Category Archives: Records, All

Centre Extends Gun Licence Exemption To Kodavas Till 2029

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

KodavaGunsKF03nov2019

New Delhi:

The Centre has decided to continue the British-era rule of exempting Kodavas and Jamma land holders in Kodagu district from obtaining licence for firearms such as pistols, revolvers and double-barrelled shotguns. The exemption has been given for 10 years, till 2029.

Kodavas worship weapons and guns are part and parcel of every festival and ceremony — be it birth or death — and the decision has been taken considering the cultural and religious sensitivities of the community. “Those who have been given the exemption are every person of Kodagu by race and every Jamma land tenure holder in Kodagu,” according to a Home Ministry notification.

Kodavas are the only community in India who are exempted from obtaining arms licences. “The arms or ammunition carried or possessed by any person being from Kodagu by race and every Jamma tenure holder in Kodagu and herein exempted while residing or travelling outside the district of Kodagu shall not exceed one rifle with 100 rounds of ammunition for the same and one smooth bore breech or muzzle-loading gun with 500 cartridges or the equivalent in leaden shot and gunpowder,” the notification said citing conditions of the exemption.

Case in High Court

Kodavas have been getting the exemption of obtaining arms licence since the British era and the Centre has provided exemption in the rules issued under the Arms Act, officials said. However, Captain (Retd.) Yaladalu K. Chethan, son of Yaladalu D. Keshavananda filed a Writ Petition in the Karnataka High Court on Jan. 8, 2018.

Chethan questioned the exemption granted by the Government of India to a certain class of people in the district in obtaining licence to possess firearms under Section 3 and 4 of the Indian Arms Act, 1959.

In his petition, (WP No. 1386/2018), Chethan, a resident of R.T. Nagar in Bengaluru, claimed that the continuation of the exemption, granted to some class of persons by the British Government in pre-Independent India in furtherance of their divide-and-rule policy, was unconstitutional, as it was based on irrational, fictitious and discriminatory grounds, such as race and ancestral land tenure.

Centre’s stand

Responding to the notice issued by the High Court, the advocate representing the Centre had informed the Court that a committee had been constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to review the Arms Act, including notification granting exemption to people of Kodagu. After receiving comments from all stakeholders, the Centre has now extended the exemption for 10 years.

Bengaluru Kodava Samaja, Akhila Kodava Samaja and Federation of Kodava Samajas backed the move to convince the Home Ministry on retaining and extending the exemption. Prominent persons from Kodagu in New Delhi and Bengaluru including Machimanda Thamoo Cariappa, Maneyappanda Pavan Ganapathy, Palecanda Nanju Nanjappa, Ithichanda M. Devaiah, Annalamada Sunil Achaiah, Mukkatira T. Nanaiah and Maletira Dhyan Chinnappa played a key role and also worked to retain this provision.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / November 02nd, 2019

‘Include a lesson on Appaiah Gowda in syllabus’

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All
Tributes were paid at Guddemane Appaiah Gowda Memorial in Old Fort, Madikeri, on Friday.
Tributes were paid at Guddemane Appaiah Gowda Memorial in Old Fort, Madikeri, on Friday.

The 182nd commemoration day of freedom fighter and martyr Subedar Guddemane Appaiah Gowda was jointly organised by district administration, Department of Kannada and Culture and Guddemane Appaiah Gowda Memorial Monitoring Committee, in Madikeri on Friday.

Dignitaries paid floral tributes to the statue of Appaiah Gowda at Field Marshal Cariappa Circle. Later, a silent procession was taken out till Old Fort.

Tributes were also paid at Subedar Guddemane Appaiah Gowda memorial, where he was hanged. Women sang ‘Lavani’ songs depicting the life and achievements of Appaiah Gowda.

District Congress Committee President K K Manjunath said that Guddemane Appaiah Gowda bravely fought against the British to save the people of Kodagu.

“Nobody can change history. One should not make efforts to misinterpret history. Instead, one should lead lives with peace and cordiality,” he added.

Advocate Vidyadhar said that more and more people need to know about the greatness of Appaiah Gowda, who laid down his life during the freedom struggle.

Karnataka Arebhashe and Literary Academy President Lakshminarayana Kajegadde said that a lesson on Guddemane Appaiah Gowda should be included in school curriculum. He fought against the British even before the Sepoy Mutiny, he added.

