The Weekly Observer, Vol 13, Issue 20

VOL 13 ISSUE 20

ursday, January 16 , 2014

e brewing battle: Starbucks vs Cafe Coffee Day

Police bust illegal cylinder refilling activity

Ex hockey goalie expresses disdain over expenditure on foreign coaches

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Constable’s son caught, two still at large

Vishal Kumar,accused, son of the Head Constable, Peenya police station BHASKAR DUTTA

According to a senior official of a city police station, the two accomplices of the son of a policeman who was arrested for kidnapping and impersonation of a CBI member are still absconding.

On January 12, Vishal Kumar

and two of his acquaintances Madhu and Pawan abducted a jeweler called Siddesh while he was on his way back from work and demanded an amount of Rs 10 lakh from him.

According to Inspector K.Krishna of the Yeshwantpur Police Station, who is in charge of the case, Vishal’s accomplices Madhu and Pawan are still at large although the police hope to

apprehend them by the end of the week.

Vishal Kumar is the son of Subramany, the Head Constable of the Peenya police Station.

Commenting on the nature of the case Krishna added, “Vishal has been booked under section 384 of the Indian Penal Code for extortion. e fact that his father is a member of the police force makes this an unusual case. At

present, it does not seem like Subramany was aware of his son’s actions. However we are investigating every possible angle in this case as it involves a police officer’s family.”

Aer capturing Siddesh, the trio claimed that they were members of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and that they had been given orders to interrogate Siddesh because of his alleged involvement in a property dispute scam concerning his employers. ey then informed him that he would have to pay them Rs. 10 lakh in order to ensure that the details of the case were not made public.

When the Bangalore branch of the CBI was contacted, an official who preferred to be unnamed said that the central investigative body was unaware of such an incident and that it was not within their jurisdiction to take action in this particular case as it fell within the purview of the Yeshwanthpur Police Station.

According to the official protocol of the CBI, one of the premier law enforcement agencies in the country, if any person is found guilty of impersonating a CBI officer it is the duty of the local Police chief concerned to widely publicize the matter through media channels including the press, radio and television.

Siddesh, the victim, is employed at a jewelers store on Avenue Road called SP Jewelers where he works as a goldsmith.

Following his abduction Siddesh paid Vishal and his friends Rs. 12,000 and was released by them so that he could arrange for the remaining amount that was being demanded by them.

Subsequently, Siddesh filed a

complaint in the Yeshwanthpur Police Station aer which Vishal was arrested.

Ashok Kumar, Assistant SubInspector, Yeshwantpur Police Station, stated that he was not aware of any such incident.

Speaking about the issue Sandeep Patil, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), said, “is is an extremely serious offence and we are investigating it in the manner that we would have investigated any other such case. e fact that Vishal is the son of a Head Constable does not affect our investigation in any way at all. Aer investigation if it is found that Subramany was involved in this case we shall take the necessary steps against him.”

When the Peenya Police Station was contacted, the inspector stated that the matter did not concern them and was being looked aer by the Yeshwanthpur Police Station as Vishal was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed there.

At present, Vishal is under ju-

DCP (North) Sandeep Patil

dicial custody at the Yeshwanthpur Police Station waiting for the case to go to court.

Despite repeated attempts Head Constable Subramany could not be contacted.

Commenting further on the episode, DCP (North) Sandeep Patil said, “Such incidents cannot be tolerated. We would like to make an appeal to the general public that if any one is faced by similar threats from suspicious people posing as government officials they should file a complaint with the local police station as soon as possible. is is in the interest of the public so as to prevent such incidents from ocurring again.” “is is an extremely se-

rious offence and we are investigating it in the manner that we would have investigated any other such case.

- Sandeep Patil DCP, North Zone

The Weekly

2 Battle brewing between Starbucks and CCD

Observer ANAND JAIN Two months aer its launch, Tata Starbucks, an international coffee hub, has begun to set its trademark in Bangalore.

Savitri, an employee who le Café Coffee Day to work for Starbucks, said: “Although the work is slightly more here, I’m being paid Rs. 11,000. In CCD, it was Rs. 8,500.”

“I get 3 coffees and one sandwich free here every day,” she added. e Tata Starbucks store in Koramangla, which was launched late November last year, is the first in Bangalore. e company will launch two more stores in Orion Mall and Phoenix Arcade soon.

