I won't resign, says Beary Academy chief

July 25, 2013

Mangalore, Jul 25: Claiming that he is still president of Beary Sahitya Academy, Rahim Uchil on Thursday said that Congress led state government has no right to terminate the presidents of academies, who have not yet completed their terms.

Addressing media persons at press conference, he said that academies the High Court has issued a stay order to government's decision to sack academy presidents appointed during BJP rule.

Abdicated presidents of four academies - Beary Academy's Rahim Uchil, Yakshayana Bayalata Academy's Prof M L Samaga, and Lalitha Kala Academy's Chi Su Krishna Shetty, and Kodava Sahithya Academy President Addanda C Kariyappa - had moved to the High Court stating that the present government has sacked them from the posts without any valid reason.

Terming the academies as 'autonomous bodies', Mr Uchil said that during his tenure, he was working as independent president, without interference of any political party.

“Since I am a BJP worker and Academy presidents were nominated during BJP tenure, new Congress government has asked us to resign from the posts. However, I am not resigning for my post. Since my designation has dignity I have to keep up it. I never worked as a BJP man in the Academy,” he said.

“According to law, Academy is an autonomous body and Academy heads are nominated for every three years. They cannot be terminated and forced to resign. However, present Karnataka government has done that,” he said.

If the government continues with same attitude then there will be damage of culture and literature as works and awards can be given on political influence.

Prof M L Samaga speaking on the occasion said that though they are not against the government, the latter's decision to force the academy presidents to resign provoked them to approach court. “We have not indulged in politics as far as the work of Academy is concerned,” 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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