‘Petty politics’ further delays Surathkal-Kana-MRPL Road work

[email protected] (CD Network)
February 17, 2017

Mangaluru, Feb 17: The execution of the repair work of the Surathkal-Kana-MRPL Road is getting delayed further, thanks to the ‘petty politics’ being played by a few ‘local leaders’. According to Mangaluru North MLA B A Mohiuddin Bava, Right wing activists led by Hindu Jagarana Vedike leader Satyajit Surathkal are now blocking the commencement of the work.

bava
On the other hand, Satyajit Surathkal who is an aspirant for BJP ticket from Mangaluru North Assembly constituency in next polls, accused the authorities of going ahead with the work without proper planning.

“Mr Surathkal was insisting on taking up the work of widening the old railway bridge before taking up the road work. However, the road work has nothing to do with work related to railway bridge and it was being raised only to delay the work,” said Mr Bava. A proposal has been already made to the Konkan Railway for building a new bridge, he added.

Mr Bava also said that he was being falsely accused of causing damage to property of a temple in Surathkal for the road work. The news was ill-founded and no damage whatsoever was being caused to the temple’s property, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Surathkal justified his stance and said that it was necessary to have a new railway bridge as it will ease traffic movement on the new four-lane road. The MLA has not thought of rehabilitating some of the small-time vendors whose shops will be removed, he said.

Muneer Katipalla, a member of Jokattee Nagarika Hitrakashan Vedike, said Mr. Surthakal has put forth a lame objection to stall the execution of the work. “He did not raise issue of the bridge when we were fighting,” Mr. Katipalla said. He also blamed Mr. Bava for not getting the work executed in a proper way.

Ironically, the Nagarika Seva Samiti, which comprises of Left-wing activists, too had opposed the Mangaluru City Corporation’s move to commence the repair work a few months ago questioning how the civic body starts work without formal approval of the tender. Interestingly, a few days after it blocked the work, the same Samiti had called for a bandh in the area against the delay in commencement of the work!

The repair work is expected to take up jointly by the civic body and giant companies that are using the 4.6 km stretch to ply their vehicles. While Mangaluru City Corporation has agreed to spend Rs 45 lakh, the Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd., Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL), oil marketing companies HPCL, BASF and BPCL and BASF have also given funds for the repair work.

Comments

Rikaz
 - 
Sunday, 19 Feb 2017

Forget about surathkal, who is he to stop you from working....you carry on with your beautiful work....later on you can look in to bridge work....like how it can be done....etc etc

lalitha
 - 
Friday, 17 Feb 2017

as soon as possible this work should be finished bava we are facing heavy traffic please do it.

karthik
 - 
Friday, 17 Feb 2017

u dont care anybody do your good work.

Jaikanth
 - 
Friday, 17 Feb 2017

power is in your hand

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Puttur: The long-cherished dream of a government medical college in Puttur has moved a decisive step closer to reality, with the Karnataka State Finance Department granting its official approval for the construction of a new 300-bed hospital.

Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai announced the crucial development to reporters on Monday, confirming that the official communication from the finance department was issued on November 27. This 300-bed facility is intended to be the cornerstone for the establishment of the government medical college, a project announced in the state budget.

Fast-Track Implementation

The MLA outlined an aggressive timeline for the project:

•    A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the hospital is expected to be ready within 45 days.

•    The tender process for the construction will be completed within two months.

Following the completion of the tender process, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the project.

"Setting up a medical college in Puttur is a historical decision by the Congress government in Karnataka," Rai stated. The project has an estimated budget allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for the medical college.

Focus on Medical Education Department

The MLA highlighted a key strategic move: requesting the government to implement the hospital construction through the Medical Education Department instead of the Health and Family Welfare Department. This is intended to streamline the entire process of establishing the full medical college, ensuring the facilities—including labs, operation theatres, and other necessary infrastructure—adhere to the strict guidelines set by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The proposed site for the project is in Bannur.

Rai also took the opportunity to address political criticism, stating that the government has fulfilled its promise despite "apprehensions" and "mocking and criticising" from opposition parties who had failed to take similar initiatives when they were in power. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept his word," he added.

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News Network
December 1,2025

hindutvaboy.jpg

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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