Housing scheme delay rocks TP general meeting

[email protected] (News Network, photo by Ahmed Anwer)
March 9, 2011
Mangalore, March 9: The newly elected members to the Mangalore Taluk Panchayat In their maiden general meeting here on Tuesday took officials to task over the delay in selecting beneficiaries for government housing schemes.

Taluk panchayats had been directed to identify government land where house sites can be allotted to those in need.

Members from several constituencies complained that their villages had not been surveyed. An official from the taluk office listed the area of land that had been identified in numerous villages, prompting many members to demand that an order copy be sent to them, listing the area of land and survey number.

A member representing the Munnur village said that in the last 34 years not a single application had been approved for government housing in the Munnur Gram Panchayat.

He said that under the Ashraya Housing Scheme, women were to be given sites, but it was not possible as there were technical difficulties in transferring title deeds in their names.. Beneficiaries in six out of seven areas in his constituency faced this problem, he said.

The official from the taluk office said there were provisions, but the Munnur member was not satisfied with the answer.

A member from Manjanady constituency said nearly 50 beneficiaries had been rendered ineligible as the criteria for allotting the sites had changed.

A member from Yekkar constituency brought up the issue of alleged illegal stone quarrying on government and patta land in Badaga Yekkar. Tahsildar C. Manjunath, who arrived late, said that a case had been registered in Bajpe police station and an inquiry was in progress.

When the member sought to seek more clarification, Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel intervened and told him to sit down asking officials to take up the next point on the agenda.

Earlier, he skipped the issue of mining and sand transportation saying that the tahsildar was not present.

Replying to the action taken on the issue of sand transportation, Mr. Manjunath said permits were not being issued without the consent of the gram panchayat.

He said the department had acted on several complaints related to illegal transportation of sand, but every time, they found nothing amiss. He said the GPS systems had been installed. Irregularities and lack of clarity about procedures in applying for and making changes to ration cards were discussed at length.

Panchayat president Bhavya Poojary and vice-president Vijayalakshmi Shetty had hardly made any comment to make on issues raised and they kept busy discussing among themselves and with the MP, though.

The only time Ms. Poojary spoke was to ask members to introduce themselves at the start of the meeting.

TP

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News Network
November 27,2025

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday announced that he will convene a high-level meeting in New Delhi with senior leaders — including Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar — to resolve the escalating leadership turmoil in Karnataka and “put an end to the confusion.”

Kharge said the discussions would focus on the way forward for the ruling party, as rumours of a possible leadership change continue to swirl. The speculation has intensified after the Congress government crossed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, reviving talk of an alleged 2023 “power-sharing agreement” between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar.

“After reaching Delhi, I will call three or four important leaders and hold discussions. Once we talk, we will decide how to move ahead and end this confusion,” Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru, according to PTI.

When asked specifically about calling Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to Delhi, he responded: “Certainly, we should call them. We will discuss with them and settle the issue.”

He confirmed that Rahul Gandhi, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and other senior members would be part of the deliberations. “After discussing with everyone, a decision will be made,” he said.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah held a separate strategy meeting at his Bengaluru residence with ministers and leaders seen as his close confidants, including G. Parameshwara, Satish Jarkiholi, H.C. Mahadevappa, K. Venkatesh and K.N. Rajanna.
Signalling calm, the Chief Minister told reporters, “Will go to Delhi if the high command calls.”

Shivakumar echoed a similar stance, saying he too would head to the national capital if summoned by the party leadership.

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News Network
November 28,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 28: Karnataka Health Minister and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday handed over Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the severe distress faced by farmers due to crashing crop prices.

PM Modi arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport en route to Udupi, where Gundu Rao welcomed him and submitted the letter. The chief minister’s message stressed that farmers are suffering heavy losses because maize and green gram are being bought far below the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The state urged the Centre to immediately begin procurement at MSP.

According to the letter, Karnataka has a bumper harvest this year—over 54.74 lakh metric tons of maize and 1.98 lakh metric tons of green gram—yet farmers are unable to secure fair prices. Against the MSP of ₹2,400/MT for maize and ₹8,768/MT for green gram, market rates have plunged to ₹1,600–₹1,800 and ₹5,400 respectively.

The chief minister has requested the Centre to:

• Direct NAFED, FCI and NCCF to start MSP procurement immediately.
• Ensure ethanol units purchase maize directly from farmers or FPOs.
• Increase Karnataka’s ethanol allocation, citing high production capacity.
• Stop maize imports, which have depressed domestic prices.
• Relax quality norms for green gram, allowing up to 10% discoloration due to rains.

The letter stresses that MSP is crucial for farmer dignity and income stability and calls for swift central intervention to prevent a deepening crisis.

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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