Mangaluru’s underground cable plan will be implemented at an estimated cost of ₹166 crore, district in-charge minister U.T. Khader said at a Karnataka Rajyotsava programme in the city. He also announced the planned opening of a taluk hospital at Mudipu in Ullal and said applicants for Below Poverty Line ration cards would receive them soon.
Khader made the announcements after hoisting the flag and receiving the guard of honour at an event organised by the Dakshina Kannada district administration at Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru. The programme was held on Sunday as part of Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations.
The proposed underground power cable project is a significant civic infrastructure commitment for Mangaluru, although the report does not specify the areas to be covered, the executing agency, the implementation schedule or the construction method. It also does not state whether the ₹166-crore estimate includes restoration of roads and footpaths after cable work. These details will be necessary for residents and local authorities to assess how the project will be carried out across the city.
Khader said the Ullal taluk hospital would be started at Mudipu. The report does not provide the hospital’s sanctioned capacity, services, construction status, funding arrangement or opening date. It also does not clarify whether the facility will operate from a new building or an existing government site. The minister separately said that ration cards would be issued shortly to people who had applied for BPL cards.
The minister used the Rajyotsava address to call for Kannada to have a respected place in homes, schools, administration and technology. He said promoting Kannada should not mean keeping other languages away, and urged young people to learn languages from anywhere in the world without forgetting Kannada. He also said Kannada should contribute to technological development.
Khader raised a separate warning about weather conditions in the district. He said rainfall had not been adequate this year and that Dakshina Kannada could face drinking-water difficulties as early as January, along with signs of increasing heat. He called for preparedness to deal with the effects of climate variability. The report does not include rainfall measurements, reservoir levels, municipal water data or a district-level contingency plan.
The event was attended by Member of Parliament Captain Brijesh Chota, legislators Vedavyas Kamath and other district officials, including Deputy Commissioner Darshan H.V., Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Vinayak Karbhari, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Reddy and Mangaluru Municipal Corporation Commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey. Fifty-four organisations and 120 individuals were honoured for achievements in different fields, while awards were also given to student teams for their marching performances.
The next operational milestones for the announced infrastructure and public-service measures— including the underground cable project, the Mudipu hospital and ration-card distribution—were not specified in the report. The district administration and concerned departments will need to communicate their timelines and implementation details.
