Govt to take decision on Cloud Seeding' after discussion with Finance Department: DCM DK Shivakumar
Belagavi, Dec 8: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said his government was open to considering the proposal for cloud seeding to trigger rains, and that a decision would be taken after discussions with the Finance department.
The Karnataka government has declared 223 out of the total 236 taluks as drought-hit.
Shivakumar was responding to Ranebennur Congress MLA Prakash Koliwad, who had requested the government to take up cloud seeding, during the Zero Hour in the assembly.
"Cloud seeding has been done in other states. It was experimented in our state too in the past. I am told that cloud seeding efforts in the constituency of our legislator Prakash have yielded good results. Our government is also open to take up..." he said.
Further, noting that procedural aspects such as tender and cost need to be factored in for the exercise, he said, "The cost of cloud seeding is said to be around Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore, I will discuss it with Finance department and we will take a decision."
Koliwad said, "I have spoken to weathermen and scientists and they say that the next few days are good for cloud seeding as it would be cloudy. It is an opportune time to take up cloud seeding and the government should consider it positively at the earliest."
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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.
