Odisha govt revises train accident death toll to 288
Bhubaneswar(PTI): The Odisha government on Tuesday revised the death toll in the Balasore train crash to 288.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Secretary PK Jena said, 275 deaths were confirmed till Monday, and after verification of the bodies, the figure was raised to 288. Jena said that 205 bodies of the total 288 have been identified so far and handed over to their families.
The remaining 83 bodies were kept at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and other hospitals for identification, he said.
"We have received many queries on the helpline numbers released by the government. We are optimistic that all the bodies will be identified," Jena said.
The government had reported the toll figure of 288 earlier as well, but then revised it downwards to 275, stating that some of the bodies were counted twice. It was then raised to 278, and further to 288 again. Jena said the state government was bearing the cost of treatment of the injured, and transportation of bodies to respective destinations.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 1.95 crore for ex-gratia payment to the families of 39 deceased persons from Odisha.
According to the government, Rs 5 lakh will be given to the kin of each deceased person as ex-gratia. The money was being provided from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF).
The train accident in Balasore, involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train transporting iron ore, happened around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
