Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee leaders on Saturday welcomed the decisions announced after the first-ever Karnataka Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru, highlighting initiatives concerning Tulu, infrastructure, healthcare, tourism, fisheries and employment in the coastal region.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan in Mallikatta, former MLA K Harish Kumar expressed gratitude to Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and the State Cabinet for recognising Tulu as an additional official language of Karnataka in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru on September 18 approved projects and proposals worth Rs 32,611 crore, according to reports on the meeting.
Harish Kumar described the recognition of Tulu as a long-standing demand of the Tulu-speaking community. He said the demand for official recognition of the language and its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution had been raised for several years.
Tulu recognition welcomed
Harish Kumar recalled that the demand had also been raised during the World Tulu Convention held at Dharmasthala in 2009. He said the Cabinet decision represented an important development for the language and the cultural identity associated with the coastal region.
The Cabinet decision provides for Tulu to receive additional official language status in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The announcement was among the prominent decisions taken at the special Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Mangaluru.
Harish Kumar also referred to several development proposals discussed at the meeting, particularly those relating to road infrastructure, tourism, employment generation and healthcare.
He highlighted the proposed government medical college and hospital at Puttur, for which an allocation of around Rs 549 crore has been cited. He said the project would strengthen healthcare infrastructure in Dakshina Kannada and provide additional opportunities for medical education and healthcare services in the district.
Congress highlights coastal development package
Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee president Padmaraj R Poojary said the party welcomed the decision to hold the State Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru for the first time. He congratulated the Chief Minister, ministers, district in-charge minister and officials involved in organising the meeting.
Poojary said nearly Rs 32,000 crore had been announced for development initiatives in the coastal region, while several proposals specifically concerned Dakshina Kannada.
The broader Cabinet package was reported at Rs 32,611 crore. Among the decisions announced were initiatives covering rural infrastructure, tourism and fisheries, with the Cabinet also approving the Coastal-Malnad Karnataka Tourism Policy 2026 and a fisheries park spread over 150 acres.
Poojary highlighted the proposal to upgrade the Fisheries College into a full-fledged university. He also referred to road development funding, stating that around Rs 10,000 crore had been allocated for developing nearly 15,000 km of roads across Karnataka.
The Congress leader said the development initiatives announced at the Cabinet meeting could provide a wider framework for addressing infrastructure and economic requirements in the coastal region.
Public opinion sought on district renaming
Poojary also referred to the long-standing demand to rename Dakshina Kannada district as Mangaluru district.
He said the government had responded to the demand and decided to seek public opinion before taking a final decision. The issue had been raised by various organisations and representatives over a period of time, with the government now proposing a consultation process before proceeding further.
He also highlighted Chief Minister Shivakumar’s visit to the fishing harbour, where the Chief Minister interacted with officials and members of the fishing community to understand their concerns.
According to the leaders, attention to fisheries, tourism and related sectors formed part of the wider focus on coastal development during the Cabinet meeting.
Religious tourism and social welfare issues
Poojary said the Cabinet had also taken decisions concerning the allocation of land and grants to religious and charitable institutions.
He described the measures as being connected with social justice and said several longstanding requirements of communities in the district had been discussed with the Chief Minister.
He also referred to land-related demands of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and said discussions had been held with the Chief Minister regarding the issues.
The leaders said the various decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting should be viewed alongside longer-term efforts to strengthen infrastructure and economic activity in the coastal districts.
Rs 350-crore sewage proposal awaits processing
Former MLA J R Lobo responded to questions regarding the pending Rs 350-crore proposal to address missing links in Mangaluru’s sewage network.
Lobo said the proposal required the completion of administrative procedures before it could be placed before the State Cabinet. He said the Urban Development Minister had already committed to providing the allocation and expressed confidence that the proposal would be considered at one of the forthcoming Cabinet meetings once the necessary file procedures were completed.
The issue remains significant for Mangaluru’s urban infrastructure, particularly as the city continues to expand and existing sewage infrastructure requires augmentation.
High Court Bench demand discussed
On the long-pending demand for a High Court Bench in Dakshina Kannada, Lobo said the matter extended beyond a single district.
He said Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu were among the districts concerned with the proposal. According to him, the issue involved technical considerations and would require consensus among stakeholders.
Lobo said the government could consider the proposal if such consensus was reached.
Focus on IT, investment and tourism
Lobo said holding the Cabinet meeting outside Bengaluru had drawn attention to the economic potential of the coastal region.
He said the development initiatives could encourage investors and decision-makers to consider Mangaluru for investments in IT, tourism and industries.
Mangaluru has increasingly been projected as a centre for technology, services, education, healthcare, tourism and other sectors. The Cabinet meeting also brought several coastal development proposals into focus, including tourism and fisheries-related initiatives.
Lobo said Mangaluru and the wider coastal belt possessed considerable economic potential and could develop further as an important economic centre in Karnataka.
Prison jammers and mobile connectivity
The Congress leaders were also questioned about complaints regarding signal jammers installed near the district prison and their reported impact on mobile connectivity in surrounding areas.
They said the matter had already been brought to the attention of the authorities. According to the leaders, telecommunications falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Government and resolving the connectivity issue would require coordination with mobile network operators and the concerned authorities.
They said the jammers had been installed for prison security and to prevent unauthorised use of mobile phones inside the facility. The issue, they added, would also have to be examined in the context of the proposed relocation of the prison.
Development corporations seek funding
Responding to questions on the Narayana Guru Development Corporation, Bunts Development Corporation and Coastal Development Authority, Poojary said chairpersons had already been appointed.
He said discussions on funding requirements had been held with the Chief Minister. Poojary said the government’s manifesto covered priorities for the full term and expressed confidence that the required grants would be released during the remaining period of the current government.
The leaders said the Cabinet meeting had provided an opportunity to bring several regional issues before the State Government and to place coastal development requirements within the broader policy framework.
Poojary also announced that he would formally assume charge as the Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee president on September 24.
The press conference therefore focused both on the Cabinet’s newly announced measures and on several pending issues, including sewage infrastructure, the proposed High Court Bench, prison-related connectivity concerns and funding for development corporations.
The Cabinet meeting itself marked the first occasion on which the Karnataka State Cabinet met in Mangaluru, with the government announcing a package of projects and policy decisions covering the coastal region.