Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner SS Nakul transferred, Dr. Harish Kumar to take charge
Major changes in administration and police department in Coastal districts ahead of elections
Karwar: In a major change in the district administration, Uttara Kannada District, Deputy Commissioner was transferred with immediate effect on Thursday.
The state government on Thursday 21 Feb, made a major reshuffle in police department and district administrations ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in next few months.
Several top officers of police department and district administrations were transferred with immediate effect, as per the orders from the Governor of Karnataka and Government’s Secretariat.
The three coastal districts of Karnataka also witnessed significant changes in both police department and administration, as a part of reshuffle.
Uttara Kannada saw a major change in administration, as its Deputy Commissioner, SS Nakul, known for his soft-spoken yet no-nonsense nature was transferred as the Director of Department of Information Technology and Bio-Techonology, Bengaluru, and will be replaced by Dr. K. Harish Kumar IAS, who was serving as Chief Executive officer of Chamarajanagar Zilla Panchayath.
Nakul, was a Karnataka state topper of UPSC exams in 2010, and had taken charge as the DC of Uttara Kannada district in June 2016.
Other Significant changes
Mangaluru Police Commissioner, TR Suresh, was transferred and was replaced by Sandeep Patil, who was serving as the DIG assistant commissioner of Bengaluru CAR unit.
READ: Mangaluru City Police Commissioner TR Suresh transferred
Udupi District Superintendent of Police (SP) Laxman Nimbargi was also transferred to Bengaluru as Bengaluru Police Wireless SP.
Nisha James, who was serving as the Commander of KSRP fourth battalion in Bengaluru will now take charge as the Udupi district SP.
READ: Udupi SP Laxman Nimbargi transferred
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
