Mangalore-Dammam inaugural flight takes off - WATCH VIDEO!

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Suresh Vamanjoor)
April 3, 2013

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Mangalore, Apr 3: The historic Mangalore-Dammam direct flight with 160 passengers onboard finally took off from Mangalore International Airport at 5 p.m. (IST) on Wednesday.

A festive atmosphere prevailed at the Mangalore International Airport as for the first time in its six decades of history, overwhelmed passengers from Mangalore are directly flying to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today.

Passengers who boarded the Mangalore-Dammam inaugural flight from the airport in Bajpe were enthusiastic over the direct flight which could save trouble for the large number of expatriates from the region of coastal Karnataka working in Saudi Arabia. As many as 59 passengers from Mangalore were on board the flight which took off at 5 p.m. today, airline officials said. The 160-seat capacity flight began its journey from Calicut with passengers from Kerala at 3 p.m. and landed at Mangalore at 4 p.m.

Udupi-Chikmagalur MP K Jayaprakash Hegde, Mangalore MLA U T Khader and Chairman of Coastaldigest.com Mohammed Asif were among those who were on-board. Deputy General Manager of Air India Express, Mangalore Melwin D'Silva presented the boarding cards to the dignitaries and welcomed them on the inaugural flight.

Speaking to mediapersons, Mr Khader said that a large population from Mangalore and other parts of coastal Karnataka, used to frequent Dammam, Jubail, Riyadh and other parts of Saudi Arabia for work-related purposes. The long-standing demand of a direct flight linking Mangalore with the major cities of Saudi Arabia has been fulfilled today, due to the continuous efforts of Amaco chairman Mohammed Asif and members of various organisations, who met several prominent people such as Praful Patel, S M Krishna, Veerappa Moily, Oscar Fernandes and several others urging them to facilitate a direct flight between Mangalore and Saudi Arabia. The flight will also serve as an opportunity for growth for Mangalore International Airport, he said, wishing that more flights would become operational from Mangalore to Saudi in the coming days.

Mr Hegde and Mr Khader will be visiting Saudi to participate in the Coastaldigest.com gala to be held in Jubail on Thursday evening.

Airport Director T Radhakrishnan, Air India Express of Mangalore Melwin D'Silva and airport manager for Air India Sudhir Bhat accorded a warm welcome to all the passengers checking-in for the Air India Express flight IXE 385, which landed in Mangalore from Calicut.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has made all arrangements for the smooth operation of arrival and departure of flights from Dammam. Mangalore is now connected with Dammam in Saudi Arabia with the commencement of flight IXE 385. Air India Express will operate flights twice a week from Mangalore to Dammam on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the return flight leaving Dammam on Thursday and Sunday.

Passengers thrilled

The air link to Dammam was a long-awaited connection by the local travelers and NRIs. Before the flight took off from Mangalore as per schedule, many eager passengers shared their enthusiasm and appreciation for the flight which was made possible through the efforts and dedication of several people.

Visibly happy, Bajpe Zakariya, a prominent NRI industrialist in Saudi Arabia, who checked-in along with his family said that he was delighted over the commencement of the direct flight. “People and representatives of various organizations have worked hard for the past three years for the commencement of this flight and today the dream has come true. This flight will be useful for the people of entire coastal Karnataka, especially Dakshina Kannada, since a large number of people from this area are employed in Saudi, said Mr Zakariya, who employs over 250 Indians in the Kingdom.

Ali, another passenger said that he was eagerly waiting for this day. “I am feeling happy. I had never imagined that I will directly fly to Dammam from Mangalore so soon,” said Ali who has been working in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade.

Naveena D'Souza, hailing from Udupi, visits Saudi once every six months to avoid the expiry of her Saudi visa. Travelling with her son and daughter, she told Coastaldigest.com that she was very happy about the direct flight. “Since me and my children hold Saudi Arabian visas, visiting the Kingdom every six months is inevitable. So far, it was a hassle travelling to Saudi each time, since it would always result in wastage of time. The direct flight will make our journey easy now,” she said, smiling.

Her son, Flanish said that prior to the direct flight, they had to travel to Saudi via Mumbai, Bahrain or Dubai, which would make it difficult for them. A lot of time would be wasted waiting in the airports and the duration between two different connecting flights would be very less, making it hard sometimes to catch the next flight on time. The direct flight will help us reach our destination faster, so now, we can directly fly to Dammam in less than five hours without trouble or wasting much time, he said.

A youngster Afzal, travelling with his family said that the direct flight made their journey stress-free.

Chief Operating Officer of Air India Express Ansbert D'Souza conveyed his warm wishes to the passengers travelling on the flight and his gratitude to the people of Mangalore for their support.

Watch Video!

