1837 cases booked under COTPA within two months in DK, says SP

August 28, 2015

Mangaluru, Aug 28: Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Dr SD Sharanappa said that under the Intensive Awareness and Enforcement Drive on Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) for a period of two months from July 1 to August 28 in the district, a total of 1,837 cases had been booked under sections of the Act and a total fine of Rs 3,28,870 was collected.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, he informed mediapersons that the awareness and enforcement drive was conducted with the intention of making Dakshina Kannada into a ‘Model District’ under the COPTA. Out of the total 1,837 cases, about 970 raids were conducted on shops, 408 raids on bars, restaurants, hotels and other places, 84 raids on government offices and 35 raids on government and private educational institutions under different sections of the Act. Almost 80 percent of compliance and enforcement of the Act has been completed in Dakshina Kannada District Police Department limits, he said, adding that the Act was applicable to all products containing tobacco in any form.

He said that there was a need to create awareness among tobacco users and people about the COTPA to ensure total compliance of the Act. From January 2013 till date, a total of 2,896 cases of COTPA have been booked in Dakshina Kannada and a total fine of Rs 4,52,220 has been collected by the law enforcement officials. Continuous monitoring needs to be done to ensure total compliance of the Act, he said.

Section 4 of the Act prohibits smoking in public places, while Section 5 prohibits advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of all tobacco products. Section 6 deals with prohibition of sale of tobacco products to minors and sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions. Section 7 deals with compulsorily carrying health warnings on tobacco packets.

Mr Sharanappa also told mediapersons that Karnataka was the leading state in the country in effective enforcement of the COTPA.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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