PANJIM: The Goa government has officially confirmed that a portion of the land on which the Birch by Romeo Lane project stands is record-ed as khazan (salt pan) land. in government records, a dis-closure that sharpens ques-tions over regulatory failures preceding the deadly night-club fire that killed 25 people. The admission came in a starred reply in the Legisla-tive Assembly on January 16, 2026, with Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate stat-ing that Survey No 159/1 of Arpora village in Bardez ta-luka is classified as salt pan land. The reply was given to a question tabled by Fator-da MLA Vijai Sardesai, who sought details on the land-use status and revenue re-cords of the property.
The Minister informed the House that complaints alleg-ing unauthorised conversion and use of the land had been received by revenue author-ities and examined. Howev-er, when asked whether the government had identified administrative lapses that allowed commercial estab-lishments to function with-out mandatory permissions and compliance, the Minister said the matter was pend-ing before the appropriate authorities.
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Assembly records reveal that allegations of serious land-use and environmental violations at the site were formally raised more than two years before the December 6, 2025 fire tragedy. Complaints dating back to December 2023 triggered inspections that culminated in adverse findings and the issuance of a show-cause notice for illegal land con-version in 2024.
Documents from the Office of the Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Bardez, show that local resi dents Pradeep Ghardi Amonkar and Sunil D Divkar lodged complaints on December 21, 2023, alleging unauthorised construction and commercial activity on Survey Nos 158/0 and 159/0 at Sankwadi, Arpora. The properties, operating. as Maizon Lake View Resort and later housing the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, were alleged to be situated on eco-sensitive khazan and agricultural land..
Following these complaints, the Deputy Collector di-rected the Mamlatdar of Bardez to conduct a fresh site in-spection and submit a detailed report. Joint inspections in-volving revenue officials, the village panchayat, police, the complainants, and the occupant, Surinder Kumar Khosla, were subsequently carried out.
Inspection reports submitted by the Mamlatdar and Ta-lathi in June 2024 recorded large-scale unauthorised con-version of khazan land. Officials found that traditional salt pans, paddy fields, and sluice gates had been filled across approximately 25,750 square metres, with an average fill height of 1.5 metres. The land, classified as khazan in rev enue records, was allegedly converted for commercial use without obtaining a conversion sanad under the Goa Land Revenue Code.
The reports documented extensive commercial develop-ment, including restaurants, shops, parking facilities, land-scaped areas, water sports infrastructure, and a restau-rant-cum-nightclub at the centre of the property Officials noted that construction had been undertaken over several years and that the occupant failed to produce licences or statutory approvals despite repeated opportunities over a two-month period.
Revenue authorities also recorded the demolition of tra-ditional sluice gates, discharge of sewage into a river con-nected to the Baga creek and the sea, and violations involv-ing open spaces and setback areas. The land was identified as tenanted agricultural land, rendering any conversion without statutory approval impermissible.
Based on these findings, the Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Officer, Mapusa, issued a show-cause notice on June 26, 2024, under Section 33 of the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, to Maizon Lake View Resort and Surinder Kumar Khosla. The notice warned of action, including res-toration of the land to its original condition, if the alleged illegal conversion was not explained or remedied.
