AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam's wife passes away
Chennai, Sept 1: AIADMK coordinator and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's wife Vijayalakshmi passed away here on Wednesday at a hospital following a brief illness.
Leaders cutting across party lines including DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin visited the hospital and offered their condolences to Panneerselvam.
She was 66 and died of heart attack at a private hospital, where she was admitted for treatment days ago, party sources said.
Vijayalakshmi had an acute heart attack this morning and despite treatment she passed away, GEM Hospital said in a statement.
The AIADMK leader's wife had an attack when she was set to be discharged on Wednesday as she recovered following 10 days of treatment, the hospital said.
Chief Minister Stalin, Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan, AIADMK co-coordinator K Palaniswami visited the hospital and extended their condolences and sympathies to Panneerselvam and his son O P Raveendranath, who is also the AIADMK Lok Sabha MP from Theni.
V K Sasikala, aide of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and who was eased out of the AIADMK years ago visited Panneerselvam in the hospital and extended her condolences. Her visit is seen as significant since she has been maintaining that she would make a comeback to the AIADMK, which is staunchly opposed by the party brass.
Vijayalakshmi's body has been taken to Panneerselvam's native Periyakulam in Theni district and the funeral would be held there following public homage, sources added.
Governor Banwarilal Purohit offered his condolences to Panneerselvam and to the bereaved family and said he prayed to God to rest her soul in eternal peace and "give strength to all family members to overcome this unfathomable loss." In his condolence message, Stalin said he was shocked and grieved to learn about the demise of Panneerselvam's wife.
Palaniswami said he was anguished to learn of her death.
In a statement, the top AIADMK leader said he prayed to the Almighty to give strength to "my brother Panneerselvam to bear this agony." Extending his condolences to Panneerselvam and his family, the leader of opposition in the state assembly said he prayed for her soul to rest in peace.
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was among several others who condoled Vijayalakshmi's death. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief K S Alagiri, PMK leader G K Mani, State Secretaries of CPI and CPI(M), R Mutharasan, and K Balakrishnan respectively, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, BJP MLAs Vanathi Srinivasan, M R Gandhi, Dravidar Kazhagam chief K Veeramani visited the hospital and met Panneerselvam to condole his spouse's death.
Former Ministers including S P Velumani and C Vijayabaskar, AIADMK leaders including K P Munusamy were among the party office-bearers who turned up at the hospital.
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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.
