Page 2 - Goa

As AQI levels hit sky-high levels, urban Indians gravitate to getaway homes

Affluent Indians are increasingly buying second homes not as weekend getaways but as critical health guards as cities turn into gas chambers, thanks to ever-increasing air pollution levels

Goa nightclub fire: Co-owner Ajay Gupta sent to 7-day police custody

A court in Goa on Thursday sent Ajay Gupta, who claimed to be a silent partner and investor in the fire-ravaged Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, to police custody for seven days. Gupta was brought to Goa from Delhi on Wednesday night on a transit remand for questioning. He was taken to Anjuna police station for further investigation, an official had said. Twenty-five persons, including 20 staff members and five tourists, were killed in the major blaze at the facility in North Goa around midnight on December 6. Earlier, a Look Out Circular (LOC) had been issued against Gupta. Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire that broke out at the nightclub located in Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, around midnight on December 6. Brothers and co-owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who had left for Phuket in Thailand shortly after the fire incident, have been detained there, according to officials. An Interpol Blue Corner Notice had been

North Goa bans fireworks at nightbclubs, hotels, other tourist spots

Days after a fire at a nightclub in North Goa claimed 25 lives, the district administration has issued an order prohibiting the use of fireworks, sparklers and pyrotechnics inside tourist establishments. The North Goa district administration issued the order on Wednesday evening as a precautionary measure following the tragic fire incident which occurred at the nightclub in Arpora around midnight on December 6. "The order has been issued under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, prohibiting the use, bursting, ignition or operation of fireworks, sparklers, pyrotechnic effects, flame thrower-type devices, smoke generators and similar fire/smoke-producing equipment inside tourist establishments," a senior district administration official said. The prohibition applies to all nightclubs, bars and restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, resorts, beach shacks, temporary structures, event venues and entertainment establishments across North Goa, as per the order. A prelimina

Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers held in Thailand, deportation begins

Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, linked to Goa's Birch by Romeo Lane club, where a fire killed 25 people, have been detained in Thailand as India begins deportation efforts

Goa CM Pramod Sawant holds high-level meet after nightclub fire kills 25

In the wake of a nightclub fire that claimed 25 lives, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant held a high-level meeting on Wednesday with officials and tourism stakeholders to ensure strict safety measures ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Officials of the North and South Goa district administrations and police department were present in the meeting, which was also attended by state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte. The meeting was held against the backdrop of the December 6 fire tragedy at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora in North Goa in which 25 persons were killed, according to sources. "The chief minister briefed (those present in the meeting) about various measures taken to ensure that such a tragedy does not occur again in the state," a senior officer, privy to the meeting, told PTI. He said that the state government has issued various orders and also formed committees, including a high-level magisterial inquiry panel and a fire safety audit committee, after th

Who are the Luthra brothers behind Goa's nightclub where 25 people died?

After 25 people died in the December 6 fire at Goa's Birch by Romeo Lane, reports have put owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra in focus, alongside documents citing notices over illegal construction

Goa police detain nightclub co-owner Ajay Gupta over fire that killed 25

The Goa police on Tuesday detained Ajay Gupta, one of the four owners of 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, where a devastating fire claimed the lives of 25 persons. The state police had earlier issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Gupta and another owner Surinder Kumar Khosla. "We have detained Ajay Gupta, one of the owners of the nightclub. This is the sixth person to be held in connection with the case," a Goa police spokesperson said. "Earlier, an LOC was issued against him as a police team had failed to find him at his Delhi residence when it visited it there," he said, adding that Gupta was later found in the national capital and was detained. He will soon be placed under arrest after the completion of formalities to bring him to Goa, the official said. Two more owners of the nightclub - Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra - are on the run and a blue corner notice has been issued against them. The police have so far arrested five persons - nightclub's chief general manager .

