Congress sets up political affairs committee for Karnataka, names 5 AICC secretaries
New Delhi(PTI): As part of efforts to get battle-ready for the Karnataka Assembly polls next year, the Congress on Saturday formed a political affairs committee that included several party bigwigs from the state and also appointed five secretaries attached with AICC general secretary in-charge Randeep Surjewala.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi set up a 22-member political affairs committee with Surjewala as the convenor and PCC chief D K Shivakumar, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and M Veerappa Moily, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leaders B K Hariprasad, Dinesh Gundurao, Margret Alva, D K Suresh and party's task force member Sunil Kanugolu, among its members.
Gandhi also appointed five AICC Secretaries attached with the General Secretary Incharge of Karnataka, Surjewala, with immediate effect.
D Sridhar Babu, MLA; PC C Vishnunadh, MLA; Roji M John, MLA; Mayura S Jayakumar and Abhishek Dutt have been named as secretaries attached to Surjewala.
Kuldeep Rai Sharma and Raminder Singh Awla have been relieved from their current responsibilities as AICC Secretaries, the party said in a statement.
As per the five-year scheduled term, the election is to be held in April-May next year.
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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.
