Panel smells rat in banning traffic movement on Shiradi Ghat
Sakaleshpura, August 24: Protect Shiradi Ghat Action Committee president Sanjith Shetty smelt the rat in the decision of closing traffic movement on Shiradi Ghats making small incidents as big one.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Shetty said that there were few landslides and cracks on the Shiradi Ghats due to heavy rains and the mud covered on the road could be removed in a few hours and cracks could be closed. But colluding with the contractors, the elected representatives and the officials have planned to loot money in the name of repair works. There was no need to close the vehicular movement on the road for such a small work. They demanded Rs 6 crore for repairing the road and said that they would require five months to do it and thus, conspired to loot the money, he alleged.
In order to loot the public money, some officials and elected representatives joined hands together. So, the Hassan and Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioners should verify the spots and see to it that there should not be any misuse of money. If the repair work was not completed by September first week and open for traffic movement, the Committee would stage protest against this decision, he warned.
Railway Passengers Welfare Forum president Narayana Alva said that Shiradi road was the only route to link Bengaluru and Mangaluru. But it was closed with ulterior motive. The train service which was started because of the forums continuous efforts was also closed due to landslide. As a result, people were finding it difficult to take people who required medical treatment to Mangaluru. In fact, vehicular movement on Charmadi ghat was also critical. When this was the situation, the authorities should not mislead the people and it was condemnable. Traffic movement should start immediately. Otherwise, they would force them to protest, he warned.
Malnad Welfare Forum convener Kishore Shiradi, Yathish Kumar Gundya, Kumar and others were present.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
