Forest fire at Bandipur Tiger Reserve; hundreds of acres damaged

News Network

February 24, 2019

Chamarajaanagara, Feb 24: With summer setting in a major forest fire in Bandipur Tiger Reserve in the district has damaged hundreds of acres of forest since last 48 hours.

The fire, which had begun on Friday continued to spread on Saturday inspite of the efforts of fire fighting officials of the Forest department who are on the spot. Officials on ground estimate that hundreds of acres of forest areas have been destroyed by the fire.

The fire has spread across Kundakere, Bandipur and Gopalaswamy Betta range of the tiger reserve aided by strong winds which helped propel it.

“We are working round the clock to stop the fire from spreading but the efforts have been affected by strong winds. We are yet to ascertain the damage to the wildlife in the tiger reserve,” a senior forest official said.

The officials expect that it will take two more days at least to contain the fire but played down concerns of the fire spreading uncontrollably outside the forest range.

There are around a hundred officials of the fire and forest department fighting the flames with the help of local residents including tribals.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

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.

Comments