Kambala, Jallikattu to make a comeback in new year

December 29, 2015

New Delhi, Dec 29: The NDA government is likely to lift restrictions on locally popular traditional sports such as Kambala and Jallikattu from new year but with conditions to protect animals against cruelty.

An announcement is likely to come on January 1 after Union Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar meets Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for legal vetting of the decision since the matter is pending in the Supreme Court.

“Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu, bullock cart race in Maharashtra, Kambala in Karnataka and some sort of race using bullocks in Punjab have been traditionally and culturally practised for centuries. We want to respect that but also ensure that there should be no cruelty.

Therefore, we will give you good news in the next couple of days,”Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

The minister said they have “found out some ways and will announce by January 1” since the government was “positive on the issue".

The restricted folk buffalo race largely takes place in slush fields of coastal Karanataka after the High Court in 2014 December stayed the ban imposed on Kambala by district administrations. The court had allowed the sport after imposing animal welfare ensuring conditions that were to be executed by organisers. The local sport associations, however, had urged the state Congress government to further relax restrictions.

The NDA government was under pressure, especially from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 22, the penultimate day of Parliament’s winter session, demanding that the Centre bring an ordinance to resume Jallikattu in the state so that it can take place during the Pongal festival next month.

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Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

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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