Mangalore: Muslim, Christian Leaders offer Support to Hindu samajotsava

Pics by Prajwal Ukkuda

Mangalore, Mar 14: A peace committee meeting was convened by the district administration on Friday night to ensure that there will be no disturbance to public peace during the Hindu Samajotsava programme to be organised here on Sunday. Prominent community leaders in the city took part in the meeting.

Participants, at the end of the two-hour meeting, unanimously agreed that the programme should go ahead with a few minor adjustments. The organisers of the samajotsava and representatives of various Hindutva groups promised that there would be nothing inflammatory about any community during the programme. In return, the leaders of Muslim and Christian communities offered full support for the event.

M.B. Puranik, Mangalore region’s head of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), said that the event had no political overtones. “This is purely a religious programme. Its objective is to create an atmosphere where Hindus can come together and deliberate on issues facing the community,” he said. Earlier, several leaders of minority communities pointed out that some of the advertising material carried inflammatory content. “We will go out of our way to support the programme. But due care should be taken to avoid hurting our sentiments,” a leader from the Muslim Central Committee said. Superintendent of Police A.S. Rao told presspersons that his department was not taking any chances. Over 3,000 police personnel would be deployed to thwart any attempt at disturbing the peace in the city. A route march would be carried out a day ahead of the programme, he said.

Traffic diversion on March 15

MANGALORE, Mar 14: Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj has issued a notification diverting the traffic in the city in view of Hindu samajotsava at Nehru maidan on Sunday.

The traffic diversion will be in force from 11 a.m. till the end of the convention.

Movement of all vehicles on the Ambedkar Circle-Hampankatta Circle- Nehru Maidan Road, on which a procession will be taken out, has been banned from 11 a.m. till people disperse after the convention.

Mangalore regional chief of Vishwa Hindu Parishat M. B. Puranik told presspersons here on Friday that about one lakh people were expected to attend the convention. They would come in 2,000 vehicles, including 400 private buses, he said.

All regular buses and other heavy vehicles approaching the city from B.C. Road and Ullal should take a diversion at Kankanady to reach Mangaladevi temple stop via Valencia. They should not enter Balmatta or Hampankatta. They should return from the temple stop. Heavy vehicles from Mahakalipadpu should halt at Mangaladevi temple bus stop and return from there without reaching the State Bank of India stop. City buses on route number five should ply only between Morgan’s Gate and Kankanady and route number 27 should operate between Mangaladevi temple stop and Ananda Shetty Cirlce at Attavar.

All heavy vehicles coming from Moodbidri and Nanthoor should halt at Mallikatta and return from there. They should not enter Bunts Hostel Circle. Buses and other heavy vehicles coming from Bondel, Bejai, Kavoor, Kuntikana and Kottara Chowki and Urwa Stores can come up to Lalbagh. They should not reach PVS Circle or Car Street.

Route number 16 city buses can come up to Rao and Rao Circle only.

Vehicles coming for the convention from different parts of the district and outside will have to be parked in the designated parking areas only. Vehicles coming from Sullia, Puttur and Naguri should drop people at Balmatta and park along the left side of Telecom Road and on the left side of Pandeshwar Katte Road.

Vehicles coming from Vittla, Belthangady, and Bantwal should drop participants at Averi Junction on Falnir Road and park on the University College play ground.

Vehicles from Moodbidri and Vamanjoor side should drop people at St. Agnes College and park on the road in front of the Corporation Bank head office at Pandeshwar.

Those vehicles from Kasaragod and Ullal should drop people on the Falnir Road and park on the Rosario High School Road. Vehicles from Surathkal, Kulai, Panambur should drop people at Bunts Hostel Circle and park on the left side of the Karangalpady-Court Road.

Vehicles from Udupi and Kundapur should park on the premises of Mangalore Taluk Panchayat and PWD office, after dropping people at Bunts Hostel Circle.