Vaishnavi Ramakrishnan, Senior Account Manager at Edleman India said: “It would be

ursday, January 16,2014

too early for me to comment on the performance of Starbucks just now.” e company has, however, gained ground among customers. Maddiha, who was at Starbucks with friends, said: “It’s a fun place to hang out, and the price is comparatively less.”

About the service, Alfa, another customer said: “I think it’s very superficial. But they are trying to be good.” e group of friends seemed to be discontent with the Bangalore branch. “I’ve been to other stores in the Malaysia and Australia, and they are way better. e décor here is too simple.

And the music is bad,” Alfa said.

Tata Starbucks will act as a contender to Café Coffee Day, the most popular coffee store in India. Interestingly, both com-

panies started operation in India in the same year: 1996.

When asked about CCD, Alfa said: “CCD is nothing compared to this. e place is small, service is bad and the quality is not that great.” e CCD branch of Kormangla is just a few steps from Starbucks.

Shraddhanjali, a senior CCD employee, said: “People might go to Starbucks because they want to see something new. But ultimately, we won’t lose our customers. So far, we have not been affected by Starbucks in any way. Our sales estimate per month is about 2 lakh, and we have been matching it consistently.” “e staff gets one Cappuccino coffee free every day,” she added.

Logos of Coffee stores - Starbucks and Cafe Coffee Day e Starbucks store is a joint venture by Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks Corporation.

On the stock chart, Tata Global Beverages has been consistently

POLITICS

“No BJP, No Congress” say Bangalore citizens CHITTHARTH M In the backdrop of recent political changes and electoral upsets in the country, the future of the political scenario in Karnataka remains uncertain.

According to several first-hand reports, while the people of the state are tired of the political games being played by former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, the recent trend of corporate professionals joining politics (aer the victory of the AAP in Delhi) has not been received with much enthusiasm either. e founder of budget airline Air Deccan, Captain Gopinath recently joined the AAP. In the previous Lok Sabha elections he contested independently from Bangalore South against BJP's Ananth Kumar and lost.

Mathan, 30, working in the marketing field said, “I am wondering, how the corporate people can rule well, they don’t know anything about politics and its working system.”

He added: “e current government in Karnataka is not doing well for the people; the

legislators are busy filling their pockets. Even the BJP is playing the political game. Yeddyurappa and his supporters are thinking that the people of Karnataka are fools.”

“I am disappointed with both the parties. Earlier people believed that Yeddyurappa was honest. e Lokayukta report which revealed his involvement in the sand mining scam and forced his resignations as Chief Minister completely ruined his image in the state”, said iyagarajan, 69.

He added, “e people are tired of believing politicians and their election manifestos. No one is ready to work for the people; the present Congress legislators are busy using the people’s money to go abroad. I am not ready to believe in the corporate professionals who jumped into politics recently.”

Bharatiya Janata Party state Vice President A.R.Krishna Murthy and ex-MLA said, “I don’t know how well the corporate people are going to rule, but we can wait and see how the AAP is doing in Delhi. In Kar-

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It is too early to judge, let us wait and see how the government works in Delhi, because they have recently shaken the country with a tremendous victory.

- Prof. B.K.Chandrashekar, Congress state vice president.

nataka it might take a long time before corporate rule gets established.”

He added:”Now people need change; they are tired of seeing corrupt politicians in the state.”

Commenting on the recent electoral victories of the BJP he said,” We are doing well in most of the states. is has been reflected in the recent elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat etc. In Karnataka, we hope to win 19 and more seats out of 28 in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. We have adopted many development schemes for lower cast people during our rule, which have been completely ignored by the present Congress government in the state.”

Soware employees, on the other hand, seem quite happy about the entry of corporate professionals in mainstream politics.

Nirmal Kumar, 30, systems engineer in a reputed corporate company said, “It is good to see the corporate people in politics. ey know something more about management than normal politicians. If they come to power, I am sure that caste and religious based politics will be avoided. I want them to see in high positions and hope for the best.”

Congress state vice president and ex-minister Prof. B.K.Chandrashekar said, “I am sure that the main stream parties like the BJP and the Congress will be affected because votes from edu-

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gaining – its value rose from 148 in November 2013 to 156 on Jan 1, 2014.

New store openings have helped Starbucks’ revenue rise

by 13%. “e fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 capped off by far best year in Starbucks 42-yearhistory,” said Howard Schulz, Starbucks CEO.

