Bengaluru, August 06: Various organizations extended their support to the nationwide transport workers strike on August 7 demanding withdrawal of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill-2017. But the KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation does not support the strike. So, KSRTC, BMTC and other transport corporation buses will be on the roads. Schools and colleges are not declared holiday. Namma Metro service will be as usual tomorrow.

However, auto and taxi drivers, Ola and Uber drivers and owners associations have extended their support. App-based auto, Ola, Uber taxis would be off the roads and this might affect the normal life.

Transport Employees Federation has called for the strike demanding withdrawal of the Motor Vehicles (amendment) Bill, protection to auto and taxi drivers and owners and social security scheme for unorganized workers.

The amendment bill proposed by the central government has become a detrimental to the transport organizations, auto, taxi drivers and owners. So, his organization has extended its support to the strike which demanded the withdrawal of the Bill. But the strike would go on peacefully, said Tanveer, Ola and Uber Drivers Association president.

B Narayana Reddy of the KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation said that his federation is not taking part in the strike called by a few organizations. But the AITUC has called for a fight with a slogan ‘Protect workers, protect country and oust Modi government’ from August 9 to September 18. But some vested interests have been misleading the people which is condemnable, he said.



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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.