Daijiworld Media Network – Goa
Goa, Dec 10: Facing massive public outrage after the horrific Birch by Romeo Lane inferno that claimed 25 lives, the State government on Tuesday attempted to showcase swift action. But instead of restoring confidence, the move has only deepened suspicions of official complicity in long-running coastal violations.
In a dramatic yet selective operation supervised by police, authorities demolished only the encroached portion of the Romeo Lane club at Vagator. The main establishment — widely accused of multiple breaches — was carefully left untouched, raising serious questions over the intention behind the drive.
The demolished structure, measuring around 198 sq. metres and extending onto tourism land, is the same portion that has been removed multiple times earlier, including by the Tourism Department. Yet, each time, it was rebuilt brazenly without any consequence — a clear sign of a system that looks the other way.
Locals are calling Tuesday’s action nothing but a performance aimed at placating public anger. “This demolition is pure eyewash. If the government was serious, how did this illegal structure come up again and again?” questioned Mahesh Dabholkar, a resident who has repeatedly reported encroachments in the area. He alleged that the cycle of demolition and reconstruction exposes a deep nexus between violators and the authorities.
Public anger has intensified since the tragic fire at Birch by Romeo Lane, owned by the same promoters who run the Vagator club. Residents say the disaster has merely spotlighted years of selective enforcement and preferential treatment given to high-profile operators on prime coastal land.
The Tourism Department, which previously demolished the same illegal sections earlier this year, has failed to prevent their reappearance, raising concerns about serious lapses in monitoring and enforcement. Locals also voice suspicion over the mushrooming of several hilltop structures in the region, pointing to questionable permissions obtained despite environmental and zoning restrictions.
As the dust settles, citizens fear that once the outrage dies down, the government will revert to silence and business will continue as usual — with illegal structures returning and accountability slipping through the cracks.
For many in Vagator, Tuesday’s demolition did little more than confirm what they already believe: the action came not from commitment to uphold the law, but from pressure to contain public anger after a tragedy that should have never been allowed to happen.