Nagarika Samiti moves Supreme Court against Surathkal toll gate

[email protected] (CD Network | Photos by Suresh Vamanjoor)

December 24, 2015

Mangaluru: Dec 24: Nagarika Samiti, Mangaluru, has submitted its appeal against the construction of the toll gate in Surathkal by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

Addressing media persons here on Wednesday, Mangaluru North MLA B A Mohiyuddin Bava said the Samiti had objected to the construction of the toll gate in front of NITK at Surathkal. Though the chief minister and the PWD minister had written to the NHAI to stop the work on the toll gate, the NHAI continued with the work. Later, the Samiti filed a case in the High Court against this. The court has ordered status quo and hence, the Samiti has moved the Supreme Court, he said.

Referring to a Supreme Court verdict in connection with a toll gate case in Ranchi, Bava said the court stayed the toll collection as the construction of the toll gate was ‘unscientific’. The toll gate in Surathkal is also an example of ‘unscientific construction’. The service road work on the stretch has not been completed before constructing the toll gate and the drain system is also closed. The NHAI and the construction company should keep aside their false pride and work for public welfare, he said.

The Samiti has moved the Supreme Court on the basis of violations done by the NHAI in the construction of the toll gate without laying the service road and closing of the drain system.

Above all, the toll gate has been constructed just opposite to the NITK. As huge vehicles line up in front of the toll gate, the NITK students are finding it inconvenient to enter the campus. The issue has been discussed at the NITK Board Committee meeting. A letter has been written to Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani in this regard, he said.

Smoke from the vehicles is causing nuisance to the students of a nearby primary school, he charged.

Bava urged the NHAI to shift the toll gate one km away and outside the Mangaluru City Corporation limits.

He also alleged that the toll gate in Surathkal has not yet been merged with the Haleyangadi toll gate as stated earlier.

The Samiti is not against the collection of toll. But it is against the unscientific construction of the toll gate, he said. Samiti Member Bhaskar Malli was present on the occasion.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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