Now, dist, taluk officials too must return phone calls of ministers

Bengaluru, Jan 29: Bengaluru Development Minister K J George might have asserted that he was not a telephone operator to take phone calls of people who try to reach him. But his government appears to have rendered heads of departments, district and taluk-level officials exactly that.

The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) has recently made it mandatory for district and taluk-level officials, including Deputy Commissioners, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), executive officers of taluk panchayats and district police officials to return the phone calls of ministers, legislators and VIPs if they fail to attend them. The officials have been asked to follow the direction strictly.

Calls to be returned soon

The officials have been asked to ensure that their personal secretaries or personal assistants jot down details of the caller if they are in an important meeting or attending any other important official work.

They have to return the calls made by ministers, legislators, including MLAs, MLCs and MPs, and VIPs soon after their meeting or any official engagements.

What has added to the officials’ problem is that the circular has not defined people who fall in the bracket of VIPs. This has left them fuming as they have been forced to return all missed and unattended calls of late.

Returning phone calls has in reality become a big headache for the officials. A deputy commissioner, it is learnt, spends an average of one and a half hour looking at his cell phone and returning the calls every day.

The district and taluk-level officials are, as a result, finding it difficult to find time to meet the public, official sources in the government said.

Inviting trouble

Non-compliance means inviting trouble, and there is a likelihood of such officials getting transferred – the way Anupama Shenoy, the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Kudligi taluk in Ballari district, was recently shunted out for putting Labour Minister and Ballari district in-charge Minister P T Parameshwara Naik’s phone call on hold.

Earlier, returning phone call was mandatory for only senior officials at the State secretariat – secretaries, principal secretaries and heads of department. It has now been extended to the district and taluk-level officials.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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