Authorities look away as rules are openly violated and enforcement remains absent despite assurances
MAPUSA
Nearly three months after the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire tragedy claimed 25 lives and forced the State to promise a crackdown on illegal nightlife operations, events along Goa’s beach belt continue much as before – openly advertised, allegedly unauthorised and seemingly protected by silence from multiple authorities.
At the centre of the latest controversy is Jungle Origens, an open-air venue in Vagator, which has been aggressively promoting a two-day electronic music event titled ‘Forestdelic Gathering’ scheduled for February 7 and 8.
Despite the scale of publicity, a review of official records and confirmations from authorities reveals that no permissions have been obtained for the event.
The venue in question is located in Survey No. 206/1, a comunidade property belonging to the Anjuna comunidade.
Sources have alleged that a member of the comunidade is tacitly involved in facilitating the event.
Sources further claim that an official from the Excise Department is allegedly playing an active behind-the-scenes role in hosting the event.
Significantly, the Anjuna panchayat, the first-point statutory authority, has confirmed that no permission has been sought by the organisers.
“If anyone is holding an event within the panchayat area, they have to take permission from the local panchayat. In this case, Jungle Origens has not taken any permission from us,” said Surendra Govekar, Sarpanch of Anjuna.
Govekar further pointed out that under a recent circular issued by the Directorate of Panchayats, organisers are required to pay Rs 25,000 per day to conduct any event.
The location itself is no stranger to controversy. Around three years ago, the same site came under scrutiny for alleged large-scale hill cutting carried out without any permissions to develop the open space.
Despite this history, the venue continues to host events, raising serious questions about regulatory enforcement.
According to sources, the organisers – said to enjoy political clout – have not obtained permissions from any of the concerned departments, including the panchayat, police or pollution control authorities.
The two-day open-air event is expected to generate high-decibel noise, likely causing inconvenience to local residents.
Alarmed locals have already alerted multiple authorities, flagging the illegality of the event and potential law-and-order and environmental issues.
“We have informed different authorities about the illegal event. We don’t expect the local police to act, but we can only hope that some authority will finally take action,” said a local resident.
The continued organisation of such events in the aftermath of the Birch tragedy underscores a troubling reality: illegal commercial activities along the beach belt appear impossible without the involvement – or at least the acquiescence – of authorities and political power.
