Meeting with PM fruitful: Kerala CM
New Delhi, Sep 25 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday night expressed happiness after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had "very fruitful" discussions on how to rebuild the flood-battered state.
Vijayan called on Modi seeking the full support of the Centre in rebuilding the state in the aftermath of the worst ever floods in a century that ravaged the state.
"Eighty per cent of Kerala's population has been directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy. The state alone cannot handle the crisis. Hence the complete support of the Centre is required and this has been brought to the attention of the Prime Minister," he said.
"The meeting was very fruitful and we have a lot of expectations," he told the media.
Among the demands he has raised with Modi is a 10 per cent increase in all central schemes, a sum of Rs 4,796 crore from the National Disaster Fund and Rs 5,000 crore of special grant.
The May-August disaster claimed 483 lives and at the height of the deluge there were 14.50 lakh people in over 3,000 relief camps.
"We have sought the help of the Centre to get assistance from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The PM has expressed all support in the demands that we raised."
He said there were issues in accepting help from foreign countries. "But there is no bar in accepting help from the diaspora."
Vijayan returned from the US on Sunday after being treated for an undisclosed ailment.
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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.