MLA K G Bopaiah, MLC Veena Achaiah, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, Superintendent of Police Dr Suman D Pennekar and others were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Mangaluru / by DH News Service, Madikeri / November 01st, 2019

B.FC Kodagu Wins Shield’s Football Tournament

Records, All, Sports

B.FC (Kodagu) defeated Fransa (Mysuru) 2-0 in the finals of Shield’s Football Tournament Season-3 played on Oct.27 at KMFC Turf, opposite K.R. Mill, on Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway in city.

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The winning team is seen with the trophy — (standing from left) Nitin, Ranga, Divakar, Annappa and Lohit; (kneeling from left) Raju, Goalkeeper – Mani and Pagin.

Winners were awarded a cash price of Rs.20,000 with a trophy and the runners-up bagged home a cash prize of Rs.10,000 with a trophy in the tournament that saw participation from 28 teams.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / October 31st, 2019

Mysuru: Stone weighing 800 gm removed from 37-yr-old

Amazing Feats, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

An ultra sound scan indicated he had a kidney stone

Mysuru:

In a rare surgery, doctors at a government hospital in Virajpet removed a kidney stone weighing 800 grams from a 37- year- old man’s bladder on Tuesday.

Mohammed Rafiq, a daily wage worker from Kadanga village in Virajpet, was treated at the hospital after he complained of difficulty in passing urine and severe pain. “An ultra sound scan indicated he had a kidney stone. And an X- ray revealed it could be 8cm to 10cm in size, but we could not get the exact dimensions of the stone as its posterior length could not be measured. But when we opened up, we found it was much bigger. It was not easy, but after an long hour procedure, we succeeded in removing the stone. When we weighed it, we found it was 800 grams,” said Dr Vishwanth Chimpi, a general surgeon, who operated on Rafiq.

Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, he added that while Rafiq must have had the stone for the past four to five years for it to have grown so big, it was only since the past one year that he had been getting intermittent pain, which intensified more recently. “As it was a calcium phosphate stone, it did not explode , but could not come out in the urine either as it was so huge,” he explained.

Dr Vishwanath admitted that the stone found in the daily wage worker’s body was the biggest he had come across, although three years ago he had removed a stone weighing 600 grams from a patient. Rafiq is now doing well.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by Shilpa P / October 24th, 2019

Subramanian Swamy asks Yediyurappa to initiate ‘Codava Development Council’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy (File photo: PTI)
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy (File photo: PTI)

___________________________________

– Swamy said that it was about a year ago that he had the discussion
with BJP leaders to set up a development council for the ethnic
group in Karnataka

– The ethnic race can be found at Kodagu, a a rich coffee- and
pepper-growing district of the southern state
_________________________________

Bengaluru:

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday wrote to the Karnataka government requesting it to grant an autonomous development council for the Kodavas, a small race native to Kodagu, a rich coffee- and pepper-growing district in the southern part of the state.

Swamy said that it was about a year ago that he had the discussion to set up a development council for the ethnic group in Karnataka with BJP leaders like Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and the late Anant Kumar.

“Shri Anant Kumar then said that if the council is not being separated from Karnataka, he would welcome the Codava Development Council with certain financial autonomy,” Swamy said in his letter. Using the colonial spelling, Coorg and Codava, to refer to the ethnic group, Swamy’s request reflects the sentiments of a section of Kodava’s, who have long since demanded a special status and a separate state.

The district that measures over 4,100 square kilometers and known for its coffee and spices growing regions spread across hilly terrains, has a population of over 5.54 lakhs and according to the 2011 census. The people of this race have excelled in the armed forces and in the field of sports, especially hockey among other areas.

“I think it will be good if you now take up this matter with the centre and see that this idea of Development Council as asked for by the Codavas is implemented at the earliest,” Swamy said.

Though there have been earlier proposals to include Kodava’s into the list of Scheduled Tribes and other categories of special status, this has not yet been implemented. Swamy mentioned the contribution of Kodavas in the Indian armed forces. The first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian army was Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and was conferred the rank of Field Marshal on 28 April 1986. General K.S. Thimayya was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954 and took over as Chief of the Indian Army on 07 May 1957. There have been several people from this district who have joined the army. Swamy goes on to say that the race has been exploited by politicians with black money purchasing their coffee estates.

Currently, the Kalyana-Karnataka (formerly known as Hyderabad-Karnataka) region has been accorded special status to help overcome the regional disparity as these parts are home to some of the most backward regions in the country.

source: http://www.livemint.com / LiveMint / Home> Explore / by Sharan Poovanna / October 29th, 2019

Madikeri Fort, Palace Restoration

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

MadikeriFort01KF29oct2019

High Court orders contempt petition against officials

Bengaluru:

The Karnataka High Court has expressed its displeasure over the neglect of the historic Madikeri Fort and has directed the Government Advocate to register a Contempt of Court Case against officials for not obeying Court directives.

