5th cruise vessel of the season visits Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Mar 12: 'We the People', a new civil society organisation, was launched at a function organised at Fr. L.F. Rasquinha Hall of St. Aloysius College in the city recently. The organization aims to deepen democracy and improve the living standards of citizens in the Dakshina Kannada.

During the launch, experts highlighted the importance of citizens' participation in the effective functioning of a democratic system. They urged citizens to bring any observed deficiencies to the attention of the authorities and emphasized the critical role civil society organisations play in this process.

The function was presided over by Padmanabha Ullal, a senior social worker, and retired officer, who also launched the organization's website, www.we-the-ppl.org. In his address to the gathering, Ullal emphasized the need for citizens to take responsibility for identifying and reporting problems and grievances. He stated that only through people's participation can the system work more dynamically.

The chief guest, Katyayani Chamaraj of Civic Bangalore, expressed concern that the government has the wrong policies for solving the problems of the municipalities. She urged civil society organisations to inform local government bodies of people's demands.

"The Ward Committees are not allowed to function properly, and Area Sabhas have not been constituted yet. Unlike rural areas, a social audit is not done in urban areas. Civil society organisations should constantly make local government bodies aware of the people's demands. Advocacy should be done for people's work; if unavoidable, issues can also be challenged in court," she said.

Prof. D. Jeevan Kumar, Hon. Professor of Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag, quoted comparative studies and gave suggestions for developing the democratic system in India. Melanie Kumar, a freelance journalist, spoke about the dangers of social media.

President of 'We the People,' Prathapchandra Kedilaya, explained the organisation's aims and objectives. He also announced that the Association would be convening a brainstorming meeting with social activists from across the Dakshina Kannada district within the next ten days. The purpose of this meeting would be to address the various social issues affecting the region.

The Vice President, Mariete Fernandes, welcomed the gathering. Secretary Oswald Periera gave a vote of thanks. Treasurer Suresh Nayak and Executive Members Bhaskar Kiran, Dilip Vas Naik, Gladys Monteiro, and Steevan Dsouza participated in the inaugural.

Mangaluru, Mar 12: As the heat wave has led to sporadic forest fires on the Western Ghats, the South Western Railway has formed a special team to monitor and douse such fires between Subrahmanya and Siribagilu of the Mangaluru - Bengaluru route.

On Saturday, a Mangaluru-Vijayapura train was stopped at Subrahmanya Road railway station due to a forest fire.

According to sources, six incidents of fire have been reported last three days. “Whenever a fire is reported near the track, the movement of the trains is stopped. We have deputed our men to the section to monitor the fire situation. Stationary watchmen have been deputed to all the sensitive areas up to Subrahmanya Road from Sakleshpur,” a source said. 

“On noticing fire near the track, a message was sent to the nearest station master. Immediately, a BFR wagon with a 10,000-litre capacity water tank proceeded to the place to douse the fire," it added. 

DCF Mangaluru Division Dr Dinesh Kumar Y K said that when he along with railway officials inspected forest areas near Siribagilu and Yedekumeri on March 8, railway officials revealed spotting a forest fire at Siribagilu which is likely to affect the movement of trains. 

“During the inspection, I suggested using jet pipes to douse the fire,” DCF said.

He said that the railway personnel are monitoring the forest fire and in case they come across a fire, they will spray water to prevent the spread along the track. 

On forest fires in other parts of the district, the DCF said that they are under control.

Mangaluru, May 12: The Air India Express (AIE) has reduced the frequency of flights between Kuwait and Mangaluru in its summer schedule much to the disappointment of the tens of thousands of expatriates from the coastal belt of Karnataka working in the oil rich gulf nation.

The AIE used to operate thrice a week between Kuwait and Mangaluru. In January, 2023, the frequency was reduced two days a week. However, the summer schedule shows that it will operate only one flight a week, which will be every Sunday.

According to estimates, there are no less than fifty thousand non-resident Indians from two coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi working in Kuwait.  Data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation shows that on an average every year close to 20,000 passengers fly between Mangaluru and Kuwait sector.

Thanks to the reduction in frequency of direct flight service, a large number of expatriates from Mangaluru region now have reach home after flying to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kannur or Goa airport. This has also resulted in additional travel time and extra expense for many.