Kuwait-Mangalore flight: Lobo, Baig meet Air India MD, aviation minister

[email protected] (Media Release)
August 5, 2014

Mangalore, Aug 5: Urging to restart the direct flights to Kuwait from Mangalore, J.R Lobo, MLA of Mangalore south constituency, along with R Roshan Baig, minister for Information, Infrastructure development and Haj met Rohit Nandan, chairman and managing director of Air India at and G M Siddeshwar, minister of State for Civil Aviation, Govt of India, separately at New Delhi on Tuesday.

The direct flights between Mangalore to Kuwait remain suspended since last 6 months.

It may be recalled that Lobo had brought the same matter to the notice of the government in previous Assembly session of Belgaum held during November/ December and the govt had replied on the floor that the matter was connected to govt of India and the same will be brought to the notice of civil aviation ministry. However, no concrete action was taken till date. Hence, Lobo along with Roshan Baig called on CMD of Air India and also the Minister for civil aviation separately at New Delhi today.

Lobo requested both the authorities to restart the suspended flights from Mangalore to Kuwait directly. Both, the CMD and also the Minister for Civil Aviation have promised to look into this seriously and promised that the action will be initiated to redress the long pending grievances of NRIs residing in Kuwait.

Besides, Lobo and Baig informed the Minister of Civil Aviation on the need to extend Mangalore runway by another 285 mtrs. Mr Lobo impressed upon the Central Minister that Mangalore is the second International airport of Karnataka whereas the neighbouring Kerala already has 3 international airports and now they are developing fourth one at Kannur. If Mangalore runway is not extended, wide bodied aircrafts cannot land in Mangalore which will hinder the cargo exports and also may lose the international status.

Next to Bangalore, Mangalore is the only airport in Karnataka which has all the potential to grow and become the major destination for industrial, educational and tourism growth. Roshan Baig also insisted that Mangalore should be given all the attention and stated that Karnataka govt will give all the support to GOI to develop Mangalore airport.

Minister for Civil Aviation stated that this project requires an investment of more than Rs 1100 crores. Hence it has to be developed on PPP model as it was done in Cochin and the union minister assured to take up this issue seriously. Rosha Baig suggested that if Civil Aviation Ministry comes with a proper plan, this can be proposed for forthcoming Global Investor Meet.

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December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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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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