FARMER COMMITTS SUICIDE;

Madikeri July 14, 2006

A farmer at Somwarpet taluk committed suicide due to the burden of loan, according to police.

Somwarpet police said that Manju, 40 committed suicide by consuming poison as the ginger crop he had grown did not fetch expected price. Family sources said that Manju planned to return the hand loan of rupees one lakh borrowed privately for ginger cultivation and he was depressed as the crop did not fetch him good price.

Deceased leaves wife and a child. Police have registered a case.

BOY DROWNS IN RIVER;

Search is on to fetch the body of a school boy who is suspected to have drowned in a river.

A complaint was registered with Madapur police that a fourth standard student Hemanth, 9 accidentally fell into Mukkodlu River near Madapur.

The boy was seen crossing the bridge yesterday morning and did not reach the school. He did not catch the usual bus to school and parents realized that he was missing only in the evening as he neither went to school nor came home.

Police and public tried to search the body till night and could not trace it. However, the body appeared on the surface once and swept away in the floods. Search is continuing again since morning, today.

RUPEES 23.5 CRORE TO MAKUTTA ROAD;

District in charge minister Ramachandra Gowda told at Gonicoppal that the Makutta road linking Kodagu and Kerala will be upgraded at a cost of rupees 23.5 crores.

He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating a market yard built by APMC at a cost of rupees eighteen lakhs at Gonicoppal, yesterday. Stating that the above amount was sanctioned for the road, he informed that the ministers for PWD and Finace will be brought to kodagu shortly to personally witness the pathetic condition of roads.

Addressing the gathering, Agriculture and Market minister Sharana Basappa told that the government has spent rupees 36.22 crore in the state to build 22 markets in rural areas. He announced that hundred more markets would be built in rural areas and rupees fifteen crore is already released for the purpose, he said. The Agriculture minister inaugurated a weigh bridge in the APMC yard at Gonicoppal.

ZP president Ashok, Taluk Panchayath president rani narayan, CEO Sundar Naik and others were present.