Tourist guide dies rescuing tourists in J&K
Srinagar, June 1: The body of a tourist guide who was killed while saving tourists following a rafting accident in Lidder river in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam area was fished out of the river on Saturday.
Rouf Ahmad Dar went missing while rescuing five tourists, including foreigners, when their boat capsized in the Lidder river on Friday.
Dar's body was handed over to his family members for last rites after the completion of medico-legal formalities, tourism department officials said.
Calling Dar a "real life hero", J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik sanctioned a monetary relief of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the deceased.
State Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam has directed the concerned officials to provide all possible assistance to the family of the braveheart.
Lidder river, which passes through the picturesque Pahalgam valley, is a mountain stream that is roaring with high velocity water these days.
It is because of the challenges presented by high velocity mountain streams like Lidder and Sindh in the Valley that rafting expeditions are organised for the adventure loving tourists in the months of May, June and July each year.
Once a raft capsizes in such a high velocity stream, there is little chance of survival for the sportsmen.
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.
