Over 100 surgeons gathered to witness surgery

Complex knee-replacement operations are rare in India. The need for such a surgery arises when too much of stress is put on the artificial joint, causing it to losen or break. Only 2% of primary knee-replacement patients need revision surgery. On Sunday, over 100 orthopedic surgeons from Bangalore and other cities gathered at Hosmat Hospital to witness a complex knee-replacement surgery. The surgery was telcast live with the patient’s consent.



The Surgery was conducted by Australian orthopedic surgeon Ray Randle, Hosmat Hospital chairman and senior joint replacement surgeon Dr Thomas A Chandy. Visiting surgeons were given the chance to understand the intricacies of such a surgery. Over 100 surgeons from different hospitals and surgeons from other cities gathered at Hosmat Hospital to witness and understand the intricacies of such a surgery.

Only 2% of primary knee-replacement patients need revision surgery. This type of surgery is rare in India and surgery was telcast live with the patient’s consent.

CommonFloor Celebrated Plant Day

CommonFloor an Online platform that provides a feature rich and private portal for residential community Apartment Complex, Gated Layout, Villas or a Colony all over India celebrated Plant Day in CommonFloor Campus on Saturday 29, 2010. CommonFloor is one of the Green Living supporters who spread green thoughts and green tips through their www.commonfloor.com/green-living.


One and all CommonFloor (CF) Team members actively participated in CF Plant Day by contributing plants and planting them in CommonFloor Campus. CF Plant Day provided an opportunity for CF Team members to know different types of plants and understand importance of planting a tree. Plants are part of the biodiversity system which is vital to the survival of life on earth. Plants absorb Carbon dioxide and provide clean air and water through photosynthesis and complex ecosystems. CF Plant Day is remarkable step by CommonFloor to reduce carbon footprints and save environment.

Award-winning Kannada movies for your weekends

Chitrasamooha, a forum set up by a group of directors, will screen award-winning Kannada movies throughout the year on Saturday and Sunday. Filmmaker Shyam Benegal will inaugurate the festival at 5.30 pm at JSS Auditorium, Jayanagar. Award-winning ‘Vimukti’, directed by P Seshadri, will be screened at Suchitra Film Society in Banashankari at 6.30 pm.

“This is a unique experiment. Meaningful cinema is surviving in Europe and USA, thanks to exclusive (small capacity) and weekend theatres,” says acclaimed director Girish Kasaravalli. “In the West, cinema, especially good films, are surviving because of weekend theatre culture. Who has the time during weekdays? In the next four to five years, the trend is sure to catch up here too,” said P Seshadri.

The idea was there for long, but couldn’t be executed due to several constraints. P Seshadri feels weekend theatre is the future of cinema. In the West good films are surviving because of weekend theatre culture. Soon the trend is sure to catch up here too.

Website: www.chitrasamooha.com Email: chitrasamooha@gmail.com Advance booking: Call 9743531223 / 26711785 Tickets: Rs 40

Event: Screening of award-winning Kannada films Organizers: Chitrasamooha Venue: Suchitra Film Society, Banashankari Every Saturday and Sunday @ 6.30 pm

Contaminated water takes 23 kids to hospital

23 Kids who fell ill because of contaminated water in their orphanage at Bharathinagar were admitted to hospital. Ten children were admitted to hospital on Wednesday and the rest on Thursday. All they remember was eating mangoes and drinking water. All the children are out of danger, however, it will take them at least two days to recover said duty doctor.

All of them were rushed to Isolation Hospital since late Wednesday afternoon. With the increasing numbers, the hospital on Old Madras Road almost ran out of space and had to accommodate them on extra beds in the corridors. Bharathinagar corporator Shakeel Ahmed said: “It seems like an isolated incident. It’s due to the leaking sanitary lines. A thorough inspection must be done. All sanitary pipelines in our area are very old. Civic agencies must take action immediately.”

“Doctors said it was due to water contamination. BWSSB officials visited the place and taken samples for examination. The water tank is close to the sewerage line. The problem will be fixed in a day. Till then, the BWWSB has arranged for drinking water tankers” said Nirmala Vasanthkumar, supervisor, New Life Centre for Girls’ Orphanage, Bharatinagar.

