Udupi: The Udupi taluk unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist) took out a protest rally from Service Bus Stand to the taluk office here on Monday against the hike in the prices of petroleum products effected by the Union Government.

In a memorandum, addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submitted at the Tahsildar’s Office here, the party said that the Union Government had used the increase in prices of crude oil in the international market as an excuse to rise the prices of petroleum products in the country.

The Centre had increased the price of petrol by Rs. five a litre, diesel Rs. three a litre, and LPG Rs. 50 a cylinder. This hike had hit the common man hard. The Left parties had suggested to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to reduce excise and customs duties on petroleum products, but it did not respond.

It should rollback the fuel price hike, the party said.

The Centre had appealed to the States to reduce sales tax on petroleum products for which a few State Governments such as West Bengal and Kerala responded.

However, the Government of Karnataka was dillydallying on the issue.The State Government should reduce the sales tax, the memorandum said.

Brahmavar (Udupi District): MLA K. Raghupati Bhat said on Tuesday that an agriculture college would come up here. He was speaking after inaugurating a seminar and an exhibition for farmers under the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Scheme organised by the Udupi Zilla Panchayat, the Department of Agriculture and the Farm Science Centre.

Mr. Bhat said that he would urge Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to sanction the college which would benefit both Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. The college would come up in a part of the area of the Farm Science Centre. (The centre has 354 acres of land with it). He said farmers were still pursuing age-old technology in their farm practices. “They should adopt modern methods to make agriculture sustainable. It is difficult for farmers in the district to survive solely on traditional crops,” he said.

The farmers had their pinned their hopes on the revival of the ailing Brahmavar Sugar Factory. “This factory has been handed over to the private sector for revival. Production of sugarcane for the factory will help the farmers in the future,” Mr. Bhat said.

Presiding over the function, a member of the Board of Regents, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, S.D. Sampat Samrajya, said that it had become difficult for farmers to survive on agriculture alone. The prices of agricultural crops had crashed adding to their woes.

It was incumbent both on the Union and State Governments to have a scientific system to provide proper support price for agriculture crops. “The Government cannot ignore agriculture as nearly 60 per cent of the people were either farmers or agricultural labourers,” he said.

Executive Officer of Udupi Taluk Panchayat Ramananda Nayak welcomed the gathering. Head of the Farm Science Centre M.K. Honnabhairaiah proposed a vote of thanks. Zilla Panchayat members Bhujanga Shetty and B.N. Shankar Poojary, and president of Taluk Krishi Samaj Shambhu Shetty were present.

Agricultural Technology Management Agency is a society of stakeholders involved in activities for sustainable agriculture development in the districts. It aims at integrating research and extension activities and decentralising daily management of public Agricultural Technology System (ATS).

ATMA also aims at decentralising decision-making to the district level, and increasing input by farmers into programme planning and resource allocation.

Udupi: Home Minister V.S. Acharya said on Sunday that the Government would not hold talks with naxalites because they did not believe in democratic system nor the Constitution.

Addressing presspersons here, Dr. Acharya said that instead of talking to the naxalites, the Government would talk to people in the naxal-affected areas to understand their needs.

Priority would be given to implementation of development projects in the naxal-affected areas, he said.

A meeting would be convened shortly with the officials of Forest and other departments to clear the roadblocks for development in naxal-affected areas. A study would be taken up to assess the progress being made in implementing Government programmes in these areas, Dr. Acharya said.

He said that the Government would deal sternly with organisations which were involved in terrorist activities. “We have information of radical activities in some places in the coastal belt. In order to check terrorist activities, the Government plans to strengthen the Coastal Security Police (CSP). But they have to work in harmony with the local police,” he added.

On sea erosion in Udupi district, Dr. Acharya, who is also the district in-charge Minister, said Rs. 20 lakh had been released as soon as he was informed of erosion in Polipu and Muloor villages by the Kaup MLA Lalaji Mendon. Another Rs. 2 crore would soon be released for addressing the problem from the natural calamities fund, he said.

Steps were being taken to prevent Chikungunya from entering Udupi district. Fogging and other activities had been taken up in this regard. Efforts would be made to develop Brahmavar and Byndoor in the district into taluk headquarters, Dr. Acharya said.

Chairman of Third Finance Commission A.G. Kodgi, Deputy Commissioner P. Hemalatha and Superintendent of Police Devajyothi Ray were present.

Udupi: Efforts will be made to develop Brahmavar into a taluk headquarters in the next three months, Udupi MLA K. Raghupati Bhat has said here on Monday.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of his office, here. It was inaugurated by Gujjady Narasihma Nayak.

Mr. Bhat said that a master-plan would be prepared for the development of Brahmavar hobli, which became part of Udupi Assembly constituency during delimitation. He said would launch “Janarabalige Janapratinidhi”, a programme under which he would visit all the 23 villages in the hobli, in about six weeks. The development projects in Udupi City, such as road-widening, would be continued with renewed vigour. “I will soon open another office at Brahmavar to have direct interaction with the people of surrounding area. I will stay for three days a week at my Udupi office and two days at Brahmavar office,” Mr. Bhat said.

Presisdent of Udupi City Municipal Council Dinakar Shetty and its former president Gujjady Prabhakar Nayak were present.