Party over: Goa cracks down on illegal nightclubs ahead of festive season
Panaji (PTI): Goa’s nightlife faces a crackdown ahead of the Christmas and New Year season, with the state government launching an intensive drive to inspect and seal the establishments flouting norms after a deadly nightclub fire claimed 25 lives.
As the state, famous for its scenic beaches, gears up for its busiest fortnight spanning Christmas and New Year, the crackdown has already forced some nightclubs to shut, while the fate of others hangs in the balance.
A team of personnel from the district administration, fire and emergency services and police have been inspecting all the nightclubs in the North Goa tourism belt, officials said on Sunday.
The drive began after the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora in North Goa on December 6 left 25 persons dead.
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"We are inspecting all the nightclubs, checking their licences and permissions. Any club found to be violating the norms is sealed," government officer Kabir Shirgaonkar, who is heading the inspection team, told PTI.
The team has the power to seal a club flouting norms immediately, another official said.
So far, the team has sealed two prominent nightclubs - Goya Club and Cafe CO2 Goa - both located at Vagator. Cafe CO2 Goa was situated on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea in North Goa.
Shirgaonkar said that Goya Club was built on agricultural land, while Cafe CO2 Goa did not have the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Fire and Emergency Services Department and lacked structural stability.
The Fire and Emergency Services Department has also ordered revocation of the NOC granted to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna in North Goa, another official said.
A surprise inspection was conducted at the premises on Saturday, during which it was observed that the existing fire prevention and safety arrangements installed there were inadequate and required upgradation, as per the order issued by Divisional Fire Officer Shripad Gawas.
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Two held in UP's Bijnor for contact with Pakistan linked Dubai handler
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Bijnor (PTI): Two men were arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district on Friday for allegedly being in touch with a Pakistan-linked handler based in Dubai, police said.
Circle Officer, Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi said Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider were arrested following inputs on their alleged links with Aqib, a resident of Meerut currently staying in Dubai.
According to police, Aqib had earlier come into the spotlight after a video surfaced on Instagram purportedly showing him displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives.
During interrogation, the arrested men allegedly told police that Aqib used to incite youngsters against Hindus and encourage anti-national activities, the officer said, adding that detailed questioning of the accused is underway.
On April 6, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Jha said the video first surfaced in November last year. Aqib, a native of Sathla village in the Mawana area of Meerut, was allegedly seen in the video brandishing weapons.
Following the viral clip, a case was registered at the Nangal police station by sub-inspector Vinod Kumar. However, the then station house officer and investigating officer Satyendra Singh had recorded Aqib's statement and filed a final report, stating that the weapons seen in the video were toys, effectively giving him a clean chit.
Police said fresh developments have now revealed Aqib's suspicious links and the probe has been handed over to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
The SP said action has been taken against the officials concerned, with the then SHO and investigating officer suspended and Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh removed from his post.
