IMD warns of high waves along Andhra coast as Cyclone 'Montha' approaches
Amaravati (PTI): The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and the Meteorological Department on Monday forecast high sea waves along the Andhra Pradesh coast from Nellore to Srikakulam, ranging between 2 and 4.7 metres as cyclone 'Montha' is set to intensify into a cyclonic storm on October 28 morning.
According to a joint bulletin from both the agencies, the high waves are expected for six hours, between 5:30 pm and 11:30 today.
“High waves in the range of two to 4.7 metres are forecast during 5:30 pm to 11:30 pm of October 27 off the coast of Andhra Pradesh from Nellore to Srikakulam.”
The cyclonic storm 'Montha', which means a fragrant flower in Thai language, was centered over westcentral and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal at 5.30 pm, moving northwest at 15 km per hour during the past six hours.
It lay about 450 km south to southeast of Kakinada, 420 km east of Chennai, 500 km south to southeast of Visakhapatnam and 670 km south to southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha).
The system is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning, said a press release from the Met Department.
“Continuing to move further north-northwestwards, it is very likely to cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during the evening and night of October 28 as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph (and) gusting up to 110 kmph,” it added.
A storm surge of about one metre above astronomical tide is expected to cause inundation in low-lying areas of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam around landfall time.
INCOIS and Met Department predicted that light to moderate rainfall is very likely at most of the cyclone-affected places of Andhra Pradesh with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall over 20 cm at isolated places between October 27 and 29.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
