Magisterial panel submits findings to govt
Panaji: The magisterial inquiry committee, appointed to look into the Arpora fire incident that occurred this month at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, which claimed the lives of 25 people, has submitted its report to the government, pointing to major lapses on the part of the local village panchayat, while also holding other authorities accountable.
Sources in the administration have confirmed the submission of the inquiry report by the committee, headed by North Goa District Collector Ankit Yadav.
According to the sources, the report has emphasised on serious lapses in the issuance of permissions by various departments and agencies and fixed responsibility on those who granted the clearances despite deficiencies.
Focusing on the causes of the fire, the inquiry report has held those officials accountable who allowed the nightclub to operate in spite of the club not meeting the required norms.
It may be noted that the tragic incident occurred on December 6 midnight. Twenty staff members of the nightclub and five tourists lost their lives in the tragedy.
Following the incident, the state government had constituted a magisterial inquiry committee on December 8 to investigate into the circumstances leading to the fire and to fix accountability.
After conducting detailed inquiry, the committee submitted its findings to the government on December 23. During its inquiry, the committee recorded statements of the individuals and officials concerned.
As a part of its mandate, the committee examined the reasons behind the fire, scrutinised the licences and permissions granted to the nightclub and assessed lapses, if any, in regulatory compliance.
The panel was also tasked with identifying the responsibility of various departments and agencies, and suggesting preventive and corrective measures to avoid such incidents in the future. It may be noted that owners of the nightclub Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra, co-partner Ajay Gupta and others were arrested by police after the incident.
Three senior officials including the then director of Panchayats Siddhi Halarnkar and then member secretary of Goa State Pollution Control Board have been placed under suspension.
