Panaji, December 7 (IANS). 25 people have died, while six are injured in the accident that took place at a nightclub in Arpora, Goa. Goa Congress Committee President Amit Patkar has described this accident as a dark day in the tourism history of Goa. He raised questions on the state government and regulatory monitoring and demanded the resignation of CM Pramod Sawant.
Goa Congress President Amit Patkar said, “The death of 25 innocent people in a club in Arpora is one of the darkest days in the tourism history of Goa. This horrific incident is not an accident, it is a direct result of the complete failure of governance, regulatory oversight and public safety under the BJP government led by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.”
He said, “For years, the Congress Party has been consistently warning the government about illegal activities like unregulated nightlife operations, violation of security norms and the deep nexus between the ruling establishment and certain business interests. Yesterday’s tragedy is the result of this criminal negligence.”
He accused the Goa government of failing to save people’s lives and raised many questions. He asked, “Why were the establishments allowed to function without following basic safety rules? Who gave the permission without proper license checking? Why has the BJP government turned Goa’s tourism sector into a vested interest-driven, lawless, unsafe environment?”
The Goa Congress president said, “This tragedy exposes the complete administrative failure and utter failure of the Home Department, Tourism Department and Goa Police. Given the gravity of this disaster, moral accountability must be held at the highest level. Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant must immediately resign for failing to ensure the safety of citizens and allowing such a catastrophic collapse of governance. A government which cannot protect its own people has no moral or constitutional right to continue in office.”
Amit Patkar said, “In view of the complete failure of the constitutional machinery, the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee urges the Honorable Governor to take immediate cognizance and recommend dismissal of the government under Article 356 of the Constitution of India. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. Goa stands united in grief and demands justice for every life lost.”
Stating the demand of the Congress party, he said, “There should be a judicial inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the High Court. The officials giving illegal permissions should be immediately suspended and arrested. All licenses, security audits and inspection reports of the club should be released publicly. The families of the dead and injured should be compensated.”
Patkar said, “Goa’s image, culture and security cannot be sacrificed to corruption, mismanagement and incompetence. The BJP government is failing on every front and the people of Goa will not forget the failure of this system. Now is the time for accountability. Now is the time for change.”
–IANS
SCH/VC
