Smart City: Mangaluru citizens demand monorail, hi-fi roads and Wi-Fi hotspots

[email protected] (CD Network | Photos by Suresh)
October 12, 2015

Mangaluru, Oct 12: Monorail, modern and wider roads including a ring road, flyovers and Wi-Fi hot spots were some of the demands raised by different people at a meet organised by Mangaluru City Corporation seeking suggestions for inclusion in the project report to be submitted to the Union government’s Smart City project.

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The citizen’s participation meet was held at an auditorium opposite Kadri Park in the city on Sunday in the presence of Mangaluru South MLA JR Lobo and Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner HN Gopalakrishna. The Union government will select the first 20 cities where the project will be implemented this year.

Suggestions also came to provide alternate facilities to street vendors, to develop parks in vacant government lands, to develop parking complexes in the city, to take measures to get IT companies into the city, to build smart traffic control system, to impose smart city cess, to implement a more effective waste management system, formation of a separate team to look into infrastructure needs of the city and so on.

Mr Lobo felt for a need to develop a system through advanced technology to effectively take various services to people. There is also a need of a complaint management system for the fast reddressal of public grievances, he said.

He said that Rs 1000 crore to be released during the first phase of smart city project will be used as a seed money to develop the basic facilities to in turn attract investments for further projects.

Rajaram Shetty, from M.V. Shetty Institute of Technology, Moodbidri, said that the city corporation should have a separate cell that will work on problems facing the city development.

“For instance, the problems following rainfall should be addressed during the rainy season and not after that, ” he said.

The corporation should grant permission for constructing multi-storey building only after studying the need of accommodation in the area where it was being built, he said.

George Pais, who represented plastic industries in the city, expressed the need to develop a satellite town. “The satellite town can come up at Ganjimath,” he said, adding that the corporation should make arrangements to get power for the city from the Udupi Power Corporation Limited’s plant in Padubidri.

Expressing fears among people visiting the city regarding “moral policing” (also known as immoral rowdyism), Manohar Shetty, from the State Bank of India, said that action need to be taken to prevent such incidents.

Shyam Bhat expressed the need for Wi-Fi hotspots in the city for easy internet access to students. Ramesh Shetty from Attavar said that roads in the city needed to be widened and impetus should be given for measures that facilitate the smooth movement of traffic.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Mangaluru: Chaos erupted at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) after IndiGo flight 6E 5150, bound for Mumbai, was repeatedly delayed and ultimately cancelled, leaving around 100 passengers stranded overnight. The incident highlights the ongoing country-wide operational disruptions affecting the airline, largely due to the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for crew.

The flight was initially scheduled for 9:25 PM on Tuesday but was first postponed to 11:40 PM, then midnight, before being cancelled around 3:00 AM. Passengers expressed frustration over last-minute communication and the lack of clarity, with elderly and ailing travellers particularly affected. “Though the airline arranged food, there was no proper communication, leaving us confused,” said one family member.

An IndiGo executive at MIA cited the FDTL rules, designed to prevent pilot fatigue by limiting crew working hours, as the cause of the cancellation. While alternative arrangements, including hotel stays, were offered, about 100 passengers chose to remain at the airport, creating tension. A replacement flight was arranged but also faced delays due to the same constraints, finally departing for Mumbai around 1:45 PM on Wednesday. Passengers either flew, requested refunds, or postponed their travel.

The Mangaluru delay is part of a broader crisis for IndiGo. The airline has been forced to make “calibrated schedule adjustments”—a euphemism for widespread cancellations and delays—after stricter FDTL norms came into effect on November 1.

While an IndiGo spokesperson acknowledged unavoidable flight disruptions due to technology issues, operational requirements, and the updated crew rostering rules, the DGCA has intervened, summoning senior airline officials to explain the chaos and outline corrective measures.

The ripple effect has been felt across the country, with major hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai reporting numerous cancellations. The Mangaluru incident underscores the systemic operational strain currently confronting India’s largest carrier, leaving passengers nationwide grappling with uncertainty and delays.

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News Network
December 3,2025

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Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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News Network
December 1,2025

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Udupi, Dec 1: A horrific case of alleged rape has unfolded in Udupi, where a worker from a Hindutva organisation, previously arrested and released on bail for harassing a young woman, is now accused of waylaying and sexually assaulting her.

The arrested individual has been identified as Pradeep Poojary (26), a member of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's Nairkode unit in Perdur.

Poojary had allegedly been relentlessly harassing the young woman, pressuring her to marry him. When she bravely stood up to him and refused his demands, she filed a formal complaint at the Hiriyadka police station. He was subsequently arrested in that initial harassment case but was later granted bail.

According to police reports, driven by the same malicious grudge, Poojary allegedly intercepted the woman again on November 29. While she was walking through a deserted area, the accused is claimed to have threatened her by grabbing her neck. When she again refused to marry him, he allegedly proceeded to rape her.

The survivor immediately informed her family about the traumatic assault. Following this, her parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi women’s police station.

Police arrested Poojary again and produced him before the court. He has since been remanded to judicial custody.

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