'Street' fight in Bangalore
With lakhs of the city's long-term residents, traders and others likely to be affected, there is much opposition to Bangalore's
road-widening plans. Protests against tree-felling have acquired a much deeper dimension.
Kathyayini Chamaraj
reports.
Learning loss and the education bureaucracy
The government school system is not a rationally driven and coherent apparatus of state policy. Instead, its everyday work is continuously and varyingly
reshaped in the light of social, institutional, and policy related inflections, write
A R Vasavi and Rahul Mukhopadhyay.
Bit by bit, he filled his well
S Ganesh Mallya, a high school teacher cum Sunday farmer in Yedapadavu in Karnataka, has greened his plot without borewells. Using simple techniques to catch rainwater, he has managed to raise the water level in his open well and grow a bountiful farm.
Shree Padre
reports.
Water is no pipe dream here
Konkodi Bhat's simple pipe system at his home in Dakshina Kannada allows the family to use
rainwater for half the year and lets the excess recharge the open well for usage in the remaining months.
His easily replicable technique can successfully reduce groundwater usage in heavy rainfall areas,
reports Shree Padre.
Karnataka defers decision on Chamalapura power
The proposed 1000 MW coal-fired power plant at Chamalapura, Mysore, to be located on agricultural land and within 30 kilometres of the Nagarhole and Bandipur national parks, evoked strong protests last year. Recent announcements indicate that the government is going slow.
Nandini Chami
has more.
This bank deposits rain and draws water
A Karnataka Bank branch in Mysore is the setting for a unique tale of investment - in water. The bank's senior manager devised a simple plan to allow accumulated rainwater, which was earlier just pumped out and wasted, to percolate into the earth.
Shree Padre
reports.
One-man-army greens barren land
This 58-year-old illiterate farm labourer has developed irrigated farming at a hilltop in the Dakshina Kannada
district of Karnataka. His hard work, vision and never-say-die attitude have turned the land around and he now advises visiting
farmers.
Shree Padre
reports.
Shedding the borewell dependency
An initiative at an educational institution near Mangalore ensures that the
institution can do without water tankers during the monsoon months. Rainwater
suffices and what's more, its borewell also gets recharged.
Shree Padre
reports.
Getting the roll call wrong
An inspection of the latest electoral rolls released by Bangalore's municipal body reveals that it's riddled with errors, despite recent door-to-door
surveys.
Kathyayini Chamaraj
reports on suggestions made by a joint initiative of citizens groups to correct the anomalies.
A 'Gurukula' for surangas
79-year-old Achyutha Bhat brought surangas to Manila village in
Dakshina Kannada
district of Karnataka. His passion for the water
caves - which help tap and supply water - and his commitment to
training newcomers in suranga-digging has been a boost
for local farmers, reports
Shree Padre.
College saves lakhs of rupees on water
A 3-acre pond dug in the Yenepoya Medical College 15 kms from Mangalore is catching run-off from about 15 acres
of the campus and from an equal area of their neighbourhood. It has already saved the institution a substantial
sum on getting water from outside.
Shree Padre
reports.
That 'new type' house
A university professor in Shimoga had the fore-sight to make his home nearly autonomous from various public utilities, and alongside do his
part for the environment. And when his neighbours were slow to learn, he set out to educate them too.
Shree Padre
reports.
New vistas in construction
Has bamboo's time arrived? The high cost of inputs going into conventional
construction is beginning to push more people in the direction of
alternatives, and this was topic of a recent seminar at the Indian
Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Ashwin Mahesh
has more.
Percolating young minds
A far-sighted educational trust is reaping the benefit of digging recharge wells long before the need for them. While its own decision is a lesson in
conservation, the institution is also going further, imbibing ecological concerns into the students too.
Shree Padre
reports.
A stream resumes year-round flow
With water run-off patterns in his area disturbed by the Forest Department's plantations, more bore wells being sunk, and pumping of
groundwater turning multifold, a Karnataka farmer decided to build his own network for recharging ground water. Surprisingly for him, these
efforts have revived his local stream.
Shree Padre
reports.
Poverty, ageing and gender
A study of women's lives in the L R Nagar slum of Bangalore shows how women's economic and social independence in the slum may be linked to age, as
well the socio-economic constraints of individual families.
Sarayu Pani
summarises her study.
Resettling people to protect the tiger
Smooth relocation of forest dwellers from within to outside tiger reserves requires
effective land records and
land use policies. Citing the messy situation in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, an official says that
even today, there is no reliable estimate of number of people and livestock
living inside the
reserve.
Malini Shankar
has more on the challenges.
