Moily slams Government on Upalokayukta appointment

February 13, 2012

Udupi, February 13: Union Corporate Affairs Minister M. Veerappa Moily said on Sunday that the way the State Government had appointed Chandrashekaraiah as Upalokayukta without consulting the High Court Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen showed that it had scant regard for law.

Mr. Moily told presspersons here that the State Government was committing mistakes after mistakes in making appointments to important posts such as the Lokayukta and the Upalokayukta. They made the first mistake while appointing the Lokayukta, now they had done the same while appointing the Upalokayukta. The Upalokayukta had to be appointed only after consulting the Governor, the presiding officers of the Assembly and the Council, the leaders of the Opposition in both the Assembly and the Council, and the Chief Justice of the High Court.

“Not consulting the Chief Justice is a heinous crime. The State Government has erred very badly here. After doing a mistake, it was incumbent upon the Government to find a solution to the problem. Instead, the Government was making arrogant statements, which will bring a bad name to the State. The State Government believes that what it says is the law,” he said.

As a solution to the problem, the Government should talk to the Chief Justice. “It is sheer obstinacy on the part of the Government to have a confrontation with the judiciary. No one else would have done this,” he said.

On the action taken against the three former Ministers caught watching porn in the Assembly, Mr. Moily said the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly had set up a committee to inquire into the incident. The act of the three former Ministers was a serious violation of ethics and morality, which called for stern punishment. The committee should take the matter seriously and uphold the dignity of the Legislative Assembly. “There is no point in adopting evasive tactics on this matter,” he said.

To a query, he said he had completed writing an epic poem (mahakavya) titled Draupadi . “I am giving finishing touches to it. It will be published in nine to 10 months in Kannada,” Mr. Moily 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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