Auction gifted wrist watch: Poojary advices Siddaramaiah

February 15, 2016

Mangaluru, Feb 14: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s ‘expensive watch’, which he claimed to have received as a “gift”, has even fellow Congressmen take a jibe at him like Opposition leaders.

Senior Congress leader B. Janardhana Poojary, known for his blunt remarks, has asked the Chief Minister to auction the watch and donate the proceeds to families of soldiers, who died in Siachen recently.

Not long ago, Mr. Poojary asked Mr. Siddaramaiah to drop “lazy” Ministers from his Cabinet and speed up the administration at a party campaign in Mysuru. A staunch loyalist of the Gandhi clan, Mr. Poojary demanded to know what answer the Chief Minister would offer if the party high command sought an explanation about the “gift”.

Being the Chief Minister, he should have been more careful while accepting gifts and should be a role model to others, he said.

Seems like the Chief Minister may need some time out from his time machine controversy.

Comments

First expel this BAJIL remarks member from your party .....

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments