Uneasy calm prevails in Uppinangady as elected representatives back Kalladka Bhat amidst peace efforts

January 25, 2012

Mangalore, January 25: An uneasy calm continued to prevail in Uppinangady town, and adjoining areas in Puttur taluk, for the fourth day on Wednesday with elected representatives from Bharatiya Janata Party including Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Krishna J Palemar, appreciating the provocative speech of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Kalladka Prabhakr Bhat.

The remarks by Mr Palemar, who accused the minorities of the district of creating problems for programmes of Hindus, has staoked a fresh controversy. After discussing with Sangh Parivar leaders in Uppinangady on Tuesday Mr Palemar had stated that though the Hindus in the district had not created any problems for programmes organised by minorities, the miscreants from “other communities” had many a times disturbed Hindu Samajotsavas.

Justifying the provocative speech, Mr Palemar said that being a leader of Hindus it was the responsibility of Mr Bhat to send warning signals to the Hindus about the dangers faced by the society such as 'love-jehad', 'cow-slaughter' and 'terrorism' etc. “You cannot call it a provocative speech”, he maintained.

Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Deputy Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly N Yogish Bhat and Puttur MLA Mallika Prasad, among other BJP leaders of the region, too have expressed their support to Kalladka Bhat and his cause.

Meanwhile secular parties and progressive groups have slammed the district in-charge minister, saying that the latter's statements had caused hindrance to the peacemaking efforts.

The renewed threat by Hindu Hitharakshana Vedike to follow the 'preaching' and 'guidance' of Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, and warning by Vishwa Hindu Parshad leaders to the minorities that they would not 'tolerate' any effort to 'disturb Hindu events', have added fuel to the fire.

However Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Pratap Reddy has stated that situation was under control and police was maintaining strict vigil in the area to prevent any untoward incidents.

Superintendent of Police Abhishek Goyal has assured that society that his department would not yield to any political pressure. “We will take stringent action against wrongdoers, but, will not harass innocents” he said in a peace committee meeting organized at the office of the assistant commissioner in Puttur on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Uppinagady police have taken four suspected Bajrang Dal activists into custody for attacking police during the Magardka jathre, a day after the Hindu Samajotsava. The arrested have been identified as Janardana, Vasudeva and Gangadhara.

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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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