Nightclub fire case: Goa Police seeks Interpol Blue Notice against owners

The Goa Police has approached the CBI for issuance of an Interpol Blue Notice against Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused and owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives, after they fled the country, officials said Tuesday. Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora where the incident happened on Saturday, are believed to have fled to Phuket, Thailand, hours after the tragedy, the Goa Police said on Monday. The Interpol Blue Notice is issued to collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation. The agency is in touch with the Interpol regarding the request of the Goa Police to track the fugitives. The Red Notice which calls for detention of the fugitive can only be issued after a charge sheet is filed and a Non Bailable Warrant is issued against the wanted person. "Goa Police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol

Datanomics: Commercial buildings emerge as the second-deadliest fire sites

A nightclub fire in Goa highlights growing risks in commercial buildings, even as data shows rising fatalities in such spaces despite an overall decline in fire deaths nationwide

Goa nightclub fire: Govt widens crackdown, confirms identity of victims

Of the 25 people who lost their lives in the blaze that erupted in the early hours of Sunday, four of them were tourists, and the others were staff members

At least 25 killed, 6 injured in massive fire at nightclub in Goa

At least 23 persons were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in North Goa following a cylinder blast late Saturday night, police said. Most of the dead were the club's kitchen workers, and included three women, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. There were three to four tourists among those killed, he added. Sawant, who rushed to the spot, told reporters that of the 23, three succumbed to burn injuries and the others died due to suffocation. As per initial information, the nightclub had not abided by the fire safety norms, the chief minister said. The fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane after midnight. The popular party venue at Arpora village, around 25 km from the state capital Panaji, opened last year, We will take action against the club management and also against the officials who allowed it to operate despite flouting safety norms, Sawant said. This is an unfortunate incident during the peak tourist season in the coastal state, Sawant said. We will conduct a detailed ...

Goa orders probe after nightclub fire kills 25, leaves several injured

Police were alerted to the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane club at 12:04 am (1834 GMT on Saturday), Goa's police chief told the ANI news agency

Timeline of deadly nightclub fires worldwide over the last 10 years

A devastating fire at Birch By Romeo Lane, a nightclub at Arpora in North Goa, which killed at least 25 people early Sunday brought back horrific memories of the deadly blaze that claimed 62 lives at a nightclub in North Macedonia in March this year. Here's a look at some other nightclub fires that claimed significant human lives in the past decade: * October 2015: Colectiv nightclub fire in Bucharest, Romania, killed 64 people. Pyrotechnics during a performance by the metalcore band Goodbye to Gravity ignited the club's flammable polyurethane acoustic foam. The fire spread rapidly. * December 2016: Ghost Ship' warehouse fire in Oakland, California, claimed 36 lives. The deadliest blaze in the history of Oakland was triggered during an electronic music and dance party. * January 2022: Fire at nightclub in Yaounde, Cameroon, killed 16 people. Blaze occurred due to fireworks lit while champagne was being served in the club. * January 2022: 19 killed in fire at Sorong nightclub in We

Frames per second: Trikal - When remembering becomes an act of resistance

As Goa marks its Liberation Day this month, efforts to incorporate the former Portuguese enclave into India's mainstream culture continue relentlessly

PM Modi lauds rising youth participation in Ironman 70.3 Goa event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the increased participation by youth in events like Ironman 70.3 which was held in Goa on Sunday. In a post on X, the prime minister also congratulated young BJP leaders Tejasvi Surya and K Annamalai for successfully completing the Ironman triathlon. "Glad to see increased participation by our youth in events like Ironman 70.3 which was held in Goa today. Such events contribute towards #FitIndia movement," Modi said. "Congratulations to everyone who took part. Delighted that two of our young party colleagues, Annamalai and Tejasvi Surya are among those who have successfully completed the Ironman Triathlon," the prime minister said.

