Page 3 - Goa

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

Goa committed to strengthening MSMEs under new GST reforms: Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has welcomed the launch of the next-generation GST reforms by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the initiative would strengthen India's journey towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat 2.0. In a post on X on Sunday, Sawant said the prime minister had urged states to strengthen the ecosystem for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), build infrastructure to attract investment and enhance manufacturing competitiveness with the vision of Vocal for Local, Think Global. Goa is fully committed to this mission modernising infrastructure, simplifying processes and empowering our entrepreneurs so that Swadeshi products shine proudly in India and across the globe, the CM said. PM Modi on Sunday asserted that the GST reforms kicking in from Monday will accelerate India's growth story, emphasising that it is a big and important step for aatmanirbhar Bharat and linking a boost to 'swadeshi' products to the country's prosperity. Addressing the nation on the eve of

Goa real estate, hotel tariffs see 15-20% correction amid tourist surge

The substantial correction in real estate rates across Goa is a trend that analysts believe is part of a 'healthy cycle' that would create stronger foundations for growth in the future

Have debt, but spending on capital creation: Goa CM Pramod Sawant

We have a debt but we are spending on capital creation, not revenue expenditure, said Goa CM Pramod Sawant

Goa police nab mastermind of ₹1 crore digital arrest scam at Delhi airport

The Goa Cyber Crime Police have arrested the alleged mastermind behind a Rs 1 crore "digital arrest" scam, upon his arrival at Delhi airport from Singapore, an officer said on Sunday. He was taken into custody on August 15 and remanded to five days of police custody, according to Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Rahul Gupta. The accused Anil Tripathi, a resident of Marina Bay Financial Centre in Singapore, is the seventh person arrested in connection with the case registered in December 2024 at Marna, Siolim (North Goa), said Gupta. The scam involved a fraudster impersonating a Delhi Crime Branch officer on WhatsApp and coercing a woman into believing she was involved in a police case. The accused allegedly sent forged Supreme Court documents and forced the victim to transfer Rs 1 crore through multiple transactions into three different bank accounts, police said. "Tripathi was tracked through technical and financial analysis, as well as the interrogation of previously arres

CM Sawant vows to regularise native Goans' homes on government land

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said his dispensation was committed to regularising native Goans' houses built on government or community lands through various laws. The government aims to remove the fear from the minds of local people that their houses would be pulled down, he said. Addressing the state-level Independence Day function in Panaji, Sawant said various legislations moved during the recently-held assembly session would regularise the houses of Goans. "For decades, native Goans have been living in houses constructed on government land. They were always afraid of litigation resulting in demolition of their structures," he said. The government has allowed such houses to be regularised so that they are saved from the fear of demolition, he said. Similarly, there are some houses which are constructed on comunidade (community) lands that existed there for years. "We have passed a law which will help them regularise their houses by paying a certain amount as ...

Goa to roll out new salt-tolerant paddy variety for 2026 kharif season

Goa's latest paddy seed variety, which offers improved resilience against salinity, waterlogging, and crop lodging, is likely to be released for large-scale cultivation in the Kharif season 2026, state Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik has said. In a written reply in the legislative assembly on Friday, Naik said that the new variety is currently in its second year of on-farm trials and has already shown promising results in demonstration plots under the Minikit Programme. He was responding to a question by independent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. According to the data furnished by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Goa Dhan-5 was developed to build on the performance of earlier salt-tolerant varieties Goa Dhan-1 and Dhan-2 released in 2017, and Dhan-3 and Dhan-4 released in 2019, the minister said. Naik said that while the first four Dhan varieties are tolerant to saline conditions, Goa Dhan-5 stands out for its added resistance to waterlogging and complete or partial ...

'Air India to resume Goa-Gatwick direct flights by September-end'

The Air India flight between Goa and Gatwick in London, stopped following the horrific June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash, will resume by the end of September, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has said in the state assembly. Improved connectivity to Goa from various locations is a "game changer" for the tourism sector, Khaunte said in the House on Tuesday during demands for grants for his department in the ongoing monsoon session of the assembly. The Air India flights from Goa's Manohar International Airport to Gatwick were suspended following the crash of the AI plane heading from Ahmedabad to London last month, which claimed the lives of 260 persons, including 241 on board. Khaunte said in the House that the direct flight between Goa and Gatwick will resume by the end of September this year. Notably, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant last week said in the assembly he will consult the Civil Aviation Ministry on resumption of the Air India Goa-Gatwick flight after BJP MLA Michael Lobo said it

Goa to launch portals for village panchayat services from August 1

In a sweeping overhaul, almost all village panchayat services in Goa were being shifted online in a phased manner, bringing grassroots governance into the digital age, a minister has informed in the state assembly. The shift to digital platforms will ensure people no longer have to physically visit panchayat offices for basic services, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said in the House late Monday evening during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly. Godinho also said an Artificial Intelligence-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats will be launched from August 1. "From income certificates to house repair permissions, nine major services are already available online. We are working towards 100 per cent digitisation of all panchayat services," he said. There are 186 village panchayats across both the North Goa and South Goa districts. Godinho said services like the issuance of residence, income and character certificates, NOCs for