Mangaluru: Wading through clouds of coal dust and slush on their way to the popular Panambur Beach in Mangaluru might be a thing of the past for tourists, if the New Mangalore Port Trust’s (NMPT) gesture to provide an alternative road to the beach becomes reality.

The existing road, about 1.5 km long, passes through the NMPT property along the port’s cargo handling facility. Regular transportation of coal through trucks from the coal handling facility has made the beach approach road almost impossible to traverse for general public.

Though coal is completely covered with tarpaulin sheets during transportation, spillages as well as dust on truck wheels enter the road. NMPT’s effort to confine dust cloud through sprinkling of water has been creating another woe — coal slush.

Maruthi from Shivamogga, who was on his way back along with the family from the beach on Thursday, said the pleasure they had on the beach was short-lived.

“It is quite difficult and embarrassing to walk either on the road or the pavement that are covered with slush,” he said.

There were quite a few like Maruthi who had been facing similar difficulties. Those riding two-wheelers to the beach too were the affected lot due to dust and slush.

Solution on the anvil

NMPT Chairman P.C. Parida told The Hindu that he was aware of the problem. “We are soon shifting to mechanised handling of coal unloading and loading, through which the problem could come down.” On the other hand, the road cannot be made out of bounds for trucks as it is adjacent to the cargo handling facility.

At the same time, the port is also planning to provide an alternative road to visitors to the beach. “I heard that the Coastal Development Authority Chairman [Nivedit Alva] would be meeting me to find out some solution. If I get some assurance from any local authority, the port can offer something to the public,” Mr. Parida said.

He said an alternative road to the beach could be provided near Baikampady, which requires an expense of about Rs. 2 crore. However, some local authority should take the responsibility of ensuring its maintenance, he said.

Surathkal: The annual nemotsava of Panambur Shri Kantheri Doomavathy temple is scheduled on Feb.27 and 28.

On Friday 11pm Nemotsava of Kantheri Doomavathy will be held and on Feb 28, 11pm Shri Saarala Doomavathy nemotsava wil be held. On March 1st kola of Sathyadevathe and Kallurti-Panjurli will be held.

The programmes will begin from Thursday morning with Ganahoma. On Feb 27 at 6.30pm Bhandara will come to the temple. At night 9pm hoovina pooje, 9.30pm to 10.30pm anna santarpane will be held.

From 9.30 pm onwards nemotsava of Maisandya, from 11pm Kantheri Doomavathy nemotsava and at 3am Koddabbu will visit the temple.

On Feb. 28 from 9 to 10.30pm anna santarpane will be held sponsored by Nadibeedu family. From 9.30pm onwards Shri Kodamanithaya nemotsava will be held, from 11pm Saarala Doomavathy and Banta daiva nemotsava will be held and at around 4am Annappa Panjurli nemotsava will be held.

Surathkal: a renowned and historical temple of D.K; Panambur  Nandaneshwara Temple Brahmakalshotsava will be celebrated tomorrow 22nd Jan at the temple premises.

Prior to this according to ancient rituals a procession from Surathkal Kanteri Dhumavahti Temple headed towards Panambur today at 4.30 p.m. Thousands of people with festive joy participated in the procession. Chende vadya, women holding Kalasha were the main attraction of the procession.

After long time the ‘Bhndara’ from Dumavathi temple where 5 ‘Daivas’ recided and give ‘Abhaya’ to the devotees; is taken to Nandaneshwara temple.  It is one of the famous and ancient customs which was stopped for some years now.

There at Panambur, today there will be "kolaa" of the 5 Daivas and tomorrow there  will be their “nema” (a ritual) and is belived to meet the Daiva there.

Whole lot of people,devotes of both the temple witne3ss this auspicious occasin in thousands. As soon as the rituals are finished the Daivas will come back to their original place that is Dhumavathi temple at Surathkal.

Jatramahotsav will be held from 2-2-2015 to 10-2-2015.

The Mangaluru City Traffic Police have imposed a partial ban on entry of trucks to the National Highway 66 from New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) and Baikampady area to smoothen vehicular movement on the highway between Kulur bridge and Baikampady bridge.

The ban would be in force from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. as trucks from NMPT continued to make multiple trips between the port and Baikampady to get the load weighed a the weigh bridges located in Baikampady. The NMPT, which had been asked to get a weigh bridge in its premises, is likely to install the same by March 15.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Uday Nayak told The Hindu that the partial ban has been imposed on experimental basis even as traffic moved smoothly on the first day — Wednesday. If it does not bring in expected results, the police might consider restricting trucks’ movement from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mr. Nayak said.

The problem in the stretch gets compounded due to the unfinished road over bridge (RoB) on the railway track leading to NMPT where vehicles moving on four lanes would get squeezed into two lanes, he said.

Incensed over frequent traffic jams in the locality, Mangaluru North MLA B.A. Mohiuddin Bava had called a meeting of the authorities concerned, including NMPT Chairman P.C. Parida, officials from the Southern Railway, City Police and others earlier in the week.

Taking the Railways to task for the inordinate delay in completing the RoB at Baikampady, Mr. Bava asked them to complete it by January 26. He also directed the Railways to open a local road leading to Jokatte via Baikampady, which had been closed, to ease vehicular movement in the region. If the Railways did not remove the barricades, people might be forced to do it, he warned.

Prior to this, the traffic police had erected barricades at several vantage positions along the stretch of the highway to prevent trucks from taking ‘right’ and ‘U’ turns, thereby disrupting movement of other vehicles. However, this measure too was found to be inadequate.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nayak warned that owners/drivers parking their vehicles on the highway between Kulur Bridge and Baikampady bridge would heavily be penalised. Mr. Parida had reportedly promised in the meeting to deploy security personnel from the port to curtail vehicular parking on the stretch.

Mangaluru: Unidentified miscreants attacked a Masjid near SEZ colony located on the outskirts of the city on Thursday night. Miscreants threw stones at Badriya Jumma Masjid located at SEZ colony at Kodikere near Baikampady Industrial Area. This is the scond time the mosque has come under attack in one year.

Trouble mongers damaged two windows of the mosque. A woman reportedly saw two motorcycle-borne men riding away after allegedly throwing two stones at the west side of the mosque. But they could not be identified as the miscreants were wearing helmets. A case has been filed at Panambur police station.