Mangalore : The annual “kambala” at Dr. Shivarama Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama, will host on December 29 to coincide with the Karavali Utsava which will begin from December 20.

chairing a meeting at circute house on on Tuesday Nov 4, B. Ramanath Rai, Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada and Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology told here. Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Ivan D’Souza, MLC, MLA J.R Lobo and DC AB Ibrahim also attended the meeting.

In view of the Supreme Court banning “jalli kattu” (bull fighting) in Tamil Nadu, it was decided that the “kambala” should not face any such ban due to torture of the-buffaloes used for the race. Minimum whipping was advocated.

A member of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts’ Kamabla Committee Jeevandhar Ballal, a doctor, said that the committee would ban both the rider and owners of pairs of buffaloes, for the next three kambalas, in case the rider was found torturing buffaloes unnecessarily.

He said that in view of the Supreme Court order, the committee recently organised a kambala near Karkala, Udupi district, on experimental basis to make animals run without whipping and any torture and it was a success, Dr. Ballal said.