The water tank and sewage lines are too close to each other. Usually, while constructing a building on 20-30/30-40 site, the sump and sewerage tank are built at different corners. In this case, the problem was with the water tank. It might have developed a crack, because of which sewage water would have seeped into it. Says BBMP official.

“Officials have advised orphanage supervisors not to use the water. We have also provided them with ORS and communicable disease medicine; water is being supplied through tankers now. The health department will hold a camp on Friday,” said the PRO.

Passport Seva Project will be launched May 28 in Bangalore

From May 21, the old regional passport office has been closed down and applicants told to apply at the swanky Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) in Bangalore. Nearly an year behind schedule, the pilot phase of the much-delayed Passport Seva Project will be launched May 28 in Bangalore.


'Right now, people may stand in queues for hours. But, at the PSK, we think that a person may finish their work within 45 minutes,' said MEA Joint Secretary (consular, passport and visa) A. Manickam. There had been a number of glitches detected in the manufacture of the software, which has now been relatively smoothened out. The Rs.1,000 crore project was contracted to Tata Consultancy Services in October 2008, to help streamline the passport issuance process.

After the pilot project ends, the rest of the PSKs will be rolled out across the country. The time taken to issue passports will be less than the current system, but there is still expected to be significant delay due to the police verification.'There are 77 passport seva Kendras to be set up. We are looking at a target of end of financial year. There will be some saving of time, as now the applications for verifications will be sent electronically. We are setting up two computers at each district headquarters, Manickam said. The 'brain' of these 77 passport centres is the Network Operations Centre set up in south Delhi.

In Karnataka, four PSK will be opened - two in Bangalore and one each in Hubli and Mangalore. From May 21, the old regional passport office has been closed down. The vision of the Passport Seva Project was to improve the facilities for the public at the centres. The time taken to issue passports will be less than the current system and applicants applying for passport may finish their work within 45 minutes.

Kumaraswamy intervenes on Sholay-themed resort

Former chief minister and local MP H D Kumaraswamy intervenes to stop work on Ramgadh Resort. Kumaraswamy conducted a meeting of officials at the Ramanagar DC office to verify documents relating to the land. Ramgadh in Ramanagar village on the outskirts of Bangalore is where Sholay was shot.

Work on Ramgadh Resort has been officially stopped.The government will now conduct a fresh survey of the land before deciding on the matter."After studying the documents I could make out some discrepancies in the demarcation. Only a fresh survey can throw light on this and till then work will not begin." said Kumaraswamy.

"The revenue and forest departments will conduct the joint survey and an alternative piece of land will be given to those who are claiming ownership." said an official.

Out of 314.14 acres in survey No. 107 in Ramanagar taluk, Kasaba Hobli, Hallimala village, 255 acres was declared forest land in 1917. In 1978, government granted 80 acres to SC/ST beneficiaries but part of the land was within forest limits. Manjunath purchased 6.2 acres of land from the beneficiaries in 2004 and subsequently sold it to Anantara Hospitality that planned to develop a Sholay-themed resort there.

K Ravishankar, managing director of Anantara Hospitality, said, "It is a fair decision and I hope we get justice. If it is proved to be forest land, let them give us alternative land and we will move."

In the meantime, heritage lovers, who pledged to launch a protest to save the land, will meet today to chalk out plans for the planned Ramnagar bundh that would be announced in the first week of next month. "We will continue to protest till the land is handed over for developing a sanctuary for the long-billed vultures that are naturally habituating there."The decision to stop work and hold a joint survey is our victory," said M Shivananjaih, leader of the protest.

Pre-monsoon season brings virus back

Long queues at the out-patient departments of government hospitals and increasing waiting list of patients at private hospitals indicate coming back of virus in the city. There is a an increase in the number of viral fever cases reported from hospitals in the city and various parts of the state. At Bowring Hospital and Lady Curzon Hospital, 40 viral fever cases are confirmed a day on an average.

