I write this in anger and dismay at the government’s lack of seriousness towards safety and legality in Goa’s hospitality businesses. Yet again, cottages were gutted in a fire in Ashwem. We all remember the outrage when a fire killed 25 people and injured 50 at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in December 2025.
Post that tragedy, numerous illegalities and systemic failures came to light. The nightclub stood in the middle of a salt pan without land conversion permissions and with forged land documents. The Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat had issued a demolition notice in April 2024 declaring it illegal, yet the structure was allowed to continue operations. It ran without a valid trade license, which had expired in March 2024. The venue had no mandatory fire NOC, no escape routes, no functional fire alarms, and no fire-fighting equipment.
What has happened since? The case drags on with suspensions, interim jail terms, and bails for owners and panchayat officials. Meanwhile, fire incidents continue across similar setups in Goa, and the Ashwem cottages are only the latest. This is not negligence, it is complicity. When illegal structures with known violations are allowed to operate, when licenses and NOCs are ignored, and when tragedies lead only to temporary noise and no systemic action.
