Rain fury: No dearth of funds for relief & rescue works, says Karnataka CM Bommai
Mysuru(PTI): The Karnataka government is with the people at this hour of crisis when many parts of the state are reeling under floods, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday.
District in-charge ministers have involved themselves in relief works taking everyone into confidence, said Bommai, who has embarked on a tour of the rain-affected districts.
Ministers S Angara in Udupi, V Sunil Kumar in Mangaluru (Dakshina Kannada district), Kota Srinivas Poojary in Uttara Kannada and S T Somashekar in Mysuru have already visited the flood-hit areas to take stock of the situation.
Revenue minister R Ashoka has just returned from his visit to Kodagu. The entire government is engaged in it, the Chief Minister said.
"I too am visiting the affected areas today and will issue necessary instructions for rescue and relief works," Bommai said.
Efforts are on to convince the people residing in seismic sensitive zones and in areas which are prone to landslides to shift to safer places, he said.
Road connectivity is snapped in many places due to incessant rains. Landslides and mild tremors have occurred in a few places in Kodagu, sea erosion has affected the people in coastal region, and houses along the river banks have been damaged in many parts of northern Karnataka, Bommai noted.
In some places crops have been damaged due to high discharge from the reservoirs. Survey has been conducted on the damages. Exact details would be shared soon.
Replying to a query on funds for relief works, Bommai said Rs 730 crore is available with the NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund). There is no shortage of funds for undertaking relief and rescue works. Central assistance would be sought, if needed, after estimating the losses.
Reacting to recurring floods in many villages, Bommai said 63 flood-prone villages along river banks have been relocated. But the people are reluctant to relocate in some villages. Expert opinion has been sought on safe relocation of such villages. Special project would be formulated in this regard.
Meanwhile, replying to a question, the CM said it has been decided at the core committee meeting to replace heads of various state-run Boards and Corporations who are serving in their posts for over one and a half years to give an opportunity for others.
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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.
