Saurabh and Gau rav Luthra, owners of the illegal nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, are under suspicion for sub mitting forged survey doc uments to secure permis sions for the establishment. The revelation comes amid the ongoing investigation into the December 6 fire that claimed 25 lives. Officials allege the Luthra brothers misrepresented land records to operate the club on salt pan land at Sankwadi, Arpora. Govern ment verification of these documents was reportedly lax, prompting the suspen sion of three officers for dereliction of duty. Following the tragedy, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that all illegal nightclubs across Goa would face demoli tion. A magisterial inquiry, led by North Goa Collector Ankit Yadav, is underway and expected to submit its findings next week. Meanwhile, Pradeep Gha di Amonkar, claiming to be the original owner of the land, alleged that a portion of his property was illegal ly rezoned from salt pan to settlement without his knowledge. Amonkar, who had previously signed and withdrawn a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, has now filed a writ petition before the Bombay High Court (Goa bench) chal lenging the unauthorised zoning change. The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has directed all nightclubs, restaurants, and event venues to conduct internal safety audits and maintain compliance records for inspection. Town and Country Planning officials have declined com ment, citing the ongoing inquiry.
LUTHRAS UNDER SCRUTINY FOR USING FORGED DOCUMENTS TO OPEN CLUB
