Jet Airways to connect Mangaluru with more Gulf destinations

Mangaluru, Mar 21: Taking strict measures to contain the spreading of COVID-19, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh, who is also District Magistrate, ordered sealing of road connectivity leading to Kerala State for all kinds of traffic from March 21 to midnight of March 31.

No vehicles will be allowed to operate between Dakshina Kannada and Kasaragod district in Kerala, the Deputy Commissioner said in a late-night order on Friday.

Ms. Rupesh said that in case of any emergency, vehicles will be allowed only through the Talapady check post on the National Highway 66, which is about 17 km away from Mangaluru city.

The Deputy Commissioner’s order came after the Kasaragod district reported six COVID-19 positive cases on Friday.

The order said that many vehicles operated between Kasaragod in Kerala and Mangaluru and hence, there is a need to take precautionary measures.

Private buses to not ply

Private bus operators in Dakshina Kannada will not operate their buses on March 22 to support the ‘Janata Curfew’ called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Dilraj Alva, president, Dakshina Kananda Bus Operators’ Association, said in a release on Friday that people should remain in their homes on Sunday to help contain the community spreading of COVID-19. The decision has been taken in the interest of the public, he said.

Mangaluru, Jan 9: A forest guard was arrested caught red-hand by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials while accepting Rs 3,000 bribe from a person for granting permission to cut Mahogany trees for his personal use, a statement said on Thursday.

According to the statement, the arrested identified as N Sudheer sought bribe of Rs 15,000 from Gopalakrishna Herale, a resident of Beltangady.

Mr Herale, in a complaint, lodged on January 7 said that he had sought a permit from the forest department for cutting of Mahogany trees purchased by him.

Bengaluru, Jan 30: There are around 3 lakh Bangladeshis across Karnataka and around 3,000 of them left Bengaluru following the recent crackdown, according to Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru city police commissioner.

It's the first time a high-ranking official has put a number to Bangladeshis in Karnataka following the debate over the new citizenship law.

At a conclave on 'Construction Workers Safety, Health and Welfare' organised by the labour department and IIMB here, he said the estimate was arrived at based on information sourced from Bangladeshis deported recently.

There's been no study to ascertain the Bangladeshi population in the state, Rao said, adding that most illegal Bangladeshis in Bengaluru are victims of human trafficking.

"They come to Bengaluru for employment. Unlike other cities, Bengaluru has a lot of job potential and pays good salaries too. There are a lot of Bangladeshis working in the construction industry," Rao said.

Workers from Bangladesh demand lower wages. While other labourers demand around Rs 500 to Rs 600 per day, Bangladeshi workers don’t complain about being paid around Rs 100-150,” Rao said, adding that this has encouraged human traffickers to increasingly bring in Bangladeshis.

Suresh Hari, chairman, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India, however, said they’re not aware of the nationality of their workers as contractors bring workers registered for tasks. “It’s difficult to say where they are from as there’s also construction work outside Credai’s purview,” Hari said.