Mangalore This Week - June 3 to June 9
June 10, 2007
Two weeks of Loud blabber and cackle, rival-bashing and all other elements of drama finally came to an end when the Ullal by-election result was announced on June 5.
While U T Khader romped home, the BJP, JD(S) and other parties had to bite the dust. On one side, the Congress supporters were celebrating the victory. But on the other, passengers on the Mangalore-Udupi route suffered. The NH 17 witnessed another accident where two private buses collided with each other at Pangala.
Meanwhile, a labourer, who was struggling between life and death after he was literally holed up for over two hours in a wet trench, providentially survived.
The end of the week saw a Russell's Viper which was being taken care at Reptile Conservation Centre run by Sheshavana Charitable Trust at Puttur gave birth to 65 young ones. This in itself is a record since the last reported maximum was 65 in a single litter. The same Russell's viper had littered 63 young ones in the same centre earlier.
Mangalore: Ullal Town Celebrates U T Khader's Win
Udupi: Private Buses Collide at Pangla - 15 Persons Injured
Mangalore: Holed up in Wet Trench for over Two Hours, Labourer Survives
Mangalore: Russell's Viper Litters '65' Young Ones - Creeps into Record Books
A prawn culture farm which belonged to Sharath Karkera, a resident of Amblamogaru of Munnur village, was polluted with toxins by miscreants. The incident is linked to political rivalry in the backdrop of the Ullal by-election. Political colour was attached to it when the BJP candidate Chandrashekhar Uchil visited the spot after the news was reported and he also spoke to the police from the spot.
Personal animosity in many cases is the main cause for the destruction of life and property of the people. We usually hear or read that, most of the times people lose their life out of bad blood. Sometimes, private property gets destroyed because of jealousy, with "if-it-is-not-ours-let-it-be-not-theirs-either" kind of thinking. But here in this case the prawn farm was polluted with toxins leading to mass destruction mainly because of a political grudge, according to a complaint filed with the police.
Nowadays politics plays its role everywhere - for example, politics between neighbours, politics in schools /colleges/ offices etc. The world itself has become a political arena. People lose their lives because of politics. We come across rivalry, fights, murders etc among leaders and members of different parties. This has become so common these days. Where will it end?
Mangalore: Case Filed over Toxic Pollution of Prawn Culture Farm
Veeramma, a daily wage-earner belonging to Vokkaliga or Gowda community and residing at Alambila in Beltangady has been at the receiving end of malice from her fellow-villagers for the past five years.
A woman of abundant courage, Veeramma pressed criminal charges against her husband for raping their daughter and won the case. Because of her husband's imprisonment, she was forced to earn the livelihood of herself and her three children by working with members of the Mugera community. This irked the members of Gowda community which resulted in her being socially rejected.
It is very painful to hear that a woman was being boycotted just for the reasson that she was working with the backward caste of the society. When her own community did not support, she had no alternative to working elsewhere.
But is it wrong to work with other communities? Of course not. It is the personal will anv volition of any individual as to where he / she wants to work. If the individual works with another community other than her own, then does not mean that he / she will change her religion or community. We speak of giving special rights to women such as right to vote, right to work etc. But then why does the society neglects them, when they work?
The woman should get justice, as she has not done anything against the law. Moreover, if any individual works with the backward classes, it is nothing to be ashamed of. it.
Mangalore: Ousted by Villagers, Veeramma Struggles to Live
Ajay, a native of Chitradurga who was working as supervisor at the New Mangalore Port was killed after being knocked down by a bulldozer in NMPT yard near Panambur.
There is no guarantee to the life of an individual. No one can be sure of reaching home safely after setting out of it. No one can even predict what might happen the next very moment or minute. In the same way Ajay had never thought that he would be knocked down by a bulldozer and would lose his life.
Life seems so uncertain. It all depends on destiny. When there are cases of people surviving after falling from great heights, there are also instances when some have died of falling fromt the footsteps. However, for no fault of theirs, innocent people die in accidents, while many starve for hours and days.
Mangalore: Bulldozer Knocks Supervisor to Death at NMPT Yard
Mid-day meals will be provided to the students from VIII std to X in 247 high schools. This would benefit 38,825 students from 142 government high schools and 41,883 students from 105 aided high schools from this academic year.
Those students who used to carry lunch boxes from home need not worry about carrying them and eating cold food. Earlier they used to carry heavy bags loaded with books and lunch box. But they will have a bit of weight less. The government has lightened their bags by introducing ucing a new scheme of mid day meals to all the governent high schools.
Everyone would like to eat a hot meal in the afternoon, than eat the food prepared at home in the morning and brought in the lunch box. Apart from the mid-day meals government has also decided to distribute rice, dal, oil and salt to every student. This would also help them to save their money. Perhaps everyone will agree it was a real kind deed on the part of the government.
Mangalore: Mid-day Meal Scheme to be Extended to High Schools
The Federation of Education Resource Centres has alleged that some of the government schools are collecting fees from girl students even though education for girls is free of cost.
It is usual to see the government at times favour the people and sometimes the measures are adverse. Introducing the mid-day meals was a good move, but collecting fees from girl students in government schools in spite of education being free is injustice. When boys are given free education, charging the fees for girls is discrimination. When both get the same education, it is really unfair and higher authorities should do something about it.
Mangalore: 'Govt Schools Charging Fees from Girl Pupils'
Local fishermen laid a siege to the office of assistant commissioner here recently demanding him to provide them with benefits of BPL ration cards. On the other hand Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) took to streets urging the administration to resolve discrepancies in the distribution of ration cards to families below poverty line.
People who are socially and economically backward rarely get assistance from the government. Most of the times, people living Below the Poverty Line suffer, and those poor families living Above the Poverty Line get assistance from the government or enjoy the privileges of the government grants. The poor villagers or the BPL families are not even provided with the BPL ration cards. As a result, people who are economically backward will have to starve for the simple reason of not being able to afford the basic neccessities of life, especially food.
Kundapur: Irregularities in BPL Card - Fishermen Stage Protest
Udupi: Provide Rations Cards to All BPL Families – CPI (M)
It was a week of ups and down, with both good times and bad.
That’s it for this week.
Catch up with us next week on the weekly update!
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