INDIAN ARMY DAY CELEBRATION:

Yeddyurappa and his supporters are thinking that the people of Karnataka are fools.

- Mathan, Businessman cated persons will automatically go to the AAP, which is filled with corporate and educated people.”

He added: “It is too early to judge, let us wait and see how the government works in Delhi, because they have recently shaken the country with a tremendous victory.”

Manoj Kumar, 40, a former member of the Border Security Force (BSF) said, “I hope that corporate people will do better than corrupt politicians. Our current state politics are in a bad state; our CM Siddaramaiah is developing the urban sector and doesn’t care for the rural areas. ese areas do not have proper toilets or water facilities. Our state representatives have time to spend abroad but not for the people.” “e frustrated Karnataka people are looking for change.

Anything can happen in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections like the recent Delhi election.” the ex-service man added.

Rare pictures on display during Army Day celebration at Rangoli Metro, M.G.Road (above & below)

The Weekly

Observer

ursday, January 16,2014

Police bust illegal cylinder refilling activity raided the place and seized the gas cylinders.”

He added: “Refilling of gas can be done only by agencies that have a license. Here, it was carried out with a license in a domestic place.”

Around 150 cylinders being used for commercial purpose, but licensed for home use, were discovered in the raid. ers. e place where the house is located is very lonely. It’s the only house in that area. However, there is college in the vicinity which could be affected had there been a leak or blast. e place is sealed now and we are

keeping a close watch on it.”

Under the Indian Penal Code, the violator(s) have been booked for negligent conduct of fire and combustible matter. A person booked under this section can either be jailed for 6 months or

fined a maximum of Rs.1000 or both. However, nobody has been caught yet in this case.

Deepak explained the crime, saying: “ey used to get domestic cylinders at subsidized rates and fill these into commercial

Police officers found the door locked when the entered.

Health Minister comes down strongly on tobacco usage by youth in the state RAJU PEETHALA Karnataka stands seventh in the country with regard to the consumption of cigarettes with an estimated 5,500 people getting addicted to the habit every day.

A first state level workshop was held on tobacco sensitization and control at Capitol hotel in Bangalore. 100 delegates from various sectors took part in the workshop.

Speaking about the ill effects of tobacco, V.B.Patil, commissioner of health and welfare department, said: “ere is a serious need to spread awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco as this will help in decreasing the mortality rate in India.”

As per the survey reports of the International Union against tuberculosis and lung diseases, one-fourth of the billion smokers among the world live in India and the highest mortality rate is due to cardiovascular diseases.

Karnataka state health minister, U.T. Khadar, said: “In spite of laws, there are people who defy them and there must be a sustained effort to conduct awareness programs and monitoring must be done regarding implemented laws.” e survey also reveals that

NEWS BRIEF

Post-mortem delayed cylinders, which have a higher as police fail to reach capacity, and sell them. We had family

APURVA VENKAT An illegal gas-refilling activity which involved around 150 cylinders was discovered and raided by the police on 7th December at Kengeri. e Kumbalgodu Police booked the case under Liquified Petroleum Gas supply and Control Order, 2000, and Indian Penal Code 1860, section 285. is means, the person has been booked for using gas cylinders issued for domestic use in commercial purposes. According to the law, even transferring gas from one cylinder to another is a crime. -Deepak, Sub Inspector, Kombalguddu Police, said: “We got information of the illegal trade from our informant. When we went to the place, it was locked.

We broke open and found 150 cylinders; we also got the instrument they used. It took an hour to complete the operation. Of what we understand they use to sell these cylinders to auto driv-

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V.B. Patil, Commissioner for health in Karnataka talked about the serious need to spread awareness on wide-scale tobacco consumption in the state. consumption of tobacco is among the top sixth out of eight reasons which lead to death.

Over five million deaths are reported due to cigarette smoking every year all around the world out of which 10 lakh deaths are from India.

One-fourth of the adult population (above 15 years) in India use tobacco on a regular basis.

Karnataka is among the highest tobacco users in the country.

Regional Director of the Union, DR.Nevin .C. Wilson, said: “e number of tuberculosis cases in

India from the past 10 years are increasing and the rate of cigarette smokers are also increasing every year. As of now 5,500 people get newly addicted to cigarette smoking every day.”

Madan Gopal, Principal health secretary to the government of Karnataka, said: “Usage of tobacco leads to severe heart diseases and it is the responsibility of every citizen to spread awareness.”

