PANAJI
The State government-appointed Magisterial Inquiry Committee, headed by the North Goa Collector, has submitted its report on the tragic fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora that claimed 25 lives on the night of December 6. The report, submitted to the Chief Secretary on December 23, has exposed serious lapses by multiple government departments in the grant of permissions and clearances to the establishment.
According to sources familiar with the findings, the committee has zeroed in on the Arpora village panchayat, which played a pivotal role in issuing key approvals, including the trade licence, repair licence, No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for water and power connections, health certificate and other initial permissions. These approvals, the report notes, formed the basis on which several other authorities subsequently granted permissions to the club.
Apart from Arpora panchayat, the report has reportedly fixed responsibility on some key departments -- Revenue, Panchayat, TCP, Health, Fire and Emergency Services, among others, while recommending disciplinary proceedings and possible criminal liability against the officers.
The four-member committee was constituted on December 8 and was initially directed to submit its findings within eight days. However, the panel was granted an additional week to complete verification of documents and to continue examination of officials linked to the case. The committee ultimately submitted its report on December 23.
Apart from the North Goa Collector, the inquiry panel comprised Superintendent of Police (South) Tikam Singh Verma, Director of Forensic Sciences Ashutosh Apte and Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services Rajendra Haldankar. The panel was tasked with reconstructing the sequence of events leading to the deadly incident and placing responsibility on departments or agencies found accountable.
Sources said the committee has raised serious questions about the functioning of the Arpora panchayat, particularly the grant of licences and NOCs allegedly without proper site verification. The inquiry reportedly examined whether mandatory inspections were carried out and if statutory norms were adhered to before approvals were issued.
It has recommended corrective and preventive measures, especially inter-departmental coordination, to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.
During the course of the probe, the committee questioned several officials connected with the approvals and clearances. These included the then Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Member Secretary Shamila Monteiro, who has since been suspended; the original landowner Pradip Ghadi Amonkar; former Director of Panchayats Siddhi Halarnkar; Arpora–Nagoa Sarpanch Roshan Redkar; and suspended village panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar, among others.
The massive fire at the popular nightclub resulted in the death of 25 persons, including five tourists and 20 staff members, while six others sustained injuries. Preliminary findings, as stated earlier by the Chief Minister, had suggested that the blaze was triggered by the use of electrical fireworks inside the premises. Subsequent reports, however, have also pointed to the possibility of a short circuit as a contributing factor.
