BJP to stage demo against tunnel road project in Bengaluru on Nov 2
Bengaluru (PTI): The BJP on Thursday announced that it will stage a protest at Lalbagh in the city on November 2 against the tunnel road project.
The protest will be held under the slogan 'Save Lalbagh, Save Bengaluru', the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, said.
Addressing reporters here, he said the mere mention of the tunnel road project strikes fear in people's hearts of Bengalurians because they do not know whose home will be affected.
Stating that six acres of land of Lalbagh will be acquired for the project, the BJP leader claimed that no department has granted permission for this project.
"With the Bihar elections approaching, they might be pushing this project to make money," Ashoka alleged.
He also hit out Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for calling the name of Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya for opposing the tunnel road project.
Ashoka said, "It is wrong to insult Tejasvi Surya. This is an insult to an entire Lok Sabha constituency. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar should learn to speak respectfully."
The Bengaluru tunnel road, the pet project of Shivakumar, is aimed at building a network of underground roads to reduce the city’s traffic woes. The 17.7-km twin-tube tunnel connecting Hebbal and Central Silk Board will be built at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 18,000 crore.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
