Big Blow to BJP in Karnataka Local Polls


The Congress dealt a massive blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka urban local body elections by winning four major city corporations. The Congress not only made huge gains by winning the highest number of wards across the state, but the party also routed BS Yeddyurappa‘s Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) and ended the rule of Reddy brothers in Bellary by decimating their BSR Congress across central Karnataka.

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Former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa’s KJP failed to make a big splash while the ruling BJP could only secure third place by winning just 876 wards while the Congress was way ahead with 1881 seats. The Janata Dal Secular (JDS) managed to hold on to its strength in the Old Mysore region and managed to win 890 wards to take the second place in the state.

The Karnataka local polls, which have been billed as semi-finals before the state elects a new Assembly in a couple of months, show that the BJP is finding the going tough and has not been fully able to counter the Yeddyurappa effect.

There are a total number of 4976 seats for which counting took place. The Congress won Bellary, Mangalore and Davanagere city corporations. The party is leading in four out of seven city corporations and is also doing very well in Dakshin Kannada.

The BJP is ahead in Hubli-Dharwad while there is close fight between Congress and JDS in Mysore. Yeddyurappa’s party has put up a dismal performance in Shimoga while the BJP has suffered a huge defeat in its stronghold of coastal Karnataka where the Independents have come third. The trends and results show that urban voters have rejected BJP and its offshoots KJP and BSR Congress.

The Bellary brothers, who had launched the BSR Congress, have been routed in their stronghold. The Congress is also leading in areas dominated by the JDS.

The results are crucial since they could be an indicator of what will happen in the state elections coming up in two months. Over 200 municipalities including seven city corporations went to the polls on March 7.

In the last urban local bodies polls in 2007, of the total 5007 wards, the Congress had come first winning 1606, followed by JDS 1502 and BJP 1180.

Pranab rejects another mercy plea


President Pranab Mukherjee has rejected the mercy petition of death-row convict Saibanna Ningappa Natikar, currently lodged in the Central Prison at Hindalga, Belgaum, Karnataka. This is his second rejection after assuming office as the President. He signed the order on January 4.

The first rejection was that of Kasab, the convict in the 26/11 Mumbai terror case hanged on

November 21.

Saibanna had submitted his mercy petition following the confirmation of his death sentence by the Supreme Court’s two-Judge Bench on April 21, 2005. Saibanna was a life convict for the murder of his first wife. While on parole in September 1994, suspecting the fidelity of his second wife, he killed her and his daughter, and attempted to commit suicide.

‘Judgment of error’

Fourteen former Judges had recently appealed to Mr. Mukherjee to commute Saibanna’s death sentence to life imprisonment, in view of Supreme Court’s admission in 2009 in another case that the Court’s confirmation of his death sentence in 2005 was per incuriam (judgment delivered out of error or ignorance).

In Santosh Kumar Bariyar v. State of Maharashtra (2009), the Supreme Court held that the Court’s confirmation of death sentence in Saibanna’s case fell foul of two binding judgments of the Supreme Court, namely, Mithu Singh v. State of Punjab (1983) and Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980).

In Mithu Singh, the Supreme Court’s five-Judge Constitution Bench struck down Section 303 of Indian Penal Code, prescribing mandatory death sentence (prescribed under Section 303 of Indian Penal Code) for convicts found guilty of committing murder while serving life sentence.

In Bachan Singh, another Constitution Bench had held that death sentence is constitutional if it is prescribed as an alternative for the offence of murder and if the normal sentence prescribed by law for murder is imprisonment for life.

In Saibanna, the Supreme Court was doubtful whether a person already undergoing imprisonment for life could be visited with another term of imprisonment for life to run consecutively with the previous one. Instead of resolving this doubt, the Court confirmed his death sentence. In Bariyar, the Court admitted that the Bench in Saibanna effectively made death punishment mandatory for the category of offenders serving life sentence.

The Karnataka High Court which first heard Saibanna’s appeal against the death sentence gave a split verdict. His appeal was then referred to the third Judge, who confirmed his death sentence.

The Supreme Court, while confirming Saibanna’s death sentence, had relied on Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab, which was on November 20 last year considered per incuriam by a two-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court in Sangeet v. State of Haryana.

The Hindu

Another incest rape in #Kerala: 14-year-old girl sexually abused by brother, friend for 2 years


In yet another incident of sexual abuse of minors by their kin in Kerala, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her brother and his friend over the last two years.

