Swachh Mangaluru drive: Bejai Kapikad area cleaned; illegal hoardings across city removed

coastaldigest.com news network
March 19, 2018

Mangaluru: Bejai Kapikad area in the city was cleaned on Sunday as part of Ramakrishna Mission’s Swacchata Abhiyan. It was the twentieth week’s drive.

The drive was flagged off at 7.30 am in front of Indian Oil Petrol Pump at Kapikad Bejai by Dr Dhanesh Kumar K U, Principal, Nitte College of Physiotherapy and world renowned magician Kudroli Ganesh in the presence of Swami Jitakamanandaji.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Dhanesh Kumar said, “Swacchata Abhiyan should not be for show off but should spring out of genuine concern. Efforts of Ramakrishna Mission in this regard are laudable and I urge each and every responsible citizen to join them.” Balakrishna Bhat, Imtiyaj Shekh, Shantappa Babu, Preetham Mugila & others were present.

Cleanliness Drive: About 200 volunteers were divided into 6 groups. Roads leading from Kapikad petrol bunk were divided among the volunteers for cleaning. Both sides of the road from Kapikad to Bejai Bus stand were cleaned by two groups under Captain Ganesh Karnik.

Two more team of volunteers took up cleanliness work in Anegundi road under Sri Vittaldas Prabhu and Umar Farooq K. Students of Nitte Physiotherapy college cleaned the road and adjoining drains in Kapikad by removing the plastic papers and sweeping the area. Volunteers under P N Bhat, Mehboob, Uday K P cleaned an area near petrol bunk which was littered with plastic waste. They also cleared a footpath which was covered with mud by using JCB thus helping pedestrians.

Repainting of six direction boards: With the intention of benefitting the local public 6 direction boards depicting the names of the roads which were faded and were not serving purpose were cleaned and repainted. Direction boards in Netaji Road in Bejai kapikad, Kirodian Lane, 1st Cross, 2nd Cross & 6th cross were repainted.

Removal of flex banners and posters

Illegal flex hoardings and banners have not only ruined the beauty of the city but are also leading to poster wars. Hence the volunteers of Swacch Mangaluru Abhiyan under Souraj Mangalore, Sudhir Vamanjoor, Prakash Garodi, Ganesh Prasad Shetty, Dilraj Alva and other youths removed several flex banners and hoardings in Jyothi, Kankanadi, PVS, Kodialbail and Hampankatta areas.

Distribution of awareness literature

Students of St. Aloysius College under the guidance of lecturers, Prajna Jain and Metlida Veronika Pais visited houses and shops door to door distributing awareness handbills and urging them to keep their areas clean. Prashanth Raj of Bhumika Water Suppliers volunteered to clean the roads swept by washing with water and watered the plants planted in the road dividers.

Wall Painting at Karnagalpady Market

Few weeks before, Karnagalpady Market area was littered with garbage and plastic waste. After our volunteers cleaned the area and urged the localites to cooperate in maintaining the area clean, it had stopped. This week the surrounding compound walls of Karangalpady Market were beautified with nice decorative thematic drawings and paintings by Vikram Shetty, Shailesh Kotian and members of Aditattwa team under the guidance of Ramakrishna Mission.

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News Network
December 7,2025

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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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News Network
December 1,2025

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Udupi, Dec 1: A horrific case of alleged rape has unfolded in Udupi, where a worker from a Hindutva organisation, previously arrested and released on bail for harassing a young woman, is now accused of waylaying and sexually assaulting her.

The arrested individual has been identified as Pradeep Poojary (26), a member of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's Nairkode unit in Perdur.

Poojary had allegedly been relentlessly harassing the young woman, pressuring her to marry him. When she bravely stood up to him and refused his demands, she filed a formal complaint at the Hiriyadka police station. He was subsequently arrested in that initial harassment case but was later granted bail.

According to police reports, driven by the same malicious grudge, Poojary allegedly intercepted the woman again on November 29. While she was walking through a deserted area, the accused is claimed to have threatened her by grabbing her neck. When she again refused to marry him, he allegedly proceeded to rape her.

The survivor immediately informed her family about the traumatic assault. Following this, her parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi women’s police station.

Police arrested Poojary again and produced him before the court. He has since been remanded to judicial custody.

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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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