PANAJI: The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Labour Commissioner over the alleged failure to pay statutory compensation to the families of workers who died in the fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub on December 6.
The notice followed a complaint filed by the Hotel Employees Federation of India (HEFI), Panaji, on December 22. The complaint stated that compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Act had not been paid to the legal heirs of the deceased workers.
The Commission, headed by Acting Chairperson Desmond D’Costa and Member Pramod Kamat, directed the Labour Commissioner to file a reply and appear for a hearing on January 29, 2026, at 10.30 am, either in person or through an authorised representative.
HEFI said the fire claimed 25 lives due to burns and suffocation, of whom 20 were workers employed at the nightclub. The workers were from Jharkhand, Assam, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Nepal. Their bodies were sent to their native places at government expense.
HEFI pointed out that the law mandates compensation in cases of death during the course of employment. It said that since the families live outside Goa, the Labour Commissioner should have taken suo motu action to ensure that the employer paid compensation to the victims’ families.