Both of them, hailing from Pavoor in Kasargod district, have been taken into custody, police said.

They said the girl had also been taken to various places in Karnataka and raped.

The incident came to light when the girl was questioned by police recently after she was found in a hotel here along with four others late at night.

More persons are suspected to be involved and a detailed investigation has already begun, police said.

Kerala has been witness to such incidents over the last few weeks, the first being of a 17-year-old girl allegedly raped by her father and seven others at Paravoor in Ernakulam district over the last one year.

In another incident from that district, a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually abused by her 40-year-old father for six months after she was forced to drink alcohol. The man is absconding.

At Dharmadom in Thalassery in Kannur district, a 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her father, 15-year-old brother and uncles for nearly two years. One of the accused died recently.

Karnataka exceeding irrigation area: TN


Tamil Nadu on Tuesday charged Karnataka with irrigating 11.685 lakh acres as against 8.47 lakh acres permitted by the Cauvery Tribunal and depleting the water in the four reservoirs of the State.
Tamil Nadu on Tuesday charged Karnataka with irrigating 11.685 lakh acres as against 8.47 lakh acres permitted by the Cauvery Tribunal and depleting the water in the four reservoirs of the State.

“It is denying rights people of Tamil Nadu enjoyed for centuries”

Tamil Nadu on Tuesday charged Karnataka with irrigating 11.685 lakh acres as against 8.47 lakh acres permitted by the Cauvery Tribunal and depleting the water in the four reservoirs of the State.

Making a submission before a Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justices D.K. Jain and Madan B. Lokur, senior counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan, appearing for Tamil Nadu, said that in 2012-13, the State had received only 23.9 per cent inflow at Billigundlu, which worked out to 73.49 tmcft out of total availability of 307.81 tmcft. The remaining 234.32 tmcft (76.1 per cent) was fully utilised by Karnataka.

Even during 2002-2003, another comparable deficit year, the Tamil Nadu received 39.2 per cent of its share, but this year the attitude of Karnataka seemed to be that whatever water available there belonged to that State and “we will not share it.”

He said notwithstanding the deficit rainfall, Karnataka had not suffered distress and had sown crops on 11.685 lakh acres.

“It has already drawn more than 102 tmcft. (up to November 30) as against about 102 tmcft., which is the average drawal in the four major reservoirs up to the end of November.

“Thus it has not suffered any reduction either in the irrigated area or in the quantity of water. Karnataka cannot claim and seek to retain any water for the rabi crop, when Tamil Nadu could not have even one crop.”

Mr. Vaidyanathan said that while the Tribunal had permitted irrigation only on 8.47 lakh acres, the Centre allowed irrigation on over nine lakh acres and it seemed whatever Karnataka had submitted to them had been accepted.

He argued that while Tamil Nadu was suffering to salvage the samba crop, the claim made by Karnataka either for the second rabi crop or for the crops in new areas was unjustified. Further, the claim of 23 tmcft made by Karnataka for drinking water supply, including the requirement of Bangalore City from December to May, was highly exaggerated and unrealistic as the actual requirement was only 4.4 tmcft.

Senior counsel Anil Divan, appearing for Karnataka, said once the Cauvery River Authority headed by the Prime Minister had passed an order after considering all aspects, including deficit, the present application was not maintainable.

The court should not be carried away by emotional appeal or sympathy since farmers of both the States were involved, and pass ad hoc orders.

J. Venkatesan – The Hindu

New Architectural Wonders in India


Construction and architecture have risen to a new level altogether with great minds working enthusiastically towards building India with amazing structures. India prides itself on having some of the most contemporary designs for offices, especially in the IT sector.

It’s amazing how modern architecture is changing the look of India, with the infrastructure boom in play we see new shapes and beautiful looking buildings cropping up all around India.

Here is the list of such 10 buildings.

1. International Tech Park, Bangalore

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International Tech Park Bangalore (ITPB) developed and managed by Ascendas. It is India’s first hi-tech park of its kind designed to provide a complete pleasure environment for IT-related businesses. It is offering high-quality infrastructure combined with extensive amenities and recreational facilities and activities.

ITPB has a built-up area of over 2,000,000 sqft with more than 233 companies and over 320,000 people comprised by the community working out of ITPB. There are six buildings, named Discoverer, Inventor, Explorer, Navigator, Creator, and Pioneer. In addition to this, ITPB also boasts of its own five-star hotel Vivanta by Taj which is operated by Asia’s leading luxury hotel chain, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.

