Udupi: Former minister Vasanth Salian no more

July 25, 2015

Udupi, Jul 25: Former minister Vasanth V Salian, who is considered one of the influential political figures in coastal Karnataka, passed away at a private hospital here on Saturday. He was 72.

Family sources said that he died after a massive heart attack. It is learnt that he suffered cardiac arrest in the evening and rushed to High-Tech hospital where he breathed his last.

Salian, a Billava community leader, represented Kaup Assembly Constituency five times in a row from 1983 to 2004 from the Congress. Salian was a minister in the Cabinets of M Veerappa Moily (1993-94) and S M Krishna (2002-04).

He lost the 2004 and 2008 Assembly elections from Kaup. Though he lobbied hard for Congress ticket in the 2013 Assembly elections, it was given to Vinay Kumar Sorake in the last minute. Upset at this, Mr. Salian joined the Janata Dal (Secular) and contested the election from Kaup. He, however, was defeated by Mr. Sorake, who then became Urban Development Minister. After 10 months, Mr. Salian quit JD(S) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014.

Gangadhar Suvarna, Mr. Salian’s son-in-law and Congress leader, said that the body would be kept in the former Minister’s house at Katapady for people to pay their last respects from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. The cremation would be held in the garden of his house at 3 p.m., he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sorake; Oscar Fernandes, Shobha Karandlaje and B.S. Yeddyurappa, MPs; Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, and Kota Srinivas Poojary, MLC, mourned Mr. Salian’s death.

In his condolence message, BJP State president Pralhad Joshi said Mr. Salian was a popular leader from the Billava community. In his death, the party and society had lost an able leader, he said.

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Air India Express brings back Mangaluru–Muscat direct flights from March 2026

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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