Fire in Garment Store

08 January 2007

A fire that broke out in a shop in a commercial complex in the city destroyed the goods stored in it. On Sunday, a wholesale ready-made garment store in Linking Tower near Lady Goschen Hospital caught fire.
A short circuit is said to be the cause for the fire which destroyed the goods in the shop and also damaged the adjacent shop.
It may be recalled that in February last a major fire had broken in the same commercial complex which alerted the district administration on the non-adherence to safety from fire in public buildings.
The fire fighting force took around 1 hour to extinguish the flames. The loss is estimated at Rs 3 lac.
(courtesy daijiworld.com)

MSIL offered Bajpe's cargo-handling task

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has indicated that it might entrust cargo-handling operations at the Bajpe airport in Mangalore to Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL), a State-Government undertaking, according to official sources.

Senior MSIL officials visited the airport recently and expressed their satisfaction over the cargo-handling facilities, the sources said.

So far, Customs at the airport had permitted the handling of only bags and luggage at the airport and not cargo. If cargo operations were to take place, the Customs would first have to declare the airport fit for them, the sources said. Further, airline operators there would also have to be ready to operate cargo aircraft, they added.

Previously, the AAI itself had been planning to take up the responsibility of cargo operations at the airport. But it has now considered MSIL for the task as the company was already handling similar operations at the Bangalore airport, the sources said.

MSIL, however, was yet to take a final decision on whether to accept AAI's offer, they added.

According to former president of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) G. Giridhar Prabhu, Mangalore had the potential to export 10 tonnes of vegetables per international flight. Further, 16 tonnes of gherkins could be exported per day either by the sea route or the air route.

He said there was scope to export vegetables not only to West Asian countries but also to other countries.

The region also had the potential to transport flowers, and fish and its products. Mr. Prabhu said the construction of a cold storage facility near the airport would help exporters. Sources said vegetables could also be transported from Hassan to other places through the Bajpe airport. Currently, vegetables from Hassan are being transported to Thiruvananthapuram through the Bangalore airport and other modes of transport.

(courtesy thehindu.com)

Muscat – Mangalore Direct Flight: Air India Express awaiting approval for January 18th 2007

06 January 2007

Air India Express headquarters has approved the allocation of two flights from Muscat to Mangalore on the following days – Thursday and Saturday, where they will have a late evening arrival and departure from Mangalore into Muscat.

Out of the allocated flights, one flight will be a direct flight from Muscat to Mangalore whereas the other one will be a hopping flight from Abu Dhabi – Muscat – Mangalore.

The headquarters in Mumbai has directed the local office to approach the concerned officials in the office of the Director General of Civil Aviation, Sultanate of Oman, for the necessary approvals for the two flights that are being introduced from Muscat to Mangalore.

The slots and the timings of the flights will be finalized subject to the approval of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Government of Oman.

The Air India officials will submit the request to Mr. Rashid Al-Kiyumi, Director General of Civil Aviation in Oman, tomorrow, January 6th 2007.

When Mangalorean.com contacted the Air India officials at the headquarters, we were informed that Air India Express is very much interested in starting the Muscat-Mangalore sector, especially after the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two Civil Aviation Ministries in November 2006.

They also informed us that Air India Express has an acute shortage of skilled technical crew and they had a choice between two flights, that is, Cochin-Doha-Bahrain and Muscat-Mangalore. Preference was given to the Cochin-Doha-Bahrain flight as this particular sector already has a ready market survey and market analysis available. Air India Express will commence this flight from January 12th 2007. One could consider this as a New Year gift to Kerala from Air India Express.

But Mangaloreans need not lose hope as our turn to receive a New Year gift from Air India Express is not far behind. Come, January 18th if the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Oman, gives approval, the first direct International flight from Muscat to Mangalore will commence on this date, namely January 18, 2007.

However, Air India Express headquarters in Mumbai have specifically informed us that the commencement of this maiden flight from Muscat to Mangalore is subject to the availability of technical crew to operate these extra flights for Air India. This is even after getting the concerned approval from the Oman authorities.

We will keep you updated with the latest developments.

(courtesy mangalorean.com)

Pilot training programme at Bajpe airport from Sunday

04 January 2007

A private airline operator will utilise Bajpe airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for its pilot training activity from January 7.
Another private company has planned to utilise the airport here as the base to operate its helicopter for a study to find out oil reserves in the Arabian Sea, according to sources. The sources told The Hindu that the company would take up the study (oil rig operations) under the new exploration licensing policy of the Union Government.
Kingfisher Airlines will start day and night training programme for its pilots at the airport. Initially, it will press into service an ATR aircraft and later an Airbus 320 for the training.
The training will fetch revenue to the AAI as for every landing and take off the airline has to pay a fee to the authority, the sources said.
The airline will complete one year of its operation at the airport on January 20. It was the first airline to operate Airbus 319 and Airbus 320 from the airport.
It will also become the first airline to start pilot training activity here.
Two runways at the airport have come in handy for taking up pilot training activities, the sources said.
They said that it was the only airport in the State to have a complete concrete runway. The runway was commissioned last year.
Other major airports in the country were congested as the number of flights had gone up.
It was difficult to use them to train pilots, they said.

