ZP to open helpline for students during examination

March 12, 2012

Mangalore, March 13: President of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat K. T. Shailaja Bhat on Monday instructed officials here to open helpline for students if they were caught in traffic jam on the way of attending pre-university examinations from March 15 to 31 and SSLC examinations in April.

At the Karnataka Development Programme Review Committee meeting, Ms. Bhat said she realised how students were tense when her daughter was caught in a traffic jam while on the way to attend an examination recently.

Such an incident might land many students in trouble. Hence if there was helpline for every examination centre, students could inform the centre about traffic jams and officials could help students.

Ms. Bhat did not make it clear how officials should help students caught in traffic jams. She did not elaborate on the steps to be taken in case if a student informed the helpline about having caught in a traffic jam.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction Moses Jayashekar told the president that he felt that there was no need for helpline for students attending SSLC examinations. It was because for every 3 km. distance there would a SSLC examination centre.

However, an official from the Department of Pre-University said that helpline would be opened for pre-university students. Ms. Bhat ended the discussion abruptly without clarity.

The Chief Executive Officer of the panchayat, K.N. Vijay Prakash, said the panchayat had taken steps to ensure that Dakshina Kannada did not lag behind in SSLC examination results this year. Dakshina Kannada was topper in SSLC examination results till a few years ago. Other districts had scored over Dakshina Kannada in the past few years.

Mr. Prakash said that officials of the Department of Public Instruction had conducted special classes for students of government schools in Science, Mathematics and English.

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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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