Karnataka Congress' padayatra continues, third FIR against 64 leaders for violating COVID-19 curbs
Bengaluru, Jan 12: As the Congress' 'padayatra' demanding implementation of the Mekedatu project across the Cauvery river entered its fourth day on Wednesday, a third FIR has been registered against 64 party leaders, including D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, for taking out the march defying COVID-19 curbs.
The FIR has been registered at the Kanakapura police station for defying restrictions on Tuesday, during which Congress leaders and a large number of party workers had marched a distance of about 14.3 km from Kanakapura to Chikkenahalli.
Several Congress leaders, including Shivakumar's brother and Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh, Ravi S, Dhruvanarayana, Priyank Kharge, Eshwar Khandre, Tanvir Sait, Salim Ahemad, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, Nalapad Haris, are among those mentioned in the FIR.
They have been booked for violation of guidelines, by gathering in huge numbers, without wearing face masks and not maintaining social distancing, under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act and sections of Indian Penal Code, the FIR said.
This even as the Congress' 10-day long padayatra demanding for implementation of Mekedatu project, to which neighbouring Tamil Nadu is opposed to, continued for the fourth day on Wednesday for a distance of about 15 km from Chikkenahalli to Ramanagara with participation of hundreds of party workers and supporters.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday questioned the state government as to why it allowed the Congress' padayatra, which is being held in violation of its COVID curbs, and why no appropriate action was taken by the authorities to restrain the march.
It has also asked the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) whether it had obtained permission for the padayatra and whether measures have been taken in compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) prescribed by the government to prevent the COVID-19 spread.
The court has asked both the state government as well as the Congress to respond by Friday.
While the first FIR filed at the same Sathanoor police station for defying restrictions on Sunday had named 30 people including senior Congress leaders like Shivakumar, Suresh, Siddaramaiah, Veerappa Moily and Mallikarjun Kharge, among others; the second FIR is against 40 party leaders for defying orders on Monday.
The padayatra spanning a distance of nearly 139 km is scheduled to conclude at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru on January 19.
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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.
