Udupi: BJP Mahila Morcha demands abolition of Anti-Corruption Bureau

April 11, 2016

Udupi, Apr 11: A group of women under the banner of the Udupi district unit of Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha staged a protest in front of the Clock Tower here demanding the abolition of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) by the State government.

Addressing the protestors, Sheela K. Shetty, zilla panchayat member and mahila morcha leader, said that the whole purpose of the State government in forming the ACB was to weaken the institution of Lokayukta. By doing so, the government wants to protect the ministers in the State Cabinet who face charges of corruption, she added.

The institution of Lokayukta had earned a good name by its impartial and thorough investigations against politicians and bureaucrats. The ACB would be under the thumb of the bureaucrats and State Cabinet and could not be expected to function impartially, Ms. Shetty said. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should tender his resignation for forming the ACB. “It (State government) should disband the ACB immediately. If it fails to do so, the BJP will intensify its agitation against,” she said.

Ms. Shetty said that the leakage of the chemistry question paper of II PU twice within 10 days was a testament to the efficiency of the Siddaramaiah government. The leakage of the question paper was a handiwork of some top-level politicians and bureaucrats, she said.

The State government had also played politics in announcing the reservation for the posts of the presidents and vice-presidents of the newly elected zilla and taluk panchayats. The reservation list in many places was aimed at bringing the Congress to power through the backdoor, where it did not enjoy any majority, Ms. Shetty said.

BJP Mahila Morcha leader Sandhya Ramesh, Sumita Nayak, Reshma Shetty, Rashwita Shetty, Laxmi Billava, Pooja Rai, and Gitanjali Suvara were present.

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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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