As on Monday, 22 persons with severe symptoms of viral fever have been admitted and put on IV fluids. Similarly, at K C General Hospital, an average of 30 viral fever patients are being attended everyday. According to BBMP chief health officer Dr L T Gayatri , in 113 BBMP hospitals and dispensaries, there have been a regular flow of viral fever cases with more than 100 cases being reported everyday.With the recent rain providing an opportunity for mosquitoes to breed, dengue and fever with dengue-like symptoms are also increasing. From the BBMP hospitals alone, 22 dengue and 27 positive chikungunya cases have been reported.

According to the State Surveillance Unit (SSU), 23 out of the 29 districts in the state are affected by gastroenteritis caused mainly due to lack of access to clean drinking water. According to SSU, most significantly , malaria cases are increasing tremendously, especially in districts like Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Tumkur, Kolar , Dakshina Kannada, Udupi urban, Chitradurga and Bellary. Chikungunya cases are also on the rise in districts like Gadag , Bidar, Yadgir, Hassan, Belgaum and Kolar.Influenza-like illnesses are predominant in Mysore , Mandya and Belgaum.

The district programme officers, health officers and staff at PHCs have been alerted to create awareness about precautionary measures. Maintain the cleanliness of water sources Promote hygienic sanitary facilities. Use only clean and safe drinking water. Avoid stagnant water and control mosquito breeding.

Higher cut-off percentages for Bangalore girls

Gender discrimination in cut-off percentages has been a practice in some reputed Bangalore pre-university (PU) colleges, which keep the cutoff for girls higher than that for boys. Girls have consistently beaten boys to the top ranks in Class X board exams, but their diligence is proving to be a curse. In some Bangalore pre-university colleges, Std XI cut-off percentages for girls is higher than boys.

MES Pre-University College Senior assistant, Purushotham , said that the physics, chemistry, maths and biology (PCMB) cut-off for boys is 594, while it is 599 for girls. The commerce cut-off is 553 for boys and 580 for girls. Colleges claim boys find it difficult to get admission to such courses. “We’d like to have an equal number of boys and girls in a class. As girls score higher, we have to bring down the cut-off percentage for boys.’’ said Purushotham.

At National PU College, officials have been segregating cut-offs based on gender for four years. The RBANMS degree college, however, gives priority to girls who stay within a 5-km radius. There is no separate cut-off for boys and girls for SSLC board students.

Bahubali on its way to Gujarat

Bahubali 41-foot tall statue weighing 400 tonnes is perhaps one of the world's largest statues of Bahubali. Sculpted out of a single block of 400-tonne granite, from Koira near Devanahalli, by renowned artist Ashok Gudigar and his 10-member team.Bahubali statue made in Bangalore is now on its way to Gujarat, where it will be installed.The idol is being transported on a special vehicle with 140 wheels in 45 days.

It took them 14 months to complete the statue. The statue has a height of 41 feet, width of 14 feet and thickness of 6.5 feet sculpted out of a single block of 400-tonne granite. The idol will be installed at Songadh village of Sihor taluk, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, on a hill where Digambar Jain saint Pujya Kanji Swamiji had preached the principles of Jainism over a period of 45 years.

"It's my masterpiece. We've worked hard for it and it will remain in memory forever," said the 40-year-old artist Ashok Gudigar, a gold medalist and national award winner sculptor.From sculpting his first crude idol of Lord Ganesha 30 years ago to this mammoth 41-foot Bahubali idol in 14 months, it has been an eventful journey for Ashok Gudigar. Ashok has sculpted 4-5 big statues till date, including a 38-foot tall statue of Lord Hanuman at Haridwar four years ago and another 28-foot idol for a temple in Chennai.

This 41-foot tall statue weighing 400 tonnes is perhaps one of the world's largest statues of Bahubali. The idol will be installed at Songadh village of Sihor taluk,Gujarat. The 41 foot Bahubali idol is masterpiece of artist Ashok Gudigar who hails from a family of sculptors in Sagar, Shimoga.

160 feared dead in Air India crash Mangalore

An Air India Express passenger plane from Dubai crashed outside an airport in Mangalore on Saturday. Mangalore deputy police commissioner R Ramesh said the flight from Dubai - a Boeing 737 carrying 160 passengers and six crew - crashed at around 6:30 am (0100 GMT) after overshooting the runway.

