Al Rm. Nagappan has been elected as the President of United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) for the year 2019-20.
A coffee planter by profession, he manages the family business of Karrie Kollie Estate at Suntikoppa in Kodagu. Nagappan was elected at the 126th Annual Conference of the Association held in Coonoor in Nilgiris district.
Nagappan has been in the coffee industry from 1982 and has rich experience in planting industry. His involvement with the planting association has been longstanding. He is an avid sportsman, with Golf being one of his passions.
Nagappan was associated with the Mercara Downs Golf Club for many years as Hon Secretary. He served in Karnataka Golf Association in various capacities and went on to become the President of the Karnataka Golf Association
Prashant Bhansali, CEO of Kairbetta Estates, a family-run tea plantation and an orthodox tea manufacturer, was elected as the Vice-President.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 15th, 2019
Expecting monsoon on June 1, farmers chopped off branches of shade trees exposing tender berries to summer-like sunlight
An ‘unfortunately’ incorrect weather forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD) has put coffee farmers in Karnataka in jeopardy.
On the basis of the Met department’s prediction of an early monsoon, coffee growers in Karnataka prepared for rains on June 1. However, the coffee estates in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan districts are yet to see any sign of rain as on June 17.
Expecting monsoon in the first week of June 1, towards the end of May, most coffee farmers carried out shade regulation through chopping the branches of secondary shade trees on their plantations to ensure maximum sunlight on the plants during the monsoon. In the absence of rain, coffee plants are being exposed to excessive heat and summer-like sunlight.
Shade lopping (called dadap lopping, with dadaps being fast growing trees of the genus Erythrina) is undertaken just before or at the onset of monsoon as retaining thick shade during monsoon could lead to disruption of free flow of oxygen in the orchard, which may lead to berry dropping, wet foot condition and rotting of stalk.
Mandanna of Subramhanya Estate at Suntikoppa in Kodagu district says, “The entire coffee belt was set for the monsoon on June 1. But unfortunately, Met department’s weather prediction has gone haywire. A delayed monsoon has brought additional concerns to the coffee-growing community.”
According to him, coffee plantations should have ideally received 5 to 6 inches of rain in June, but, as of now, they have not received any rain so far.
“More than half of June has passed and monsoon is yet to set in. Rains are very critical for the development of berries, and also to keep white stem borer away from coffee plants,” said Mr. Mandanna, who is a member of the Coffee Board.
Shirish Vijayendra, a planter from Mudigere and former chairman of Karnataka Planters’ Association, said, “A delayed monsoon would adversely affect the coffee crop this year. Not only coffee, it has also impacted pepper flowering and corn formation, and also paddy cultivation in most parts of Karnataka. Most days are very sunny, as if we are still in summer. It is not a good sign for most crops, including coffee.”
Anil Kumar Bhandari, President of India Coffee Trust (ICT) and a large planter from Suntikoppa, said, “The delayed monsoon has added to our problems. If the rains are going to be further delayed by another 4 to 6 days, there will be a significant impact on production due to poor crop formation.’’
Coffee growers say they purchased manure in bulk to fertilise and nourish their plantations, but the task can be carried out only if the soil has enough moisture to dissolve and absorb the fertiliser.
“We are yet to apply fertilisers in our plantations, owing to the lack of moisture on the ground,” lamented Sindhu Jagdish, a small farmer from Ponnampet in Kodagu district.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Mini Tejaswi / Bengaluru – June 17th, 2022
Senior advocate of Kodagu, Maletira Dhyan Chinnappa, has been appointed as the Additional Advocate General of Dharwad Bench of the High Court.
Dhyan Chinnappa obtained his Law degree in National Law College, Bengaluru, and attained post-graduation from London in 2002. He has served in various courts in the country.
He is the son of M P Chinnappa and Kaveri Chinnappa.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / October 30th, 2019
Funds released from Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission
Madikeri:
The long-pending and legitimate demand of the people of Kodagu for a Critical Care Centre comprising advanced facilities for ailments like heart and kidney and emergencies will soon become a reality as the Centre has released Rs. 25 crore to set up a new Critical Care Centre (CCC) at Madikeri under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure (PMABHI) Mission.
The aim of PMABHI is to strengthen the critical healthcare network from village to block to the district to the regional and national level in the next 4-5 years. It will create elaborate facilities for diagnostics and treatment and there will be facilities for the early detection of diseases. Facilities like free medical consultation, free tests and free medicine will be available in these centres.
According to the guidelines released from the Centre, a 50-bed CCC will be set up in Kodagu as the total population in the district is within 5 to 20 lakh people. The building will be built in a 4,250 sq.ft area with an estimated cost of Rs. 16.63 crore. In all, Rs. 23.75 crore is the estimated expenditure for the building construction, other medical equipment and basic facilities.
