Finally, Mangaluru Airport provides a prayer-room for air passengers

Mangaluru, May 13: Union Minister and former Karnataka chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda today assured that he will exert pressure on the authorities concerned to operate more repatriate flights to bring back Kannadigas from Saudi Arabia to Karnataka. 

Speaking in a video conference organised by coastaldigest.com with Kannadiga delegates in Saudi Arabia, Mr Gowda said: “Today itself I will contact the external affairs ministry and Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to convince them the need to add operate flights to bring back stranded Kannaidgas from the Kingdom.

After paying heed to the advices, requests and concerns of Kannadiga delegates that participated in the video conference, Mr Gowda said: “Two things need to be done. First thing is number of flights from Saudi Arabia to Karnataka should be increased. Second thing is to ensure that most of these flights land in the Mangaluru Airport as most of the Kannadiga expats in Saudi Arabia are from the coastal region.

“There should be at least two to three flights from Saudi Arabia to Karnataka (Bengaluru Airport or Mangaluru Airport) every week. That is my intention,” he added.

Bengaluru, Apr 8: In another incident of health staff involved in coronavirus containment facing trouble, two ASHA workers were allegedly manhandled at Kudachi in Belagavi district in Karnataka on Tuesday while undertaking a survey following detection of four COVID-19 cases with Tablighi links in the area, police said.

The district authorities have intensified door-to-door survey in Kudachi after four people who had attended the Tablighi Jamat religious conference in New Delhi last month tested positive for coronavirus in nearby Raibagh.

“Today when two ASHA workers went to Kudachi, some miscreants snatched away their phones. We are investigating whether they were beaten up also,” a police officer investigating the matter told PTI.

A few days ago, four ASHA workers here were manhandled when they went for a door-to-door survey and police have arrested five people from a minority community. They have been remanded to judicial custody by a court.

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda had on Monday condemned incidents of attacks on doctors and health department workers and sought protection for them.

Kochi, Mar 2: The Vatican has rejected the second appeal by Sister Lucy Kalappura -- one of the nuns who protested against rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal -- against her expulsion from Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC).

In her plea, she had demanded that her version be heard and her expulsion from FCC revoked.

She was expelled from FCC for participating in public protests demanding the arrest of Franco Mulakkal in the nun rape case.

''I got a letter from Vatican which says my appeal has been rejected. But the rest of the letter is written in the Latin language. So after I understand it, I will respond," Sister Lucy told news agency.

''The authorities are contemptuous of those who make such complaints. That is why the letter is written in Latin. Sister Lucy would continue her legal fight in the courts,'' said George Moolechalil, who has been authorised by Sister Lucy to communicate with the media on her behalf.

A petition of Sister Lucy is still pending at Mananthavady Munsif Court at Wayanad that demands that she should not be expelled from the convent where she is staying.