ZP chief's move stalls standing committee polls

March 18, 2011

Mangalore, March 18: Disorder prevailed in the selection process held for the posts of presidents and members of the Zilla Panchayat Standing Committees in the Zilla Panchayat on Thursday. In a special meeting called for the selection process of the five standing committees, 7 posts in the Agriculture and Industrial Standing Committee were left vacant due to the difference of opinion.

The selection process was held for the vacant posts of General Standing Committee, Finance, Auditing and Projects Committee, Social Justice Committee, Education and Health Committee and Agriculture and Industries Committee. Though the election for the first four committees went on without any hindrance, the nomination process for the posts of Agriculture and Industries Standing Committee was blocked by the Congress members.

The selection process was held for appointing the members for five standing committees, each committee consisting of six members and a president. The 35 members Zilla Panchayat consists of 24 BJP members and 11 Congress members. If the posts were distributed equally, then each member would have got a chance to hold the post in at least one of the standing committees. The Congress members objected the nomination list as one Congress ZP member among 11 was not nominated for any of the Standing Committee posts, while the BJP member Asha Thimmappa Gowda was nominated for two posts.

Irked over the decision of the ZP President to exclude Congress member Ambika Shetty from the Standing Committee post, the Congress members urged the President to set right the problem by nominating Ambika Shetty to one of the posts. “We either want all 11 Congress members to be in the Standing Committee or the rest 10 members would prefer to resign from our Standing Committee posts,” said Congress member M S Mohammad.

Despite holding private discussion with the members, ZP President Shailaja Bhat was not able to solve the problem and so she announced to hold back the selection process for the posts of Agriculture and Industrial Committee.

“The posts will remain vacant till the next meeting,” she announced.

Standing Committee office-bearers

General Standing Committee: Dhanalakshmi Janardhana (President), Mamatha Gatti, Fakira, Nalini Shetty, Santhosh Kumar Rai, Sunitha Shetty, Devaraj K S.

Finance, Auditing and Programme Committee: Shailaja Bhat (President), Asha Thimmappa Gowda, Devaki Sanjeeva Gowda, Saraswathi Kamath, Chennappa Kotian, Prakash, Ritesh Shetty.

Social Justice Committee: Janardhan Gowda (Probable President), K Meenakshi, C K Chandrakala, Melwin D'Souza, Balakrishna Suvarna, K Koragappa, N S Kareem.

Education and Health Committee: Eshwar Kateel (Probable President), Sathish Kumpala, Savitri H S, Jayashri, M S Mohammad, Yashavanti Alva, Girija.

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December 2,2025

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Udupi, Dec 2: A wave of regional pride is sweeping through Udupi district as Shagun S Verma Hegde, a talented Class 9 student from Christ King English Medium High School, Karkala, has been named the captain of the Indian National Team for the Under-15 Girls’ Volleyball Championship.

Shagun holds the unique distinction of being the sole player from Karnataka selected to represent the country in the prestigious international tournament. The championship, organized by the School Games Federation, is scheduled to take place in Shangluo, China, from December 3 to 13, where Shagun will lead the national squad.

A Remarkable Journey to the Top

Shagun’s selection is a testament to her dedication and exceptional skill on the court. Her journey included several rigorous rounds of selection:

•    She was the only player from Udupi district to qualify for the state-level selection camp.

•    Out of eight players from Karnataka who advanced to the national selection camp in Pune, Maharashtra, Shagun was the only one to secure a place in the final national squad.

•    The national camp saw participation from approximately 200 players, which was shortlisted to 23. Shagun not only made the final cut but was also ranked as the second-best player overall, solidifying her leadership role.

Shagun, who is the daughter of Sandesh Verma and Shruthiraj of Kallotte, Karkala, has trained under experienced coaches Santosh D’Souza, Jeevan D’Silva, Jairaj Poojary, and Ramesh. Her selection as the team captain has brought profound honour to her family, school, the Udupi district, and the entire state of Karnataka.

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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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December 1,2025

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Udupi, Dec 1: A horrific case of alleged rape has unfolded in Udupi, where a worker from a Hindutva organisation, previously arrested and released on bail for harassing a young woman, is now accused of waylaying and sexually assaulting her.

The arrested individual has been identified as Pradeep Poojary (26), a member of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's Nairkode unit in Perdur.

Poojary had allegedly been relentlessly harassing the young woman, pressuring her to marry him. When she bravely stood up to him and refused his demands, she filed a formal complaint at the Hiriyadka police station. He was subsequently arrested in that initial harassment case but was later granted bail.

According to police reports, driven by the same malicious grudge, Poojary allegedly intercepted the woman again on November 29. While she was walking through a deserted area, the accused is claimed to have threatened her by grabbing her neck. When she again refused to marry him, he allegedly proceeded to rape her.

The survivor immediately informed her family about the traumatic assault. Following this, her parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi women’s police station.

Police arrested Poojary again and produced him before the court. He has since been remanded to judicial custody.

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