The Court was hearing the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by J.S. Virupakshaiah, a retired IAS Officer and a resident of Somwarpet. The petitioner contended that the Fort and Palace premises are heritage sites, dating back to more than three centuries. They are neglected and the exterior walls of the Palace are infected with fungus.

The government is running its offices on the Palace premises and despite this the monuments are neglected with no action plan initiated by the officials. The petitioner had prayed before the Court to issue directions to the Government to vacate its offices and hand over the monuments to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to maintain it.

Saving the monuments

The petitioner had said that the Government officials under the Zilla Panchayat had been functioning from the old Palace for many years. There are also offices of two MLAs and MLCs of Kodagu. A request was made to the ASI to take measures to preserve the Palace. The Government office buildings should be vacated first in order to take up the repair work. It was therefore inevitable to approach the Court, he contended. Also, there is an urgent need to save the historic monuments as incessant rains were causing harm to the structures.

Virupakshaiah said that the District Administration had promised to hand over the Palace by October end, to take up a temporary makeover. There is, however, no use of temporary work. In order to inspect the present condition of the Palace and the Fort, the officials from the ASI visited the Fort premises and have submitted a report to the Court on the matter, he added.

Roof Collapse

The petitioner told the Court that in January this year, the roof of the Palace in the Fort premises suddenly collapsed. The walls of the Palace are discoloured and the soldiers’ quarters have totally collapsed. The leaking roof of the main building was covered with plastic sheets as a temporary measure.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Krishnakumar noted that despite the Court order to shift the Government offices by Oct. 30, nothing has been done so far. Upset at the officers’ attitude, the High Court has directed the Government advocate to name the officials and file a Contempt of Court Case against them. The High Court has now posted the hearing to Oct. 31.

MadikeriFort02KF29oct2019

Glorious history

History of the old Fort dates back to the 17th century AD. It was built by King Mudduraja of Haleri dynasty. Tipu Sultan rebuilt the Fort with stone. The Palace was built by Lingaraja Wadiyar II in 1812. The Fort was acquired by Dodda Veera Rajendra in 1790 and later came under the rule of British in 1834.

Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner’s office too was housed in the same building. However, it was shifted to the present building four years ago.

The offices of the Agriculture Department, District Library, Court complex and Balamandira are functioning in the Old Fort premises.

The officials said that if the entire Palace is handed over to the ASI, the Central Government will release funds.

Offices must be shifted before Oct. 31: DC

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy has directed the Assistant Director of Land Records to shift the Government offices from the Old Fort to the new building of Zilla Panchayat, before Oct. 31 as per the High Court orders.

After shifting, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will take up renovation works of the historic monuments. Officials from the ASI visited the Fort premises and inspected the condition of the Old Fort building. The team of officials also furnished a report to the Court, on the probable steps towards the repair of the building. Following the same, the officials from various Government Departments agreed to vacate their offices.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 27th, 2019

DC for shifting of offices from Madikeri Fort

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Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy has directed the assistant director of land records to shift the government offices from the Old Fort to the new building of Zilla Panchayat, before October 31, as per the court orders.

The Madikeri Fort, also known as Old Fort.
The Madikeri Fort, also known as Old Fort.

The orders by the deputy commissioner have come in the wake of the High Court direction towards taking up renovation work of the historic establishment. The work will be carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Annies Kanmani Joy said that the district administration had promised the Department of Archaeology of handing over the old building by October end.

As there are government offices inside the Old Fort, the department could not carry out the restoration work of the building. Also, there were demands to shift the government offices to the newly built Zilla Panchayat building.

As per the directions issued by the High Court, officials from the ASI visited the fort premises and inspected the condition of the Old Fort building.

The team of officials also furnished a report to the court, on the probable steps towards the repair of the building. Following the same, the officials from various government departments had agreed to vacate their offices.

While the repair work was going on in January, the roof of the palace in the Fort premises had suddenly collapsed.

The walls of the palace are discoloured and the soldiers’ quarters have totally collapsed.

The leaking roof of the main building was covered with plastic sheets as a temporary measure.

Glorious history

Mudduraja, a ruler of Haleri dynasty, had built the fort in the 17th century.

Tipu Sultan rebuilt the fort using stones later.

