Mangaluru: Top cop meets protesters at Bendoorwell, assures of measures to curb traffic menace
Says bus drivers alone cannot be blamed for accidents, pedestrians need to be careful as well
Mangaluru 30, March: Mangaluru Police Commissioner Kuldeep Jain on Thursday evening met protesters at the Bendoorwell Circle who were protesting against the police department and authorities claiming that they had failed to regulate traffic in the city.
The protest was being held in the wake of a road accident that took place earlier in the day when a 55-year-old woman was mowed down by a private bus at Bendoorwell Junction.
Jain who had earlier in the afternoon assured the protesters to meet them in the evening, arrived at the junction and took stock of the traffic situation before interacting with the protesters. Former MLA Moideen Bawa, MCC Leader of Opposition Naveen, Kannada movie actor Avinash Shetty and others were also present to extend support to the protesters.
Jain arrived with top police officials including DCP Traffic Dinesh Kumar and others and interacted with the protesters who expressed their grievances. Among the major demands of the protesters was to immediately remove the signal at the Kankanady Junction which they claimed was giving rise to the number of accidents in the vicinity.
They also demanded that a Zebra crossing be laid on Bendoorwell and Kankanady junctions along with stringent actions on private bus drivers for their rash and negligent driving.
Jain assured that he will look into all the concerns and demands of the people and would come up with appropriate measures in this regard. He also asserted that canceling the signal at Kankanady Junction would not be appropriate.
Regarding the issues of bus stops, laying speed breakers, and parking problems between Bendoorwell and Kanakandy the top cop and MCC Opposition Leader Naveen played blame games. Jain asserted that the MCC has to lay speed breakers and that his department was not responsible for it. Responding to Jain, Naveen asked the police department to send in a letter requesting the laying of speed breakers. The top cop, however, further claimed that his department had sent several letters urging the MCC to work on laying speed breakers but the MCC would not pay heed to their letters.
Jain further assured of stringent action and measures to curb rash and negligent driving of city bus drivers and added that the department would book more cases of violation against the bus drivers if found guilty.
He also opined that the responsibility of creating safer roads in the city should be shared both by the drivers and the pedestrians and that the pedestrians cannot violate laws of road crossing and others and blame bus drivers.
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NGT pulls up officials over illegal quarrying near Navi Mumbai cancer hospital
Thane (PTI): The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken a stern view of the "illegal" quarrying operations behind Tata Cancer Hospital in Navi Mumbai, warning top officials of coercive action for failing to respond to environmental concerns.
The western zone bench, comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, was hearing petitions filed by an activist and another taken up suo motu following a news report.
The tribunal, in its order dated December 5, noted that it had directed the Raigad district collector and the Directorate of Geology and Mines to submit their reply affidavits, but the same had not been filed.
"We have no option but to direct the registrar of this tribunal to address a letter to the learned Chief Secretary of the State of Maharashtra, requesting him that a direction from his side be issued to the District Collector, Raigad and Director of Geology and Mining to appear before us positively on the next date," the bench said.
The RTI findings suggest that illegal quarrying activity was being carried out behind the premier cancer hospital, posing a health and environmental risk.
The NGT warned that it would be "compelled to order personal appearance of the officers concerned" if they continue to ignore judicial directives.
The Chief Secretary has now been tasked with ensuring the collector and mining officials file their replies by the next hearing on February 12, 2026.
