Street vendors get alternative facility in City

Mangalore, August 31: Mayor Praveen said that street vendors have been provided with alternative facility and they can carry out the busines beside Service bus stand and a vacant space available next to the service bus stand (tempo stand) near Lady goschen.

Speaking at the Mangalore City Corporation monthly meeting here on Tuesday, he said that the Tiger operation will be started from September 2. The tempo stand will accomodate atleast 90 street vendors.

“The MCC has provided alternative to the street vendors on compassionate ground. The functioning of street vendors in and around Lady Goschen and State Bank region has been banned. At the same time, no street vendors will be allowed to occupy footpath to sell the produce,” he said.

Door number

The Council unanimoulsy resolved to take a decision to issue door numbers to those poor who have constructed houses in the government land illegally under Section 112 (C) of Karnataka Municipal Council Act. Corporators said that there are hundreds of houses constructed on the government land in MCC limits. However, without door numbers, the owners are not able to avail any of the government facilities.

There is a need to issue temporary door numbers under Section 112 (C). To which, Mayor said that the MCC will write a letter to the government on the resolution passed in the Counil for approval.

Corporator Shashidhar Hegde said that temporary door numbers were issued to several houses after taking government permission in 1998.

Roads

Corporator Mariamma Thomas said that interior roads in several wards in the Corporation limits are in deplorable condition. Even recently asphalted roads have developed huge potholes, thus raising the issue of poor quality of road work. Supporting her view, Corporator James D'Souza said that the MCC invites tender in the month of January and the work order is given to the corporator in the month of March.

It is impossbile to carry out the work on asphaltation during monsoon. Officials' negligence lead to poor quality of work, he said. Executive Engineer Rajashekar said that asphalted road do not last long owing to the flow of rain water on the road. To raise the road and to construct drains, the cost of the project increases.

Corporator Naveen said that there is a need to test the thickness of the road work and asked what was the duty of third party in road inspection. With the roads getting damaged every year, we have to doubt over the functioning of third party.

Stary dog menace

Corporator Harinath said that stray dog menace has increased in townships in Marakada region. However, when one calls members of Animal Care Trust to take away the dogs, the members scold the public. Health official said that dog menace can be constrolled only through sterilisation method.

Malaria

When the agenda related to imposing fines on the building owners for causing breeding of mosquitoes due to stagnant water in construction sites was raised, Mariamma Thomas and other coporators asked what measures did Malaria Cell has taken to check the spread of malaria in the city.

The official from Malaria Cell said that the Cell has five teams. Two teams visit houses to create awareness and three teams visit construction sites to check the stagnanted water. In charge Commissioner Dr K N Vijayaprakash and Deputy Mayor Geetha Nayak was present.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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