India’s first 3D planetarium inaugurated at Pilikula

coastaldigest.com news network
March 1, 2018

Mangaluru: Science and Technology Minister M R Seetharam on Thursday inaugurated Swami Vivekananda Planetarium at the Dr. K. Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama on the outskirts of the country. This is India’s first 3D planetarium.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the state government's aim was to establish a science centre in every district.

"The state government's department of science and technology has laid thrust upon developing scientific temper among the youth. Towards this direction, the department has proposed to construct sub-regional science centres and planetariums in various districts, including those in Hyderabad-Karnataka. These centres would help to build a scientific mindset among the students," he said.

Regional science centres have already been operational in Mangaluru and Dharwad. The Mysuru Regional Science Centre is in the phase of construction. Sub-regional science centres are operating in Bidar, Bellary, Raichur and Karwar. 

Similar centres will come up in Chikkaballapur, Koppal, Haveri, Bagalkot, Davanagere and Gadag. Proposals are being prepared towards the establishment of science centres in Madya, Kolar, Chitradurga.

Work on a planetarium in Hubballi, taken up at a cost of Rs 22 crore, is in the final phase. Five mobile planetariums are moving across the state and seven more would be launched in the days to come.

‘We started work, not BJP’

Hitting back at the former Mangaluru City South MLA N. Yogish Bhat who had said that the BJP Government’s work in construction of planetarium had not been acknowledged, Minister for Science and Technology M.R. Seetharam said that it was the Congress government that started the construction work on the Swami Vivekananda Planetarium.

“During the BJP rule the project was only on paper. It is during our government’s rule that the construction started. I am really surprised with his statement,” Mr. Seetharam said. The government had sanctioned Rs. 24 crore that led to the floating of tenders in 2014. A further grant of about Rs. 12 crore was also given, he said.

Mangaluru City South MLA J.R. Lobo acknowledged the help of Mr. Bhat in getting sanction for Rs. 8 crore from the BJP government following the approval given in 2008 to the proposal by Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama for building the planetarium.

When pointed at the allegation that the organisers have removed the plaque related to the laying of the foundation stone for the planetarium by the then Chief Minister Jagadish Shetter, Mr. Lobo said, “There is no question of removing any plaque when there is nothing of that sort here.”

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 29,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 29: Around 12,500 healthcare students from Medical, Dental, AYUSH, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Allied Health Sciences colleges of Dakshina Kannada, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), took part in a massive walkathon to promote awareness on Organ Donation and Nasha Mukth Bharat.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Mangala Stadium. Dr Bhagavan B C, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of RGUHS, delivered the welcome address. The walkathon was flagged off by Shri U T Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and presided over by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge. Dakshina Kannada MP Shri Brijesh Chowta also addressed the students.

Music director Guru Kiran, MLA Dr Bharat Shetty (Mangalore North), Police Commissioner Shri Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Shri Manjunath Bhandary and Shri Harish Kumar were among those present.

Institution heads including Dr Haji U K Monu (Kanachur Colleges), Dr Shantharam Shetty (Tejaswini College), Dr Bhaskar Shetty (City Group of Colleges), Mr Abdul Rahiman (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences), and the District Health Officer, Mangalore, also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof U T Ifthikar Fareed, Syndicate Member, RGUHS.

The event was organised by Dr U T Ifthikar Ali and Dr Shiva Sharan (Syndicate Members), Prof Vaishali (Senate Member), Prof Mohammad Suhail (Chairman, BOS Physiotherapy), Dr Sharan Shetty (Former Senate Member), along with principals and faculty of various colleges.

Students marched from Mangala Stadium to Karavali Grounds via MCC and Lalbagh signal. The event set a record as one of the largest gatherings of healthcare students for a social cause in the RGUHS Dakshina Kannada Zone.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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