Aurangabad civic body bans use of fresh water for construction activities
Aurangabad, May 9: The civic body in Aurangabad in Maharashtra has decided to ban the use of fresh water for construction activities in order to tide over water scarcity in Marathwada's largest city, an official said on Monday.
The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation will also seek three million litres per day (MLD) addition water supply from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Commissioner Aastik Kumar Pandey told reporters.
Pandey said a 30-point programme will be implemented to manage water supply, adding that not much had been done to augment the city's water supply mechanism as well as capacity over the last three to four years.
"To tide over water scarcity, we have decided to ban use of fresh water for construction activity in AMC limits. It will be mandatory to use water from sewage treatment plants for at least the next to two to three months," he said.
Restrictions can be brought on swimming pools if needed, but the civic body does not want to disturb the gradual return of the city to normalcy post the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
"The administration has initiated a plan to acquire private and government-controlled wells. Guardian officers will be appointed to keep a watch on linemen who are responsible for proper water supply," Pandey said.
Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner Sunil Kendrekar, meanwhile, issued instructions to speedily complete the water supply works at Harsul Lake.
A Shiv Sena delegation had met Pandey during the day over the water woes of people in the city.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
