‘Udupi Helpline’ to transport excess food from wedding halls to the needy

coastaldigest.com web desk

October 12, 2018

Udupi, Oct 12: A group of volunteers belonging to different faiths have come together and formed ‘Udupi Helpline,’ with the aim of transporting excess food from wedding halls to the needy.

Led by Mahesh Poojary, a local youth the voluntary organization was inaugurated here on Thursday. “Though our organisation was formally launched today, we have already supplied food from wedding halls to about 2,000 persons in the past few weeks. Rafiq, general secretary, has been transporting food on his two-wheeler,” said Steven Colaco, member.

Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, president, BJP district unit; Janadhan Tonse, president, District Congress Committee; and Yogish Shetty, president, JD(S) district unit, were present at the launch. They lauded the initiative and said it would help in eliminating hunger.

Mr. Hegde said that the organisation would receive information on the food by 2 p.m. By the time it was collected and distributed it would be 3.30 p.m. Hence, the chances of it getting spoilt should be considered. Many orphanages did not accept outside food. Also, maintaining hygiene was of utmost importance, he added.

Mr. Tonse said many institutions for the needy had lunch at 12.30 p.m. This meant the food collected needed to be refrigerated and its quality post-refrigeration needed to be checked.

The organization plans to get a refrigeration unit and a van to transport food with the help of philanthropists.

Comments

This is the best charity work.

People from All religeous groups should join hands.

this can unite alll groups.

May God bless

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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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