He also added: “One out of ten people in India fall prey to cancer (because of tobacco usage) be-

fore the age of 75.”

An advocacy movie screening was done at the workshop in order to create awareness regarding tobacco control laws. Dr. Ravi Kumar explained the significance of new tobacco control laws which were implemented from May 2013.

Commissioner of Police, Raghavendra Auradkar, concluded the workshop by addressing the important issues that are to be resolved regarding consumption of tobacco. He also emphasized the guidelines that are to be followed at public places and institutions.

Around 5500 people get addicted to smoking cigarettes every day in the state, which is ranked seventh in smoking.

An issue over conducting postmortem of Maria Lupe, a Swiss national who was found dead in her apartment on Tudesday, prevails as police and the Embassy of Switzerland have not been able to track her family.

While the police say that they have sent an e-mail to the Switzerland Embassy and awaiting a reply, the Consulate General of Switzerland in Bangalore said: “We have replied to the mail sent by Kadugodi Police, and are trying to track her relatives.”

Maria’s passport does not have her Switzerland address mentioned, which has made it difficult for the police to locate her family members.

Congress slams Bangarappa’s coments JD (U) legislator Madhu Bangarappa had said that Congress has no moral right to use his father’s name since the party had insulted his father, the former Chief Minister late S.Bangarappa.

As a reply to Bangarappa’s statement, Congress State Vice President Prof.Chandrasekar said that Madhu Bangarappa has forgotten what Congress had done in 1990.

He said, “People will say these things during elections. Veerendra Patil was moved from the post of Chief Minister by Mr. Rajeev Gandhi and Bangarappa was replaced.”

He added, “Madhu is being over-enthusiastic. He wants to be critical about Congress and that is why he is doing it.”

4 bikes charred in minor fire breakout A minor fire broke out near Sri Sai College at Rajajinagar on Wednesday night.

Four motorbikes that were parked outside the college premises were charred. Ramesh, Inspector of Rajajinagar police station said: “A woman residing in the nearby building informed the police control room aer she noticed the smoke emanating from the motorbikes. ey were no other eyewitnesses who noticed the fire.” e Inspector said that it could be a mischief played by someone. A case has been registered at Rajajinagar police station.

The Weekly

Observer

ursday, January 16,2014

Former goalie disses expenditure on foreign coaches

The Indian Hockey team RAHUL SADHU

SPORT As India’s Hockey woes continue, a former Indian goalkeeper talks about the various problems plaguing the sport.

Aer its unceremonious 2-7 loss to world champions Australia, India crashed out of the Hero Hockey World League 2014.

India started their campaign with two losses and one draw before they crashed out of the tournament last evening. is once again raises concerns over the current state of affairs of Indian hockey as well as the effectiveness of the system within which it works.

In this context,Mr. Ashish Ballal, former award-winning Indian goalkeeper who has represented the country in the Asian Games, the Barcelona Olympics (1992) and three Champions Trophy tournaments talks about the current lamentable state of Indian Hockey.

Being a strong advocate of Indian coaches for the Indian team, Mr. Ballal says, “I believe that foreign coaches are a disaster for Indian hockey. Although they might be good from an overall packaging point of view or for using different terminologies, they have nothing extra to bring into Indian hockey. As a former player I believe that foreign coaches have more drawbacks than advantages. One huge drawback is the language barrier. Another is that foreign coaches are not aware of Indian

culture and society. We need to get the right man for the job at present. It does not mean paying loads of money to foreign coaches and wasting the taxpayer’s money”.

He further adds, “If at all we do need European and foreign coaches then they must work at the grass root level and train the young and junior level players. is will help youngsters get their basics right. At present we are doing exactly the opposite”.

Mr.Ballal added that ignorance on the part of administrators and the continuance of the colonial hangovers are the main reasons behind the problem.

According to him Indian hockey also has very poor management skills. Despite the abundance of talent in India, inadequate management skills, improper planning and a lack of professionalism is the main reason why Indian hockey is lagging behind others at the international level.

When questioned as to what role the government has to play in these aspects he said, “As far as the government is concerned it does not see sport as a priority. Today sport has become highly professional and competitive.

It requires professional planning and training. A lot of science and technology is involved as well as a lot of research and analysis. Sadly, our sport ministry is not quite interested in these things”.