Mangalore airport has a table-top runway which means that it is located on a hill top, which demands accuracy with no room for error while landing. According to reports, Z Glucia was an experienced pilot and familiar with Mangalore terrain and had been on this route several times before.The pilot did not report any malfunction to the Airport Traffic Control (ATC), before landing.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that there may have been a tyre burst, which made it difficult for the pilot to bring the aircraft to a halt. Most of the passengers on the flight were from Kerala.The flight IX-812, operated by a Boeing 737-800, had 163 passengers, four infants and six crew members on board.

"At least 160 passengers have died in the crash, five to six people have been taken to hospital, their condition is not known." said V.S. Acharya, home minister Karnataka. "It is a great tragedy. I express deep sympathy for them. About 160 people were on board. I am rushing to Mangalore by emergency helicopter.It is feared that most of the people are dead," said Yeddyurappa

TV images showed it struck a forested area. Flames were seen blazing from of some of the wreckage as rescue workers fought to bring the fire under control.

"The plane had broken into two. I jumped out of the plane after it crashed. I saw two other people also come out," Abdullah, a survivor from the plane, told local channel from hospital.

Helpline Numbers

• Mangalore Helpline Numbers: 0824-2220422, 0824-2220424
• Delhi Helpline Numbers: 011-25656196, 011-25603101
• Air India Express Dubai Airport Telephone Numbers: 00971-4-2165828/00971-4-2165829

Tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

Rich tributes were today paid to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 19th death anniversary. President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the departed leader's wife and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Congress MP Rahul and Priyanka along with her husband Robert Vadra and a number of Congress leaders were present at the remembrance ceremony paid floral tributes at the memorial.

President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the departed leader's wife and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi were among the first to pay floral tributes to the late leader at his memorial 'Veer Bhumi' here.

Sandeep Marwah the President of Marwah Studios and Director of Asian Academy of Film And Television was honored with the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Global Award’ for bringing Indian Entertainment and Education to World map. Sandeep Marwah has created new media bodies on world basis including International Film And Television Club, International Film And Television Research Centre, International Children’s Film Forum and International Public Broadcasting Forum to fulfill the requirements of the society.

Government employees across the country took pledge against terrorism and violence on the occasion of Anti-Terrorism Day observed throughout the country on Thursday."It was on this day (May 21) in 1991 that former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi fell to the designs of terrorists. The day is observed to generate awareness in the country among all sections of people, about the danger of terrorism, violence and its dangerous effect on the people, the society and the country as a whole," an official statement today said.

The objective behind the observance of anti-terrorism day is to wean away the youth from the cult of terrorism or violence by highlighting the suffering of the common people and showing how it is prejudicial to national interest. Nation paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 19th death anniversary.

City is running on generators

The Bangalore city is running on generators and both domestic and industrial consumers are bearing the brunt. Five to six hours of intermittent power cuts every day have crippled the industry. Domestic consumers too are largely dependent on gensets and inverters. The situation is no better in the silk and jewellery hub of Chickpet. Same in other commercial hubs like Brigade Road and Commercial street where smoke levels are always high due to constant use of gensets.






Both Bescom and KPTCL have come out with standard excuses such as demand is more, state facing shortage, technical snags in Raichur power plant. The industry says this is one of the worst situations in the past two decades.All process industries have come to a halt as production costs have increased by 60% and the output has come down by 10%. The association members have decided to shut the operations of the industrial hub for one day if the situation doesn't improve.

According to Peenya industrial Association members, they have faced a loss of Rs 10 crore to 12 crore in the last one week due to power cuts.According to traders, Chickpet generates a turnover of Rs 300 crore every day but due to long power cuts, almost every shop is facing about 20% loss.

Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) president J Crasta said: "One has to know why the power generation has reduced. It is because the turbines are not working due to the low-quality coal being purchased by the government. It's time the government did something about inefficient management. It must go in for smart meters."

