Cops detain agitators during protest against toll collection at Talapady

[email protected] (CD Network | Photos by Moany Gutty)

February 9, 2017

Mangaluru, Feb 9: A dozen agitators were briefly detained by the Ullal police during a protest against moves to levy toll charges at Talapady tollgate from Wednesday for the road users in on the four-lane National Highway No. 66.

The protest was jointly organised by the Congress Party, the Indian Union Muslim League and Gadindu Rakshana Vedike.

The local activists had also demanded jobs for local people and complete exception of toll for local vehicles. But, the Navyug Company started collecting toll on Wednesday morning.

When the vehicle drivers refused to pay toll, the toll gate staff closed the gates, which were opened by the protesters. There was a heated argument between the police and the protesters when police present at the spot stopped the protesters.

But, the protesters did not withdraw or ease their stand. Later, the police arrested 12 people including Siddik Talapadi, Vaibhav Shetty, Siddik Kolangere, Ganesh Shetty and Harshad Varkadi of Gadinadu Rakshana Vedike.

ACP Shruti, Konaje Police Station Inspector Ashok, Ullal SI Rajendra and others tried to take control of the situation. But, the toll gate staff continued to collect the toll, which resulted in traffic congestion for half an hour.

As the buses bound to Talapady turned back from the toll gate, the passengers waiting at Talapady to return to Mangaluru had to bear difficulties.

While Karnataka has almost completed the task of NH widening works till its southern border point, Kerala is yet to finish the land acquisition survey, sources said here.

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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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