Bharat Bandh evokes good response in Mangaluru, Udupi amidst sporadic untoward incidents

coastaldigest.com web desk

September 10, 2018

Mangaluru/Udupi, Sep 10: The Bharat Bandh call given by Congress, Left Front and other parties to protest against soaring fuel prices and weak rupee, received good response in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts that are considered bastions of Bharatiya Janata Party.

Most of the business establishments and hotels remain closed in twin cities of Mangaluru and Udupi. The roads in both cities and other prominent towns of the undecided district wore a deserted look with only a few private cars, two-wheelers plying.

Though no major untoward incidents occurred in the region, sporadic incidents of stone pelting were reported from different parts. A few buses and shops that ignore the bandh call were targeted by the miscreants. Tyres were burnt at Jyothi Circle, Kulshekhar and some other areas by the protesters in the wee hours.

Most of the auto-rickshaws also remained off the road. Taking advantage of the situation, a few auto drivers fleeced passengers, demanding exorbitant fares at railway stations and KSRTC bus stand in Mangaluru.

Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil, has warned against forcing people to support or take part in the bandh call.

He referred to excerpts from a Supreme Court verdict as per which those who call for hartals or strikes should make it clear in their call that no one would be compelled to participate in these forms of agitation, traffic will not be obstructed and those who are willing can go for work should be allowed to do so and fundamental rights of people to move about would not be affected.

If any political parties or organizations try to force others to fall in line with the bandh call, they will be legally proceeded against, he warned.

In Udupi’s Thenkupete a vegetable shop was damaged and some people were allegedly beaten up following an argument over bandh. Police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

A few BJP-backed auto-rickshaw drivers in Manipal clashed with protesters for not allowing them to operate their vehicles. Police intervened to control the situation.

Also Read:

Bharat Bandh: Holiday for all schools and colleges in DK, Udupi

Congress will be responsible for consequences of Bharat Bandh: Janardhan Poojary

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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