Hundreds pay last respect to Bondala Jagannath Shetty

naeem@coastaldigest.com (CD Network, Photos by Suresh Vamanjoor)

July 31, 2012

Mangalore, August 1: Leaders and workers of Congress party, activists and representatives of various organisations and hundreds other on Wednesday paid their last respects to former District Youth Congress chief Bondala Jagannath Shetty in the city.

People in large numbers turned up to pay their tribute to the late leader whose mortal remains were kept in front of District Congress Office, here for public homage. With folded hands, the mourners were seen passing by the flower bedecked coffin amidst the presence of grieving family members.

After paying their last respect to the departed leader District Congress Committee president and Bantwal MLA B Ramanath Rai said that Tuesday night's accident was indeed an accident for all the leaders and workers of Congress party from this region. No one can fulfill this loss, he added.

Former MP Vinay Kumar Sorake opined that Shetty was one of the uncontroversial and much revered leaders of Congress party in Bantwal-Puttur region. “He was a secular leader and true Congress man. Though he had lost Puttur Assembly constituency to Mallika Prasad in 2008 elections, he worked for the people till his last breath,” he said.

Terming Shetty's death as most unfortunate incident Mangalore MLA U T Khader said that Congress party could never forget former's contribution. “This a great loss for all of us. I lost one of my best friends forever”, he said.

JD(S) leader MG Hegde and District Congress Secretary T K Sudhir among others also paid their homage. The mortal remains were later taken in a procession to his hometown in Bantwal for final rites.

Earlier:

Congress leader Bondala Jagannath Shetty killed in accident

Mangalore, July 31: In a late-night tragedy, one of the prominent Congress leaders from Coastal Karnataka, Bondala Jagannath Shetty died on spot, when his car met with an accident near Panemangalore.

39-year-old Shetty was returning home when his Fortuner SUV collided with a gas tanker at around 11:00pm on Tuesday.

The unexpected tragedy comes a day after he addressed a media conference in Mangalore to condemn the homestay attack.

Hailing from Bantwal taluk, Shettey had jumped into politics at an early age and held many positions in Congress party. Between 2001 and 2009 he was the president of Dakshina Kannada district Youth Congress.

In 2008 assembly elections Shetty had contested from prestigious Puttur constituency and had lost to Bharatiya Janata Party's Mallika Prasad by a margin of around 1500 votes.

He is survived by his wife, a daughter and a large number of relatives, friends and well-wishers.

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Fee Hike in Private School across Coastal Karnataka Raises Concerns among Parents

News Network

March 15,2025

Mangaluru: Parents in coastal Karnataka are facing a significant financial burden as private schools across the region have implemented a sharp 20% or higher fee hike for the new academic year. This marks a drastic increase compared to the 6-15% annual hikes over the past four years. Schools justify the rise by citing increased teacher salaries and rising operational costs.

A parent from a CBSE school in Moodbidri reported that last year, his child's school fee was Rs 23,000, excluding transport and books. This year, it has jumped to Rs 29,000. "Fees for all classes in our school have been hiked by Rs 6,000," he shared.

Similarly, Jean D'Souza, whose two children study at an ICSE school in Mangaluru, said the school has increased fees by Rs 5,000 this year, from Rs 46,000 to Rs 51,000. Another parent from an ICSE school on the outskirts of the city reported a 20% hike and urged the government to intervene and regulate school fee increases.

Additional Costs Add to Parents’ Burden

Parents highlighted that beyond tuition fees, they also bear expenses for transport, uniforms, and books. Monthly transport fees range between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500, while book costs amount to Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per child annually. However, some relief comes from schools allowing fee payments in installments. "Many schools permit two to four installments, which helps ease the financial strain for parents," said a school management representative.

Schools Defend the Fee Hike

A school principal explained the reasons behind the steep fee increase this year. "Most schools refrained from major fee hikes after the pandemic. However, teacher salary demands have increased, and with a shortage of trained educators, retaining them is difficult without annual pay raises," he said.

Other rising costs include electricity, water, building maintenance, government fees, and general operational expenses. School managements argue that these factors make the fee hike necessary to sustain quality education.

While parents express frustration over the rising costs, the debate over striking a balance between affordability and sustaining quality education continues. Many now call for government intervention to regulate private school fee structures, ensuring that education remains accessible to all families.

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