Helicopter operation

The sources said that a private company, which has its subsidiary in the petroleum sector, would operate its helicopter from the airport for a study to find oil reserves in the Arabian Sea.
The helicopter would transport its engineers and workers to identified sites in the sea from the airport and back, they said.
The company will also have a unit at the airport.
The helicopter is likely to arrive by January 8. The study is likely to go on for a year.

(courtesy thehindu.com)

Seven flyovers to be built by NHAI

01 January 2007

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that has taken up work on the four-laning of national highways between Surathkal and B.C. Road will construct seven flyovers between the two destinations, according to sources in the NHAI here.
They will be built at Surathkal, Kulur, Kottara Chowki, Kuntikana, Nanthoor, Maroli and B.C. Road. In Surathkal and Kulur, traffic will be allowed from Udupi towards Mangalore. In Kottara Chowki, vehicles will be allowed from Mangalore to Udupi. Traffic will be allowed two-ways on the Kuntikana flyover.
Sources said that vehicles would be allowed to ply from Moodbidri and B.C. Road towards Udupi on the Nanthoor flyover. Traffic from Mangalore to B.C. Road would pass over the Maroli flyover. Vehicles coming from Bangalore would be allowed to go to Mangalore through the B.C. Road flyover. Except the Kuntikana flyover, that will be a two-way flyover, the remaining flyovers would be one-way.
Asked if the NHAI would change the design of the Surathkal flyover to ensure two-way traffic as demanded by various organizations recently, an authority of the NHAI told The Hindu that it would not be changed.
The authority said that two underpasses would be provided at Surathkal, one near the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka (NIT-K) and the other near Vidyadayini school.
A two-way flyover would require more funds and would result in escalation of the project cost.
"If people demand two-way flyovers at all seven places, the project cost would go up drastically. Instead providing underpasses wherever required was a feasible solution. The NHAI cannot build two-way flyovers by succumbing to `popular demand' of the people. The agency has taken a decision on the design of flyovers taking all aspects into consideration," the authority said.
According to sources, another underpass would be built at Baikampady. They said that three minor bridges would be built on National Highway 48 and two minor bridges would be constructed on National Highway 17. In addition to this, three railway bridges would be built to complete the four-lane works.
Sources said that once the four-lane works were completed, two toll collection gates would be provided on the highways, one near New Mangalore Port on National Highway 17 and the other near Brahmarakutlu on National Highway 48.
(courtesy thehindu.com)

Tension in B C Road: 11 injured in stone pelting

Tension prevailed near B C Road on Sunday for some time after some youths belonging to a particular community pelted stones at the Shobayathre being taken out as a part of Virat Hindu Samajotsava.
According to the police, the Shobayathre was about to begin when a group of persons burst crackers for which some youths belonging to other community raised objections. When they were engaged in a verbal duel, some miscreants pelted stones at the group. While Hindu youths claimed that Muslims pelted stones, Muslim youths claimed that Hindus pelted stones. Seven persons were injured in the melee. They included Prashanth Shetty, Jnanesh, Jayaprakash, Narayan, Sunil, Naveen and Ashok Rai. Among the seven, Prashanth, Sunil and Naveen have been admitted to hospital. Though police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, another group of people assaulted two persons going in a car and an auto, during the procession. The miscreants also damaged the vehicles. The car belonged to a certain Nazeer while the auto belonged to Zakaria.
Meanwhile, when the processionists were returning home near Bantwal, yet another group of persons pelted stones following which two more persons suffered injuries.
Two persons identified as Naushad and Abdulla have been taken into custody. Further investigations are on.
Superintendent of Police B Dayanand, Additional SP Lokesh Kumar and Assistant SP Dr Harsha are camping at B C Road.
(courtesy mangalorean.com)

Bakrid celebrated in Mangalore

Bakrid was celebrated with ritualistic fervour in and around Mangalore on Sunday. Bakrid is an important festival of Muslims falling in the last month of Islamic Calendar. It is also called as Id-Ul-Azha , which coincides with the Haj pilgrimage at Mecca. The significance of the festival is the commemoration of the ordeals of Prophet Ibrahim. Thousands of Muslim brothers offered prayers at the Mosques and greeted one another with an embrace. All muslims go and meet thier relatives and friends. All muslim brothers meet each other during the morning Eid Namaz and our muslim sisters meet each other usually in the evenings in the Beach, Park etc..