Four 'Costa Concordia' survivors return home

January 22, 2012

Karwar/Udupi, January 22: Four people from coastal Karnataka, who were among the 200 Indian survivors in the Italian cruise ship tragedy, have returned home safely.

Tony Fernandes, Xavier D'costa, and Wilson Fernandis, crew members of “Costa Concordia” that ran aground off the coast of Italy last week, have returned to Karwar. While Ajay Quadros (29), a native of Shirva had returned home on Friday through Mangalore airport.

Narrating the incident, they said they were lucky enough to survive. The joint efforts of crew members averted a big tragedy, Mr. Tony said.

According to them, the vessel left the Civitavecchia port in Italy on Friday night. There were 4,200 people on board, including crew members. At 9.45 p.m. (2 a.m. Indian Standard Time), there was a big noise and the vessel started leaning, they said.

After some time, power went off and the vessel stopped moving. Mr. Wilson said the captain blew the accordion which warned that the vessel was sinking.

Mr. Tony said water entered the engine room. Panic-stricken people began calling the control room, but the reply was to keep cool, he said. Then, the crew members rushed to help the passengers and gave them lifejackets, he said.

Mr Ajay Quadros, who has been working for Spain Dining Restaurant run by Costa Crociere for the last four years, said that he was on duty on the ship when it hit a rock on January 13 and sunk.

Of the 1,200 staff, 202 were from India, including 12 from Karnataka. There were 35 people from Goa, he said.

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Mangaluru–Kasaragod bus fare rolled back after Kerala protests force NHAI to shut Arikkady toll plaza

coastaldigest.com news network

February 5,2026

Mangaluru: The KSRTC Mangaluru division has rolled back the fare hike on buses operating on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route following the suspension of toll collection at the Arikkady toll plaza near Kumbala in Kasaragod district.

The fare revision had been implemented after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began toll collection at the Arikkady plaza on NH-66. As a result, fares for ordinary and Rajahamsa services were increased by ₹7 and ₹10, respectively, raising the bus fare from Mangaluru to Kasaragod from ₹81 to ₹88.

Senior Divisional Controller of KSRTC’s Mangaluru division, Rajesh Shetty, said the fares were reduced after toll collection at the Arikkady plaza was stopped. “The tollgate began operations on January 13, and the toll amount was deducted from the FASTag accounts of KSRTC buses operating on the route. Following an order from the central government to suspend toll collection, KSRTC has also withdrawn the additional fare with immediate effect,” he said.

At present, vehicles travelling on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route pay toll only at the Talapady toll plaza. The toll for light motor vehicles (LMVs) at Talapady is ₹80 for a same-day return, while heavy vehicles, including buses, are charged ₹250. At Arikkady, the toll rates were ₹130 for LMVs (same-day return) and ₹450 for buses.

Protests against Arikkady toll plaza

The Arikkady toll plaza witnessed widespread protests from January 12, the day toll collection commenced. On the second day, an action committee led by Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf launched an indefinite protest at the site. Except for the BJP, leaders and workers of most major political parties participated in the agitation.

On the night of January 14, a large number of protesters gathered at the plaza and vandalised property, following which authorities temporarily suspended toll operations. The BJP later also expressed opposition to the toll plaza and criticised NHAI’s decision.

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