Goa nightclub fire: Cops initiate process for blue corner notice against Khosla who fled to UK
Panaji (PTI): Goa Police have started the process to secure a Blue Corner Notice against British national Surinder Kumar Khosla, an accused in the December 6 nightclub fire that killed 25 people, through Central agencies, a senior officer said on Saturday.
He said Khosla was in Goa when the incident occurred and fled to the UK, probably the next day.
"We have started the process to issue him a blue corner notice to bring him from the UK. Formalities required to be completed with Central agencies are being initiated,” the officer added.
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Khosla is believed to be one of the owners of the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Arpora where a massive fire broke out on the night of December 6.
The land, where the nightclub was built, had been leased to Khosla, who is locked in a protracted legal battle with the original landowner, Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar.
"Khosla was in Goa when the fire occurred. However, he later fled to the UK, probably on the next day (December 7)," the police officer said.
Police have so far arrested eight people, including the nightclub owners Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra, and Ajay Gupta, and five others.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
