CPI(M) demands basic facilities for Bangra Kulur residents

August 13, 2012

Mangalore, August 13: Members of CPI(M) held a protest in front of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) on Monday demanding basic facilities for the people of Bangra Kulur.

Speaking on the occasion Sunil Kumar Bajal, CPI(M) leader, said that people of Bangra Kulur have for long been neglected by the authorities as their area continues to lack adequate roads and basic facilities.

Improper drainage system has resulted in not just caused inconvenience to the people using roads but also has had an impact on the agricultural lands of the area. The unclean state of the place is placing an open invitation to diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya, he said, adding that roads of the region too need urgent attention and tarring.

Stating that the condition of the bridge connecting Bangra Kulur residents to the city through Dambel is in a dangerous state, Mr. Bajal said that the 1979 bridge only facilitates two wheeler movement. There have been instances of two wheelers falling off the narrow bridge into the waters in the past, he said.

The area also needs urgent attention in terms of rectification of electric poles which are posing threats of electric shocks, lack of lamp posts and pathetic condition of roads during rainy season, he said.

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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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