Brain-dead's organs donated; Green Corridor from Manipal to Mangaluru Airport

March 23, 2016

Udupi, Mar 22: The coastal district of Udupi witnessed the first organ donation from a 30-year-old brain-dead man at the Kasturba Hospital here on Tuesday.

The organs harvested from the body were two kidneys and a liver. While one of the kidneys was made available for transplantation for a patient at the Kasturba Hospital here, the clearance for another kidney is awaited and could be for a patient either in Manipal or Mangaluru.

The liver was transported to Columbia Hospital (Yeshwantpur), Bengaluru, for a patient there.

Earlier, a medical team from Columbia Asia Hospital reached the Kasturba Hospital here by evening for harvesting the organs and for subsequent transplantation procedure in Bengaluru. The procedure of harvesting the organs was performed by a joint team of specialist doctors at the Kasturba Hospital here. Purushotham Naik (30), a fisherman from Talgod near Bhatkal, who was returning home on his motorcycle, suffered severe head injury when a goods autorickshaw collided with the motorcycle in Bhatkal on March 14. He was rushed to the Kasturba Hospital here the same day. Though he showed some improvement initially, his condition deteriorated.

He was declared brain dead on March 21. His family was keen on donating the organs to help other needy patients. Ramdas Naik, brother of the deceased, said: “After discussing it in our family, we thought if the body is just cremated, it would benefit no one. But if the organs are donated, it will help many persons.”

In this endeavour, they got guidance from their family friend Pandu Naik, who is a teacher at Bunder School in Bhatkal, who was a recipient of a kidney each in 1997 from his mother and in 2011 from his wife. A team of two members from the Zonal Coordination Committee for Transplantation took the consent of the family members for organ harvesting.

The Udupi and Dakshina Kannada police created a Green Corridor to transport the harvested organs from Manipal to the Mangaluru airport.

R. Vishal, Deputy Commissioner, K. Annamalai, Superintendent of Police, M. Dayananda, hospital medical superintendent, made all necessary legal and administrative arrangements. The Airport Authority of India offered all possible assistance for smooth passage and transit of the team and the organs.

Meanwhile, Naik's family had paid Rs. 38,000 out of the Rs 1.08 lakh of the hospital's bills here. But on request of the district administration, the hospital has waived the balance amount.

Comments

Praiseworthy act by the family of Purushottam Naik. Hearty congrats to SP Annamalai Sir, DC, Manipal Hospital administration, Ramdas & Pandu Naik. May God bless all those involved in this rare show of humanity.

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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.

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