Upper catchment, gains in the plains
By building tanks to catch run-off in the higher reaches of the land, a Karnataka farmer reaps the benefit of a higher water table in the lower
areas. In doing so, he remembers that this was the practice for a long time in this area, and he has simply recalled an old tradition.
Shree Padre
reports.
Paradise lost..almost
Paradise LostÂ…almost! is a report on the Western Ghats written by
Sudhirendar Sharma. The report follows the trail of destruction in the ghats
and engages with those who have been engaged in the task of reversing the dominant trend. An IN-PICTURES
feature.
How about a fruit ice cream?
Charles and Nirmala Sequeira were simply looking for something different to do. Little did they think that, many years later, their decision to start
selling ice cream made from local fruits would catch on with customers, and open a new channel for value addition for local produce.
Shree Padre
reports.
Catalysing rural jobs through targeted training
In the major metros, a range of new vocational courses is helping high school students find jobs in the rapidly industrialising sectors. What about
job-seekers in small towns and rural areas?
Padmalatha Ravi
reports on two NGO-led training innovations in Tamilnadu and Karnataka.
Rural water supply: The Hebballi experience
The village of Hebballi in the Krishna river basin is a striking example of a successful and sustainable piped water supply in rural India.
While challenges still remain, this experience shows that some steps towards equity and sustainability can be taken in many other places too.
S Vishwanath
reports.
Women leaders denounce amendment to panchayat law
The Karnataka state legislature's amendment to the Panchayati
Raj law has already attracted severe criticism from civil
society. The governor had also expressed his objections. There
is now an outpouring of wrath from women panchayat members
around the state as protests intensify.
Kathyayini Chamaraj
reports.
Training in local languages key for new jobs
The latest vocational education courses are presenting job opportunities
for high school graduates that their poor parents lacked. Institutes
conducting bilingual training are particularly helpful for students
who are very likely to have not schooled in English medium.
Padmalatha Ravi
has more.
Some simple trenches
Two areca farmers of Sirsi in northern Karnataka, Ganapathy Dattatreya Hegde
and his brother-in-law Ananda Subbray Pratakahal have become community
leaders, workhorses and heroes, all in one. They have turned a situation of
water-scarcity and soil-degradation into one of regeneration.
Keya Acharya
reports.
People's school for water literacy
A private high school in Sirsi, in northern Karnataka is not
stopping at imparting academic education. It has also started
teaching practical water literacy to the people of five Malnad districts.
The rain centre at the school, with 28 examples of rain water harvesting, opened in early June.
Shree Padre
reports.
The Malnad mela
No matter which way India's seed policies are heading, the underlying purpose of
Malnad's home garden programme as a community conservation initiative for the
preservation of genetic diversity, organic agriculture, health and ecologically
sensitive livelihoods remains undiluted.
Keya Acharya
reports from northern Karnataka.
Courses and jobs aplenty, but students uncertain
In Karnataka, job-training programmes are on offer at a number of institutes, and yet, students unable to make it into college are not lining up in large numbers. Ironically, a manpower crunch exists across industries at the entry level, placing employers in a bind.
Padmalatha Ravi
digs deeper.
Bringing disabled kids back to school
When a teacher specially trained to handle children with special needs
started work at a local government school in Bangalore, children
were benefited and stopped dropping out.
Padmalatha Ravi
has more.
Tech to the aid of autistic children
Recent research has shown that computer/digital technologies can
help children with autism (and other disabilities) learn and
communicate better. A computer training workshop for parents and
children was held recently at Bangalore.
Shuchi Grover
reports.
The positive lives of Bagalkot
Bagalkot district in Karnataka is today emerging as a model for how AIDS awareness can make all the difference in stemming the disease. It is also showing how it is not impossible to create an atmosphere where HIV positive people can continue to live with freedom, dignity and hope.
Ramesh Menon reports.
A 'sour' source of delight and livelihood
A three day festival of a special tender mango called appe midi held last
month in Shimoga, Karnataka attracted 6000 visitors. The festival showcased
a range of preparations including popular pickles, and gave a filip to the
conservation of this wild mango variety.
Shree Padre
reports.
Lives strangulated by needle and thread
27-year-old Ratnamma, a garment factory worker, was forced to deliver a baby on
the streets of Bangalore. 20-year-old Gayathri was run over by the bus belonging to
the Bangalore garment factory where she worked. Garment workers in Bangalore are
caught in an exploitative web, reports
Padmalatha Ravi.
Devadasis uniting to end 'dedications'
For decades, Karnataka has been haunted by the devadasi tradition where girls were 'dedicated' to
goddess Yellama and then turned into sex-workers. Today, determined groups of devadasis of Bagalkot district
are bravely stopping the practice, stemming the growth of AIDS and gaining a new respect in society.