District Health Committee supervision
The CCC will work as an important internal section wing of Kodagu District Hospital and Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences which will be under the supervision of the District Health Committee. State Health Department Secretary, Additional Secretary and other officers will hold the responsibilities for the construction and functioning of all the CCCs which will be set up in different parts of the State.
The State Government must take up decisions with respect to the proposed land sanction for building construction and get a letter of consent from the regulatory agencies. Based on the population in the districts, 50, 75 or 100-bed CCC will be set up near the existing District Hospital and Medical College.
The project will be implemented by the Health Department in the State-level and National Health Mission (NHM) at the National-level. There are about 5 to 20 lakh people in over 274 districts across the country and all those districts will get 50-bed CCCs.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, about the new CCC at Madikeri, MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan said that a memorandum was submitted to the PM and Union Health Minister requesting grants to set up Super Speciality Hospital in Kodagu as the people had to either go to Mangaluru or Mysuru to get critical care facilities and these places are more than 100 kilometres away.
“In this regard, MP Pratap Simha had drawn the attention of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and after this, Rs. 25 crore has been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission to open a Critical Care Centre in Madikeri,” he said and thanked the PM, Union and State Health Ministers and MP Pratap Simha.
Land and building
Stating that land has already been earmarked to construct a new CCC building, Appachu Ranjan said that about 94-cent area is available at the Public Works Department (PWD) building located near General K. S. Thimayya Circle in Madikeri.
“The new Critical Care Centre can be built after demolishing the existing PWD building while a new place will be allotted to construct a new PWD building. A discussion related to this has already been done with the State PWD Minister where he has agreed for the same,” the MLA added.
Top officials and architects will visit the place soon to inspect the place and seek land alienation and allotment and the construction works will begin soon after the inspection. The building will have four floors with a parking lot on the ground floor and the remaining three floors will be used for hospital purposes.
The CCC will be useful to those who have heart and kidney-related issues. A request has been raised to sanction grants of Rs. 200 crore to build the hospital. If these grants are sanctioned, then there is no need for people to depend on such Super Speciality Hospitals in Mysuru or Mangaluru, the MLA added.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 09th, 2022
Former Speaker K.G. Bopaiah felicitating Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in Madikeri on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Union Minister tells MLA to adopt ‘Nagpur model’ to improve yield of Kodagu oranges whose production is on the wane
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has promised to look into the demand for highway improvement and expansion in Kodagu if a proposal in this regard came to his office from the State government.
Mr. Gadkari gave this assurance when former Speaker and MLA K.G. Bopaiah met him in Madikeri. Mr. Gadkari is on a private visit to Kodagu with his family members and was staying in a resort in Madikeri.
Mr. Bopaiah shared details on the highways and the steps to be taken for tourism development in the district. “The works will be considered on priority if the Centre gets the proposal on the list of works to be taken up for highway development,” the Minister told the MLA, at the meeting.
Mr. Gadkari spoke about Kodagu’s tourism potential and employment it brings to locals.
Mr. Bopaiah felicitated Mr. Gadkari and presented him with a book besides honey, spices and coffee for which Kodagu is famous. Mr. Gadkari complimented the purity and freshness of the honey.
Expressing concern over the drop in the yield of Kodagu oranges, the Union Minister told the MLA to take steps in this regard, creating an environment for rejuvenating the yield on the model developed in Nagpur which is also known for oranges, besides taking steps for improving the variety.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – June 13th, 2022
The series will be created in 10 second-video formats to capitalise on the traction gained via Instagram Reels.
EatFit, one of India’s largest healthy food platforms, has announced Ashwini Ponnappa, hailed as one of India’s leading international badminton players, as the face of its campaign to promote healthy eating.
Ashwini, who represents India in the international circuits for women’s badminton and has won several laurels for the country, joins the EatFit fraternity to help its community of consumers explore and inculcate healthier food habits.
Ashwini is a staunch practitioner, and believer in fitness and the role food plays in maintaining an active lifestyle. Ashwini makes for the perfect campaign ambassador to inspire people to find simple food that can bring them joy while becoming a part of their daily lives.
Since its inception, EatFit has been on a path to help consumers build sustainable and healthy eating habits, aided by its wide variety of wholesome food options and a mantra to make eating healthy a happier experience. Through this collaboration with Ashwini, the company endeavours to amplify this message with a weekly food exploratory show.
The show, to be published on the company’s social media platforms, will feature Ashwini on a journey to discover healthier food options and enjoy good food that is nourishing.
