Goa nightclub fire: Arpora sarpanch disqualified, then panchayat secretary sacked from govt service

Panaji: The sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa village was disqualified, and the then secretary of the local panchayat was dismissed from service by the Goa government on Wednesday after they were indicted in a magisterial inquiry committee report on a nightclub fire that killed 25 people.

In two different orders, Director of Panchayat, Mahadev Araundekar, disqualified the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa, Roshan Redkar, and dismissed the then panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar from government service.

Based on the findings of the magisterial inquiry report released earlier in the day, Araundekar termed Redkar's conduct as "persistent remiss of duties."

"The breach of the public trust resulted in a catastrophe, causing the death of 25 people," stated the order, passed under section 50(5) of the Goa Panchayati Raj Act.

Redkar is removed from membership of the panchayat and debarred from holding any office in a panchayat for five years.

The order regarding the dismissal of the then secretary of Arpora-Nagoa panchayat, Raghuvir Bagkar, stated that while the demolition order of the controversial nightclub was appealed before the Directorate of Panchayat, the (then) secretary remained absent during the hearing, resulting in staying of the demolition order.

Bagkar had been suspended earlier along with Sharmila Monteiro (then Member Secretary of the Goa State Pollution Control Board) and Siddhi Halarnkar (then Director of Panchayat).

The 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, where a devastating blaze killed 25 people in the first week of December, stood in the middle of a salt pan and operated without a valid trade licence, according to the magisterial inquiry report, which was made public.

Earlier in the day, two officers of the Goa State Pollution Control Board were suspended in connection with the nightclub fire tragedy.