AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
Villagers of Anjuna Panchayat are shocked and disturbed that soon after the Birch Romeo Lane tragedy, which occurred within the jurisdiction of their own police station, construction of a club has resumed on land attached by the Direc torate of Enforcement (ED), allegedly for year end celebrations. Dinesh Patil, a mem ber of the ward where the construction is tak ing place on Survey No. 225/3, questioned how work could be allowed on land seized by the ED. “The ED should be asked how they are permitting construc tion on land that they themselves have at tached. I am not aware whether permission has been granted by the Panchayat, but the onus is first on the ED. Ask them,” he said. O Heraldo, in its Oc tober 13, 2025 edition, had carried a report titled “ED-attached properties in Anjuna see ongoing construc tions.” Work on Survey
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No. 225/3 had reportedly stopped after the report, only to resume following the man-made tragedy in Arpora, even as the gov ernment went about seal ing some establishments across the coastal belt. Patil said he did not believe the Sarpanch would have granted permission for the construction, as the land falls within the Coastal Regulation Zone. “I have not been ap proached by anyone for permission, though the area falls in my ward. I am clueless,” he said. According to ED documents accessed by O Heraldo, the land in question figures in Forms I and XIV along with land in Survey No. 214/2 of Anjuna Village Panchayat. Despite this, construction at the site was seen progressing in full swing from early morning till late evening, with several workers applying finishing touches to what appears to be an upmar ket club abutting the beach. “We have been told to complete the work before Christ mas as parties are planned from then onwards,” said a work er at the site on condition of anonymity, adding that he was unaware of the identity of the new owners. The sealing of a few establishments after the Birch Romeo Lane fire is now being viewed by many locals as an attempt by the government to project action, particularly since Zilla Panchayat elections were held on Saturday. “First they seal a few clubs claiming they have no fire de partment NOC, but at the same time they allow a club to be built on ED-attached land and that too without any permis sion. This exposes the government’s agenda,” said Desmond D’Souza, a local resident. After a question was sent via WhatsApp to Anjuna Sar panch Surendra Govekar asking how construction was being allowed on Survey No. 225/3, which has been seized by the ED, Govekar called back but disconnected when the question was repeated. Retired Captain Gerald Fernandes, who has been pursuing environmental litigation before the Goa Bench of the Bom bay High Court to protect land around the turtle nesting site at Tembwada in Morjim, pointed out that a breach of envi ronmental regulations is a predicate offence that can trigger provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. When informed that work on Survey No. 225/3 of Anju na Village Panchayat had resumed despite the land being seized, there was no response from ED sources till press time. On one hand the ED has remained silent, and on the other the Panchayat appears to have turned a blind eye to what locals describe as a grossly illegal construction on land where no development is permitted. “No government au thority can legally grant permission for construction on this land. What we are seeing appears to be tokenism after the Arpora tragedy. I only hope they are not waiting for more lives to be lost, because every human life matters,” said local resident Audrey D’Souza
