Fire tragedy: Goa govt steps up action against club chain; 2 properties sealed
Panaji (PTI): The Goa government has intensified its crackdown on the controversial Romeo Lane club chain after a deadly fire at one of its outlets claimed 25 lives, officials said on Monday.
Two other properties of the hospitality company in Goa have been sealed, they said.
A state police team also left for Delhi on Sunday to search for the property promoters -- Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra -- against whom a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered, they said.
Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub at Arpora in North Goa, caught fire late Saturday night, killing 25 persons, the majority of whom were their staffers, they said.
The Anjuna police in Goa have arrested the club's chief general manager, Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur.
The North Goa district administration has sealed a beach shack and another club, both part of the Romeo Lane chain, located at Vagator and Assagao, respectively, an official said.
ALSO READ: Goa nightclub blaze: Three senior government officials suspended
Action has been initiated against both properties as they were involved in disputes, the official said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said that a team of state police had left for Delhi in search of the Luthras.
Both the promoters would be arrested as an FIR has been registered against them in connection with the blaze, he added.
Fireworks emerged as the likely cause of the blaze at 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub at Arpora, located 25 km from Panaji, officials said on Sunday, adding that the facility allegedly did not possess even a fire department NOC.
The deceased included 20 employees of the nightclub and five tourists, including four from Delhi.
Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims got trapped on the ground floor and in the kitchen, said a fire brigade official.
As per initial information, the nightclub had not adhered to fire safety norms, CM Sawant said on Sunday.
A preliminary inquiry indicated that "electric firecrackers" were set off inside, which started the blaze at 11.45 pm on Saturday, Sawant said.
The CM has directed Chief Secretary V Candavelou and DGP Alok Kumar to identify and act against the government officials who allowed the club to operate even though it violated safety rules.
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No confusion in BJP-JD(S) alliance: Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday dismissed speculation over confusion in the BJP-JD(S) alliance, asserting that there was clarity within them and that discussions on the chief minister post were premature.
Addressing reporters at the party's state office, JP Bhavan, after chairing a preparatory meeting for the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections, he said the immediate priority was to remove what he termed an "anti-people government" in the state and to strengthen the alliance to face upcoming polls.
"This is not the time to discuss who should become the chief minister. There is still time for that. If we speak about it now, it would be like stitching the cradle even before the baby is born," Kumaraswamy said, underlining that leadership questions would be taken up at an appropriate time.
The JD(S) second-in-command said there is still a lot of work to be done and it was not appropriate to speak about such matters now.
"On the issue of alliance, both I and our party are open-minded. When the time comes, we will discuss it on the party platform and take a decision. There is no confusion regarding the alliance, and there will be no confusion in the future. This is my stand," Kumaraswamy said.
"There is a bad government in the state. My objective is to remove it and bring in a pro-people government. Removing this corrupt and bad government is my agenda. The JD(S) and BJP parties will work together to accomplish this task," he added.
Reiterating his stand, Kumaraswamy said, "My objective is to remove the anti-people government in the state. I have been saying this from the beginning."
On reports of internal differences over the alliance and the CM's position, the union minister said he would not respond to every statement made by individuals.
"Some people are speaking about the alliance and the chief minister's position. I do not feel the need to respond to them. If I start answering each of them, people may think I lack maturity. Therefore, I will not speak about it. We will strengthen the alliance together, face the elections together, and bring a pro-people government," he said.
Kumaraswamy added that discussions within parties were natural and not final.
He said there were still two years left for the Assembly elections while there were four to five months left for the local body elections.
The union minister said the JD(S) is also preparing for the municipal elections in Bengaluru city just as other parties.
He clarified that there had been no discussions so far between the two parties specifically on local body or GBA elections.
Earlier, the JD(S) leader chaired a meeting with Members of the Legislative Council, former MLAs and other leaders of his party to review preparations for the GBA elections.
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