Mangaluru: From Jan 12 auto-rickshaw minimum fare to be Rs 20

January 10, 2015

Mangaluru, Jan 10: Commuters in the coastal district will soon get the benefit of substantial reduction in petrol and LPG prices. Dakshina Kannada District Regional Transport Authority (RTA) has decided to revise the auto rickshaw fare from January 12.

With this DK RTA has become the first RTA in the State to reduce auto-rickshaw fares after the fuel prices went down. The minimum charge for auto rickshaws in the district will be Rs 20 (for 1.5kms) and additional charge for each running km is fixed at Rs 13. At present, the auto rickshaw fare is Rs 25 (minimum charge) and Rs 14 (additional charge for each running km), which is in force from January 7, 2014.

RTA chairman and deputy commissioner AB Ibrahim has held a discussion on the issue of fare revision with auto rickshaw drivers, owners, representatives of various organizations and individuals before taking a decision.

The prices of petrol and LPG were Rs 78.32 and Rs 62.10 per litre during the last auto rickshaw fare revision made on January 7, 2014. However, the prices have slashed to Rs 66.13 and Rs 37.27 per litre for petrol and LPG respectively recently after dip in oil price at the international market. While the price of petrol reduced by 15.56% (Rs 12.19), the rate of LPG dipped by 39.98% (24.83). Hence, the RTA has decided to go back to the auto rickshaw fare revision of December 15, 2012 when the price of petrol and LPG were Rs 73.09 and 47.12 respectively, Ibrahim said.

"The revised auto rickshaw fare will be in force from January 12. I have invited members of auto rickshaw unions and general public to arrive at a consensus on fare revision. The authority will revise the auto rickshaw fare if the price of petrol touches Rs 73 or dips below Rs 58 per litre," Ibrahim said.

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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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