ADC visits MRPL gas leak site, orders high-level probe, enhanced safety measures
Surathkal: Following the tragic gas leak incident at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) that claimed two lives and left one worker critically injured, Dakshina Kannada Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Dr. Santosh Kumar visited the accident site on Saturday on behalf of the district administration.
The leak occurred in the storage section of the refinery’s hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production unit under the OM&S (Oil Movement and Storage) division. The deceased have been identified as contract workers from Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, while the critically injured worker, also from Uttar Pradesh, is receiving treatment at AJ Hospital in Mangaluru.
After inspecting the site, Dr. Santosh Kumar held discussions with the MRPL Managing Director and directed that a high-level investigation be conducted into the cause of the incident. He emphasized the need to tighten safety protocols and ensure such lapses do not recur. He also stated that the affected families would receive maximum possible compensation.
Mangaluru Tahsildar Prashanth Patil and Surathkal Deputy Tahsildar Naveen Kumar accompanied the ADC during the visit.
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 new excise policy: Local liquor to get costlier, premium may get cheaper
Bengaluru: The state government on Monday rolled out a new excise policy that shifts from the decades-old bulk litre-based system to a model based on alcohol content in beverages, Deccan Herald reported.
Karnataka becomes the first state in India to adopt this model. The change is expected to make lower-priced liquor costlier, while some premium brands may see a reduction in prices.
A senior Excise Department official said: “The policy is being implemented from today (May 11). The Karnataka Excise (Excise Duty and Charges) (2nd Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified after a public consultation on a draft released on April 18, slashes the number of excise slabs from 16 to 8.”
Local liquor manufacturers have alleged that the policy favours multinational companies producing beer and spirits over domestic distilleries.
According to the Karnataka Brewers and Distillers Association (KBDA), the first five slabs, which cater to the common man, house the maximum number of state-owned distilleries and contribute nearly 70-75% of the state’s excise revenue, have seen their Additional Excise Duty (AED) rise by 20-30%.
In contrast, slabs 6 to 8, which include products from multinational companies such as United Spirits, Bacardi, Heineken, Carlsberg, and Anheuser-Busch, have seen AED reduced by 10-15%. The association said that while larger companies can absorb pricing shifts across their diverse portfolios, smaller regional distilleries limited to budget liquor may face volume contraction and potential closure.
A senior KBDA member said the price of a 180 ml bottle in the lowest slab, which was around Rs 63 last year, has already risen to Rs 80, and the new policy is set to push that price further to Rs 105 a jump driven by a 42.8% tax bracket.
