Pejawar seer blesses Modi, urges not to acquire fertile land for industries

July 23, 2014

New Delhi, Jul 23: The Pejawar Mutt chief pontiff Vishvesha Tirtha Swamiji on Tuesday called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “blessed him to serve the people with courage and compassion”.

The prime minister reportedly requested the veteran Swamiji from Udupi to convey his good wishes to the people of coastal Karnataka.

Sources closed to the seer said that Swamiji exhorted Mr Modi to take necessary steps to prevent occupying of fertile agricultural land to set up industries in the coastal Karnataka and other parts of the country.

Later, speaking to media persons the seer said that the Prime Minister positively responded his request to set up industries only on barren land instead of acquiring farm land.

Citing the example of the proposed special economic zone in the Dakshina Kannada district in?Karnataka, where farmers are protesting the acquisition of land, the Swamiji said that projects should not take away the livelihood of people.

Swamiji said that Mr Modi has all the capabilities to lead the nation and make it a prosperous and powerful nation in the world.

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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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