Goa Fire Tragedy: Complaints about illegal construction at the nightclub had been ongoing for years, reveals the landowner.

The nightclub in Goa, where a fire claimed 25 lives, had been the subject of complaints for many years. This was revealed by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar, the owner of the land on which the nightclub, Birk by Romeo Lane, was built. Amonkar stated on Tuesday that there had been complaints of illegal construction at the nightclub for years, and he had been fighting a legal battle against it for the past 20 years.

Nightclub operating illegally

Amonkar explained that he had purchased two plots of land in Arpora village in 1994, and in 2004, he entered into an agreement to sell the plot to Surinder Kumar Khosla. However, the deal fell through six months later because Khosla could not make the payment. Despite this, Khosla built a nightclub on the land, which was later taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra. These two were currently operating the Birk by Romeo Lane nightclub.

Amonkar, along with Sunil Divkar, the Sarpanch of the Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat, had filed a complaint against the construction of the nightclub. Following this, demolition orders were issued, but the Directorate of Panchayats stayed the demolition order on an appeal by Surinder Khosla. The Birk by Romeo Lane nightclub, operating in Arpora village, caught fire on December 7th, resulting in the deaths of 25 people, including nightclub employees and staff.

The nightclub's license had also expired.

Amonkar alleged that Surinder Khosla is the main culprit in this entire matter. He said that Khosla might flee the country. Meanwhile, the state administration has accused the local panchayats of approving illegal constructions. A statement issued by the Chief Minister's office said that the panchayat had signed off on the electricity connection, water connection, and NOC for building repairs for the nightclub. The nightclub's trade license had also expired in March 2024, yet it continued to operate. Under Section 72-A of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, panchayats have the power to seal premises operating without a license, but the panchayat failed to do so.