Sorake, Lobo caution health dept for inefficiency

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Suresh Vamanjoor)
June 17, 2013
Mangalore, Jun 17: The progress of several developmental projects under Mangalore City Corporation limits was reviewed in a meeting chaired by Minister for Urban Development Vinay Kumar Sorake, at the MCC council hall, here on Monday.

The urban development minister was briefed on the progress of several projects in various departments such as clearing of rainwater-drains, solid-waste management, malaria and dengue control, town planning, and underground drainage (UGD) project.

Officials of the concerned departments also provided additional information and clarifications with respect to their respective projects, in the presence of MLAs J R Lobo and Moideen Bava, Deputy Commissioner N Prakash and MCC commissioner-in-charge Srikanth Rao.

In the meeting, emphasis was placed on the development of underground drainage network taken up under the Karnataka Urban Development and Coastal Environmental Management Project (KUDCEMP) in the city.

Works should be completed soon in the second stage, which will be further reviewed in 15 days, said Mr Sorake.

Solid waste management

Officials of the Health Department said that solid waste management would be carried out in 47 wards through local contractors and by civic labourers in eight wards, who would begin their work from July 1.

Mr Lobo expressed unhappiness over the dismal sanitation situation in Central Market. The waste management around the market place is highly inefficient, and the cleanliness is at its lowest in months. It is the worst form of maintenance in the health sector, he said, instructing officials to take their work seriously in improving the sanitation of the place.

Mr Sorake cautioned that the problem ought to be solved within three months before the next review meeting.

It was brought to the notice of the authorities that a 3-tier system had been introduced to bring transparency in solid waste management, which included vehicle-tracking system, mobile governance and SMS-based public grievance addressal forum to address issues on waste management. It was also informed that three vehicles had been facilitated to collect waste from meat stalls and five to collect from hotels and restaurants.

Rain-water drains

Briefing the minister on the works being carried out with regard to rain-water drains, Mr Lobo said that the cleaning of the drains had not been completed, and most of the rain-water drains had been left as they were, in spite of having given the task to contractors.

To this, an official replied that the works had been almost completed and only 10 percent was remaining. Mr Sorake instructed the DC and the concerned departments to hasten the process.

Control of vector-borne diseases

In the meeting, vector-borne disease control officer said that 2125 cases were found in 2012 and 1560 were reported in 2013, and there was about 50 per cent decrease in the cases from last year.

He said that about 3 lakh houses were visited from last year, among which 27,000 houses were found to have breeding sites. These sites were eliminated and awareness was given to the people. In the month of May, building construction sites were also visited and breeding sites were destroyed wherever found. Free malaria testing and treatment centres were set up across the city and six more were in the process of being set up.

Bus stand at Pumpwell

It was also brought to the notice that about 7.11 acres of land had been acquired for the establishment of a new bus stand in the city near Pumpwell, although it had been deferred since entry to the National Highway would create a bottleneck junction and also since there was a plan to construct a permanent bus stand for both government and private buses.

Thumbay vented dam

With regard to the construction of the vented dam at Thumbay, Mr Lobo instructed the concerned officials to accelerate the pending works by the month of April so that it would be completed and made functional by the next season.

In response, the official gave assurances that the dam would be completed within the period of six months from November to April.

MLA Moideen Bava pointed that the facility of conveying water from Lakya dam in Kudremukh was still available, and requested the minister to revive this facility so that water could be supplied to areas such as Suratkal.

It was also mentioned in the meeting that a national-level quality assurance laboratory would be set-up soon in the MCC to monitor the quality of developmental works at all stages. Software to manage general fund works had been developed which would be used to display all details from estimate preparation to stage of bills online.

Mr Lobo also pointed out the problem of lack of clean public toilets for the people in the city.

He also instructed the Revenue department to provide door numbers and title deeds to those houses in Bengre where people had been residing on government land from several years.

Deputy Commissioner N Prakash and MCC commissioner-in-charge Srikanth Rao were present.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

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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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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