Mr. Ballal also believes that endorsements and sponsorships are not the issue today. Sponsors are very interested but it is the lack of transparency in the system which detracts them. Money is not an issue in Indian

hockey. He says, “If the entire unit of foreign coaches and physiologists can be paid in lakhs then money is certainly not the problem. It just needs to be used wisely.”

As far as a road map for the future of Indian hockey is concerned, Mr. Ballal says, “We need to improve the infrastructure. “ Commenting further on the matter he says, “Our country only has about 20 astro-turfs and this needs to be increased to at least 200. If we look at the Netherlands which is the size of Karnataka it has nearly 500 astroturfs. So we are le competing with a nation which has an infrastructure which is more than 40 times that of India.”

Ashish Ballal sees a lot of promise in the current crop of players despite their failures. He does agree to the fact that winning medals in the 2016 Olympics is a realistic dream if the players are properly trained. e administration also needs to work hand in hand so as to bear fruitful results he says.

Concluding, he says that the need of the hour is to hone young, like-minded and better professionals in order to get the desired results.

Events ART

rough the Looking Glass Nature-inspired works of Mumbai-based artist, Devdatta Padekar.

Date: Jan 18-Feb 8 Time: 10 am to 7 pm Venue: Kynkyny Art Gallery, 104 Embassy Square 148 , Infantry Road.

MUSIC

Farhan Live Live rock acts by Farhan Akhtar himself.

Date: February 1 Time: 6 pm onwards Venue: Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Sundar Ram Shetty Nagar , Bannerghatta Main Road

FESTIVALS Mr. Ashish Ballal, former award-winning Indian goalkeeper

Discarded hockey turf to be fixed by December

The field is in a poor condition since August. Yet, several sports federations continue to send their players to the city conditions. to allow athletes practice in imSaikat Ghosh N. P. Ramesan, Engineer at the proper conditions.”

The Sports Authority of India SAI, said: “I have informed The synthetic turf came to has been holding tournaments higher ups in New Delhi about light last year when the national and trials on the field which the current problems on the hockey camp was hastily transwas abandoned by the Indian ground but several sports feder- ferred to New Delhi, and the hockey team last year, making ations continue to send their players left their trials because of players practice in improper players to the city, forcing them inappropriate field conditions.

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“The turfs are slightly slippery, they have worn out due to wear and tear,” Ramesan said. He added that a proposal for their replacement has been sent.

The SAI, which laid its first turf way back in 1987, has seen three turfs being re-laid in the last decade in the city.

“Our first turf lasted long because it was reserved for the national team, no other teams could practice there,” he said.

He added that since Bangalore has a good climate, national players are sent here despite good facilities in different parts of the country.

The Indian hockey team coach, Michael Nobbs, had given the turf a go ahead in August last year. The turf had been inspected by the coach and declared fit for trials, before it was

eventually abandoned.

“I had refused to conduct any camp here, but Michael Nobbs, he found it fit for the trials,” he said. “Daily cleaning of the turf, which gave it a brand-new look, apparently foxed Nobbs,” he added.

Ramesan said that a new turf will be in place, but it will take some time. “Once the tender is issued it will take another six months, so it will be replaced by December.” Sunil Subaiah, sports expert, has disagreed the fact that daily usage is the reason behind the slippery conditions.

“The D.Y.E.S Stadium at Shantinagar has the most used turf, it has seen almost 500-1000 matches in one calendar year, the turf survived for ten long years,” he stated.

Storm Festival 2014 India`s most authentic campout music festival.

Date: Jan 31-Feb 2 Time: 1 pm onwards Venue: Storm Fields, Corporate Leisure City, Gonighattapura Village, Anekal Taluk.

THEATR E

Tughlaq

by Girish Karnad staged at the Nataka Bengaluru Festival Date: January 25 Time: 7:30 pm onwards Venue: Ranga Shankara, No.36/2, 8th Cross, 2nd Phase RV Dental College , JP Nagar.

Observer Team: Editor–Anannya Sarkar Chief Sub Editor–Nikita Narvekar Sub Editors– Anagha Sawant, Apurva Venkat, Chittharth M, News Editors & Proof Readers: Mayuri Ravi, Bhaskar Dutta Picture Editor– Neha Singh Design Desk– Anand Jain Reporters– Sneha Mejari, Raju Peethala, Sreelakshmy Sivaram, Ishan Bhattacharya Emergency Call Services- Karishma Ravindran Email- editor@iijnm.org An IIJNM Publication (For Private Circulation)