The government came under fire on the concluding day of the winter session of the Legislative Assembly over the much-awaited Birch issue. The opposition termed it a collapse of governance and had a few demands — making the magisterial inquiry report public, fixing political accountability, and initiating a CBI inquiry. There were pointed references made to systemic corruption and flawed permissions, even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stood his ground, saying that penal action has been initiated.
Sawant spoke of nightclubs that have been sealed, officials suspended and dismissed, systemic changes that have been implemented, and new audit protocols that have been introduced. While there is no denying that action has been initiated, the larger question is whether enough is being done. Is the government paying lip service, or is it genuinely interested in cleansing the system? Are illegalities detected selectively, or does punitive action depend on the choices of those in power? Can establishments that do not comply with the requisite permissions be allowed to continue business? If not, why are they not sealed yet?
Now picture this: Data placed before the Legislative Assembly shows that only 232 beach shacks had fire NOCs out of the total 365 units in the last calendar year. When it comes to hotels, only 291 were compliant, along with 1479 guest houses. None of the resorts and homestays had complied with fire safety permissions in 2025. Laws mandate all occupancies to obtain and maintain a Fire No Objection Certificate as required under the Goa Fire Force Act 1986 & Rules 1997.
The government swiftly dismissed the Secretary of the Village Panchayat of Arpora-Nagoa, Raghuvir Bagkar, holding him responsible for grave dereliction of duty and subsequently arrested him on Friday. Arpora Sarpanch Roshan Redkar was disqualified for what was seen as misuse and abuse of power in the Birch case. The inquiry report held that Bagkar’s actions and inaction directly facilitated the unlawful functioning of the establishment. The question is, similar action should have been initiated against all those involved in granting permissions from other departments. Basically, Form I & XIV forms the basis on which departments proceed with the formalities of licensing. How did departments grant permissions when the area was not classified as a settlement?
Going ahead, a bigger concern has emerged about illegalities on khazan land. Fatorda legislator Vijai Sardesai pointed out that nearly eight lakh square metres of khazan land was not reflected in the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2011 and sought a freeze on such land till it is shown in the subsequent plan. While CZMP 2019 may take time beyond the assurances of the CM of a year, there is no harm in freezing such land till then. In the meantime, the government should identify how the omission happened. Lest we forget, 46 lakh square meters of sand dunes were missing from the draft CZMP 2011 maps prepared by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM).
Lastly, given the gravity of the situation and the tragedy in the background, the actions undertaken so far appear to be far from convincing. Piecemeal action will not help clean the mess that Goa finds itself in. The government will have to reboot the system with sweeping changes, bring in policy reforms, and fix responsibility across the board — from the Panch to officers and ministers. Political leaders, no matter how tall they are, can’t escape accountability.
