Dakshina Kannada youth wins Rs 23-cr in Abu Dhabi raffle draw after buying ticket online

coastaldigest.com web desk
October 5, 2019

Mangaluru, Oct 5: A youth from Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district has hit a jackpot by winning a whopping 12 million UAE dirhams (about Rs 23 crore), in a raffle draw in Abu Dhabi, the latest addition to the long list of lucky winners from India.

The lucky man is Mohammed Fayaz JA (24), commerce graduate, who hails from Jattipala in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada, whose dream of working in a gulf country was remained unfulfilled. After failed attempt to find a job abroad, Fayaz took a job as an accountant in Mumbai a year ago.

He tried his luck six times, buying Gulf tickets online but disappointed. “This time, I had a feeling I’d win enough to cover the ticket price — Rs 9,600,” he was quoted as saying by a newspaper.

Now, after winning Rs 23 crore in one go, Fayaz doesn’t know what he’d do with the amount, but has no plan to quit his current job, which he believes that a lucky one for him.

Fayaz said he wanted to get a job abroad to support his family. “I lost my parents to kidney disease. After that, a relative offered me an accountant’s job in the company he worked with,” he said, adding he gave up Gulf plans.

“My father toiled for a long time in Saudi Arabia,” said Fayaz, who has an older brother and sister and a younger sister doing PU. “We are still recovering from the shock of losing our parents in quick succession. We sold part of our land to build a house, which is still incomplete.”

What are his plans with newfound wealth? “My brother, an MBA graduate, drives a fish truck for a living. I hope to help him now, complete house construction and buy back our land.” For now, he’s looking forward to his first flight to Abu Dhabi to collect his big fat cheque.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

•    Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

•    STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

•    Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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