Mangaluru: Farmers, AAP burn effigy of Modi, Jaitley; warn of ‘Gujarat Wapsi’

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Suresh)

February 14, 2015

Mangaluru, Feb 14: A group of protesters in Mangaluru burned the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to exhibit their anger over the anti-farmer policies of BJP-led union government.

Dozens of activists took part in the protest organized jointly by the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha, Hasiru Sene and the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner here, to denounce the ordinance mooted by Modi government to amend the Land Acquisition Act.

Addressing the protesters, Ravikiran Ponacha, executive president of the district unit of the Sangha, said the ordinance for amendments of the Land Acquisition Act had been made to favour of acquisition of land for industrialists at the cost of farmers. Among the amendments include allowing acquisition of land even if there was opposition from local residents.

Mr. Ponacha said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had failed to learn the lesson and correct its blunders even after the debacle in Delhi Assembly polls.

The Union government should withdraw the ordinance that will deny farmers of the land they cultivate. Farmers should not be neglected at the cost of development and industrialisation, he said.

Sunny D’Souza, a progressive farmer and member of the Sangha, said the amendments brought in for the land acquisition act were similar to the laws formed during Narendra Modi's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister that led to acquisition of large tracts of land for industries.

Mr. Modi was trying to bring such provisions through the proposed Act. “If they do not withdraw the ordinance, people have to show Gujarat Wapsi to Mr. Modi and BJP president Amit Shah,” he said.

Prior to the protest, the activist took out a rally from Ambedkar Circle. Later, they handed over a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner.

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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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