Bt Cotton Can Not Beat Nature

.....This means that Bt-cotton can not kill the bollworm by itself and hence still needs pesticide application. With the spread of Bt-cotton, previously harmless insects called mirid bugs have now become major pests. To control the mirid bugs, Bt-cotton farmers are now using more pesticides than farmers growing conventional cotton and their profits have disappeared. (read more)

Coconut Oil May Be Good For Health

It is commonly believed that coconut oil, if used in cooking, is bad for health. It is a saturated fat which is supposed to increase LDL (bad) cholesterol in humans and thereby increase the incidence of heart disease. To get authoritative information on other health benefits of coconut oil, Mysore Grahakara Parishat wrote to the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad under the Right to Information Act.... Read More

MGP Opposes Discriminatory Power Cuts in Karnataka

The state government has declared that there will be 12 hours of power cuts daily in rural areas, 4 hours in urban areas other than Bangalore and only one hour in Bangalore. Mysore GrahakaraParishat has filed a complaint before the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission stating that this discriminatory policy violates Article 14 of the Constitution of India... continue reading

A Tip To LPG Customers

For more than a decade, MGP has been forwarding complaints received from LPG consumers to the three major supply companies, IOC, HP and BP. But despite several serious complaints, not much action was taken against the erring LPG dealers. Therefore, we were heartened to see an advertisement from Hindustan Petroleum in the local papers last week announcing... read more

Mysore Genetically Engineered Food seminar report

Over 200 prominent concerned citizens of Mysore overwhelmingly said NO to Bt Brinjal, called for a GE-free Karnataka and demanded a nationwide referendum on permitting the introduction of GE crops pending which imposition of a moratorium on GE crops in the country. read more

State-level Conference on Genetic Engineering, Farming & Food

State-level Conference on Genetic Engineering, Farming & Food

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Media have been reporting that genetically engineered (GE) Brinjal (Bt-Brinjal) is to be the first human food item to be introduced into the market in India, following field trials. This has raised discussions regarding aspects of its necessity and safety, and the issue of  enabling the consumer to exercise the right not to buy the GE product. The effect on the farming community who may choose to grow GE-Brinjal and other GE crops, as well as on farmers who do not so choose is also being discussed; there are many who argue against ... continue reading

Is MUDA Aiding Illegal Land Use Change?

Whenever a person wants to change the land use of his site (from residential to commercial, from agricultural to residential, etc.), he has to obtain permission from MUDA. According to law, MUDA places an advertisement in the papers regarding the land use change and calls for objections. The proposal and the objections are then placed before.... continue reading

Will the RTO please clarify?

The RTO of Mysore has recently issued a press release (duly reported in many newspapers) stating that according to a government order, all vehicles must display both English and Kannada licence plates....... Continue Reading

Dereliction of Duty by MCC

According to Sec. 2(1-A) of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, phone towers are buildings and since they are used for commercial purpose, they are commercial buildings. So they can not be built on residential sites.

In a circular (No. UDD 17 Aa Pra Sa 2001) issued on 12-11-2001, the Karnataka Government has clearly reiterated this point. It says that establishment of a mobile tower is a commercial activity and that it is subject to the provisions of zonal regulations of the approved Comprehensive Development Plan for the city... continue reading

Need To Move Away From Big Dams

Recent floods in the Krishna basin have left hundreds of people dead and lakhs homeless. Countless livestock have been destroyed and the total monetary loss ran into thousands of crores of rupees. As a hydrogeologist with 4 decades of experience, these are my observations on this disaster.

1. There are several major dams across the Krishna river and its tributaries and these dams were supposed to prevent such disasters. So the dams have failed in one of their primary purposes. Not just... continue reading

JNNURM- IS THERE DANGER AHEAD FOR MYSORE?

In the euphoria over hundreds of crores of rupees flowing into Mysore for JNNURM works, most people have forgotten that Mysore City Corporation has to foot a hefty bill, with no indications till now as to how MCC will meet this challenge. JNNURM is clearly no free lunch................... continue reading

MGP Opposes Electricity Rate Hike

Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation which supplies electricity to Mysore and its surroundings has now filed an application before Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission for yet another increase in tariff. Among other violations, The company's financial statements which includes balance sheet, the schedules and comments/observation are not audited as required by KERC (Tariff) Regulations 2000 Annexe II.... continue reading

District Forum Holds Bank Responsible for Security Lapses

Srinivas Gudi is a marine engineer working for Shell International Shipping and Trading Company. On 3rd and 4th December of 2008, Rs. 99,000 was withdrawn from ATMs in Malaysia using his SBI debit card and his code number. But Gudi was on duty aboard a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at that time. Gudi's wife noticed this large debit from his account and called him immediately. Using satellite phone..... continue reading

Chattisgarh Delegation Visits MGP

Fifty people's representatives and officers of various local bodies in Chattisgarh state visted Mysore Grahakara Parishat office in two batches on 18-8-09 and 25-8-09. They interacted with MGP members on civic and consumer issues. They were given a demonstration about how various foods are adulterated and how one can detect such adulteration.

A Shocking Decision By The Supreme Court

A shocking decision by the Supreme Court in which it has termed a provision of law as legal fiction and disregarded it has been reported recently..... continue reading

Electricity - Charging More For Less Quality And Quantity

The five electricity supply companies (ESCOMs) in Karnataka have applied for yet another increase in tariff. The quality of power supply is steeply deteriorating with severe load-shedding, frequent interruptions and voltage fluctuations, but the ESCOMs keep asking for higher tariffs at every opportunity. As a result, the electricity tariff has increased by 60% in the last 9 years in Karnataka.... continue reading

MGP demands to retain District In-Charge Minister Shobha Karandlage

There are strong rumours in recent weeks that there are efforts made to transfer Mysore’s District In-Charge Minister Shobha Karandlage. Is there a need for a change of guards when Dasara is practically here? Is there a need to bring some new minister when she has been here for a short time and has accomplished a lot for Mysore? Just like it has become a routine thing for political leaders to request the transfer of inconvenient officers even before...... More

Unique Identification of Indian Citizens

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIA) formed in February 2009 is set to provide a unique number to all Indian citizens by 2011, at a cost presently estimated between Rs.30,000 to Rs.150,000 crores, with initial budgeted outlay of Rs.100 crores for the current year. It is expected to create 100,000 new jobs and business worth Rs.6,500 crores. UIA will create and operate a database to create a Multi-purpose National Identity Card for all citizens over 18 years of age, with a unique number along with photographs and biometric data. It will link together various existing identity databases like.... continue reading

Understanding the ongoing gas-pricing dispute between Ambani brothers

Excerpts from an interview of Dr.Bhamy Shenoy with D.Murali of Business Line

In the ongoing gas-pricing dispute, is the Government partial to either of the Ambani brothers, as claimed? No, it is not, avers Bhamy Shenoy, a senior advisor to the Center for Energy Economics at University of Texas, Austin.

“It is the bounden duty of the Government to safeguard the interests of the taxpayers. Billions of dollars are involved in this deal and the Government cannot be a mute spectator,” he adds, during a quick email interaction with Business Line.... More

Lalit Mahal Road Tree Felling: DEVELOPMNET vs. ENVIRONMENT?

It is unfortunate that there has been an unnecessary controversy on the felling of 134 trees to widen Lalit Mahal road between ATI and Arch Gate. Instead of striving for a win win situation, this has turned into a fierce zero sum game between environmentalists and development oriented enthusiasts. Sustainable development is impossible without taking care of environment.Mysoreans are divided into groups based on.... More