Goa Government Flags Illegal Construction at Nightclub Site of Fatal Fire

The Goa government informed the legislative assembly that the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where 25 people died in a fire last month, had been flagged for illegal construction in 2024. Revenue officials found the club was built by demolishing a traditional sluice gate and converting land without proper approval. Complaints filed in December 2023 highlighted unsafe structures, sewage discharge into the Baga river, and violations of building by-laws. Inspections confirmed these illegalities prior to the fire.