Nightclub where fire claimed 25 lives flagged for illegal construction in 2024: Goa government

Panaji: The Goa government has told the legislative assembly that the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where 25 people died in a fire last month, had been flagged for illegal construction by revenue officials in 2024.

Twenty-five people were killed last month in a fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, located at Arpora in North Goa.

State Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserratte, in a written reply to the House on Friday, attached documents that show the club was constructed by demolishing the traditional sluice gate inside the salt pan by illegally converting the land.

The original owners of the property, Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, had filed a complaint before the Bardez taluka mamlatdar (revenue officer) on December 21, 2023.

The complaint was filed against the then Maizon Lake View Resort (later named as the Birch by Romeo Lane after it was leased out to brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra).

The complainants had signed an agreement for sale with Surinder Khosla, the proprietor of the resort.

Their complaint specifically mentioned that there was a construction without the conversion of land and without the change of zone. It alleged that there was construction in the tenanted land and the "traditional sluice gate was demolished." The complaint also pointed out that the establishment was "discharging sewage into the Baga river".

The documents, tabled by the minister, also showed that the complainants had specifically mentioned that the discotheque (nightclub) was being operated in an "unsafe structure which could cause a major tragedy."

The complaint also mentioned that there was "mis-utilisation of open spaces in contravention to the building by-laws."

Responding to the complaint, the Bardez mamlatdar had asked Arpora-Nagoa panchayat talathi to conduct an inspection of the premises, which confirmed the gross illegalities, including construction inside the salt pan by demolishing the sluice gate.

The documents tabled by the minister also mentioned that landfilling was done over 25,750 square metres of area with an average height of 1.5 metres.

The talathi had listed out that 4,000 sqm area was earmarked for parking, 7,500 sqm for construction of shops, 7,250 sqm for landscaping and water sports, another 3,600 sqm for landscaping in the property's western part, and in the centre of the property where the salt pan existed, there were two structures of 2,000 and 1,400 sqm each, where the controversial nightclub cum restaurant was located.

"The party (Khosla) says he has all the documents but did not produce (them) even after being given several opportunities for almost two months," as per the documents tabled by Monserratte to a question by Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai.

The winter session of the state assembly was held from January 12 to 16.