Members of various progressive organisations organised a protest in front of the Mines and Geology Department Office here on Tuesday, urging the authority to ban sand mining on Hemavathi river bed in Mudigere taluk.

Kumar (35), a farmer from Ayyanahalli committed suicide on Thursday, consuming pesticide after the potato crop he had grown in his 2 acre land failed due to

Chikmagalur district stands second in the State in HIV positive cases, said District Aids Control Officer Dr Sampath Kumar.

Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Nagaraj said a probe would be conducted into the unauthorised road works being done in Balur and Miyaru reserve forests coming under Mudigere and Belthangady taluks respectively.

Speaking to Deccan Herald on Wednesday, he said he was unaware of the developments until they were reported in newspapers.

Marlejedlu village at Marithothlu in Koppa taluk has set an example for others by constructing a mini dam under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and irrigating water to 100 acre agriculture land.

Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha has opposed illegal sand mining going on blatantly on river bed of Hemavathi in Mudigere taluk.

Addressing a news conference on Friday, Sangha State Secretary M Manjunath and District General Secretary Gurushanthappa said that since the mining is going on in large scale using boats and JCBs, the cultivated land near the river faces threat of submergence.

Zilla Panchayat President K M Kemparaj has announced that prizes will be given to the Gram Panchayats which implement the drinking water project quickly and efficiently.

Talking to reporters, he said that the GPs will be honoured with the first, second and third prizes on the basis of their quickness and quality in implementing drinking water project in their limits.

Rs 420.66 lakh has been sanctioned under central government project to develop 40 lakes in Kadur taluk, said MLA K M Krishnamurthy.

Madikeri: The long pending demand of the citizens of Kodagu may be realised with the Union Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee proposing a survey for the Mysore-Madikeri- Mangalore railwayline.

The Minister has also announced the survey for Mysore-Kushalnagar-Madikeri route. With this hopes have been raised for the railway connectivity of the district with the rest of the State.

Certain elected representatives who have allegedly joined hands with contractors are creating unnecessary hype over drinking water scarcity despite the fact that drinking water scarcity has not yet cropped up in the district.