Siddaramaiah will be responsible if railway projects suffer: Railway minister

Mangalore, Jul 28: Union Railway minister DV Sadananda Gowda said chief minister Siddaramaiah would be responsible if railway projects in the state suffer a setback.

Ahead of the railway budget, chief minister Siddaramaiah had written to railway minister DV Sadananda Gowda that the pact between the state and Centre on 50:50 cost-sharing for projects be modified.

Siddaramaiah had written to the ministry stating that since state's resources were directly deployed for many public-oriented schemes, he urged Gowda to reconsider the decision to undertake railway projects on 50:50 cost-sharing pattern. In future, the state is ready to take up projects only on two-third (Centre) and one-third (state) sharing pattern,'' the CM had written.

'I do not want to politicise the issue. He (Siddaramaiah) has refused to share cost on 50:50 basis and agreed for one-third cost sharing. I have written to him again that was not possible,'' he said.

The state had made some headway to scale up its railway network after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the railway ministry a decade ago to extend 50% financial support and provide free land for long-pending projects.

Opposition leader KS Eshwarappa had alleged that Congress was playing divisive politics at the cost of the state's interest. Why Siddaramaiah had not written a similar letter when Mallikarjun Kharge was the railway minister, he had questioned.

Defending his letter, Siddaramaiah had said that Karnataka was getting step-motherly treatment in railway projects despite being among the few states which signed an MoU with the railway ministry to take up projects on cost-sharing basis apart from offering free land. Though the pact was signed a decade ago, the rail network in the state stands at an average of only 16.9km per 1,000km which is low compared to other southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala as well as West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana. Karnataka will not benefit much because the railways will ultimately reap the benefits of our funds,'' he had said.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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