The series will be created in 10 second-video formats to capitalise on the traction gained via Instagram Reels – a platform where a bulk of EatFit’s potential consumers engage with them. A new video in the series will be released every week, extending the campaign for two months.
Commenting on the development, Ankit Nagori, founder of Curefoods, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Ashwini Ponnappa, a phenomenal badminton player and a personal inspiration, for our latest campaign. Ashwini’s achievements and commitment to an active lifestyle, of which food is an intrinsic part, make her a stellar example for people to imbibe similar values in their lives. Through the weekly food show we have planned, we want people to go on this journey of discovery with Ashwini and find ways that simple food can make a huge difference in their lives. This is what EatFit, at its core, is all about. I am excited to watch this campaign unfold and hope that our message can achieve the desired impact.”
source: http://www.afaqs.com / afaqs! / Home / by afaqs! news bureau / June 10th, 2022
In its 42 years, Coorg Wildlife Society has taken up conservation of the mahseer, ecology awareness, plantation and cleanliness drives.
Participants during a nature awareness trek organised by the Coorg Wildlife Society
Madikeri :
Triangular green and yellow stickers with the silhouette of a sambar deer are instantly recognisable on a majority of vehicles in Kodagu. The stickers of Coorg Wildlife Society — a pioneer NGO that has taken oath to protect the Western Ghats in the district — are a badge of pride which not only connect residents instantly, but also give out a strong message of environment conservation.
Established in 1980, Coorg Wildlife Society (CWS) is primarily engaged in wildlife programmes across Kodagu, and has a dedicated team that aims at increasing awareness about wildlife and protected habitats.
“CWS started with an aim to educate children and the local population about wildlife, flora and fauna. Gradually, the society got involved in conservation of environment,” explained KA Chengappa, president of CWS. Member Navin Bopaiah shared that CWS has a long history of campaigning for the environment, which has ensured that government policies and laws help safeguard wildlife and promote wildlife-friendly land management.
CWS’mahseer fish conservation progamme
Among the many projects undertaken by the organisation, the conservation of mahseer fish ranks first in its table of achievements. Nearly 35 years ago, CWS leased a 35-km stretch of river Cauvery near Siddapura to start a conservation programme for the endangered mahseer species. Today, the organisation has been successful in curbing mahseer poaching, and establishing a large-scale breeding programme to revive the fish variety.
“All commercial activities along the 35-km stretch of river have been stopped due to the efforts of CWS. We have made many blocks across the stretch and appointed guards to stop illegal fishing of mahseer. With successful breeding programmes, the fish variety has restocked in river Cauvery,” explained Chengappa. He added that CWS has now taken special interest in repopulating the Cauvery with the orange-finned mahseer variety.
“Orange-finned mahseer are native to the Cauvery and are critically endangered. Apart from illegal fishing, excessive preying of these fish by other fish varieties affected its population. We are starting conservation of the orange-finned variety in a holding tank, and have got immense support from the fisheries department,” he explained.
CWS is also in talks with the forest department to extend the conservation of mahseer in the Cauvery at Bheemeshwari, in Mandya district. “We have written several letters to the authorities to stop construction of the Mekedatu dam, that will seriously affect the species in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary,” Chengappa confirmed.
Apart from mahseer conservation, the society is actively involved in plantation drives, cleanliness projects, birding programmes and organising eco treks across Kodagu. CWS, with support from the forest department, will soon initiate a plantation drive of Napier Grass across Dubare and Mathigodu riverside areas, where elephant populations are found in herds. The organisation hosted a bamboo re-plantation drive to replenish the forests. It also hosts treks across reserve forests and hills of Kodagu with support from the forest department. “These are awareness treks, and participants learn the importance of forests and its inhabitants. Cleanliness drives are also hosted along the way,” he explained.
Meanwhile, a massive clean-up drive was hosted by the CWS team on Thithimathi forest fringes and saw participation from students from Bengaluru and Mysuru too. Two truckloads of trash were cleared during the Environment Day event. The annual birding initiative by the organisation attracts professional and amateur birders, who record the variety of bird species found in the district. During this year’s bird festival, the team spotted the critically endangered Indian Vulture soaring high up in the sky, across the Brahmagiri Range.
The team opines that awareness among the people towards environment protection is the need of the hour. “Alongside awareness, forests must be maintained scientifically. The population of tigers and elephants is increasing, but forest cover is shrinking. If this continues, we will have to face a grave future filled with human-wildlife conflict,” concluded Chengappa.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / June 12th, 2022
Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) is “monsoon-ready” in Kodagu as it has deployed additional men and equipment in the coffee land as a part of special plan for tackling problems triggering from rains.
