Renowned journalist, Padmashree awardee Fatima Rafiq Zakaria passes away
Aurangabad, Apr 6: Noted educationist and journalist Fatima Rafiq Zakaria , a Padmashri awardee, died here in Maharashtra on Tuesday.
Zakaria, 85, was the wife of the former minister, MP and writer late Rafiq Zakaria, and mother of noted journalist Fareed Zakaria.
She was the chairman of the Maulana Azad Educational Trust.
She breathed her last on Tuesday evening, a senior official of the Maulana Azad College said, adding that she was undergoing treatment at a hospital here for the last one week.
"Her last rites will be performed in Maulana Azad Campus on Wednesday morning," Maulana Azad College principal Mazhar Farooqui told PTI.
Fatma Zakaria headed several other educational institutions.
She had a long career in the fields of journalism, social work, publishing and education spanning over 50 years, another official said.
After completing her education in Lucknow and Mumbai, she established childcare and a women's industrial home in Mumbai in 1958 where over 500 underprivileged children were given day-care and education while their mothers were trained to support the income of their families.
In 1963, Fatma Zakaria started writing for children in The Illustrated Weekly of India. From 1970 to 1980, she worked with the prestigious English magazine on different posts.
She also worked as Assistant Editor with The Times of India.
She was awarded Sarojini Naidu Integration Award for journalism in 1983.
She is survived by two sons- Arshad Zakaria and Fareed Zakaria.
"An innovative, personality which was active in society. My Condolences are with Arshad and Fareed Zakaria," NCP MP Supriya Sule tweeted.
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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.
