CM Bommai to visit Delhi on Feb 7 ahead of state budget presentation
Bengaluru, Feb 6: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said he would be flying to Delhi on February 7 to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Members of Parliament from Karnataka ahead of preparing the state budget.
Bommai's trip to the national capital has triggered speculations that cabinet expansion may be discussed with the BJP's central leadership.
"I am going to Delhi tomorrow to meet all the MPs against the backdrop of the union budget and the budget we are preparing. I have sought an appointment with the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman where I want to discuss budget, financial condition and GST," he told reporters here.
Seeking to downplay the visit, Bommai explained that there had been a convention of Chief Ministers holding discussions with "everyone" ahead of presentation of the budget and he is only following the same tradition.
He said that he has also sought appointment with party seniors and he would get a confirmation this evening or Monday morning. He however, acknowledged that they would be busy with the ongoing Parliamentary proceedings and the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.
The CM made it clear that he has not sought any appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
To a query whether cabinet expansion would be discussed, Bommai said he cannot speculate how the situation will be when he gets an appointment with the seniors in the party.
Against the permitted strength of 34 ministers in the cabinet, the Bommai government has a team of 30 while four berths are vacant. Many ministerial aspirants have been lobbying for the positions.
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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.
