Page 3 - Goa

Goa cracks down on illegal nightclubs ahead of Christmas, New Year season

Goa's nightlife faces a crackdown ahead of the Christmas and New Year season, with the state government launching an intensive drive to inspect and seal the establishments flouting norms after a deadly nightclub fire claimed 25 lives. As the state, famous for its scenic beaches, gears up for its busiest fortnight spanning Christmas and New Year, the crackdown has already forced some nightclubs to shut, while the fate of others hangs in the balance. A team of personnel from the district administration, fire and emergency services and police have been inspecting all the nightclubs in the North Goa tourism belt, officials said on Sunday. The drive began after the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora in North Goa on December 6 left 25 persons dead. "We are inspecting all the nightclubs, checking their licences and permissions. Any club found to be violating the norms is sealed," government officer Kabir Shirgaonkar, who is heading the inspection team, told PTI. The

Goa nightclub fire: Probe committee questions landowner, sarpanch

A magisterial inquiry committee has questioned original landowner Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Arpora-Nagoa sarpanch Roshan Redkar in connection with the devastating fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in North Goa. Amonkar was summoned at 3.30 pm on Saturday and questioned till 10.30 pm, his lawyer Prasenjeet Dhage said, adding that the panel wanted to know "why this incident happened". "My client had a warrant of appearance before the committee," he said. "It was a very intensive and vigorous inquiry," the lawyer added. The Goa government has constituted a committee headed by district magistrate Ankit Yadav to inquire into the December 6 fire incident which claimed 25 lives. Arpora-Nagoa panchayat sarpanch Roshan Redkar told reporters that he answered the committee's questions. He has already obtained pre-arrest bail from a local court in connection with the case. The Goa police have arrested five managers and staff members of the club. Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, co

55% Indians plan winter trips; Goa, Kerala lead demand, says report

Around 55 per cent of Indian travellers plan winter trips every year, and Goa and Kerala remain top choices for them during the travel season, according to an Airbnb report. Indians are travelling in winter not just for holidays, but also to unwind and relax, the report said. "This winter season, Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan and the Himalayan states dominate domestic travel interest on Airbnb, owing to their beaches, backwaters, heritage, winter weather and outdoor experiences," Airbnb Country Head, India and Southeast Asia, Amanpreet Bajaj said, quoting the report based on Airbnb internal data. He said 55 per cent of Indian travellers plan winter trips every year, signalling how winter has evolved as one of the country's favourite travel seasons for exploration and downtime, mainly fuelled by favourable cooler weather and scenic winter landscapes. Alongside these favourites, he said, there is also a strong momentum for emerging pockets such as Agatti in Lakshadweep, Guwahati, smaller ..

Goa nightclub fire: How the Luthra brothers fled India and were tracked down

A deadly fire at a Goa nightclub killed 25 people, and its owners fled India within hours. Their escape from an IndiGo flight to a Phuket hotel named Indigo didn’t last long.

From IndiGo to Indigo: How the escape plan of Luthra brothers collapsed

The incident left twenty-five people dead and six others injured during a musical event that had drawn nearly a hundred guests, many of them tourists

Goa nightclub fire incident exposes EPFO's compliance failure: Officers

EPFOA alleges that the nightclub's EPF-registered entity, M/s Being GS Hospitality Goa Arpora LLP, never deposited provident fund dues since its coverage

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