Rich tributes paid to late Ahmed Bhai Patel in Jeddah

News Network
December 1, 2020

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On 26th November 2020 Intellectual Council of Gulbarga Jeddah chapter, a group of Gulbarga NRIs, based in Jeddah who are basically Congressmen gathered at the residence of Sajid Shaikh, under the leadership of Syed Nasir Khurshid, who also the member of the All India Overseas Cultural Congress, Jeddah in order to pay tribute to their beloved leader, late Ahmed Bhai Patel.

Syed Nasir Khurshid welcomed all the attendees and expressed his views with heavy heart and said, Congress party and India has lost a great leader, who was secular in his nature and character and was treating everyone with respect irrespective of his caste, creed and background.  Shri Ahmed Patel enjoyed a greater role and power in the Congress party, and he was a political advisor to the Sonia Gandhi for a longer time and he acquired this position on the merit basis. He gave a brief political career details of Shri Ahmed Bhai Patel, that Mr. Patel was first time elected to the Lok Sabah at the age of 26 years in the year 1977. While concluding his speech he said we have very prominent personality Mr. Saleem Khaleefa with us, vice chairman, Intellectual council of Gulbarga who is also a loyal congressman, affiliated with congress party from his student life, on the policies, program and secular characters of the party, let’s hear his views.

 Saleem Khaleefa expressed his deep sorrow on the sudden demise of Ahmed Bhai Patel. He explained that Shri Ahmed Patel was a brilliant political leader he had acquired a lot of natural abilities to be called a progressive leader. He was a bridge between all congressmen and the High Command and had an ample respect in the eyes of Sonia Gandhi and all members of Congress Working Committee. He also had good friends in all political parties.

He was one of the most important pillars of the Congress party and was a very loyal and he was never a power monger. He refused to become a cabinet member in UPA I and UPA II, he was very keen to improve the organizational skills of the party and focused his whole life in strengthening the party across the India.  He was a very sensible leader and he got the titles of Chanakya and Sankat Mochak of the party and he proved his abilities on many difficult occasions and recently he played a Chanakya role when he convinced the Congress High Command to extend the support and form the government with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, in order to keep the BJP out of power. For me who can replace Ahmed bhai Patil in congress is our Karnataka Congress President Shri D.K. Sivakumar, who has showed his abilities of being a junior Chanakya, CWC should take a decision to give him more powers to take decisions for party at Central level. He was elected three times to Lok Sabah and 5 times to Rajya Sabah. He also served as the president of Pradesh Congress Committee of Gujarat. On his untimely demise, all political leaders, irrespective of their affiliation, including Prime Minister, Modiji expressed deep grief. He ended his speech by saying that, Congress has lost a great leader and it seems very difficult to find a replacement of Mr. Patel in the Congress party. Sonia Gandhi and former prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed their deep sorrow and grief on the demise of Ahmed bhai Patel. Both acknowledged that he was the most sincere and loyal leader of the congress party, both lost their best friend also.

Sajid Shaikh expressed his deep grief and said, he was an honest leader of the congress party, who always kept himself at low profile, who focused on work only and he was away from the limelight. He had very good relations with media persons and used to meet and greet with respect even to an ordinary person. For him Party was everything he always wanted to remain in the party organization hierarchy. He served party with different capacity for more than 45 years and got the title from the party presidents the most loyal and faithful congress leader in the recent history of the party. He worked with Smt. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi with his topmost honesty and dedication.

He played a very significant role during UPAI & UPA II, he was one of the policy makers of the government during the Congress government at the center.

Other prominent members who attended this tribute meeting and paid their deep tribute to Mr. Patel, were Abdul Waheed, Syed Hazrath Khadri, Salim Khan, Mohammed Afsar, and Rayyan Khaleefa, while speaking they paid their gratitude, respect, affection and admiration to the departure soul. Meeting ended with the supplication that Allah Almighty forgive his sins and grant him a higher rank in Jannah.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
November 30,2025

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Udupi: The pontiffs of Sri Paryaya Puttige Mutt, the sacred seat of Jagadguru Shrimad Madhvacharya Moola Samsthanam, have submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister seeking comprehensive development for Udupi district. 

Proposal for International Airport

A key request is the establishment of an international airport. Highlighting that around 1,000 acres of land are available and suitable, the pontiffs noted that the existing Mangalore Airport provides limited international connectivity. They suggested the airport be developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) or as a Greenfield Airport to boost trade, education, healthcare, and spiritual tourism.

Metro and Rapid Transit Connectivity

The proposal also calls for Metro Rail or Rapid Transit between Mangaluru and Udupi. The 55 km coastal stretch experiences heavy daily commuter traffic, causing congestion. The district administration is ready to prepare an initial project report for a Mass Rapid Transit corridor and requested inclusion under national urban mobility programmes to ensure safe, green, and time-efficient regional transport.

Port and Coastal Development

The pontiffs urged the development of an international-standard port with a cruise terminal along Udupi’s coast. They also requested fast-tracking of pending coastal tourism projects and revising Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms to encourage sustainable infrastructure and hospitality investment.

IT, AI and Technological Infrastructure

Support was sought for an IT and AI Innovation Park with incubation facilities under Digital India and Startup India initiatives. The proposal also emphasized the need for strengthened data security and cloud computing infrastructure to boost India’s technological independence.

Sports and Education Initiatives

The pontiffs requested national sports status for Kambala, along with financial and infrastructure support. They also sought the establishment of an AIIMS in Udupi, a new IIT campus, and approval for an IIM to promote higher education in the district.

Representation to the Prime Minister

Sri Sugunendra Tirtha Pontiff and Sri Sushrendra Tirtha Swamiji represented the pontiffs in submitting the comprehensive development proposal to the Prime Minister during his recent visit.

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News Network
November 22,2025

The Karnataka government has announced a 50% rebate on pending traffic and transport fines. The discount is available from November 21 to December 12.

The rebate applies to all traffic e-challans and violation cases booked by the RTO between 1991–92 and 2019–20. Officials clarified that the offer is not applicable to pending tax dues and is restricted only to traffic-violation fines.

Across Karnataka, more than 4 lakh RTO cases remain pending, including those involving transport vehicles. While thousands of vehicle owners have already cleared their dues, the department expects to generate substantial revenue through this limited-period rebate.

How to Pay and Avail the Discount

There are three ways to check and pay your pending fines:

1. Through Mobile Apps
Available on both Play Store and App Store:
•    Karnataka State Police (KSP) app
•    KarnatakaOne app
•    ASTraM app

Steps:
•    Enter your vehicle number in any of the above apps
•    Verify the photo/details of your vehicle
•    Pay the fine with the 50% discount applied

2. Visit a Traffic Police Station

You can pay your pending fine at any nearby traffic police station.

3. Visit the Traffic Management Centre (TMC)

•    Location: First Floor, Infantry Road, near Indian Express, Bengaluru

Transport Commissioner Yogeesh A M said, “We don't issue e-challans, so there's no online payment system.”

The department estimates ₹52 crore in pending RTO fines up to March 2020. “With the 50% rebate, we expect to collect around ₹25 crore if all dues are cleared,” he added.

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