Areca growers go on 24-hour hunger strike in Mangalore

May 20, 2014

Mangalore, May 20: The Dakshina Kannada district units of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene launched a 24-hour hunger strike in front of deputy commissioner's office here on Tuesday, demanding suitable solutions for the problems faced by areca growers in the district.
The 24-hour hunger strike was inaugurated by Hasiru Sene state president Chamarasa Mali Patil, working president K T Gangadhar and general secretary Badagalapura Nagendra.
Speaking on the occasion, KRRS district working president Ravikiran Punacha said that areca growers had received a big blow with respect to their yield in the past decade. In addition to this, farmers in the district cultivating arecanut, coconut and pepper have lost 70- 75 percent of their crop after being affected by heavy rainfall and diseases in 2013-14. Although a compensation package of Rs 175 crore was released by the Union government, a planning report on the distribution of the package was not prepared, he said, adding that politicians had not understood the problems of the areca farmers.
Issues such as areca growers losing yield to yellow-leaf disease, fruit-rot disease and mounting loans of farmers have not been taken into serious consideration by the politicians. Instead, they became part of vote-bank' politics ahead of elections, he said, demanding better delivery of the Rs 175 crore compensation package to the farmers whose yield was affected by the farmers.
He said that instead of changing the layout of the proposed HPCL gas-pipeline which passes through 31 villages in the district, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) and district administration had begun yielding pressure on the farmers frequently.
Other demands by the organisations include waiver of crop loans taken by areca growers, creation of an Areca Development Board, transfer of the Mangalore-Solur HPCL gas-pipeline project to non-agricultural region, minimum support price of 1.5 times the actual production cost of areca yield and pension of Rs 5000 for farmers, among others.
The organisations have also demanded that the government should initiate works related to the Yettinahole experimental project only after taking the beneficiaries and people residing in the coastal region into confidence.
The 24-hour hunger strike of the organisations will continue till 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

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Mangaluru: Youth arrested for misleading Instagram post targeting police

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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Air India Express brings back Mangaluru–Muscat direct flights from March 2026

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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