Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar claims his land, originally a salt pan, was reclassified as a settlement zone without notice, allegedly enabling the nightclub’s operation.
The zoning issue surfaced as he prepared to approach the high court following the December 6 fire that killed 25 people, while authorities say an inquiry is underway.
A man claiming to be the original owner of the land on which the fire-hit ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub stood has alleged that part of his property was quietly reclassified from a salt pan to a settlement zone without his knowledge, purportedly to benefit the establishment.
Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar said he entered into a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, but the deal was withdrawn within six months after no payment was made. Khosla went on to set up a nightclub on the land, which was later taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the operators of Birch by Romeo Lane.
A blaze swept through the club in Arpora, North Goa, on December 6, killing 25 people, mostly staff members, along with a few tourists.
Amonkar said he has been locked in a prolonged legal dispute with Khosla over ownership of the land. “For 21 years, I have been fighting in courts to get back my land in Arpora, which has been wrongfully occupied,” he told PTI.
He said he has recently discovered what he describes as a fresh concern: “The government quietly changed the zoning of my land without informing me,” he said. Despite ongoing litigation, he added that no notice was ever served to him regarding any zoning modification.
According to Amonkar, the land on which the nightclub was constructed has been redesignated as a settlement zone. “How can a salt pan be converted into a settlement zone,” he asked.
He said he became aware of the “zone change” on Thursday while compiling documents to move the high court against the club following the fire tragedy.
A senior official from the Goa Town and Country Planning department said an inquiry into the matter is currently in progress, and it would be inappropriate to comment on Amonkar’s allegations at this stage.
(with PTI inputs)