2. Patni Knowledge Park, Mumbai

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Patni Knowledge Park opened in September 2006 in Airoli near Mumbai. It is the state-of-the-art environment-friendly facility which complements the organization’s green initiatives around efficient utilization and conservation of energy, water and natural resources.

 The centre is spread over 5 acres and has a seating capacity of over 3500. It was awarded the LEED Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating for its Green IT-BPO Centre. This makes the Patni Knowledge Centre the second largest Platinum rated building in the world.
3. Oracle Financial Service Software, Bangalore
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Earlier known as i-flex Park, the facility at Bangalore has uniquely designed blocks, an executive complex and a block for development and customer care activities. With a floor space of over 144,000 sqft, the building which is a part of the Bagmane Tech Park accommodates more than 1,500 employees. The building has several energy saving measures including special provisions for natural light.

The software park is built and maintained by Bagmane Group. The park shares its boundaries with HAL and DRDO and is near the HAL Airport. It is equipped with all modern class facilities and is surrounded by a lake near the entrance. It also contains a Shopping mall, and a 4.7 hectare lake in the centre of the park.

4. Infosys Training Campus, Mysore
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Infosys has the world’s largest training centre in Mysore. With a total area of 1.44 million sqft, Infosys Global Education Center (GEC I and II) can train 14,000 employees at any given time. The facility has 147 training rooms, 485 faculty rooms, 42 conference rooms, 5 assessment halls, an induction hall, a cyber cafe and two state-of-the-art libraries which can house over 140,000 books.

Mysore campus has multiplex and auditorium complex. The main auditorium in this complex has a seating capacity of 1,056 seats and three multiplex theaters of 145 seats each. The total capacity of this complex is 1,491 seats. The auditorium has state-of-the-art digital projection systems and audio systems along with the best acoustic arrangements.

5. Wipro Campus, Noida
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Wipro Campus Greater Noida is a LEED (Leadership in energy & environmental Design) certified Gold rated Green Building by IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) in New Construction Category. It has a total area 40,00,000 sqft.

This project has been designed to provide an interactive campus environment in a tranquil setting. The activity hub with common facilities like recreation, cafeteria and sports centre is planned along the central axis with software office blocks on either side of the axis. The reception, library and rejuvenation areas are curvilinear in stark contrast to the efficient, straight and rectangular forms of the office blocks.

 

 

6. Signature Towers, Gurgaon
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Built by the Unitech Group, Signature Towers is one of the best-designed office complexes in India. With an identity that is unique, Signature Towers has become one of the best-designed office complexes in India. From the elegant foyer to the modern amenities, a neat design all over.

Many leading multinational and Indian companies, as well as Unitech, have chosen to operate their businesses from Signature Towers, with its perfect location just a few hundred meters off the National Highway 8 in Gurgaon.

It has a site area of 20,235 sqmtr, gross floor area of 30,355.55 sqmtr with 15 storeys it has 24-hour security service and monitoring of strategic areas by CCTV cameras and watchman patrol.

7. DLF Gateway Tower, Gurgaon
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DLF Gateway Tower is a12-storey complex, spread across an area of 1.15 acres. With its ship-like shape, Gateway Tower presents futuristic architecture, which is also reflected in its interiors with floor plates measuring to 85,000 sqft.

DLF Gateway Tower transcends the conventional concept of office space by combining work and leisure within the premises. The unique feature of this complex is its high visibility and compact office space. The tenants comprises of Ariba, Planet Sports, Corning, Cargill, Innodata, Korn and Ferry, GE Plastics etc.

8. Statesman House, New Delhi
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Statesman House is located in Barakhamba Road in the middle of Connaught Place and is one of the most impressive structures in Delhi. It’s a huge circular building and is quite majestic and 72 meter high building with total built up area of 9,600 square meters. It is one of the finest architectural landmarks in New Delhi. The building is centrally air-conditioned with the provision of vibration proof area for printing press in basement. The building has 3 basements and 17 upper floors.

This fully refurbished centre at Statesman House provides some of the finest office space facilities. In this excellent building, there is over 20,000 sqft of serviced offices, meeting and training rooms, and WiFi enabled communal areas.

9. Infinity Towers, Gurgaon
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Infinity Towers is located at the entrance of Gurgaon. Designed by famous architect Hafeez Contractor the complex constitutes three interconnected towers scaling between 10-12 storeys. Spread across 1.2 million sqft of space, the complex is designed to provide unmatched flexibility with scalability option.

