Endo Committee to move to HC against health dept

August 21, 2013

Mangalore, Aug 21: Endosulfan Virodhi Horata Samithi of Kokkada is all set to move High Court against Health Department alleging the department of contempt of Court.

Shridhar Gowda, a victim, human rights activist and leader of the Endosulfan Virodhi Horata Samithi of Kokkada speaking to media person here on Monday said that the officials of heath department are misguiding High Court by providing false information about endosulfan victims.

Shridhar Gowda added that in November 2012 health department had given statement that endosulfan victims have been compensated but after getting information through RTI it was known that so far no compensation has been given. Dakshina Kannada district officials said that the proposal has been sent and they are waiting for further developments. It is a plan to misguide High Court.

Scanning machines kaput

He alleged government is misleading the High Court with wrong information. Earlier health department stated that scanning machine was being misused for sex determination. But in past ten years no single case has been reported. Also out of 130 scanning machines government owns only five scanning machines. Of the district's five scanning machines, only two work. This shows apathy towards endo victims, he rued.

Speaking about medical facilities for 1907 endosulfan victims Shridhar Gowda said, 'health minister UT Khader assured of providing medical benefits to victims but now it is heard that two committees will be formed and the benefits will be extended based on the reports.

"There is no use of forming committees because health department already has data. TO get an answer we will move to the Court," 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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