Newly constructed dams in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi pose no safety risks at present: Report
Mangaluru: The district authorities reportedly said that the newly constructed dams in Dakshina Kannada are structurally sound and currently pose no safety risks.
An executive engineer from Mangaluru City Corporation mentioned that regular maintenance is conducted in advance of the monsoon season to ensure all structures remain intact. “Thumbe vented dam, being a newly built structure, has so far not exhibited any signs of cracks or damage. We have written to a Bengaluru-based government-affiliated firm to conduct a safety inspection of the dam,” The New Indian Express quoted the official as saying.
The official further noted that contingency measures, including the installation of stop-log gates and a retaining wall, have been implemented to manage emergencies in the event of a failure of the main gates.
Similarly, the AMR Dam, under the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), has a storage capacity of 12.5 million cubic metres at a height of 18.9 metres, has also been declared safe by the authorities.
The Harekala dam, managed by the irrigation department and constructed in recent years, has not shown any signs of structural distress, officials added.
Other key infrastructures, such as the Jakribettu bridge-cum-barrage in Bantwal and the Saralikatte dam downstream of Uppinangady across the Nethravati river, are maintained on a quarterly basis to ensure structural integrity.
“There are 471 major and minor vented dams across Dakshina Kannada. We have received no reports of damage to any of these dams due to sand mining,” TNIE quoted an executive engineer of the district irrigation department.
According to a KPCL official, the Mani Dam, built across the Varahi river in 1989 and maintained by KPCL, also remains in good condition, supported by regular maintenance and adequate funding.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
