KSRTC launches eco-friendly bio-diesel buses

October 3, 2015

Bengaluru, Oct 3: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) launched a fleet of eco-friendly bio-diesel buses here on Friday.

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As many as 10 bio-buses, which will soon start plying across the City, were flagged off by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the Vidhana Soudha premises. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee were also present at the event.

The KSRTC aims to ply 107 such buses, which will run on 20 per cent bio-diesel and 80 per cent petro-diesel (A combination of petroleum oil and diesel). Around 8,200 KSRTC buses are currently operating in Bengaluru and if these buses are run on bio-diesel, the State-run corporation can save Rs 5 per litre, officials say.

Clean fuel, lesser cost

The bio-diesel used is a clean burning renewable fuel made using natural vegetable oils and fats which will significantly reduce the fuel emission. The fuel is made through a chemical process which converts oils and fats of natural origin into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). It can be used as a replacement for petroleum diesel fuel or can be blended with petroleum diesel fuel in any proportion.

While it is environmentally sustainable to use this fuel, it will also encourage farmers to plant vegetable crops and palm trees, along with regular food crops in a multi-cropping pattern. This will provide farmers additional income. They can also utilise barren and waste lands for cultivation and this will help farmers overcome the loss due to irregular rains to a certain extent.

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The KSRTC began trials of edible oils such as groundnut, sesame, sunflower, castor oil and non-edible oils such as pongamia, at its engine test bed from July 2003. The corporation adopted a 10 per cent blend made of vegetable oil after testing for fuel efficiency and smoke emission reduction.

In August 2005, the Doddaballapur Depot was officially converted into a bio-fuel depot with a total of 76 buses running with a fuel made of 10 per cent vegetable oil.

The state road transport undertakings in the country are collectively operating about 1.50 lakh buses and provide services to around seven crore passengers everyday, three times higher than the Indian Railways. It is estimated that 300 crore litres of diesel is being consumed every year, with about 35 per cent spent on fuel cost.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 3,2025

arrival.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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