Five to six hours of intermittent power cuts every day have crippled the industry. The domestic and industrial consumers are bearing the brunt due to power cuts. Both Bescom and KPTCL have come out with standard excuses. According to source, almost every shop is facing about 20% loss and smoke levels in commercial hubs increased due to constant use of gensets.The association members have decided to shut the operations of the industrial hub for one day if the situation doesn't improve.

High demand for wedding halls and Priests this Sunday

According Hindu Calendar, Akshaya Tritiya is most auspicious day for marriage, starting ventures and all sacred deeds or punya karya. Akshaya Tritiya falling on this Sunday,there is a high demand for wedding halls this Sunday.Surprisingly, none of the kalyana mantapas has grabbed this business opportunity as most of them haven’t hiked the rates.






Besides the high demand for marriage halls, another dilemma that the city faces is that of the priests. Wedding halls across the city are booked extensively so much so that the high demand has caused an astonishing shortage of priests to conduct weddings. As their demand is high, they agree to conduct those ceremonies that pay the highest. Because of the acute shortage, some people plan on becoming ‘temporary poojaris'.

Jayanth Jayaram, owner, Sri Jaya Durga Kalyana Mantapa, Mahalaxmi Layout, had to reject over 5,000 enquiries. “If we had forseen this unusual demand for Akshaya Tritiya, we would have reconsidered our rates. Next year will definitely see a rise in our rates,” he said. The Pai Vista Convention Hall in Gandhibazar rejected over 70 ceremonies but agreed to host an upanayana and an engagement. “There is a high demand for wedding halls this Sunday. Over 15 people tried to make reservations for Akshaya Tritiya at our hall,” said Anand S, manager of Sri Nijagunara Kshetra.

Akshaya Tritiya was celebrated as the birthday of the Hindu sage Parashurama, the sixth avatar of the God Vishnu, and on this day the Treta Yuga began and the river Ganges descended to the earth from the heaven. Buying gold is a popular activity on Akshaya Tritiya, as it is the ultimate symbol of wealth and prosperity.

Worship of Lord Vishnu on Akshay Tritiya eradicates and removes ones sins and makes him free from all sorrows. Puranas described that Devotees who perform Sri Maha Vishnu Puja on Akshay Tritiya attains salvation.

Maple Reed Live at Kyra

Maple Reed invites all to be at Kyra Theatre for their rocking Live show. a six piece Rock band from Bangalore rocking with a characteristic fervour featuring Bijesh (Voclas&Lyrics), Sikanth (Lead Guitar), Jozef Cecil / Ajesh (Rhythm Guitar), Naveen (Bass Guitar), Dileep / Danny (Keyboards) & Ranjith (Drums).

Members of the rock band, Maple Reed are IT professionals by day and rockstars by night. The band was formed five years ago to reunite the members of the government Victoria College band from Kerala.They sing for a social cause. Inspired by social issues, their music revolves around the injustice one witnesses in life but chooses to ignore.Their first album, which will be released this June, comprises of songs about a young beggar. Apart from their own compositions, they play classical rock and hard rock music.

“We are not for money. We just want to highlight the social problems and drive a change,” says Bijesh K V, the lead singer.The members Bijesh K V, Sikanth, Ajesh K V, Naveen M S, Danny Jacob and Ranjit Parakkunnath have been performing for over 15 years. Members of the rock band, Maple Reed, juggle their work and families to squeeze in time for their greatest passion in life — music. Maple Reed is all set for its performance at Kyra, Indiranagar, on Thursday.

Maple Reed Live at Kyra

• Date & Time: Thu, May 13, 2010 ( 8:30 PM - 11:30 PM)
• Cost: Rs.300/-

Kyra Theatre
2001,Kaati-ma Centre
100 feet road
Indiranagar, Bengaluru 560038
Telephone:(+91 80) 43389292
(+91) 963203333,
9886200697

events/maple-reed-live-at-kyra

Mysore is one of cleanest Cities

According to ratings released by the Union urban development ministry, Mysore is one of cleanest cities. On the basis of the rating, cities have been classified as Red, Black, Blue and Green — which would denote increasing levels of achievement of good environmental and health outcomes. A Green rating indicates a healthy city; Blue indicates a city recovering but still diseased; Black indicates a city that needs considerable improvement; and Red indicates a city on the brink of public health and environmental ‘emergency’, requiring immediate remedial action.