The rains and the landslides that occurred in 2018, 2019 and 2020 did a lot of damage to the power supply infrastructure as the devastation was widespread and the CESC incurred heavy losses following damage to the poles, transmission lines and transformers.
Learning from the past experiences, the CESC is now geared up to meet the challenges of monsoon in Kodagu which usually witnesses heavy to very heavy rains, causing power disruptions because of the damage caused to its infrastructure.
“Our men and equipment are ready to tackle contingencies and minimise hardships caused to the people by restoring disruptions at a faster pace. The past experiences helped the corporation to make preparations for tackling the hurdles posed by the monsoon,” said CESC Managing Director Jayavibhavaswamy.
He told The Hindu that the recent transformer maintenance drive helped the corporation to rectify transformer issues in Kodagu and these measures have come as a relief now since those works have to be carried out now if not done earlier.
The necessary groundwork has been done with the corporation deploying 15 additional vehicles and 75 additional gang men besides keeping ready surplus electric poles, transformers, cables and all other needs. The preparations done so far ahead of monsoon can help to attend to the challenges and deal with the inconvenience that accompanies whenever there was a damage caused to the power supply infrastructure, he added.
An order deploying 110 linemen is also being issued soon and they will be serving in Kodagu. This will help us in attending to emergencies, if any, from rain. The maintenance works done in the last three months were supportive. Steps to attend to the sagging lines, taking precautionary measures in hazardous lines and maintenance of transmission lines around the waterbodies were done.
With regard to the transmission infrastructure inside forests, the MD said the poles are taller than the trees and the damage to the poles from tree falls would be minimal. Due to tall poles, cables don’t get easily damaged when trees get uprooted during rains. It has also helped in mitigating damage from wildlife. The hitches have been cleared, he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – June 10th, 2022
Seventy five families who had lost their houses to the devastating flood that hit Kodagu in August 2018, were allotted new houses as part of the rehabilitation programme of the Government.
The allotment was made through draw of lottery by the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner B.C.Satish on Wednesday. The new houses have been constructed near the office of the Regional Transport Authority.
The DC said in the first phase of the rehabilitation, 35 families whose house was completely destroyed in the flood, were rehabilitated and provided with new houses in Karnageri while 383 houses were constructed in Jambooru near Madapura. Similarly 80 houses were constructed in Madenadu and 22 houses in Biligeri and 140 houses were constructed in Gaalibeedu.
In all, 66o houses were constructed in three phases and allotted to the beneficiaries while the remaining 75 families are being rehabilitated now. The process will be completed by the end of the month and the district official website http://kodagu.nic.in has published the details of beneficiaries complete with the house number allotted to them. Mr.Satish said Infosys Foundation funded the construction of houses at Jambooru.
There were some works pertaining to electricity supply, UGD and water that was pending but the allotment letter will be issued to the beneficiaries in due course by the officials of the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation.
source: http://www.thehindu.com/ The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – June 01st, 2022
MLA Appachu Ranjan and KSIIDC MD M.R. Ravi during the inspection of land for building a heliport, near Kushalnagar on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Seaplane operations can be launched at Harangi, says official
The State Government has proposed to develop an airstrip and a heliport near Kushalnagar for the benefit of tourists visiting Kodagu, one of the major hill stations in South India.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced in his recent budget to develop heliports at three places, including one in Kodagu. In this connection, a team of officials led by Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) Managing Director M.R. Ravi, accompanied by Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan, inspected the land where the facility has been proposed near the Sainik School at Kudige village.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Ravi said 49 acres of government land was available near Kushalnagar and it was identified for developing an airstrip. “Since no land was available for developing the heliport at Madikeri, which was the first choice, we thought of developing the airstrip as well as the heliport on the 49-acre plot near Kushalnagar. We need just 5 acres for the heliport and the rest can be developed as an airstrip which can be used for the landing and takeoff of the 20-seater planes,” Mr. Ravi said.
Seaplane operations
Mr. Ravi said plans are afoot for launching the operations of seaplanes in Kodagu in a bid to boost tourism since the infrastructure for their operations was available at Harangi. “If everything goes as planned, seaplanes can land on and take off from Harangi waters. This can help improve connectivity to tourists who can afford such a trip. This can benefit adventure tourism for which Kodagu is considered one of the key destinations.”
Mr. Ranjan said the officials from the Airport Authority of India had visited Kushalnagar in connection with the proposed launch of airstrip operations. However, it did not materialise though the land for the same was identified.
Kodagu needs air connectivity as over 25,000 tourists descend on the hill station during weekends, registering 100 percent occupancy of hotels, resorts and home stays. The air connectivity can further boost tourism and the heliport is one such plan proposed by the government for which all support will be extended, he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – May 30th, 2022
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