‘Illegalities’ were flagged in legal notice to authorities
‘Administrative limbo’ exploited to continue Ops, says top lawyer’s notice
PANAJI
The devastating Arpora nightclub fire that claimed 25 lives has brought into sharp focus a legal dispute and repeated warnings about illegal construction and safety hazards at the site.
A legal notice served on November 4, by senior lawyer Arun Braz de Sa had explicitly cautioned government authorities of “imminent risk of catastrophic failure and potential mass casualties” if operations at the club continued unchecked.
The notice, backed by earlier complaints filed on December 18, 2023, detailed violations at properties bearing Survey Nos. 158/0 and 159/0. These included unauthorised commercial establishments – shops, restaurants, and a discotheque –constructed in eco‑sensitive “Khazan lands” traditionally reserved as salt pans.
It also flagged the operation of a high‑occupancy discotheque in a structurally compromised building partially submerged in a water body, without fire safety or evacuation measures.
Following the complaint, the Arpora‑Nagoa panchayat issued a notice and conducted a physical inspection which substantiated the allegations, documenting unauthorized shops, an illegally built restaurant, six additional structures, and two platforms in the salt pan area.
These findings were formally recorded in the Panchayat meeting of February 15, 2024 and a resolution ordering demolition of the illegal structures under Section 66(4) of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act was unanimously passed.
A demolition notice was served to the operator, identified as Mr Khosla, directing removal within 15 days. Instead of complying, Khosla filed an appeal before the Additional Director of Panchayats, Panaji.
The hearing, initially scheduled for June 3, was postponed to July 12, 2024 when a stay was granted after the panchayat failed to appear, leaving the matter unresolved.
Despite multiple notices and pending proceedings, commercial operations continued, De Sa’s notice said, adding: “The administrative limbo created by the pending appeal allowed operations to continue “with impunity,” the notice alleged.”
The nightclub, along with a restaurant named Birch by Romeo Lane, functioned without occupancy certificates, structural stability clearances, or fire safety approvals.
De Sa’s notice, addressed to the Chief Minister, Environment and Tourism Ministers, Chief Secretary, Town Planner, Pollution Control Board, and CRZ Office, underscored the public interest implications. “The potential for mass casualties is severe, particularly given the remote location and limited access for emergency services,” the lawyer had cautioned in the notice.
Saturday-Sunday night’s fire has now tragically validated those warnings.
With lives lost and survivors battling burn injuries, the Arpora nightclub fire is a grim reminder of regulatory lapses and ignored warnings reigniting calls for accountability and stricter enforcement of safety norms in Goa’s nightlife industry.
