Bodies of father-son duo washed ashore at Mattu beach
Mangaluru: The bodies of the father-son duo who had been missing from the Nethravati bridge here since February 16 have been found washed ashore at Mattu beach at Katapady in Udupi district, police said.
It was a case of suicide. The bodies, in a decomposed state, were identified by relatives who were informed by the police on Friday.
Mumbai-based hotelier Gopalakrishna Rai (45), a native of Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district, and his six- year-old son Aneesh Rai had gone missing from their house since the early hours of February 16.
Their car was later found abandoned near the Nethravati bridge and a note was recovered from the vehicle, saying they were jumping into the river.
Police had made intensive search operations in the river for five days which yielded no result.
Rais family had come from Mumbai to attend a religious ceremony and the two had left the place early in the morning when the function was still on.
Rais wife Ashwini did not accompany them.
The bodies are now kept at the Ajjarkad government hospital mortuary, the police said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka tanks hold strong water storage: Minister Boseraju
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister N S Boseraju on Tuesday said that minor irrigation tanks across the state are holding good water storage levels, with the 3,788 tanks under the department’s jurisdiction providing life-sustaining water to a large agricultural command area of approximately 4,45,009 hectares.
In a statement, the Minister for Minor Irrigation, Boseraju, said that according to the latest data released by the department, a vast majority of the 3,788 minor irrigation tanks in the state have maintained good water levels.
Detailing the storage status, the report said that even in peak summer, 165 tanks are full.
Additionally, 1,355 tanks have retained more than 51 per cent capacity, 1,143 tanks have water levels up to 50 per cent, and 959 tanks are at roughly 30 per cent storage capacity.
District-wise, Davanagere leads the state in water storage, with 27 tanks remaining full even during summer. Chikkamagaluru follows closely with 46 full tanks, indicating strong water retention.
Other top-performing districts include Hassan, Tumakuru, and Kolar.
Boseraju, who also holds the portfolio of Science and Technology, said 1,184 tanks are being actively filled through 145 tank-filling lift irrigation projects under the Minor Irrigation Department.
He attributed the strong water retention to good monsoon rainfall and effective water management strategies of the government.
“It is encouraging to see such a substantial volume of water stored across our minor irrigation tanks by the end of March, remaining largely intact even as summer progresses. The fact that 1,355 tanks are nearly full and 165 tanks are brimming is a testament to the success of our tank-filling programmes and rejuvenation initiatives,” he said.
“By ensuring a continuous flow of water to these tanks through lift irrigation projects across departments, as well as supplying treated and surface water to the Bayaluseeme districts, we have taken proactive measures to prevent them from drying out during the summer,” the minister said.
According to him, these data points confirm that efforts to build a water-secure Karnataka are yielding strong results at the grassroots level.
“This water wealth preserved in our tanks will bring direct benefits to lakhs of farmers across the 4,45,009-hectare command area,” he added.