The Structure is designed to Seismic Zone V specifications for greater earthquake resistance along with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) rules and provides for facilities and amenities like food court, health club and ATMs to the occupants of the complex. Additional safety systems include 24 hours CCTV security in common areas, modern fire detection and suppression systems and 24 X 7 Ambulance service for any kind of emergency.

10. Cyber Towers, Hyderabad
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A landmark building in Hyderabad, the Cyber Towers was inaugurated in 1998 as the first phase of HITEC city. The building houses several offshore development facilities and call centers. The Cyber Towers building is 10 storeys divided into four quadrants with a large fountain in the middle of the quadrants.

HITEC city is spread over 151 acres and has a total built up area of 5,000,000 sqft. It provides employment to about 45,000 professionals.

India’s 10 Hottest FDI Destinations; Maharashtra tops


FDI in different states of India have increased steadily since the early 1990s when the Indian economy was opened up to foreign investments. Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are among the leading states that have attracted maximum FDI.

1. Maharashtra:

Investment in Maharashtra covers Mumbai, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman

Foreign Direct Investment in Maharashtra covers Mumbai, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu. The total FDI Inflows in Maharashtra economy from April 2000 to January 2011 was estimated to be around 199.322 crore which is approximately $44,592 million. The percentage of Mumbai out of the total inflows is 35 percent. Maharashtra received the lion’s share of the foreign direct investment inflows into India.

2. New Delhi:

The investments covers Delhi, parts of UP and Haryana.

Delhi economy has been estimated to be around 111,937 crore which roughly comes up to $24,700 million from April 2000 to January 2011. The investments covers Delhi, parts of UP and Haryana. New Delhi forms 19 percent out of the total inflows.

3. Karnataka:

Karnataka forms 6 percent of the total inflows

Foreign Direct Investment in Karnataka from April 2000 to January 2011 has accounted for 36,139 crore which is approximately $8,114 million. Karnataka forms 6 percent of the total inflows. Sectors that attracted high levels of FDI include services, telecom, metallurgical industries, power, computer hardware and software, and construction activities.

4. Gujarat:

Gujarat ranks fourth in terms of FDI Inflows in India

Foreign Direct Investments in Gujarat from April 2000 to January 2011 was estimated to be around 30,969 crore which is around $6,996 million. Gujarat ranks fourth in terms of FDI Inflows in India. Major investments are made in the former capital and the largest city in Gujarat, Ahmadabad. Gujarat forms 5 percent of the total inflows.

5. Tamil Nadu:

Tamil Nadu forms 5 percent of the total inflows.

Foreign Direct investments in Tamil Nadu are done in Chennai and Pondicherry. The total investments made from April 2000  to January 2011 are estimated to be around 29,914 crore which comes to around $6,645 million. Tamil Nadu forms 5 percent of the total inflows.

6. Andhra Pradesh:

Major investments made in Hyderabad

Foreign Direct Investment Inflows in Andhra Pradesh has been estimated to be around 25,605 crore which is approximately $5,749 million calculated from April 2000 and January 2011. Andhra Pradesh ranks fifth as a recipient of FDI Inflows in India. Andhra Pradesh forms 5 percent of the total inflows. Major investments made in Hyderabad. The highest FDI of $2.92 came from Mauritius, followed by Singapore ($1.08 billion), U.S. ($636 million), Japan ($515 million) and the Netherlands ($481 million) in April-August 2010-11.

7. West Bengal:

West Bengal also cover the territories Sikkim, Andman

The Foreign Direct Investment Inflows in West Bengal also cover the territories Sikkim, Andman&Nicobar Islands. It is estimated that about 6, 339 crore which is about $1,481 million. West Bengal forms 5 percent of the total inflows.

8. Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh:

They form 1 percent of the total inflows.

Foreign Direct investments in these states are about 4,223 crore from April 2000 to January 2011 which is around $922 million. They form 1 percent of the total inflows.

9. Goa:

Goa forms 1 percent of the total inflows

Foreign Direct investments in Goa is estimated to be about 3,316 crore from April 2000 to January 2011. It is around $723 million. Goa forms 1 percent of the total inflows.

10.Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh:

They form 0.5 percent of the total inflows.

Foreign Direct investments in these states are estimated to be 2.961 crore from April 2000 to January 2011 which is around $643 million. They form 0.5 percent of the total inflows.