Bengaluru, Jun 25: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday instructed officials to complete the land acquisition process and start the work within a month for comprehensive development of Anjanadri Hills, considered to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, at Kishkinda in Koppal district.

The instructions were issued at a meeting chaired by Bommai to review the implementation of Anjanadri Hills Comprehensive Development project.

Stating that about 60 acres of land is required for the project, of which about 58 acres is currently held by private owners, the Chief Minister asked the Deputy Commissioner of Koppal district to acquire the land through direct negotiation with the farmers or through the KIADB (Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board) land acquisition process.

In the first phase of the project, connecting roads to Anjanadri should be developed, and alternative roads too should be identified and built, he said.

According to his office, the Chief Minister also wanted the officials to widen the State Highway from the National Highway to Gangavathi in the district.

He instructed the officials to prepare a detailed project report and develop parking and other amenities for the pilgrims at the base of the foothills.

Referring to the proposal for building a 430-metre ropeway to reach the top of Anjanadri Hills, Bommai instructed the state tourism department to complete the tender process for the work within two months.

He wanted the officials to create tourist amenities and parking facilities at the base of the ropeway. "I will personally visit Anjanadri Hills before July 15 to inspect the progress of the works," Bommai said.

Ministers Anand Singh, Halappa Achar, Koppal MP Karadi Sanganna 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.