Team Goemkarponn
The Goa government on Sunday suspended three senior officials for their alleged role in permitting the Arpora nightclub—where a devastating fire killed 25 people in the early hours of the same day—to begin operations in 2023.
The blaze, which tore through the premises and turned deadly within minutes, claimed the lives of five tourists and 20 staff members, prompting a sweeping administrative response.
According to a senior government officer, action has been initiated against Siddhi Tushar Harlankar, who served as Director of Panchayats at the time; Dr. Shamila Monteiro, then Member Secretary of the Goa State Pollution Control Board; and Raghuvir Bagkar, who was Secretary of the Arpora-Nagoa Village Panchayat during the period in question.
The trio is accused of enabling the nightclub—Birch by Romeo Lane—to commence operations last year despite alleged procedural lapses.
Meanwhile, police have questioned Roshan Redkar, the current sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa, who had issued the trade licence to the establishment. Investigators are examining the chain of approvals that allowed the nightclub to operate, as part of a broader probe into regulatory failures leading up to the tragedy.
