Shiradi Ghat to be opened for all buses from Oct 3; decision on goods vehicles awaited

coastaldigest.com news network

October 1, 2018

Mangaluru, Oct 1: Shiradi Ghat, the crucial link between the coast and Bengaluru that was closed for traffic for a prolonged period due to South West Monsoon rain havoc and frequent landslips, will be reopened for passenger buses on October 3.

The new stretch of the Ghat was closed for all kinds of traffic from August 14 following landslips and was reopened to light motor vehicles from September 5.

Addressing a press conference here, Dakshina Kananda Deputy Commissioner S Sasiknth Senthil said on Monday that the road will be open for heavy passenger vehicles including multi-axle buses from Wednesday.

He said that the district administration would study the fallout of plying of buses on the stretch before it takes a decision to allow goods vehicles.

Police personnel would be deployed round-the-clock at locations where landslides have affected the river embankment to enforce one-way rule, he said.

In fact, ordinary buses, including sleeper coaches and regular goods vehicles, were plying via Charmadi Ghat all these days, despite the Ghat road being in ruins at most of the locations, particularly curves.

However, KSRTC was operating its multi-axle buses via Kudremukh, which used to take 10-11 hours between Bengaluru and Mangaluru as against 7-8 hours via Shiradi Ghat.

There was clamour to open Shiradi Ghat, at least for buses, since passengers as well as bus operators were put to great hardship travelling via Charmadi or Kudremukh Ghats.

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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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