Bharat Bandh: Second day evokes good response across state
Buses stoned, more than 60 buses damaged
# Bus services hampered, normal life paralyzed
Bengaluru, Jan 9: The Bharat Bandh called by labour organisations against the anti-labour policies of the central government on Wednesday evoked good response across the state and majority of labour organisations took to the streets ànd protested against the central government policies.
On the first day, the bandh was restricted just to symbolic protest. But on the second day, the labourers took to the streets due to which almost all factories and industries in the state remained closed.
ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, mid-day meals workers, gram Panchayat workers and others working under Various sectors participated in the protest.
As the KSRTC, BMTC and other transportation companies were on the roads. As some miscreants pelted stones at buses, the service of BMTC buses was suspended till afternoon.
Except holiday announced for schools and colleges in Raichur and Ballari districts, the schools and colleges were remained open. The labourers staged protests in Tumkur, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagar, Hosakote, Nelamangala, Hassan, Davangere, Hubballi, Shivamogga, Karwar, Mysuru, Kalaburgi, Belagavi, Gadag and Mangaluru and made the bandh a success.
Buses stoned
While staging protests, miscreants pelted stones at buses due to which more than 60 buses were damaged. Four buses each in Ballari and Nelamangala, five in Ramanagar and 12 KSRTC buses in Bengaluru were damaged. Around 47 BMTC buses were stoned. A BMTC bus driver was injured, it is said.
50 lakh labourers participated
"In the two days, around 20 crore labourers including 50 lakh in state participated in the bandh and created a history."
- S Varalakshmi, CITU State President
"The central government has planned to pledge more than 120 crore people and resources to the foreign contractors. Condemning this, many protests were conducted earlier. Even then, this bandh got importance and crores of labourers supported it".
- HV Anantha Subbarao, AITUC President
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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.
