Goa nightclub tragedy: fireworks likely cause of blaze; 4 staff members arrested
Panaji (PTI): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said four staff members of the `Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub have been arrested following the fire tragedy, and he has ordered action against officials who allowed the club to operate while flouting rules.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that "electric firecrackers" were set off inside which started the blaze, he said, adding that club owners Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra would soon be arrested.
He has ordered state chief secretary Dr V Candavelou and Director General of Police Alok Kumar to identify and act against the guilty government officials, Sawant said, speaking to reporters hours after the fire at the club claimed 25 lives.
Sawant held a series of meetings with high-ranking officials from the state administration and home department to review the situation following the tragic fire.
The DGP was directed to take strict punitive action against the owners of the club, Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, against whom an FIR has been registered, Sawant said, adding the duo would be soon arrested.
The club's chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania and gate manager Riyanshu Thakur were arrested by the police, the CM said.
The government has also formed a committee of South Goa Collector, Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services and Director of Forensic Laboratory to inquire into the incident, he informed.
The committee will submit its report within a week.
The government has worked out measures to ensure that such incidents do not occur again, the CM said.
An advisory will be issued to all the nightclubs and other establishments in the hospitality sector asking them to take adequate safety precautions, he added.
Government officials who allowed the club to operate, even though it violated several rules, would be suspended during the day, Sawant said.
The state authorities will also conduct an audit of clubs which operate without permissions and also the places where there is a possibility of people gathering in large numbers, the chief minister said.
An ex-gratia of Rs five lakh for the nearest kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured would be paid from the State Disaster Management Authority Funds, he said.
Arrangements would be made to take the mortal remains of the deceased to their native places, he informed.
The incident happened at 11.45 pm on Saturday, and teams of Fire and Emergency Services and Police rushed to the site immediately, Sawant said.
Initially the fire fighters saw only two bodies on the floor but later found 23 more bodies in the kitchen, and these persons had died due to suffocation, the CM said.
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Holiday turns to heartbreak: 7 years after husband's death, Thane woman loses 3 kids in road crash
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Thane (PTI): "Mom, we will be back in two or three days," were the final words three siblings uttered to their mother before leaving their residence in Diva town of Thane district for a short holiday at a relative's place.
Hours later, those words returned to haunt a devastated mother as the news of their deaths in a horrific road accident on Monday morning shattered her world forever.
The siblings, Sneha Mohape (22), Manasi (20), and their brother Prathamesh (17), were among the 11 people who were killed in a head-on collision between a van packed with passengers and a cement mixer truck on a newly constructed bridge over the Ulhas River near Raite village under Kalyan taluka.
The tragedy has wiped out the entire support system of Anjana Mohape, a single mother who had been raising her children with grit and determination since her husband's death seven years ago.
Working as a domestic help, Anjana had ensured her children pursued their education, hoping they would soon stand on their own feet and lift the family out of financial hardship.
"She lived for them. After losing her husband, these three were her only reason to keep going," said Nathu Mohape, a family member.
"They were bright children with dreams of helping their mother. Now, everything is gone in an instant," said the distraught family member.
The siblings were headed to their uncle's house in Panhe village under Murbad taluka of the district to spend their college holiday.
The accident was so severe that the van was reduced to a heap of metal, leaving no room for survival for the Mohape trio.
The last rites of the three siblings will be performed in their native village, family sources said.
While local residents rushed to the spot to initiate a rescue operation, the impact had already claimed the lives of nearly a dozen passengers.
The crash has sparked fresh outrage among locals regarding heavy vehicles on the Kalyan-Ahilyanagar National Highway.
Residents alleged that lorries, mixer and dumper trucks engaged in construction work frequently violate speed limits and safety norms on the highway.
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