Medical college in Kasargod: preliminary work on

September 19, 2012

Kasargod, September 19: Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said that the preliminary work on the proposed medical college in Badiyadukka village, which is grappling with health hazards owing to prolonged exposure to endosulfan, is progressing and the construction work will begin once the land acquisition process is completed.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, the Minister said the Health Department was in receipt of the master plan prepared by KITCO and the preliminary work for setting up the college at Ukkinadukka was progressing well.

Mr. Sivakumar was here to assess the grievances of the endosulfan victims ahead of the giving final shape to the assured relief and rehabilitation package as recommended by the National Human Rights Commission.

The project report, prepared after carrying out surveys, was recently handed over to the Health Minister by P.G.R. Pillai, Special Officer for the proposed medical college.

The Minister had forwarded the report to the Chief Minister for approval.

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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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