Karnataka government may book Uber, Ola rides for officials

TNN
August 30, 2018

Bengaluru, Aug 30: In an effort to cut costs incurred on hiring private vehicles for officials’ day-to-day use, the state government is considering using cab aggregators like Ola and Uber. The move comes after CM HD Kumaraswamy’s instructions on cutting down government expenditure to mobilise funds for his big-ticket Rs 40,000-crore farm loan waiver.

Chief secretary MT Vijaya Bhaskar has asked the transport department to study the pros and cons of using cab aggregators and how much money can be saved. After getting the report, the government may negotiate with the cab aggregators.

“Once we submit a detailed report to the chief secretary, a decision will be taken on using cab aggregators,” said Beeresh, deputy secretary, transport department.

Govt spends over Rs 100cr per annum to hire cabs for officials

According to sources in the department of personnel and administrative reforms, around 5,000 vehicles are hired through outsourcing by various government departments at the rate of Rs 25,000 per vehicle every month. Each vehicle is hired for eight hours a day with a maximum distance of 80km a day. The government has to pay Rs 40 more for every extra hour. The government spends over Rs 100 crore per annum for this, sources add.

The government feels that using cab aggregators on trip basis will almost halve the amount spent on each hired vehicle as most often, vehicles are used to pick and drop officials from residence to office and vice-versa. In a month, they hardly visit other places on duty for 8-10 days.

However, Thimmaiah, president, Karnataka State Government Drivers Association, claims the number of hired vehicles and amount spent is far more than estimates of DPAR sources. “At least 15,000 vehicles are hired by the government. It not only hires vehicles but also avails the services of drivers through outsourcing without verifying antecedents. This is a security threat to government offices and officers. We have complained about it on many occasions but nobody is bothered about it,” he said, adding that the association will oppose the move to use cab aggregators.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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