Motamma flays BJP government for unmotorable roads

November 13, 2011

Udupi, November 13: Opposition leader in the Karnataka legislative council Motamma has taken the BJP government to task for failing to maintain motorable roads.

Speaking to press persons in Udupi she said, the condition of roads connecting taluk centers like Karkala and Kundapura in Udupi district had been in a pitiable position.

The BJP government, which had been chanting the development manthra, had totally failed in maintaining this basis infrastructure, she said.

“When questioned, Deputy Commissioner of Udupi, he admits to have got Rs 4 crore for flood relief in Udupi district last year and that had not been utilised. This year another Rs 2 crore had been released under the calamity funds. But not spent. Villages in Shirva region had been affected by the scarcity of drinking water. It is a surprise that a district of which Dr VS Acharya, the number 2 in the state cabinet is the in charge ministers has such problems”, Motamma said.

“No needy beneficiaries were given house sites, but the BJP leaders and persons in their close circle were given away government key lands, making a clear case of favoritism”, Motamma added.

Alleging misuse of power by the BJP Motamma said, “If a beneficiary in Chikmagalur wanted an application for benefits under the Suvarna Bhoomi yojna, he shall approach the MLA. Likewise, for an application for Arogya Card in Udupi CMC, one shall beg before a BJP Councilor and not the respective horticulture department or the CMC Commissioner. Is it not misuse of power? She questioned.

Former Minister K Jayaprakash Hegde, Udupi Block Congress President Pramod Madhwaraj, District Mahila Congress President Veronica Carnelio, Shyamala Bhandary, ZP member Mallika Balakrishna, State youth Congress secretary Amrith Shenoy, Yathish Karkera and others were present on the occassion.

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Why Mangaluru Could Become India’s Next Offshore Wind Energy Hub

News Network

February 3,2026

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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