Panaji: In a reply tabled on the floor of the House during the recently concluded Winter Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, the state government admitted that the controversial site where Birch by Romeo Lane was situated at Arpora had already been flagged for illegal construction by Revenue officials in 2024.
A total of 25 people were killed in a fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora in the first week of December 2025.
State Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate, in a written reply tabled to a question by Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, attached documents which reveal that the club was constructed by demolishing a traditional sluice gate inside a salt pan by illegally converting the land.
The original owners of the property, Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, had filed a complaint before the Mamlatdar of Bardez taluka on December 21, 2023.
The complaint, filed against the then Maizon Lake View Resort (later named Birch by Romeo Lane after it was leased out to Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra), specifically mentioned that construction was carried out without conversion and without change of zone. The complainants also pointed out that construction had taken place on tenanted land and that a traditional sluice gate was demolished.
Further, the complaint pointed out that the establishment was discharging sewage into the Baga river.
Documents tabled before the House on the last day of the session on Friday also show that the complainants had specifically mentioned that operation of a discotheque (nightclub) in an unsafe structure was underway, which could cause a major tragedy.
The complaint further mentioned misutilisation of open spaces in contravention of building by-laws.
Responding to the complaint, the Bardez Mamlatdar directed the Arpora–Nagoa panchayat talathi to conduct an inspection of the premises, which confirmed gross illegalities, including construction inside the salt pan by demolishing the sluice gate. The inspection report, tabled on the floor of the House, stated that landfilling had been carried out over an area of 25,750 square metres with an average height of 1.5 metres.
The talathi report stated that 4,000 square metres of land was earmarked for parking, 7,500 square metres for construction of shops, 7,250 square metres for landscaping and water sports, another 3,600 square metres for landscaping in the western part of the property, and in the central portion of the property where the salt pan existed, two structures measuring 2,000 square metres and 1,400 square metres respectively were constructed, where the controversial nightclub-cum-restaurant was located.
The inspection documents tabled by Monserrate stated that the party (Khosla) claimed to possess all required documents but failed to produce them despite being given several opportunities over a period of nearly two months.
The Winter Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly was held from January 12 to 16.
