HC directs State to consider private transporters’ plea to include their buses under Shakti Scheme
Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the state government to consider, within two months, a plea by private transport firms to extend the Shakti Scheme offering free bus travel for women to their buses as well.
The single judge bench of Justice S R Krishna Kumar disposed of a petition filed by private bus operators in Udupi district who had made such a plea.
The petition said the Shakti Yojane “can be extended to private stage carriage operators also”, and a representation in this regard was made to the chief minister and deputy chief minister and other ministers but there has been no positive outcome.
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The petition claimed that private operators run services in mountainous and hilly areas and valleys, which are not otherwise easily accessible, as some of these routes do not have KSRTC bus services.
“Although the cost of running a state carriage bus is very high, the private operators are providing good services to the passengers at large on different routes throughout Karnataka and even in a number of routes where there are no KSRTC buses,” the court was informed.
The petition claimed that after the launch of the free bus services for women in state transport buses, private operators are suffering losses.
“Within two days (after) the Shakti Yojane came into effect from 11.6.2023, private operators are heavily and severely facing loss without any passengers, and the services which are in operation for more than 50 to 60 years on the route are in question,” the petitioner said.
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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.
