2015 main issues - a glance at some of them

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Jan 1, 2016 :  The year 2015 that has just gone by saw the Henberu murder case, the Varahi irrigation project, underworld don Bannanje Raja’s arrest, justice in Manipal gang-rape case and dissidence in the Congress, were among the topics that generated major interest in Udupi district.

The death of a 17-year-old girl under suspicious circumstances in the forest area of Henberu village near Byndoor on June 17 generated a storm of protests from college students across the district and raised questions on security of college-going girls. However, the police managed to arrest the main accused Sunil alias Keppe (19) at Yedthare village on June 19.

Justice was finally done in the Manipal gang-rape case after two years, when the District and Sessions Court on October 15 convicted and sentenced three persons to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 1.1 lakh each on them for abducting and gang-raping a MBBS student hailing from Kerala at Ontibettu near Manipal on June 21, 2013.   The three convicted persons are Yogish Poojary, Hariprasad Poojary and Ananda.

The court also punished two others — Balachandra and Harindra — for destruction of evidence in the same case with three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 5,000 each.

The much-delayed Varahi Irrigation Project saw the light of the day after 35 years when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the first phase at Siddapura on May 4. The first phase would provide irrigation facilities to 3,000 hectares of land.  The second and final phase is expected to be completed in the next two years. When completed, the project will irrigate 15,700 hectares of land.

However, Subash B. Adi, Upalokayutka, on June 28, questioned the need for the Varahi project, which provided water only during summer.

The project was tailor-made to benefit a third party, he said.   On August 15, underworld don Bannanje Raja was brought to Udupi, where he had begun his criminal activities, in connection with four cases which he faced here.

Meanwhile, the authorities were caught napping as “Made Snana,” a practice of devotees rolling over plantain leaves on which Brahmins had had lunch, was performed at the Subrahmanya shrine as part of Subrahmanya Sashti festivities on the Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple premises in Udupi on December 17.

Dissidence came to the fore in the Congress in the district after the party re-nominated MLC Pratapchandra Shetty in the elections from the Udupi-Dakshina Kannada Local Bodies Constituency to the Legislative Council. K. Jayaprakash Hegde, former Minister, who contested as a rebel, was expelled from the Congress.  Shetty finally won the polls, but the Congress bosses had to sweat it out to achieve it.