Former Mangalore Mayor among 11 arrested for illegal gold prospecting

October 15, 2011

Davanagere, October 15: Police have confirmed that former Mangalore Mayor Purandaradas Kuloor was among the 11 suspected illegal gold prospectors nabbed while panning for gold in a reserve forest area at Jagalur in Davanagere district.

A former policeman and sportsman, Koloor had served as the Mayor of Mangalore City Corporation during 2004-05.

Other 10 arrested have been identified as Badmanabh Bhat and Rajesh Shetty from Mangalore, Ponnappa, Jabir Mohammad and Abdul Rahman, Siddeeq from Kodagu district, Basavaraj and Mahantesh from Bellary and Rangappa from Jagalur.

Two cars worth Rs 5 lakh, and a motorbike have been seized from the arrested. Among the 15 suspected gold prospectors, four persons managed to escape during the raid, said HS Venkatesh, the Superintendent of Police in a press meet.

He said that the arrested were panning for the gold at the Rangayyana Durga Reserve Forest area at Jagalur taluk.

It is assumed that Rangappa and Mahantesh, who were suspected to be the masterminds, had brought the other people with the promise of hidden gold. Padmanabh Bhat from Mangalore had accompanied the miscreants for Ganapati Pooja during the crime.

Acting on a tip off, Harapanahalli DySP Anitha, Jagalur CPI J S Tippeswamy, PSI Imran Beg raided the spot and arrested the accused.

A case has been registered at Bilichodu Police Station in Jagalur.

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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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