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Mangaluru: The KSRTC Mangaluru division has rolled back the fare hike on buses operating on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route following the suspension of toll collection at the Arikkady toll plaza near Kumbala in Kasaragod district.

The fare revision had been implemented after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began toll collection at the Arikkady plaza on NH-66. As a result, fares for ordinary and Rajahamsa services were increased by ₹7 and ₹10, respectively, raising the bus fare from Mangaluru to Kasaragod from ₹81 to ₹88.

Senior Divisional Controller of KSRTC’s Mangaluru division, Rajesh Shetty, said the fares were reduced after toll collection at the Arikkady plaza was stopped. “The tollgate began operations on January 13, and the toll amount was deducted from the FASTag accounts of KSRTC buses operating on the route. Following an order from the central government to suspend toll collection, KSRTC has also withdrawn the additional fare with immediate effect,” he said.

At present, vehicles travelling on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route pay toll only at the Talapady toll plaza. The toll for light motor vehicles (LMVs) at Talapady is ₹80 for a same-day return, while heavy vehicles, including buses, are charged ₹250. At Arikkady, the toll rates were ₹130 for LMVs (same-day return) and ₹450 for buses.

Protests against Arikkady toll plaza

The Arikkady toll plaza witnessed widespread protests from January 12, the day toll collection commenced. On the second day, an action committee led by Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf launched an indefinite protest at the site. Except for the BJP, leaders and workers of most major political parties participated in the agitation.

On the night of January 14, a large number of protesters gathered at the plaza and vandalised property, following which authorities temporarily suspended toll operations. The BJP later also expressed opposition to the toll plaza and criticised NHAI’s decision. 

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed grave concern over digital frauds, noting that more than ₹54,000 crore has been siphoned off through cyber crimes, and described the scale of the fraud as “absolutely robbery or dacoity”.

A bench of the apex court sought swift and coordinated action from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks and other agencies to curb the rising menace of digital fraud. Observing that such large-scale losses could not occur without serious lapses, the court said the frauds “may be due to collusion or negligence of bank officials”.

The bench directed inter-departmental agencies to prepare a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) within four weeks to strengthen coordination and effectively tackle digital frauds.

Taking note of an existing standard operating procedure (SOP) framed by the RBI, which prescribes immediate steps such as temporarily blocking debit cards to prevent cyber-enabled fraud, the court directed the Centre to formally adopt and implement the RBI’s SOP across the country.

“We direct the Centre to ensure pan-India implementation of the RBI SOP for inter-agency coordination in dealing with digital frauds. We also direct the CBI to identify cases of so-called ‘digital arrest’,” the bench said.

The Supreme Court further asked the Gujarat and Delhi governments to grant sanction for investigation in identified cases. It also directed the RBI, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and other concerned authorities to jointly hold a meeting to evolve a framework for compensation to victims of digital arrest frauds.

Emphasising victim relief, the court said a “pragmatic and liberal approach” is required while considering compensation for those affected by digital arrest scams.

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