'Make me Minister for Garbage', desperate BJP MLA tells Goa CM
Panaji, Jun 21: Desperately angling for a ministerial berth, Deputy Speaker and BJP MLA Michael Lobo on Friday urged Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to appoint him as "Minister for Garbage" in order to resolve the coastal state's garbage disposal woes.
Speaking to reporters here, Lobo, who earlier this week was promised a "bigger role" in the government by Chief Minister Sawant, also said, that lack of proper disposal mechanism for the burgeoning garbage dumps poses a big challenge for the state which is known as a beach tourism destination.
"For the last 25 years, so many MLAs, ministers and Chief Ministers travelled the world in their efforts to resolve the garbage issue. But they did nothing when they came back. There should be a ministry of garbage now. There are many kinds of ministries, but no garbage ministry, perhaps because it smells bad. No one wants to be a Garbage Minister, but I am ready," Lobo said.
Lobo has in the past, openly complained about the BJP not offering him a Cabinet berth, despite playing a key role during the formation of the BJP-led coalition government in 2017, although the BJP was in a minority in the 40-member state Legislative Assembly.
Goa's inability to manage garbage especially in the coastal areas, which often sees heaps of filth lining its roads and fields, has also been an area of concern for tourism industry stakeholders who have pleaded with the state government to resolve the issue.
Over the last one week, the town of Margao in South Goa, is facing a severe garbage crisis after a fallout between a private company managing the garbage dump on the town's outskirts and the state government over dump management processes.
Lobo also said that the garbage ministry could be solely funded from the garbage cess collected by the government on various transactions.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
