PANJI JAN 18: The Goa government informed the legislative assembly that revenue officials had flagged the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, for illegal construction in 2024—months before a fire killed 25 people last month.
State Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserratte provided documents in a written reply on Friday to Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, confirming the club’s construction involved demolishing a traditional sluice gate inside a salt pan through illegal land conversion.
Original landowners Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar filed a complaint with the Bardez taluka mamlatdar on December 21, 2023, against Maizon Lake View Resort (later leased to brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra as Birch by Romeo Lane). They had an agreement for sale with proprietor Surinder Khosla.
The complaint highlighted unauthorized construction without land conversion or zone change on tenanted land, demolition of the sluice gate, sewage discharge into the Baga river, operation of a discotheque in an unsafe structure posing major tragedy risk, and misuse of open spaces violating building bylaws.
Following the complaint, the Bardez mamlatdar directed Arpora-Nagoa panchayat talathi to inspect the site, which confirmed violations including construction inside the salt pan by demolishing the sluice gate and landfilling over 25,750 square meters to an average height of 1.5 meters.
The talathi report detailed misuse of areas: 4,000 sqm for parking, 7,500 sqm for shops, 7,250 sqm for landscaping and water sports, 3,600 sqm for western landscaping, and central salt pan structures of 2,000 sqm and 1,400 sqm housing the nightclub and restaurant.
Despite multiple opportunities over nearly two months, Khosla failed to produce required documents, as noted in the tabled records. The winter assembly session ran from January 12 to 16.