Goa should set up maritime board to guide sector development: CII

Goa should set up a maritime board to guide sector development, promote green technologies, and foster public-private partnerships for infrastructure and Research and Development, CII said in a report released on Friday. The report titled "India Shipbuilding Roadmap Towards Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047" said that Goa holds the leading position in India's commercial shipbuilding sector, contributing approximately 40 per cent to the nation's total commercial vessel deliveries as of September 2025. Goa's shipbuilding industry, valued at Rs 22,865 crore in FY24, has the potential to grow to Rs 64,058 crore by FY37, contributing nearly 11 per cent to Goa's GSDP. With 3,000 direct and 18,000 plus indirect jobs, the sector is a critical pillar of Goa's industrial economy. The report suggests the state should have a maritime board which will give single-window system for clearances, licences and permits for maritime projects processed centrally. The board will also work for shipbuilding

Goa to enforce uniform rates, stricter rules for watersports operations

Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has said the government will implement uniform rates, standardised kiosks, and stricter enforcement to streamline watersports operations in coastal areas to provide the best possible experience to tourists in the state. After chairing a meeting with stakeholders concerning the tourism industry on Wednesday, he said watersports activities have been a traditional source of livelihood for Goans. With time, we must ensure that regulations and transparency are maintained to provide the best possible experience for tourists, he said. The minister said the state has notified the rates proposed by watersports associations in an official gazette. Uniform rates for watersports across Goa from North to South have been finalised and will be implemented by all associations to ensure consistency, he said, adding that the move will prevent overcharging and bring parity across beaches. Khaunte said the government will clamp down on the illegal sale of watersport

PM Modi expresses grief over demise of Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik, and said he will be remembered as an experienced administrator who enriched the state's development trajectory. Naik, 79, suffered cardiac arrest at his hometown, 30 km away from Panaji, sources said. The former chief minister was shifted to a private hospital in Ponda town where he was declared dead around 1 am on Wednesday. Condoling his death, PM Modi in a post on X said, "Saddened by the passing away of Shri Ravi Naik Ji, Minister in the Goa Government. He will be remembered as an experienced administrator and dedicated public servant who enriched Goa's development trajectory." "He was particularly passionate about empowering the downtrodden and marginalised. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti," the PM said. Naik was a seven-term MLA (six times from Ponda assembly constituency and once from Marcaim assembly constituency) an

AAP dispatches 100,000 letters with complaints about 'poor' roads to Goa CM

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal and party leaders on Monday dispatched one lakh letters, signed by residents, to the Goa chief minister, complaining about the "poor" road conditions in the coastal state. Kejriwal, on the final day of his Goa visit, flagged off a tempo laden with letters in front of the party's office here to be transported to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's residence. Talking to reporters, the former Delhi chief minister said, "I was always told that the road conditions in Goa are bad. I have personally experienced it now during my visit." He claimed that he was late to a function by one and a half hours on the first day of his visit, as he had to take a longer route to reach the venue to avoid pothole-ridden roads. Kejriwal said that the AAP had initiated a campaign against poor roads under the banner "BJP Che Burak", which fetched one lakh signatures from families. "Out of three and a half lakh families in Goa, one lakh have signed. This means one

Goa's 2025-26 tourism season begins with arrival of flight from Russia

Goa's tourism season 2025-26 kicked off on Thursday with the arrival of a charter flight from Russia, at Manohar International Airport in North Goa during wee hours. Passengers of the first international flight of the season were given a traditional welcome by the state tourism department. Director of state tourism Kedar Naik was present at the airport located at Mopa in North Goa to welcome the travellers. A senior tourism department official said that this season will witness the introduction of three new weekly flights from Novosibirsk city in Russia which will land at the Mopa airport. "These additional services, together with the existing flights from Yekaterinburg and Moscow, will increase Aeroflot's operations to nine flights per week, highlighting the strong demand for Goa as a preferred tourist destination," he said. The second 158-seater charter flight from Novosibirsk will land in Goa on October 3 at 6 am. Yekaterinburg will connect to Goa with B737-800 flights carryin