Goa govt told the Assembly that the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub was flagged for illegal construction in 2024, months before the fire that killed 25 people.
Revenue documents show the club was built by illegally converting salt pan land, demolishing a traditional sluice gate, and violating zoning and building by-laws.
Officials had confirmed gross illegalities after inspection, but the operator failed to produce valid documents despite repeated notices.
Goa Fire Tragedy: Nightclub Flagged Illegal Months Before Blaze
“Unsafe structure which could cause a major tragedy,” revenue records warned.
Summary
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.
Last month, a fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, claimed the lives of twenty-five people.
In a written response to the House on Friday, State Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserratte included papers that demonstrate the club was built by illegally changing the land and removing the customary sluice gate inside the salt pan.
On December 21, 2023, Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the property's original owners, complained to the Bardez taluka mamlatdar (revenue officer).
The Maizon Lake View Resort (later renamed the Birch by Romeo Lane after it was leased out to brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra) was the target of the lawsuit.
The resort's owner, Surinder Khosla, and the complainants had signed a selling agreement.
Their complaint specifically mentioned that there was a construction without the conversion of land and without the change of zone. It is 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 of the building by-laws." Responding to the complaint, the Bardez mamlatdar had asked Arpora-Nagoa panchayat talathi to inspect the premises, which confirmed the gross illegalities, including construction inside the salt pan by demolishing the sluice gate.
The minister's paperwork also said that 25,750 square meters of ground with an average height of 1.5 meters had been landfilled.
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The talathi had specified that 4,000 square meters would be used for parking, 7,500 square meters for building shops, 7,250 square meters for landscaping and water sports, an additional 3,600 square meters for landscaping in the western portion of the property, and two buildings measuring 2,000 and 1,400 square meters each would house the contentious nightclub/restaurant.
"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.
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