Yettinahole stir prompts CM to revive Paschima Vahini project

September 22, 2015

Bengaluru, Sep 22: The State Cabinet meeting on Monday is learnt to have witnessed arguments and counter-arguments among a section of ministers regarding the Yettinahole project, prompting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to direct officials to revive the Paschima Vahini project.

Paschima
The Paschima Vahini project envisages harnessing the west-flowing rivers. The government hopes implementing that project will mollify those opposed to Yettinahole project in coastal districts.

According to sources, ministers from the coastal region Ramanath?Rai and U?T?Khader told the meeting that they were unable to face the ire of the people back home, against Yettinahole project. The project envisages supply of drinking water to Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru and Ramanagar districts.

The protesters feel the project will dry up their lifeline - the Nethravati river - and trigger a water crisis.

Water Resources Minister M?B?Patil is learnt to have said that the government cannot go back on its commitment to implement Yettinahole as the work on the Rs 10,000-crore project had already begun. Siddaramaiah intervened and said the government would take steps to revive the Paschima Vahini project.

The Paschima Vahini project proposes to supply water for both drinking and irrigation purposes to Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts by tapping 22 west-flowing rivers, including Nethravati, Sharavati, Chakra, Swarna and Kali. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 750 crore.

Social impact

Jayachandra said the Cabinet gave its nod for Social Impact Assessment study of Yettinahole project.

Ramanath Rai said he could not differ with the government stance. Representatives of various organisations agitating against the Yettinahole project would meet the chief minister and water resources minister.

The government would put forth its views and allay fears about the project, he added.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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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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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

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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