Mangaluru: DK BJP vows to intensify protest against Yettinahole project

October 14, 2015

Mangaluru, Oct 14: Reiterating that the Yettinahole project was unscientific and was being hastily implemented by the state government, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the padayatra held by the BJP opposing the project had been successful in conveying the collective voice of the people to the state government and the struggle would continue until the government stops its implementation.

Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here on Wednesday, he said that although the padayatra was a peaceful and non-violent method of protest, it was stopped from proceeding further in towards Yettinahole in Hassan district by the government. This makes it clear that the government is fearful of the agitation against the project. The government should convene a public meeting at Yettinahole in confidence with the people of Sakleshpur, while the district administration should hold an interaction with the people of Dakshina Kannada. The ministers and MLAs from this district should take the charge and communicate the collective voice of the people to the state government, he urged.

MP assures full support

Mr Kateel said that the BJP district committee would offer its complete support to the massive protest and ‘Rasta Roko’ programme to be held by various organisations under a single banner at Mahaveer Circle at Pumpwell junction in the city on Thursday. “I will participate in the protest as an elected representative and extend my support to other organisations opposing the unscientific project.

BJP district president Pratap Simha Nayak said that the struggle to save Nethravati river would not be limited to the padayatra, but the party district committee would undertake decisions to intensify the agitation in the coming days. A district-level committee meeting will be convened to discuss the issue and take suggestions from the citizens to involve as many citizens from the district as possible, he said.

Urging a public hearing on the Yettinahole project, he said that the district in-charge minister himself should take up the initiative of conducting a public hearing and convey the voices of the people to the Chief Minister. “We will urge those gram panchayats in the district where the BJP in is power to pass a resolution opposing the project and request all BJP activists to disseminate information on the project to more number of households in the district,” he told reporters.

BJP district leaders Padmanabha Kottary, Sulochana G K Bhat, Monappa Bhandary, Kishore Rai and others were present.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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