No boat in distress approached us: NMPT

September 19, 2011

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Mangalore, November 20: New Mangalore Port Trust Chairman P Tamilvanan claimed that there was no boat had arrived to the New Mangalore Port on September 14.

This contradicts the claim by Vincent, the sole survivor of the 'Ocean Fisheries-2' boat tragedy that NMPT authorities had refused to anchor the boat in distress in the Port,

Speaking to the media persons on Monday, the NMPT Chairman ruled out Vincent's words and said, “the news that NMPT refused to give permission for anchoring the boat in distress in the Port is not acceptable and far from truth.”

He said that the NMPT is ready to face any inquiry in this regard. “On the previous day of the boat tragedy, the NMPT had anchored two boats from outside and there was no reason for the Port authorities to reject the plea of the fishermen in 'Ocean Fisheries-2', if at all the fishermen had asked for help,” he said.

The authorities from the Coast Guard, Fisheries and other departments who were present at the meet too washed their hands off, as none of the officials affirmed the statement of the survivor of the tragedy that the crew members of the sunken boat had sent distress message to them.

Recalling the incident, Coast Guard Commandant Rajendra Sigh Safal informed that he had received a call informing him about the boat in distress on September 15 at 3 am, following which he made arrangements for deploying an aircraft from Kochi to search for the boat and the search operation began at 5.30 am. “That was the minimum time required for making arrangements for the aircraft and we could not do anything more,” he said.

P Tamilvanan said that going by the words of Coast Guard staff, the boat in distress was stuck in the sea almost 30 nautical miles away from New Mangalore Port when the boat members sought help.

“When such was the situation, how can one believe that the boat had approached NMPT authorities seeking help on the same day?” he asked.

Port Security Committee

In a new development, Port Security Committee has been formed consisting of the NMPT Chairman, Mangalore Assistant Commissioner, Coast Guard Commandant, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Fisheries Department Deputy Director and others. The committee is scheduled to hold meetings once in three moths. The committee held an official meeting on Monday to discuss the matters pertaining to the security of the Port.

NMPT Chairman said that henceforth NMPT authorities will shelter the boats in distress in the Port without following the usual procedure of seeking assistance from the Fisheries Department. “The men in the boat will be taken care first and then the Port authorities would contact the Fisheries Department to receive the security clearance,” he informed.

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 15,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 15: The Mangaluru city police arrested three people in connection with the murder of Adyar Gram Panchayat member Yaqoob, which took place on Friday last week. Personal enmity and financial issues are the reason behind the murder, said police.

The arrested accused are Shakir, Haneef and Shakir Ahmed, all residents of Adyar.

 According to police, the main accused Shakir, who was involved with the sand mafia and had other business interests had financial issues, and personal enmity with Yaqoob, a GP member backed by the BJP. 

The investigating officer said they were produced before the court through video conference. They have been remanded in police custody for undergoing testing for Covid-19. They will be again be produced before the court physically, only if they test negative.

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News Network
March 25,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 25: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that strict action will be taken against overpricing and hoarding of essential items during lockdown period in the state.
Speaking to media persons here, he said: "Today 14 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported taking the total number of cases to 105 (excluding four discharged) in the state."
"Out of this, six are from Kasaragod district, two from Kozhikode, eight have returned from Dubai, one each from Qatar and UK; and three have got infected from a mutual contact. One health worker is also suspected to be on the list," he said.
A total of 72,460 people are under observation in the state out of which 71,994 are in isolation in their homes and 466 in hospitals. Today 164 people were hospitalised. 4,516 samples were sent for testing out of which 3,331 have tested negative.
Chief Minister Vijayan said that people should take the lockdown seriously and strictly adhere to government instructions.
"All personal vehicles should strictly be off the road. Taxis and autos can only be used for emergency purposes. People using personal vehicles should give self-declaration giving details about the purpose of the journey. Police action will be taken against those giving false information or found misusing personal vehicles," he said.
The Chief Minister today interacted with the MLAs from Kasargod through audio conferencing and asked them to co-ordinate the activities there along with the Panchayat president.
"Special attention should be given to the elderly, homeless, specially-abled in the state and local self-government institutions should take effort to arrange food and shelter for the needy. Apart from medicines, those in isolation would also be given counselling if required," he said.
He also urged the youth to come forward in volunteering during this difficult time. They can volunteer as bystanders in hospitals and help in other places too.
The Chief Minister also informed that the testing facilities at Central Universities in Kerala, IISER in Trivandrum and MIMS, Kozhikode can be used.
"All MLAs are working in their respective constituencies and they should make the effort to identify places that can be used as regional isolation centres, as and when required," said Vijayan.

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News Network
April 15,2020

Mangaluru, Apr 15: Santhosh Kumar Padil, ASI attached to Mangaluru East (Kadri) Police Station, has helped two children unite with their parents in Kerala.

The children had come to Mangaluru during the holidays and could not return to their native place following the closure of border and lockdown. The two children, hailing from Manjeshwara in Kasargod district, were in the house of their relatives in Mangaladevi and were eager to join their parents.

The relatives of the children had brought the issue to the notice of the ASI and sought his help in the matter.

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