PIL in HC seeks judicial probe into Arpora nightclub blaze

Panaji: A PIL was filed in the Bombay high court seeking a judicial probe into the “preventable mass tragedy” that caused the deaths of at least 25 people in the fire at Birch by Romeo Lane, Arpora.The petitioner has asked the court for a judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to inquire into the crowd-management failures and administrative negligence. The high court is likely to hear the matter on Dec 16.The petition states that repeated reliance on magisterial inquiries ordered by govt after both this incident and the Devi Lairai Jatra stampede in May — where seven were killed — is “wholly inadequate”, as such inquiries “lack independence, cannot investigate senior officials, and rarely result in actionable reforms or criminal accountability”.“These two tragedies reveal a disturbing pattern of systemic failure: illegal constructions being allowed to operate without licences, blatant disregard of the National Building Code, absence of fire-safety audits, inadequate staffing and oversight by district and municipal authorities, poor police preparedness for mass gatherings, and absence of any scientific risk-mitigation planning,” the petition states.The PIL, filed by activist Aishwarya Salgaonkar, seeks a court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the illegal construction, licensing failures, and dereliction of duty by panchayat, fire, and police authorities in the nightclub fire. It also seeks a statewide fire-safety audit of all nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, bars, beach venues, and public assembly buildings, with directions to close or demolish all establishments that lack construction licences, occupancy certificates, or fire safety compliance.The PIL points to the “shocking failure” of panchayat and district authorities to enforce even the most basic statutory requirements intended to protect public life, and is seeking directions to provide compensation to the families of deceased and injured victims of both tragedies under the public law remedy doctrine.Fire engines were unable to reach the venue because the approach road was a narrow one-lane stretch, forcing fire brigades to halt nearly 400m away from the site, which is a direct violation of the National Building Code that mandates a 6m-wide approach road for emergency vehicles, the PIL states.The plea is also seeking directions to the state to frame and implement NDMA-compliant crowd-management guidelines for all major religious festivals and public gatherings, and a direction for fixing accountability and initiating disciplinary/criminal proceedings against officials responsible for allowing unsafe, illegal establishments to operate and for failing to secure public gatherings.