Udupi: In a couple of months more amenities for tourists would be provided to the tourists visiting Malpe Beach said Pramod Madhvaraj.

Speaking at a meeting of engineers of various government departments chaired by Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, here on Friday, Arun Kumar, Project Director of Nirmiti Kendra, said a 24-feet high watch-and-ward tower will be constructed near the drinking water facility on the road leading to the Gandhi statue at the beach.

A toilet complex was also being constructed on the southern side of the beach and it would be ready by August 15, he said. An engineer from Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL), said it would be putting up 25 benches, dustbins and interlock tiles in certain areas of the beach.

In reply to a query by Mr. Madhwaraj, Mr. Kumar said the “chavadi” or verandah section of the historic Sural Mud Palace near Kokkarne, which was in a poor condition, was being restored by the Nirmiti Kendra at a cost of Rs. 1.9 crore. The restoration work would be completed by the end of October.

The construction of a new building for the Board High School and the Traffic Police Complex in Udupi would be completed by the end of September. A garden with a walking track had been laid in front of the District Government Hospital here. The Nirmiti Kendra had completed the construction of 16 roads and 19 bridges in Udupi Assembly Constituency, he said.

The meeting was informed that the Alevoor-Beedinagudde Road would be widened. A stretch of 400 metres on the Manipal-Perampalli Road would be widened.

Mr. Madhwaraj expressed his dissatisfaction at the storm water drains built on the Syndicate Circle-DC Office Road in Manipal and said he would conduct an inspection of the road soon.

He directed Environment Engineer of Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) B.S. Raghavendra to give priority to the construction of vermi-compost unit at the Solid Waste Management Plant in Alevoor. Mr. Madhwaraj directed the engineers to begin the construction of all roads and bridges in the Constituency in November as the monsoon would have receded by then. He also directed them to fill all potholes on the roads.

D. Manjunathayya, CMC Commissioner, T.S. Rathod, Executive Engineer of Ports and Fisheries, Chandrashekhar, Executive Engineer of Public Works Department, were present.

Udupi: A dead whale fish was found at Malpe beach here on Thursday August 6. The body of the fish was completely in decomposed state.

Locals spotted the body of giant whale o the early morning of Thursday. They informed the matter to the authority.

As the news spread in the region people thronged to the spot to get a glimpse of the dead fish.

Decomposed bodies of whale fish washing ashore has become a common site in caostal district of South Kanara.

Udupi: The fishermen staged a protest against the direct transfer of diesel subsidy into the bank account in Malpe port on Tuesday August 4.

Under the Direct Benefit Transfer, the subsidy amount on purchase of diesel for fishing boats is directly credited to the account of the boat owner. Earlier diesel was being provided at subsidised rates at petrol bunks at the port.

“If the government starts crediting money directly to our account, fishermen will face various problems. In some cases the subsidy will be very high. If officials consider this amount while distributing ration cards, it may create problems for us. If the subsidy is high, there is a possibility of many families being excluded from the BPL list,” a fisherman explained.

“Once categorised as an APL family, we may lose subsidy in the future. If subsidy money is credited to our bank accounts, we may even be liable to pay Income Tax,” he said.

The income from fishing varies. Though in some cases there are huge money transactions, there is not much profit. A major portion of the income has to be reserved for repair and maintenance and for depreciation of the boat value. The profit is very little in fishing. Many a time we spend a lot of money on fuel for fishing but the catch is very less. In such a situation if the subsidy amount is credited to the bank, we may face various problems said protesters.

Above all this we fear that the money may not be credited properly. We fill diesel in huge quantities which costs lakhs of rupees. If the subsidy amount is delayed or not credited to our account, we will surely be in trouble they added.

A memorandum was handed over to the chief minister through district deputy commisioner. More than 2000 farmers took part in the protest.

Udupi: A youth drowned in Malpe beach on Wednesday evening July 29.

The deceased has been identified as Shivkumar Kuppalur (22), a resident of Herekerur in Koodupalli in Haveri district. He was working as an electrician in Bech apartments in Bengaluru. He came to Murdeshwar along with thirteen people and after visiting many places the team had reached Malpe beach. Shivkumar ventured into the sea for swimming and drowned in the water. It is said that the lifeguards had warned him not to venture into the sea.

Lifeguards, police and locals searched for his body till late night but returned empty handed. A case has been filed in Malpe police station.

Udupi: The Urban Health Centre, Malpe, had been chosen for a pilot solar powered clinic project, which was inaugurated by Srinivas Prasad, CEO Philips Innovation campus on Wednesday, January 21.

The solar energy panels which have been provided by Philips will power the entire clinic, It is the first attempt made in India to have a clinic that works only on solar energy.

The Malpe Centre provides maternal and child health services and also takes care of the general ailments of people in the region.  The Centre under the administrative care of the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, recently started screening activities for oral, breast and cervix cancers with support from Kasturba Hospital, Manipal.

With the ever-increasing work at the Clinic, the need for uninterrupted power supply is imperative. The solar energy which became operational today will greatly help to improve patient care. In view of the urgency and importance of having uninterrupted power in the clinic, Manipal University and Philips signed a memorandum of understanding for the pilot project.

This innovation by Philips is a centralized solar DC grid, which reduces dependency on grid power and contributes towards green energy. The solar solution provided in Malpe Clinic consists of 6 KWp solar panels. It is expected to generate on an average nearly 12 units per day, and the consumption of the Malpe clinic is around 8 units per day presently.

While inaugurating the solar clinic Srinivas Prasad, a former Karnataka Ranji Trophy player said, “We are associated with Manipal University for over a decade, thus we decided to do this project with the University first. This initiative can serve as a model solution which can be replicated in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and rural areas across the country. With the need for more and more electricity, solar energy is the solution to the problem of insufficient power in the country”.

Speaking on the occasion, Pramod Madhwaraj, the local MLA said he was extremely happy that Philips decided to have the pilot project in his constituency, and urged Mr Prasad to provide solar facilities to the entire state.

Even Dr Vinod Bhat, Pro Vice Chancellor urged the Philips CEO to use the technology to improve the villages across the country, “Because we cannot depend on electricity alone to fulfill the needs,” he said.

Department of Community Medicine Head and Professor, Dr Veena Kamath welcomed the gathering and gave a brief account of the Urban Health Centre in Malpe. Expressing joy on the switch from electricity to solar power she said, “The clinic can now work without any power interruption”.

Udupi:  A fish merchant was looted of Rs 7 lakh at Kadekar here on Friday January 16.

Lokanath (47) resident of Kadekar is the man who has been targeted by the robbers. Lokanath,  a fish merchant by profession was on his way to Malpe port to buy fish in bulk when the incident took place.

It is said that Loknath was on his way to Malpe port when at TMA Pai road in Kadekar three persons came in two bikes and waylaid his scooter. They then looted him of Rs 7 lakh which he had brought for purchasing fish and fled the spot.

Loknath has filed a complaint with the Malpe police.

Police suspect that it might be a insider’s job or the robbers might have kept a watch on Loknath's movements and obtained prior information about his plans.