Residents continue agitation for restoration of Phalguni ecosystem; stage protest before CRZ office

May 4, 2012

Mangalore, May 4: continuing their agitation for third consecutive day, residents of Melkoppala and Athrebailu residents on Friday carried out demonstration in front of the local office of the Coastal Regulatory Authority demanding action for the alleged violation of Coastal Regulatory Zone regulations by the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ).

The residents are demanding the MSEZ to remove the mud dumped along the Phalguni river near Kuloor and restore the ecosystem.

The residents went to the office of the Assistant Director, the Coastal Regulatory Authority on Friday morning. “We went there to clarify about a letter written by the authority stating that there was not much violation of the CRZ regulations by the MSEZ and they had been permitted to go ahead with the work,” said Dinesh B. Shetty, who is led the resident's group.

The residents are opposing the work being done along the Phalguni river for the proposed road-cum-pipeline corridor connecting the MSEZ and the New Mangalore Port Trust.

The residents raised slogans against the MSEZ and then insisted Assistant Director Mahesh Kumar visit the place of work.

Mr. Kumar obliged to the request and visited the work site along with residents. The residents, who had gathered in a big number near Kulur bridge, said they would not allow the MSEZ to go ahead with the work unless mud dumped along the Phalguni river was removed.

The MSEZ said the pipeline-cum-road corridor development work was done after obtaining environment clearance certificate issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest on the recommendation of Coastal Regulator Authority.

In a press release, MSEZ Public Relations Officer Ramachandra Bhandarkar said the certificate recognised the construction earth walls and elevated roadway over structures for construction of the corridor. Necessary permissions have been taken from the State Government for strengthening the river bank and for construction of road over bridge. The MSEZ had duly complied with the directions of the CRZ.

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Karnataka to scrap separate entrance exams for private universities from 2025

News Network

September 20,2024

Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, private universities in Karnataka offering professional courses will no longer conduct separate entrance exams. This decision follows a directive from the state’s Higher Education Department, prompting private universities to form an association and agree to this significant change.

In a recent meeting with Higher Education Minister Dr. M. C. Sudhakar, representatives from 17 private universities confirmed their decision to discontinue individual entrance tests. Of the 27 private universities in the state, 17 offer professional courses, and they have collectively agreed to accept scores from existing national or state-level entrance exams.

“Some universities will consider JEE scores, others will rely on KCET, and a few are inclined towards COMEDK,” Dr. Sudhakar stated, leaving the choice of examination to the universities themselves. However, the department has also suggested that the universities consider a unified entrance test for admissions.

Looking ahead, Dr. Sudhakar hinted that the government may introduce a common entrance test for general degree courses at private universities as well. "As government colleges and universities currently don’t require entrance exams for general degree courses, we haven’t made any decisions on this yet," he explained.

The meeting also addressed concerns over the high fees charged by private universities. To regulate this, the universities were instructed to establish fee fixation committees, headed by retired judges, as required by law. These committees will be responsible for determining tuition fees. Additionally, the government will continue to regulate fees for 40% of seats in professional courses that are filled through KCET.

In an effort to bring greater uniformity among private institutions, the government is considering enacting a common law for all private universities, which would replace the individual acts currently governing each university. This would place all private universities under a single regulatory framework.

This move is expected to streamline the admissions process and create a more standardized system for both professional and general degree programs across Karnataka's private universities.

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