Chandigarh, one of the most planned cities in the country, topped the rating, and smaller cities Mysore and Surat managed second and third place respectively. Tiruchirapalli, Jamshedpur, Mangalore and Rajkot come in the top 10 list.The ministry has issued a statement that Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy, who released the rankings, would write to all chief ministers to prioritise sanitation, as it is linked to human dignity and well-being.

In one of the most daunting tasks taken up by the ministry, 423 cities and towns with a population of more than one lakh were rated on parameters such as complete elimination of open defecation, elimination of open scavenging, and safe collection and disposal of human excreta. Various expert agencies were involved in assessing the status of sanitation on the spot.

No city in the country could qualify in the Green category,while only four cities — Chandigarh, Mysore, Surat and New Delhi Municipal Council area — are in the Blue category. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad fall in the Black category. While 229 cities are in the Black category, the remaining 190 fall in the Red category. Of the 38 cities considered from Maharashtra, 27 are in the Black category and 11 in the Red.

Akshaya Tritiya an auspicious day for buying Gold

The word "Akshaya" in Sanskrit means "never diminishing" and the day is believed to bring good luck and success. The legend states that any venture initiated on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya shall continue to grow and bring prosperity. Hence, it is normal to see many of the new ventures, like starting a business.Nowadays, Akshaya Trithiya is associated with gold purchase and many people wait for the day to make investments in gold.








According to the Hindu calendar, Akshaya Tritiya is auspicious day for starting new venture, buying gold and one of the most auspicious days for weddings. Meanwhile all marriage halls, caterers, decorators, shamiyanas, mehendi artistes in the city have their hands full. Sources said considering the huge demand some of the event organizers are charging more for their services. Buying gold is a popular activity on Akshaya Tritiya, as it is the ultimate symbol of wealth and prosperity. Gold and gold jewelry bought and worn on this day signify never diminishing good fortune.

Though gold prices are lower than the record high of Rs 18,300 for 10 grams recorded in December last year, the demand will revive only if it trades between Rs 16,500 and Rs 17,000 for 10 grams level. We expect sales on Akshaya Tritiya to be higher in terms of value, but much lower volume-wise, said Mr Prithviraj Kothari, Director, Riddhi Siddhi Bullions.

The recent sharp spike in gold prices may spoil the party for investors in gold during Akshaya Tritiya. Prices are substantially higher compared with last year's Akshaya Tritiya. Jewellery demand is expected to taper off or stay flat at the current levels due to sharp rise in prices ahead of Akshaya Tritiya this year.

The Akshaya Tritiya festival is one of the two most auspicious days of the year to buy the yellow metal in the world's largest gold market, as Hindus believe they can get lasting prosperity by buying precious metals on the day. Buying gold is a popular activity on Akshaya Tritiya, as it is the ultimate symbol of wealth and prosperity. Akshaya Tritiya falls on May 16,2010 Sunday.

Children who don't eat enough fruit and vegetables faces cancer risk

A team at the World Cancer Research Fund, a leading cancer charity, has found that many children often don't take their recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and this could raise their risk of developing the disease.






Parents, please note – children who don't eat enough fruit and vegetables daily are at risk of developing cancer later in life, say scientists. The scientists recommend that to cut their risk of cancer, people should keep themselves as lean as possible, without becoming underweight, and consume five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, the 'Daily Express' reported.

It is also important to limit the consumption of red meat and avoid processed meats as much as possible, say the scientists. Moreover, people should be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day, avoid sugary drinks and cut down on low-fibre processed foods high in sugar or fat.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/

As usual, girls have performed better than boys

Announcing the results on Thursday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishweshwar Hedge Kageri said the pass percentage of 2009 was 43.07 as against this year's 49.27.As usual, girls have performed better than boys, registering a pass percentage of 57.45 as against boys' 42.42.






A total of 2,734 students secured 100 out of 100 marks in the following subjects: 539 students in physics, 513 in mathematics, 367 in statistics, 366 in accountancy, 336 in business studies, 229 in electronics, and 211 in computer science.

