Mangaluru, Sept 01: In a bid to make Dakshina Kannada district a model child-friendly district in the state, Padi Velored, on behalf of the people of the district, submitted a memorandum today.

Padi director Renni D'Souza submitted the memorandum to MLC Ivan D'Souza, in the absence of the district in-charge minister, during the inauguration of the Padi Velored project’s silver jubilee celebration at Don Bosco Hall in the city.

  • To make D.K a child-friendly district, the district administration should call a meeting with child-related departments and various organizations and prepare action plans.

  • Quality education, community participation in the education field, educational research, child rights and promotion of child-related laws and training should take place from time to time. For this, space for constructing a training center should be provided to the Padi organisation.

  • The government’s attention will be grabbed towards the appointment of relevant subject teachers, and physical education teachers at every school to ensure that all children acquire quality education as per the Right to Education Act.

  • Appointment of a child a consultant at least at every taluk.

  • The D.K district has a city Childline Plan for child protection. The complaints related to children's issues are coming increasingly in the five taluks of the D.K district. Therefore the demand for the provision of a vehicle system and city Childline service to taluks has been kept among five significant demands.

MLC Ivan D'Souza, who attended the meeting as the chief guest, said that the district is worthy enough of becoming a child-friendly district, and assured to give full cooperation for the cause.

Inaugurating the program, the District Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Mallanagowda Patil, emphasised the importance of children's rights.

Deputy Director of women's and children's development department Sundar Poojary, Marlyn Martis, Sulochana Kodavooru, Premi Fernandes, BM Rohini, Ismail, Abdusalam, and others were present.

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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.