Udupi to host India’s first private strategic oil reserve; ₹5,700-crore project in Padur

News Network
September 17, 2025

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Udupi: The coastal district is set to make history as Padur in Udupi will soon house India’s first private strategic petroleum reserve (SPR). Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) has won the government bid to design, build, and operate the massive underground oil storage facility with a capacity of 2.5 million metric tonnes (MMT).

The project, estimated at ₹5,700 crore, will be developed on a 214-acre site in Padur, where a government-run SPR of equal size already exists. Once operational, the reserve will be capable of storing enough crude oil to help strengthen India’s energy security and reduce its dependence on volatile global markets.

How the Project Was Awarded

The Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL), a government-owned body, floated the tender in December 2024. Megha Engineering reportedly outbid two competitors by seeking viability gap funding (VGF) slightly below the ceiling of ₹3,420 crore (60% of the project cost).

The winning bidder will not only construct the underground cavern but also finance, develop, operate, and manage the facility under a long-term concession agreement. ISPRL is expected to sign the deal soon and formally hand over the land for construction.

A Boost to India’s Oil Security

At present, India’s total strategic oil storage stands at 5.33 MMT, spread across Visakhapatnam (1.33 MMT), Mangalore (1.5 MMT), and Padur (2.5 MMT). These facilities together provide just 8–9 days of crude import cover—far less than the reserves held by the United States (727 million barrels) and China (1,200 million barrels).

The new Padur project will add significantly to India’s capacity, bringing the total closer to meeting long-term targets. Once complete, the facility will be operated by Megha Engineering for 60 years.

Dual Role: Business and National Safeguard

Under the terms of the agreement, Megha Engineering will be able to lease storage capacity to oil companies or the government and also trade crude oil stored in the reserve. While leasing offers steady revenue, trading carries greater financial risk.

However, the government will retain first rights over the stored oil during emergencies, ensuring the facility doubles as both a commercial asset and a national safeguard.

The project also includes construction of pipeline and port-linked infrastructure to enable crude loading and unloading. Filling the reserve with crude oil is expected to cost around ₹11,020 crore ($1.25 billion) at current global prices.

A Long-Term Vision

The Union Cabinet had approved private participation in SPRs back in 2018, paving the way for the Padur project in Udupi and another planned reserve at Chandikhol in Odisha.

With a five-year timeline, the Udupi facility is poised to play a key role in India’s energy resilience strategy, placing the coastal Karnataka district at the center of a critical national security project.

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 29,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 29: Around 12,500 healthcare students from Medical, Dental, AYUSH, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Allied Health Sciences colleges of Dakshina Kannada, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), took part in a massive walkathon to promote awareness on Organ Donation and Nasha Mukth Bharat.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Mangala Stadium. Dr Bhagavan B C, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of RGUHS, delivered the welcome address. The walkathon was flagged off by Shri U T Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and presided over by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge. Dakshina Kannada MP Shri Brijesh Chowta also addressed the students.

Music director Guru Kiran, MLA Dr Bharat Shetty (Mangalore North), Police Commissioner Shri Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Shri Manjunath Bhandary and Shri Harish Kumar were among those present.

Institution heads including Dr Haji U K Monu (Kanachur Colleges), Dr Shantharam Shetty (Tejaswini College), Dr Bhaskar Shetty (City Group of Colleges), Mr Abdul Rahiman (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences), and the District Health Officer, Mangalore, also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof U T Ifthikar Fareed, Syndicate Member, RGUHS.

The event was organised by Dr U T Ifthikar Ali and Dr Shiva Sharan (Syndicate Members), Prof Vaishali (Senate Member), Prof Mohammad Suhail (Chairman, BOS Physiotherapy), Dr Sharan Shetty (Former Senate Member), along with principals and faculty of various colleges.

Students marched from Mangala Stadium to Karavali Grounds via MCC and Lalbagh signal. The event set a record as one of the largest gatherings of healthcare students for a social cause in the RGUHS Dakshina Kannada Zone.

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 29,2025

health1.jpg

Mangaluru, Nov 29: Around 12,500 healthcare students from Medical, Dental, AYUSH, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Allied Health Sciences colleges of Dakshina Kannada, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), took part in a massive walkathon to promote awareness on Organ Donation and Nasha Mukth Bharat.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Mangala Stadium. Dr Bhagavan B C, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of RGUHS, delivered the welcome address. The walkathon was flagged off by Shri U T Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and presided over by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge. Dakshina Kannada MP Shri Brijesh Chowta also addressed the students.

Music director Guru Kiran, MLA Dr Bharat Shetty (Mangalore North), Police Commissioner Shri Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Shri Manjunath Bhandary and Shri Harish Kumar were among those present.

Institution heads including Dr Haji U K Monu (Kanachur Colleges), Dr Shantharam Shetty (Tejaswini College), Dr Bhaskar Shetty (City Group of Colleges), Mr Abdul Rahiman (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences), and the District Health Officer, Mangalore, also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof U T Ifthikar Fareed, Syndicate Member, RGUHS.

The event was organised by Dr U T Ifthikar Ali and Dr Shiva Sharan (Syndicate Members), Prof Vaishali (Senate Member), Prof Mohammad Suhail (Chairman, BOS Physiotherapy), Dr Sharan Shetty (Former Senate Member), along with principals and faculty of various colleges.

Students marched from Mangala Stadium to Karavali Grounds via MCC and Lalbagh signal. The event set a record as one of the largest gatherings of healthcare students for a social cause in the RGUHS Dakshina Kannada Zone.

health7.jpg

health6.jpg

health5.jpg

health4.jpg

health3.jpg

health2.jpg

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News Network
November 22,2025

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The Israeli regime’s forces have killed two Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip every day since the ceasefire began in early October, UNICEF has warned.

The UN children’s agency said on Friday that Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinians in Gaza even though the agreement was meant to stop the killing.

“Since 11 October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said in Geneva, reminding that each number in the statistics represents a child whose life had ended violently.

“These are not statistics,” he said. “Each child had a story, a family, and a future that was stolen from them.”

Data from Palestinian factions, human rights groups, and government bodies recorded since the US-brokered ceasefire deal went into effect on October 10 show that Israeli forces have carried out numerous attacks, each constituting a separate ceasefire violation.

UNICEF teams say they repeatedly continue to witness heart-wrenching scenes of fearful Palestinian children sleeping outdoors with amputated limbs, while others live as orphans in flooded, makeshift shelters.

“I saw this myself in August. There is no safe place for them. The world cannot normalize their suffering,” Pires said, lamenting that the UN could “do a lot more if the aid that is really needed was entering faster.”

The UNICEF spokesperson warned that with the advent of winter, the risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced children will increase.

He warned, “The stakes are incredibly high” for children as winter acts as a threat multiplier, where children have no heating, no insulation, and few blankets. He said respiratory infections rise.

“Too many children have already paid the highest price,” Pires said. “Too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire. The world promised them it would stop and that we would protect them.”

“Now we must act like it,” the UNICEF spokesperson added.

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, it has killed nearly 70,000 people in the territory, most of them women and children, and injured over 170,000 more, while reducing most of the structures in the enclave to rubble.

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