Fire in Goa paint factory: 200 people living in vicinity leave homes as thick smoke engulfs area
Panaji (PTI): In the wake of thick smoke engulfing the Pilerne Industrial Estate area near Panaji after a fire in a paint manufacturing plant, nearly 200 people living in the vicinity have moved elsewhere, an official said on Wednesday.
The blaze erupted in the Berger Becker Coatings factory located in the industrial estate at around 2.30 pm on Tuesday, North Goa district collector Mamu Hage said.
The district administration subsequently issued an advisory, asking people living within two kilometres radius of the factory to shift elsewhere as the smoke could cause health issues.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant along with senior officials visited the factory site on Tuesday night.
The fire was brought under control in the wee hours of Wednesday, a senior district administration official said.
Around 200 people living near the factory site moved elsewhere on their own, the official said.
"The government did not have to intervene as the people on their own went to the places of their relatives and friends," the official said.
Collector Mamu Hage in the health advisory asked people living near the fire site to ensure circulation of fresh air in all buildings (both residential and commercial) by keeping doors and windows open and switching on ceiling fans, exhaust fans etc, especially in bedrooms.
The residents were advised to avoid using air-conditioners and keep away from closed areas which do not have any kind of air circulation. The people were also asked to avoid using face mask.
The advisory also said in case of any symptoms of breathing difficulty, people should contact the nearest health centre or the casualty department of the Goa Medical College, or 108 service (for any emergency).
"High risk people with asthma or chronic respiratory illnesses and infants are advised to be shifted to safer areas till the situation comes under control," the advisory said.
The district administration also advised the public not to visit the incident site for any purpose.
CM Sawant on Tuesday said the government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Massive fire breaks out at Pilerne industrial estate in #Goa. Fire fighters at the spot to douse the blaze. pic.twitter.com/h2W0RAKrcn
— TOI Goa (@TOIGoaNews) January 10, 2023
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
