Note ban hits New Year parties

December 31, 2016

Bengaluru, Dec 31: Some of the city clubs known for organising lavish New Year celebrations have received fewer bookings this year ostensibly because of cash crunch following demonetisation. Consequently, they will scale down the celebrations.

Noteban
The colonial-era Bowring Institute, which spent Rs 25-30 lakh to ring in the last new year, will spend just Rs 6-7 lakh on the December 31 night celebrations. It will also host fewer revellers — from 2,000 last year to just 700 this time.

S Rajnikanth, member-in-charge, entertainment subcommittee, Bowring Institute, said the budget for New Year celebrations was just 10 % of the previous year's, and attributed it to cash crunch.

Cosmopolitan Club at Jayanagar, established in 1968, is also grappling with fewer bookings. But one of its members sounded confident that bookings would go up in the next two days.

Cutting expenses

Regular club hoppers seem to be cutting down on their New Year's Eve expenses and are planning to stay home. Umesh S, who visits Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) club every New Year's Eve, is among them. He said he changed his plans owing to cash shortage.

Some other clubs are determined to beat the demonetisation blues by accepting digital payments. Bangalore Club, another colonial-period facility, is planning to host the celebrations like every year as many of its members have made the bookings online, an official said.

A representative of Century Club maintained that it does not hold New Year celebrations on a grand scale and hence was unaffected by cash crunch.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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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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