Nalini Pradeep elected Udupi TP chief, says solving water problem her priority

Udupi, May 7: Nalini Pradeep and Rajendra P of the Bharatiya Janata Party have been elected unopposed as president and vice-president of the Udupi Taluk Panchayat, respectively.

Udupi taluk panchayat has 41 members, of which 27 are from the BJP and 14 from Congress. The post of president was reserved for general category women while that of vice-president was reserved for general category.

Both were elected unopposed in Friday's election as the Opposition Congress did not field any candidates. Their election was announced by P. Aswathi, Assistant Commissioner, at the taluk panchayat hall here.

Ms. Nalini Pradeep (46) represents the Neelavar Taluk Panchayat ward, while Mr. Rajendra P. represents the Nidambur Taluk Panchayat war. Both of them have been elected to the Udupi Taluk Panchayat for the first time.

Ms. Pradeep said that she would give priority to solving the drinking water problem in Udupi taluk. Her next priority was to develop good roads in the taluk. “I will take all taluk panchayat members with and work with their cooperation,” she said.

Mr. Rajendra had served as member, vice-president and president of the Ambalpady Gram Panchayat. “My efforts will be directed towards integrated development of Udupi taluk. I want to Udupi taluk panchayat a model taluk panchayat,” he 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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