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News Network
November 13,2024

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Bengaluru: An estimated overall 10.14 per cent voter turnout was recorded during the first two hours, since the voting began for bypolls to three Assembly segments in Karnataka on Wednesday, election officials said.

The voting began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm.

More than seven lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in about 770 polling stations in Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna, where a total of 45 candidates are in the fray.

While Channapatna recorded 10.34 per cent voter turnout till 9 am, it was 10.08 per cent in Shiggaon, and 9.99 per cent in Sandur, election officials said.

Voters, including women and elderly were seen queuing up in front of polling booths in these segments.

By-polls for Sandur, Shiggaon, and Channapatna are necessitated, as the seats fell vacant following the election of their respective representatives -- E Tukaram of Congress, former CM Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) -- to Lok Sabha in May elections.

As many as 31 candidates are in the fray from Channapatna, while Sandur and Shiggaon have six and eight contenders, respectively.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the three segments for the smooth conduct of the polls.

The by-polls will witness a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Sandur and Shiggaon segments, while in Channapatna, JD(S) which is part of the NDA alliance is in contest against the grand old party.

Among the three segments, Channapatna is considered to be a "high profile", where the contest is between C P Yogeeshwara, a five time MLA from the segment and former Minister, who joined the Congress quitting BJP ahead of nomination, and actor-turned -politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is Kumaraswamy’s son and former PM H D Deve Gowda's grandson.

BJP's Bharath Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai, is fighting Congress Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, who had faced defeat against the former Chief Minister in the 2023 Assembly polls, in Shiggaon.

Bharath Bommai and his father cast their vote at a polling booth in Shiggaon segment.

In Sandur, Bellary MP Tukaram's wife E Annapurna of Congress is contesting from the seat vacated by her husband, against, BJP ST Morcha president Bangaru Hanumanthu, who is considered close to party leader and former mining barron G Janardhan Reddy.

Annapurna, Tukaram and other family members cast their votes at a booth in the segment.

With Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharath Bommai contesting, the third generation of Gowda and Bommai families are in the fray in this by-poll. Both their fathers and grandfathers have served as Karnataka's Chief Ministers in the past.

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News Network
November 10,2024

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Mangaluru: A tragic accident took place on Saturday at Chembugudde near Thokkottu, claiming the life of a 47-year-old woman after a tanker lorry ran over her. The victim, identified as Rahmat H Rashid, was riding pillion with her husband, Abdul Rashid G, on their scooter. 

The couple was traveling from Yenepoya Hospital to Bajpe when the scooter skidded on the poorly maintained road. Rahmat fell onto the road and was fatally struck by a tanker lorry that was coming from behind. Despite being rushed to the hospital, doctors declared her dead upon arrival.

The incident prompted a swift response from the DYFI Ullal Taluk Committee, which staged a protest on Saturday night, condemning the unsafe condition of the road. Nithin Kuthar, president of the committee, criticized MLA and Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader for failing to ensure safe infrastructure, despite touting the road as toll-free. 

Kuthar demanded immediate repairs, warning that the committee would march to the MLA’s office with black flags if the road is not fixed within a week.

Former DYFI State President Sunil Kumar Bajal also voiced frustration over the deteriorating condition of Thokkottu market, highlighting the struggles people face while crossing roads riddled with dangerous potholes. In response to public outcry, temporary repairs were made to the road at Chembugudde on Sunday, though locals remain wary and demand a more permanent solution. 

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News Network
November 16,2024

Mangaluru: The Kavoor police in Mangaluru, Karnataka, have arrested three individuals from Kerala in connection with two separate cybercrime cases, including one involving extortion under the guise of a "digital arrest."

City Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal reported that one of the arrested individuals, Nisar, a resident of Ernakulam district, posed as a CBI officer. He allegedly threatened the complainant with arrest and extorted Rs 68 lakh. A case has been filed under sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the IT Act, and sections 308 (2) and 381 (4) of BNS.

In another case, the Kavoor police arrested two men, Sahil K P of Thiruvannur, Kozhikode, and Muhammad Nashath of Mappila Koyilandy, Kerala, in connection with a share trade fraud. The accused are alleged to have deceived the complainant by promising substantial profits from an investment in the stock market. Trusting the fraudsters, the complainant invested Rs 90 lakh, which was subsequently lost. A case has been registered under sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the IT Act, and sections 318 (4) and 3 (5) of BNS.

The accused were arrested in Koyilandi and presented before the court. The operation was carried out under the guidance of City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, led by Mangaluru North Sub-Division ACP Srikanth K, Kavoor Inspector Raghavendra Byndoor, Kavoor PSI Mallikarjuna Biradara, and staff members Ramanna Shetty, Bhuvaneshwari, Rajappa Kashibai, Praveen N, and Malatesh. 

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