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.
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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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Bypoll results will decide the future of Congress in Karnataka: BJP leader Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of Opposition BJP in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said the results of the bypolls in Davanagere South and Bagalkote assembly constituencies will decide the future of the ruling Congress in the state.
The bypolls were necessitated following the demise of sitting Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, who represented Davanagere South and Bagalkote constituencies respectively.
The ruling Congress has fielded Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s grandson and Karnataka Minister S S Mallikarjun’s son Samarth Shamanur in Davanagere South and Umesh Meti in Bagalkote, who are locked in a direct contest with BJP candidates T Dasakariyappa and Veerabhadrayya Charantimath.
According to Ashoka, there is a contest between the poor and the rich in the upcoming bypolls, scheduled on April 9.
"The Congress will lose this election, and the future of the state will be decided. Since Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said ‘Make the poor win’, the BJP has fielded poor candidates,” the BJP leader said in a press conference.
In Davanagere, the BJP has given a ticket to an ordinary person, whereas Congress has given tickets to powerful and influential people. In Bagalkote, there is a very good opinion about the BJP candidate, he claimed.
According to him, the Congress has given space to dynastic politics in both places. Therefore, the BJP has a strong chance of winning in both constituencies.
The LoP said if the Congress candidate wins in Davanagere, it is understood that Muslims will not get opportunities in the future, and therefore, Muslims are opposing the Congress party.
He also charged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who talks about uniting backward classes, has not given a ticket to backward class candidates.
