The upcoming Mangaluru cabinet meeting faces a funding test after BJP Dakshina Kannada district president Sathish Kumpala urged the Karnataka government to announce financial allocations alongside development projects proposed for the region.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kumpala said announcing projects without earmarking the funds required for implementation would have limited value. He said MPs, MLAs and MLCs from Dakshina Kannada had met and submitted a list of demands to the chief minister ahead of the cabinet meeting.
Among the demands is official recognition for Tulu as Karnataka’s second state language, a long-standing request in the Tulunadu region. Kumpala said a committee headed by Mohan Alva had been formed by former Kannada minister V Sunil Kumar to examine issues involving the Tulu script and official recognition. Nearly three years have passed since the committee was constituted, he said, and urged the cabinet to take a favourable decision.
Kumpala also called for Dakshina Kannada to be renamed Mangaluru and sought a circuit bench of the High Court in the city. The demand would create a local judicial access point for residents who currently require access to the High Court through its existing arrangements, although the report did not specify a proposed site, cost or administrative model for such a bench.
The list also included a comprehensive religious tourism policy and a separate tourism policy aimed at supporting the livelihoods of the fishing community while protecting Mangaluru’s cultural identity. Other proposals covered the establishment of industries through IT parks, special task forces to control narcotics, and full implementation of the Centre’s Jalasiri scheme.
Kumpala sought the upgrading of Wenlock District Hospital and the announcement of a government medical college in Mangaluru. He also called for a large auditorium, early completion of Abbakka Bhavan and construction of an international-standard stadium. Additional cultural demands included permission for night-time Yakshagana performances and subsidies for Tulu theatre, Yakshagana and films.
The BJP leader further urged the government to act against cow slaughter and illegal cattle transportation within the legal framework, while giving priority to communal harmony. MLCs Dhananjay Sarji and Kishore Kumar Puttur, along with BJP leader Premanand Shetty, were present when the demands were raised.
The report does not indicate that the Karnataka government has accepted, funded or scheduled any of the proposals. Their status is expected to depend on the decisions and announcements made at the first cabinet meeting to be held in Mangaluru.
