Padubidri: Bus owners protest against ‘unscientific toll collection’ in Hejamady
Padubidri: Office-bearers of bus owners’ associations staged a protest in Padubidri on Wednesday, objecting to what they termed as an unscientific manner of toll collection at Hejamady and calling it daylight robbery by the officials.
The members of the Canara and the Karavali bus owners’ associations, who gathered in Padubidri for a two-day protest, alleged that they are being charged rates of heavy vehicles for mini buses. They have also warned that, if the system was not stopped immediately, they would park their buses against the toll gates, blocking the road.
Rajavarma Ballal, one of the protesters, explained that the owner of a bus that traversed through Hejamady, Sasthana and Shiroor was made to pay Rs 700 a day in the name of toll.
A second protester, Dilraj Alva, said that they were being fleeced in spite of their vehicles having fastags.
The protesters have also warned that they would intensify the fight if the concerned authorities failed to fulfill their demands.
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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.
