Depression formed, Kerala Govt steps up vigil
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 6 : The Kerala government Saturday stepped up its vigil in view of the possibility of heavy rains following formation of depression over south-east and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea.
According to the IMD, the depression is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours and move northwestwards towards South Oman and adjoining Yemen coasts during the next five days.
In view of the IMD's cyclone forecast, Additional Chief Secretary, Disaster Management Department has opened a special coordination cell with officials from Kerala state disaster management and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
The cell will function overnight in the Government secretariat.
The government is also closely monitoring the water levels in various dams in the state.
Shutters of around 22 dams including Cheruthoni, part of the Idukki reservoir, Malamapuzha, Neyyar, Kallada and Pamba have been opened to release water as a precautionary measure in view of the heavy rain forecast.
The sea condition is expected to become rough to very rough from Saturday over southeast Arabian sea and adjoining central Arabian Sea and fishermen have been advised not to put out to sea.
Kerala had been devastated by floods in August this year leaving a trail of unprecedented destruction and had forced people to take refuge in relief camps.
The South-west monsoon had claimed 493 lives in the floods, the worst in the last 100 years.
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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.