While the highest marks scored in science and commerce branch is 588 (98 per cent), it is 563 (93.83 per cent) in Arts stream. Highest marks obtained by students belonging to Schedule Castes in science, commerce and arts branches are 579, 571 and 557 respectively; highest marks by Scheduled Tribe students in science, commerce and arts branches are 571, 563 and 539 respectively.Pass percentage of students belonging to Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes is 36.03 and 39.10 respectively.

As many as 13,644 students have secured distinction (85 per cent and above); 1,25,376 secured first class; and 78,303 secured second class. Of the 296 blind candidates appeared for the exams, 144 have cleared the exams, and 731 of 2,144 physically challenged candidates succeeded.

While unaided private PU colleges registered highest pass percentage of 65.20, private PU colleges registered 62.02 percentage and government PU colleges 56.36.The supplementary examination for the second year PU will be held from June 28 to July 7 for which the last date to pay the examination fee and submit application forms is May 22.

Source: The Hindu

Rs 20 crore super luxury apartment project in the heart of Bangalore

Liquor and aviation baron Vijay Mallya is razing his ancestral home spread over 4 acres to construct a 31-storey high-rise super luxury residential building likely to be called ‘Residences at UB City’. The project envisages 75 apartments over 5 lakh sq ft at an asking rate of a whopping Rs 33,000 per sq ft.

Mallya is uncorking a super luxury apartment project in the heart of Bangalore on Vittal Mallya Road that could well be the most expensive in the city’s history. It also transpires that as part of the project, Mallya is building a 70,000 sq ft to 80,000 sq ft penthouse for himself. It will be the only home in Bangalore to have a bird’s-eye view of Cubbon Park, MG Road, Vidhana Soudha, and the central business.

According to source, the project would have 75 super luxury apartments of 6,000 sq ft to 7,000 sq ft in size sporting price tags anywhere between Rs 15 crore and Rs 20 crore apiece. Once upon a time, the entire land on which UB City and Mallya’s house are situated housed a brewery belonging to the UB Group.Once upon a time, the entire land on which UB City and Mallya’s house are situated housed a brewery belonging to the UB Group. It is learnt that the project has been re-sized to 75 apartments from 100, including smaller units of 3,000 sqft, after the project got an overwhelming response from high net worth individuals, who queued up to be part of the by-invitation-only list. The super luxury apartment project in the heart of Bangalore on Vittal Mallya Road could be the most expensive in the city’s history.

Source-TOI

Some good news for commuters on M G Road

At present, traffic movement is restricted between Trinity Circle and Webbs Junction due to the work on Trinity Circle station of Bangalore Metro. Soon it’ll be a hassle-free MG Road. Here’s some good news for commuters on M G Road. The entire stretch will open to traffic in both directions anytime after May 17.

arlier plan was to block this stretch for 90 days starting mid-March. However, the BMRC is close to completing its ground work on this stretch in another 60 days. “We will be able to put out the station arms by May 17. After this, the main work shifts above and the road can be opened to traffic. We have intimated the traffic police about this,” Said BMRC MD N Sivasailam. Consequently, traffic on Brunton Road and Ulsoor Road will also be eased.
Some other roads, also blocked due to Metro work, will get relief in the coming months. Swami Vivekananda Road, between Trinity Circle and Adarsha Junction, that was closed three days ago for launching of girders will be operational by June-end. The much-awaited CMH Road will be open to traffic by July-end. Next, traffic diversions will shift focus to other reaches, mainly on Peenya and Mysore Road.

“As far as Reach 1 is concerned, we will cross our toughest period post May 17. Commuters have had a tough time in the past two months with this blockage, but we have managed it best through the diversions. Even the twoway in front of Taj Residency will not continue to be same after this. The only hitch is the CMH Road which is expected to be complete by July-end. After July, commuters along Reach-1 will be a releived lot,” assured additional commissioner of police (traffic & security) Praveen Sood.

