City: Mangalore

Using discarded refrigerators as pots, a group of high-school children of Ullal in Mangalore now grow organic farm produce to meet their daily vegetable requirements. Once lying discarded on the streets, the ‘thermally insulated’ compartments of unused refrigerators act as eco-friendly pots for growing a variety of vegetables on the ‘rooftop garden’ of Sayyed Madani Urdu Higher Primary School (SMUHGPS), located in Halekote within the Ullal City Municipality. Over the last two years, the students of this co-educational school, along with the management, have sown and tended to almost 10 varieties of vegetation and have successfully harvested paddy for consumption.…

For several years now, ordinary citizens across the country with no end to their woes around poor roads and potholes have taken creative routes and come up with the most innovative ideas to make their dissent heard. For instance, Bengaluru-based artiste Baadal Najundaswamy has, since 2014, been planting fake crocodiles, organizing non-commercial modeling-shoots or etching art around sunken or unattended manholes to attract government attention. In another instance, a truck driver ‘buried himself’ in a pothole, in September 2019 to protest against bad roads and potholes on ‘Greenland Chowkadi’, a service road adjacent to National Highway 27. The Rajkot-based man…

In a first-of-its-kind development, private city buses in Mangalore have started making a beeline to receive biofuel made out of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) from restaurants. Biofuel researchers here are set to create a unique ecosystem for disposing hazardous UCO while also creating an eco-friendly fuel for transportation fleet. The coastal district has over 100 medium to large scale eateries, and 360 private buses plying the routes. Eight years ago, the Government of Karnataka had mooted the creation of 27 to 30 biofuel research information and demonstration centres in the state. This included a unit in Nitte village, Udupi District,…

Dakshina Kannada parliamentary constituency comprises eight assembly constituencies - Belthangady, Moodabidri, Mangalore City North (previously Surathkal), Mangalore City South (previously Mangalore), Mangalore (previously Ullal), Bantval, Puttur and Sulia. This constituency has historically been a BJP stronghold. According to the website of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka, as of 16th January, the constituency had 16,97,417 voters – 8,33,719 male, 8,63,599 female and 99 others. [flexiblemap src="http://data.opencity.in/Data/Karnataka-Parliament-Constituency-Dakshina-Kannada-Map-V-1.kml" width="100%" height="400px" ] Note – Map for representation purpose | Source – http://datameet.org The constituency has been a sensitive one, vulnerable to violence and rowdyism, and parts of it -- especially Mangalore city commissionerate…

Nalin Kumar Kateel is a second-time Lok Sabha MP who represents Dakshina Kannada parliamentary constituency. He is contesting again from the constituency on a BJP ticket this time. Dakshina Kannada constituency comprises Belthangady, Moodabidri, Mangalore City North (previously Surathkal), Mangalore South (previously Mangalore), Mangalore (previously Ullal), Bantwal, Puttur and Sulia assembly constituencies. Kateel was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2009, upon defeating Congress representative Janardhan Poojary by 40,420 votes. Prior to this, he was the District General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Kateel again contested in the general election in 2014, and was re-elected…

Continuous trolling, sarcastic celebrations, and even a mock ‘inauguration by the Prime Minister’ -- there is no end to the many creative ways in which Mangaluru residents have been venting their frustration over the incompletion of this 900-metre flyover in their city that lies unfinished for close to a decade now. The Pumpwell flyover that lies at the intersection of NH66 AND NH55 was ideated to absorb the excess load of the intercity and highway traffic, but for nearly 10 years since the issue of the Letter of Approval (LOA) for the project, it has only added to traffic woes…

In the last week of 2018, a hurriedly planned public consultation arranged by the Department of Municipal Administration of Karnataka to frame an updated Solid Waste Management Policy for the state had to be called off, following sharp criticism by activists and pourakarmikas (waste collectors). Protesters objected to the very short notice given for the consultation and the draft being circulated on the day of the meeting. For those wondering why the Department chose to act in such haste, it could be because of the negative observations of the constitutional auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), following…

In the second week of January, amidst heavy security provided by the local police and the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), Forest Department officials -- along with the Dakshina Kannada district authorities and personnel from Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (MESCOM) -- began uprooting and chopped nearly 202 trees at Alake village in Padil in Mangalore city in Karnataka. The 10.09-acre area formerly under Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation (KSFIC) at Padil - is located on National Highway 75. In 2014, the state government transferred 5.89 acres to the Revenue Department. The Alake area with survey No. 23/6A1B2, 23/4B, 23/12B,…

On December 22nd, a woman was forced to deliver her child at the Mangalore Railway Junction (MAJN), after an ambulance failed to reach the remote area due to the narrow roads leading up to it. The 26-year-old woman, identified as Lata, a migrant labourer from Madhya Pradesh, was waiting for the train at the station, when she started experiencing labour pain and repeatedly cried out for help. Abubakker, a local rickshaw driver, immediately called 108 emergency services and directed them to the location. However, though the nearest ambulance reached the spot, the vehicle could not drive up to the station…

At a four-road intersection near Besant Women's College in Mangalore, a 49-year-old man sporting an orange reflector jacket over a neatly pressed Khaki shirt, trouser and black shoes, flags down an errant SUV from Kalakunj road. This gives the on-duty traffic constable enough time for not only clearing the traffic from MG Road (PVS circle to Ladyhill circle), but also to allow some school children to cross the road to safety - another job well done. But the duo cannot yet heave a sigh of relief, for over the next three hours between 5 and 8 pm, Ramesh Gowda and…