyle, as Dave Molta, senior tech editor with a networking mag, puts it. So you're at your mobile's mercy, and there's no way out. Or is there?
Neurosurgeon Dr NK Venkatramana is at the receiving end every so many minutes, he says. For him, it's a dilemma whether to take the call or ignore it. "When I'm in the operation theatre, I switch my mobile off because I get calls every two-three minutes. When I'm seeing out-patients, I give my mobile to my secretary." Otherwise, he'd find himself right in the middle of examining a patient and being disturbed by a call. "My work gets disrupted. Everyone who calls says it's urgent."
But Dr Venkatramana feels guilty about switching his mobile off. "It could be an emergency. My advice could be crucial. It's a big dilemma."
Artist Yusuf Arakkal usually switches off his mobile while he's working on a painting. If the calls come during the initial stages of his painting, like at the conceptual stage, it irritates him. "Because the thought process can change, and you may need some effort to go back to where you stopped. But after that stage, it's alright."
Suhas Gopinath, CEO of an IT company, says such mobile calls hinder productivity to some extent. There are times when he's in a conference, and he gets a call, only to find it's a telemarketing call. "When you get back to the conference, you have missed some important points of the discussion."
There are times, too, when some employees get calls from HR companies asking them for salary details and work profiles, all on company time. Not only are the employees using company time, but even after the call, their concentration wavers.
Or, the project manager may be explaining something important to the team, when he could get a mobile call, and that would disrupt the continuous flow of thought.
13 Nov, 2006 2251hrs IST Times News Network
With the constant diversion caused by mobile phones at work, we now have interrupt-driven workstyles.
You are in the middle of the meeting, discussing an important point with your client, when your mobile goes off; you excuse yourself, take the call, get back, but then... where were you? You lose the thread of the discussion and take some time to continue from where you left off. Interruptions at work, something that happens to many of us in these instant-connect days, can be frustrating. But that's the "interrupt-driven" workstyle, as Dave Molta, senior tech editor with a networking mag, puts it. So you're at your mobile's mercy, and there's no way out. Or is there?
Neurosurgeon Dr NK Venkatramana is at the receiving end every so many minutes, he says. For him, it's a dilemma whether to take the call or ignore it. "When I'm in the operation theatre, I switch my mobile off because I get calls every two-three minutes. When I'm seeing out-patients, I give my mobile to my secretary." Otherwise, he'd find himself right in the middle of examining a patient and being disturbed by a call. "My work gets disrupted. Everyone who calls says it's urgent."
But Dr Venkatramana feels guilty about switching his mobile off. "It could be an emergency. My advice could be crucial. It's a big dilemma."
Artist Yusuf Arakkal usually switches off his mobile while he's working on a painting. If the calls come during the initial stages of his painting, like at the conceptual stage, it irritates him. "Because the thought process can change, and you may need some effort to go back to where you stopped. But after that stage, it's alright."
Suhas Gopinath, CEO of an IT company, says such mobile calls hinder productivity to some extent. There are times when he's in a conference, and he gets a call, only to find it's a telemarketing call. "When you get back to the conference, you have missed some important points of the discussion."
There are times, too, when some employees get calls from HR companies asking them for salary details and work profiles, all on company time. Not only are the employees using company time, but even after the call, their concentration wavers.
Or, the project manager may be explaining something important to the team, when he could get a mobile call, and that would disrupt the continuous flow of thought.
Friday, November 3, 2006
Schoolgirls in rain
Schoolgirls take shelter under a polythene cover during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Karnataka's formation day at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Wednesday, November 1, 2006.
It's official: Bangalore is now Bengalooru
2 Nov, 2006 0007hrs Times News Network
BANGALORE: Even a cricket match would not attract the kind of crowd that the Chinnaswamy stadium saw here on Wednesday.
The 55,000-capacity stadium overflowed as people stood, cheered, clapped, whistled, hooted, sang and danced, marking Karnataka's 50th birthday to the dhamaka of crackers, lighting of thousands of lamps, patriotic songs and folk dancing.
The enthusiasm was boundless, despite jostling crowds, occasional crackers in the stands and pouring rain. Be it the 70-plus Ekikarna (unification award winners) or the young schoolchildren who had come to dance to the Kannada songs, the rain drenched everyone to the skin, but dimmed nothing of the occasion's exuberance or colour.
In line with the history and culture woven into the fabric of the event, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy quoted Kannada poets and leaders extensively, even as he made course-altering announcements for the state and the language:
Bengalooru: Using the platform, nearly a year after his predecessor N Dharam Singh said Bangalore would be renamed as Bengalooru, he said: "I am formally stating that 10 cities including Bangalore will use their Kannada names in English also. The process to make this official is on."
The 10 cities are: Bengalooru (Bangalore), Mysooru (Mysore), Mangalooru (Mangalore), Chikmagalooru (Chikmagalur), Shivamogga (Shimoga), Belagaavi (Belgaum), Kalburgi (Gulbarga), Hubballi (Hubli), Hosapete (Hospet) and Tumakooru (Tumkur).
Name change
It will take another 45 days for Bangalore to be called Bengalooru along with nine other cities. The Geological Survey of India has to be informed by the Union home ministry and all maps must change to the new names.
The revenue department sent a formal proposal to the Union home ministry on October 17 seeking to rename all these cities.
BANGALORE: Even a cricket match would not attract the kind of crowd that the Chinnaswamy stadium saw here on Wednesday.
The 55,000-capacity stadium overflowed as people stood, cheered, clapped, whistled, hooted, sang and danced, marking Karnataka's 50th birthday to the dhamaka of crackers, lighting of thousands of lamps, patriotic songs and folk dancing.
The enthusiasm was boundless, despite jostling crowds, occasional crackers in the stands and pouring rain. Be it the 70-plus Ekikarna (unification award winners) or the young schoolchildren who had come to dance to the Kannada songs, the rain drenched everyone to the skin, but dimmed nothing of the occasion's exuberance or colour.
In line with the history and culture woven into the fabric of the event, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy quoted Kannada poets and leaders extensively, even as he made course-altering announcements for the state and the language:
Bengalooru: Using the platform, nearly a year after his predecessor N Dharam Singh said Bangalore would be renamed as Bengalooru, he said: "I am formally stating that 10 cities including Bangalore will use their Kannada names in English also. The process to make this official is on."
The 10 cities are: Bengalooru (Bangalore), Mysooru (Mysore), Mangalooru (Mangalore), Chikmagalooru (Chikmagalur), Shivamogga (Shimoga), Belagaavi (Belgaum), Kalburgi (Gulbarga), Hubballi (Hubli), Hosapete (Hospet) and Tumakooru (Tumkur).
Name change
It will take another 45 days for Bangalore to be called Bengalooru along with nine other cities. The Geological Survey of India has to be informed by the Union home ministry and all maps must change to the new names.
The revenue department sent a formal proposal to the Union home ministry on October 17 seeking to rename all these cities.
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