UPCL asked to adopt pollution control measures

March 16, 2012

Udupi, March 16: The expert committee, consisting of environment scientists, appointed to study the ill effects of the coal based Udupi power plant, already submitted its report and made some suggestions to overcome the damage on life and environment caused by the plant, said Power Minister Shobha Karandlaje.

Speaking at a press conference she said that unless the promoters of the plant set right the things in the interest of the environment and agriculture, and adopt pollution control measures, there is no question of approving the second unit of UPCL.

“We expect them to make the necessary arrangements, as suggested in the report by the second week of June”, she said.

Replying another question she said that though she was willing to visit the UPCL area, to hear the grievances of the people, the then district in charge minister VS Acharya prevented her from visiting. Once the bi polls are over she would visit the area, Ms Shobha added.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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