Preparations for holding polls to local bodies to be completed in 2 weeks: Govt to HC
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government has informed the High Court that the preparation for conducting elections to local bodies including Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Zilla Panchayats and Taluk Panchayats will be completed in two weeks. The Government’s submission before the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale came during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by the State Election Commission (SEC).
The SEC has challenged an Amendment by which the State Government withdrew its power to redraw the constituencies and prepare the reservation list. A new delimitation panel was created by the State to conduct this exercise.
Considering the government's submission to complete the exercise within two weeks, the bench disposed of the PIL. The HC, however, clarified that the SEC was at liberty to approach the court again if it faced any difficulty from the government in completing the task.
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Advocate General K Shashikiran Shetty, who appeared for the State, informed the bench that the delimitation exercise for the local bodies would be completed today (December 19) and a notification would be issued soon. He also submitted that a draft notification for reservation of seats in these constituencies would be issued within two weeks. Objections to these lists would be considered within two weeks thereafter. The HC, while recording these submissions, directed the State to file a detailed memo and disposed of the PIL.
The SEC had made preparations for the ZP-TP polls in Karnataka in April and May 2021. It had completed the delimitation exercise on constituencies and the final list of voters was also published. The reservation draft was also announced by the SEC. However, before the SEC could announce the election schedule, the then State Government amended the Karnataka Panchayat Raj and Gram Swaraj Act.
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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.
