Centre discriminating against Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 22: Accusing the Centre of discriminating against Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Monday said denying permission to ministers from the state to go abroad for raising funds for flood relief works was the latest example of its bias.
Denying permission to the ministers and other stands taken by the Centre regarding flood relief works could only be seen as "moves" against Kerala, Vijayan, who returned early Monday morning after a five-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), told reporters here.
Charging the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government with discriminating against Kerala, the chief minister said the Centre should not create hurdles for any state.
Noting that disasters had struck other states also, he said when Gujarat was hit by natural calamities, permission was granted for accepting foreign aid.
"If Kerala was allowed to take assistance from other countries, it would have been able to raise a huge amount. But the central government did not allow it.
"It was in continuation of this stand that the Centre turned down the plea of the state to send its ministers abroad to mobilise funds from expatriates," Vijayan added.
He further said it was no secret that the UAE government had promised a Rs 700-crore aid for flood relief works in Kerala.
Following his visit, the state was hoping that it would be able to mobilise much more assistance, the chief minister said.
The issue of acceptance of aid from the UAE had triggered a row, with the Centre deciding not to accept it for relief work, even as the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition Congress in Kerala had come out against the government's move.
While the Centre had approved Vijayan's foreign trip, it had declined permission to 17 of the 20 ministers from Kerala, who had also planned to visit different countries in the Gulf and Europe to mobilise funds.
Kerala had suffered massive damage in the torrential rains that lashed the state in August, claiming 493 lives and leaving a trail of destruction.
The LDF government in the southern state had decided to raise Rs 15,900 crore as loan from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other funding agencies to rebuild the prime sectors of the state.
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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.