Ramgarh of Sholay will soon Ramgadh Resort

Gabbar Singh’s Ramgarh will soon become Ramgadh Resort. Ramgadh in Ramanagar village on the outskirts of Bangalore, where Sholay was shot, is facing a fresh threat, 35 years after Sholay released to massive critical and commercial success. Ramanagar, which resounded with the fearsome laughter of Gabbar played by Amjad Khan, is home to several rare species, including the big billed vulture and sloth bear.


Heritage lovers as well as forest department officials are opposing the venture, which is to come up within forest limits. Forest department officials said the spot should have been declared a heritage site. They also said that any development at the site would amount to encroachment on what was forest land."Our map says the 280 acres on which the resort is to come up has been notified as forest land in 1917. No one is even allowed to enter the area," said a senior forest officer.


Ananthara Resorts, a hospitality company, plans to build a commercial resort that will have Sholay as its theme on the location where the epic film was shot 35 years ago. G Ravishankar, managing director, Ananthara Resorts, however, describes forest officials as mafia in uniform. "All they want to do is extort money from us. The title deed to the property is in my name." "They kept mum all these days and suddenly surfaced when we began construction. The forest department is just another name for corruption," added Ravishankar.

Shortly after a complaint was lodged, Acharya allegedly shot a letter warning forest officials to co-operate with resort developers. Chandrashekariah, deputy commissioner, Ramanagar said, "As far as I know, the resort is not being constructed on forest land. If the forest department has any objection, let them prove their point in a court of law. I think there is nothing wrong in building a resort there."

G Ravishankar explained "It will be a stylish resort with 24 rooms, health club, spa and swimming pool on 6.78 acres of land. We will call it Ramgadh Resort. The staff will be seen in Gabbar Singh's uniform. We don't want to undo the heritage of Sholay or hurt the rare vultures on the spot.

According Deepak Arya, a wild life activist, there were around two thousand vultures and now the number is reduced to eleven. There is a proposal to develop a vulture sanctuary and a forest official said it was lying with the secretary, forest department. "We are working on the details of the project. If everything goes well, the sanctuary will be developed shortly," said the officer. "

"Let them develop the sanctuary on remaining land. We will also support them," Ravishankar added. Acharya was evasive when asked about his alleged support for Ananthara Resorts. "Forest officials are known for harassing people. I merely saw to it that the builder was not needlessly troubled by them. I wrote to the forest department because it helps a rightful cause. Moreover, if the resort is on forest land let the department take possession of it."

Source:
Ab, tera kya hoga Ramgadh?- Mid Day
Sholay-themed resort on 'Gabbar land' sparks row-ndtv.com/news

Mistype popular Web addresses help some people make money

Wrongly typing out an alphabet while keying in a popular website name can actually help some people make money. When surfers mistype popular Web addresses, the companies cleverly throw up ads in hidden browser windows, making money off of ads few people see. A typosquatter might register several domain names like Anazon.com, Amazzon.com, Amazons.com and so on. Customers seeking the real Amazon.com website may accidentally type the wrong URL, which directs them to one of the typosquatter's own websites.


The registered domain will have ads of services similar to the original one so that the user who made a typing mistake will click on these links, generating revenue for the bogus domain. It is safe to say that there would be a typosquatted duplicate for any website with a considerable national readership."Typosquatting is registration of a domain name similar to a popular name with a small change in spelling so that users who mistakenly type the wrong spelling would end up in the alternate site," says Na Vijayashankar , Bangalore-based cyber law expert and promoter of education website cyberlawcollege.com.

Even though there are innumerable instances where popular Indian websites are typosquatted, not even a single case has been registered against typosquatters in India; the major difficulties being proving a wrongful intent and tracing the owner of the domain.

For example, Indianrailway.com and indianrailways.com are ty-posquatted sites of Indian Railways, the official sites being www.indianrail.gov.in and www.indianrailways.gov.in. Both the ty-posquatted sites display offer for sale. When checked, indianrailway .com leads to a US-based domain seller and indianrailways .com leads to an UK-based hosting service provider.

Getting a domain name back

For the purposes of getting a domain name back under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), three conditions have to be fulfilled:

• The disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the Complainant has rights
• The respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the disputed domain name
• The disputed domain name was registered and is being used in bad faith.

Source:
Typosquatters roam unchecked in India