Embassy Group to fund infra projects in City

December 19, 2015

Bengaluru, Dec 19: The Bengaluru Development Department is partnering with the Embassy Group, which is under the scanner for tax evasion, to carry out infrastructure projects in and around the IT Parks developed and being managed by the group.

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Bengaluru Development Minister K J George on Friday said the Embassy Group had come forward to fund the proposed flyover project (between Nagavara and Hebbal), in front of Manyata Tech Park.

Addressing the reporters, George said that the Embassy Group had volunteered to fund the Rs 50-crore project.

The Group has also proposed to develop service roads in and around all of its tech parks in the City, carry out drain works inside and outside the parks, set up escalator skywalks, and construct sub-stations inside two tech parks to meet the power demand. All of these works are said to cost around Rs 450 crore.

George said the Group has set an example by coming forward to assist the government with infrastructure projects and hoped that other developers in the City would follow suit.

The tender process for the flyover project would be completed by the year end.

The minister also said he is a partner with Embassy Golf Links and that it has nothing to do with these works. The Group will not be given ownership of any of the projects developed, he added.

Skywalks, sub-stations

When contacted, Embassy Group Chairman Jitendra Virwani said his company was trying to reach out to the government for the last two years to help with infrastructure and traffic projects. He said escalator skywalks would be set up in five places – opposite Manyata Tech Park, Embassy Golf Links, Embassy Tech Village, Cessna Business Park and Prestige Tech Park.

The Group has proposed to KPTCL to set up two sub-stations of 220 kv at a cost of Rs 130 crore each, within Manyata Tech Park and Embassy Tech Village. It has sought around four acres of land in this regard, he added.

Tax evasion

When asked about the Rs 83 crore dues that the Group is supposed to pay the BBMP, Virwani said the civic agency had suddenly increased the property tax from Rs 8 to Rs 10 per sq ft, and was insisting that the company pay the amount along with interest, retrospectively. “We are willing to pay the revised rates. But the BBMP cannot insist that we pay up the interest for the last ten years. The matter is before the court,” he added.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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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 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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