The fort was acquired by Dodda Veera Rajendra in 1790 and later came under the rule of British in 1834.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / October 23rd, 2019

Flood relief: Donations touch Rs 188 crore

Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Donors from various organisations and companies have donated a combined total of Rs 188.04 crore for the Chief Minister’s Natural Disaster Relief Fund. The donations were received following a public appeal by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to contribute generously towards flood relief.

According to data, the donations came between August 13 and October 22, with officials expecting more funds in the coming days. The donations were by a total of 4,105 donors, with the highest number of donations on October 14. Highest in terms of donations received was on August 20, when a total of Rs 39.15 crore was contributed to the fund.

While the total amount available in the Natural Disaster Relief Fund was Rs 316.09 crore, Rs 97.17 crore of the said amount was the pending amount collected after the 2018 floods in Kodagu. “A total of 186 crore was collected from donors for Kodagu flood relief,” P A Gopal, joint secretary, Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, said. As on October 23, the amount of funds available was Rs 217 crore.

Donations were also received online for flood relief. Also, Rs 32.53 crore – one day salary of government employees – was handed over from the district treasuries for the relief, according to data.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Food Relief / by Akram Mohammed / DH News Service, Bengaluru / October 24th, 2019

Screening Of Kodava Language Film ‘Kodagura Sipayi’ Begins

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All

KodavaMovieKF27oct2019

Mysuru:

The first screening of ‘Kodagura Sipayi’, a movie in Kodava language produced and directed by Kottukathira Prakash Cariappa was held at Mysuru Kodava Samaja in Vijayanagar First Stage this morning.

The movie, presented by Coorg Coffeewood Movies, is based on a novel and narrates the story of a soldier, played by former international athlete and personality development speaker Theethamada Arjun Devaiah.

The special screening of the movie will be held today and tomorrow (Oct. 27). There will be three shows (11 am, 2 pm and 6.30 pm) on both the days and tickets are priced at Rs. 100 each.

After the screening, a stage programme was scheduled to be held, presided by Mysuru Kodava Samaja President Kekada M. Belliappa. Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club President Machimada P. Nanaiah was to be the chief guest.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 26th, 2019

‘Each Assembly seat to get Rs 30 cr under Sadak Yojana’

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Records, All
The new building of Kodagu Zilla Panchayat in Madikeri.
The new building of Kodagu Zilla Panchayat in Madikeri.

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa and Housing and Kodagu In-charge Minister V Somanna inaugurated the new building of Kodagu Zilla Panchayat at K Badaga village, near Madikeri, on Friday.

The groundbreaking for the new building, constructed at a total cost of Rs 30 cr, was done in 2016.

Speaking on the occasion, Eshwarappa said that a grant of Rs 30 crore would be given to each Assembly constituency under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana.

“Also, grants will be released for solving drinking water problem,” he added.

The minister meanwhile assured of providing Rs 20 lakh each to 28 gram panchayats towards solid waste management unit.

“Task Forces will be formed for ZP members and every task force will be granted a fund of Rs one crore”, he said.

“Floods have ravaged the state. The Central government has provided Rs 1,200 crore for relief measures and the state has already released Rs 1,500 crore. Another Rs 1,500 crore will be released soon. It has been decided in the Cabinet meeting to utilise Central government grants for compensating the loss of crops,” Eshwarappa said.

He also assured of providing integrated funds towards the rejuvenation of lakes in Kodagu.

Lauding the job done by top officials of the district — Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K Lakshmipriya and Superintendent of Police Dr Suman D Pennekar, the minister said the district was peaceful as women adored all the key posts in Kodagu.

He also mentioned that he has four daughters and a son.

District In-charge Minister V Somanna said there had been loss of life, both human and animals, in the district due to floods.

Agriculturists in the district have incurred a huge loss. A package of Rs 532 crore has been announced to Kodagu out of which Rs 100 crore has been released. The problems of flood victims will be duly addressed, he added. Somanna meanwhile added that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was supposed to be take part in the programmes of handing over houses to flood victims and the inauguration of new building of the ZP. But the chief minister could not attend due to unfavourable weather conditions.

MLA K G Bopaiah urged the state government to provide 350 acres of ‘C’ and ‘D’ (categories) land to those who have lost their agricultural land in Mudigere, owing to landslides.

MLA Appacchu Ranjan urged the government to release Rs 1 crore for the restoration of historic Old Fort in Madikeri.

MLC Veena Acchaiah said the government should construct houses for flood victims of 2019 at a cost of Rs 9.85 lakh each, instead of Rs 5 lakh.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / DHNS, Madikeri / October 25th, 2019