Ramesh Menon
reports.
A mortal blow to Panchayat Raj
A hurriedly passed amendment to the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act last week gives MLAs unwarranted
powers over panchayats, which are themselves a separate tier of local goverment.
Nandana Reddy and Damodar Acharya
say the amendment is contrary to the spirit of decentralisation and the Constitution.
Going home with more than theerth
The devotees of historical Veera Narayana Temple at Gadag now have an important lesson to take
home along with their theerth and prasad. That if they harvest rainwater falling on their land
into the mother earth's womb, they won't have to suffer in the summer.
Shree Padre
reports.
A green foundation for prosperity
There is much that the nation's farmers need to hear in the Green Foundation's message, and avoid past mistakes. But there is also a positive
message, reminding farmers that "traditional farming will help you gain control of your finances and your food
security."
Sudha Narasimhachar
reports.
Are new teaching methods working?
Efforts to make learning more interactive and more fun for students appear promising, but it may be too soon to judge if they are positively impacting
children's performance in standard tests and surveys. Meanwhile, teachers complain that these efforts have added to their already heavy burden.
Padmalatha Ravi
reports.
A fair price for water
What is the price of water to the supplier? What are people being charged out there? Where are our institutions headed in the balance between
equity-accessibility and cost recovery?
S Vishwanath
looks at the example of Bangalore, and finds much room and need for improvement in water pricing.
Hubli's plant doctor
Setting himself a target of a thousand trees each year, Dr Mahantesh Tapashetti has greened his neighbourhood and surrounding areas in Hubli by
himself. Many residents appreciate his work, and the Forest Department has been happy to support him, supplying trees for his care and planting them
each year.
Shree Padre
reports.
School meals make slow progress
School authorities say, and records show, that while enrolment has not been substantially improved as a result of mid-day meal programmes, school
attendance has certainly gone up by 10-12%. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement in the management of the scheme.
Padmalatha Ravi
reports.
Wells for the well-being
The Belgaum City Corporation has in the last one decade has revived 16 big and 21 small dug-wells.
Today, 2 million gallons (16 per cent) of Belgaum's water supply comes from these local wells alone,
leading to precious cost savings that have paid back the revival expenditure long ago.
Shree Padre
reports.
Citizens input on power tariffs
In a few weeks, Karnataka will once again seek public input in setting electricity tariffs. While the era of state electricity boards has
ended, public participation is important to counter pressures from the government, utility companies, and the commercial private
sector on regulators, write
Lina Krishnan, Gautam Menon and M V Ramana.
Water meters help consumers, suppliers
With a properly metered water bill, consumers have a much better chance of being heard than
otherwise. Yes, there are justified concerns about rights and equity when we talk of water, but metering is not anti-poor. In fact, used well, it
can address their demands powerfully, says
S Vishwanath.
Railways violating forest conservation law
The proposed Hubli-Ankola railway line in Karnataka originally stirred up criticism because if built, it would pass through the ecologically fragile Western Ghats forests. Matters recently came to a head when evidence emerged of the Railways proceeding to construct a part of the line without forest clearance.
Kanchi Kohli
has more.
Tender coconuts break into corporate offices
It's 'ready to serve' and like a soft drink bottle or tetra pack, you can take it
inside any office, drink and then dispose. Sold with the brand name Tender Fresh,
1500 – 2000 tender coconuts every day are reaching a clientele that reads like the
who's who of Bangalore's software companies.
Shree Padre
reports.
Kali river dam proposal resurfaces dubiously
The Karnataka Governor, T N Chaturvedi, recently asked the state government for an explanation on why the state wants the central government to clear the Dandeli dam on the river Kali. This, in light of the fact that state government departments had themselves recommended and shelved the project earlier. An
India Together
report.
Erecting a stop sign for trafficking
Rescue operations carried out with tactful involvement of media and the police can offer victims protection
from further trauma, and also begin to sensitise a number of people on the complex issues involved.
Kirti Mishra
reports on the experiences and learning of Odanadi Seva Samsthe.
Bt cotton farmers are alert this year
There seems to be a steady increase in the acceptance of Bt cotton by Karnataka
farmers. And, after experiencing the disastrous consequences of spurious seeds, farmers
are particular about buying only from authorised sources. But disturbing
and worrisome trends remain, reports
Keya Acharya.
A familiar battle at Tadadi
Disregard for local sentiment is now the norm in most large projects. At Tadadi, which has faced a long line of threats
of displacement, the latest struggle is against a proposed 4000 MW coal-fired plant. With Coastal Zone regulators not very
attentive to the violations of law, the villagers can rely only on themselves.
Sudhirendar Sharma
reports.