LIFE CRIPPLED IN SOUTH KODAGU;

Madikeri November 3, 2006

Life in South Kodagu was crippled today to a certain extent as private busses went off road, protesting against the dilapidated condition of roads. Only private busses ply to most of the villages in this taluk.

The private bus owners and public had called for a bandh to protest the road condition which is deteriorated to a worst possible condition. Students and villagers depending upon private busses to travel from remote villages felt the pinch as they could not come to towns. Schools were closed in some places. Rasta Rokho was held in Kutta town for some time.

Former minister Suma Vasanth yesterday told in a press conference that MLA Basavaraju is responsible for the bad condition of roads. She said that he has asked the concerned not to repair roads for some time even though funds were released. The non maintained roads in south Kodagu have totally become non motorable. MLA Basavaraju has termed the bandh as a political stunt by Congress party.

STUDENT DROWNED;

A PUC student Arjun, 16, yesterday drowned in Cauvery river at Nisargadama resort near Kushalnagar.

A native of murnad and a student of rajarajeshwari college at Madikeri, Arjun went to Nisargadhama along with six other friends. They swam in the river where there is current and Arjun was swallowed by it. His friends rushed to the police station and lodged a complaint, as their effort to frisk him away failed.

Night long search in the water did not yield any result and the body is yet to be found. Police have registered a case.

TALUK SAMMELAN KICKS OFF;

A colourful taluk Kannada sahitya sammelan kicked off today at Murnad, 16 KMs from here.

Journalist R.J.Halli Nagaraj inaugurated Sammelan and said that Global ghost is haunting the country in the form of Information technology. He said that Internet media is threatening newspapers through its popularity. Continuing he said that the dream of Kannadigas is not realized even though we are celebrating suvarna Karnataka year.

Presiding over the sammelan, N.mahabaleshwara bhat regretted that Kodagu has only one third of its population speaking kannada as they speak, kodava, tamil, Malayalam and others.

Earlier, N.Mahabaleshwar Bhat was taken out in a procession charged with different cultural shows, dances and tableaux. About eight main entrances named after different persons were inaugurated. Executive officer Motappa hoisted the national flag. Taluk sahitya parishath president Baby Mathew hoisted the kannada flag.

District committee president T.P.Ramesh, Kodava academy president Dotty Poovaiah,ZP member Deegakeshi Shaivanna, TP member Subhashini, TP vice president Manoj Mandanna and others were present on the dais.