A beach shack owned by the Luthra brothers of 'Birch by Romeo Lane' in Goa's Arpora, at which a fire killed 25 people last week – were demolished by bulldozers on Tuesday after order from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. The restaurant was built illegally on land owned by the government – the matter came to limelight after the fire broke out last week.
CM Sawant orders demolition of beach shack
Earlier in the day, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ordered authorities to demolish the illegal 'Romeo Lane' beach shack at Vagator, owned by the fugitive owners of the fire-ravaged nightclub, after completing all formalities on Tuesday.
This shack is the third property owned by Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra. They flew to Thailand just hours after a major fire killed 25 people at the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Arpora around midnight on Saturday.
Blue Corner notice issued to Luthra brothers
Interpol has issued a Blue Corner notice against Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, according to the Goa Chief Minister's Office. A senior CMO official stated that CM Sawant has directed the North Goa district administration to complete all the formalities and demolish the beach shack at Vagator.
"This shack is illegally built on government land. It would be demolished on Tuesday. District administration has kept all the machinery ready," the official said.
After the Saturday night fire tragedy, the district administration sealed this beach shack, and another facility at Assagao in North Goa on Monday.
PIL seeks probe into Goa fire incident
In another development, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed before the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court seeking a court-monitored probe into the fire incident at the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub.
The petition, filed by social activist Aishwarya Salgaonkar, said the nightclub was operating without a valid construction licence and despite several demolition orders issued against it.
There has been a "systematic failure" on the part of the authorities to act against the club, the plea said. The petition was mentioned before a bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan on Tuesday seeking urgent hearing.
The court said it would list the matter for hearing on December 16. Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular party venue in Arpora village in North Goa, turned into a death trap on December 7 as a massive fire tore through the premises, killing 25 people, most of them staff and a few tourists.
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Goa nightclub fire: Interpol issues Blue Corner Notice against Luthra brothers who fled to Thailand
