Restore agri land, pay Rs 15L fine, govt tells Goya owners

Panaji: Club Goya in the Anjuna-Vagator party belt is set for demolition, with state govt on Monday issuing an order directing the owners to restore the agricultural land to its original use within 30 days.The order, signed by Bardez deputy collector Varsha Parab, also imposes a fine on the owners of the nightclub.“Also directed to pay a penalty of Rs 15 lakh for illegal conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural use without permission,” Parab said in the order.Official records for the property, identified as survey number 410, classify it under the Goa Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964. The law explicitly states that such tenanted land must be used only for farming and cannot be sold or leased without prior approval from the mamlatdar, as per Section 18K.The nightclub was the first to be sealed on Dec 11 by state authorities for being built on agricultural land without proper commercial zoning and for multiple regulatory violations. The action was part of the crackdown on non-compliant clubs after the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire that killed 25 people on Dec 6.The club, which opened in Jan 2025, was found operating on 18,000sqm of tenanted land, in violation of land-use and statutory norms. Authorities stated that the structure was unauthorised, leading to strict action under the law.The owners were fined Rs 15 lakh for changing the land use without permission. If the club fails to follow the order, the local mamlatdar will restore the land and recover all costs from the club.The joint enforcement committee, constituted by govt, inspected the nightclub. During the inspection, the authorities found multiple discrepancies in the permissions, which the club’s officials could not explain.North Goa collector Ankit Yadav said that the decision to seal the premises was taken because it was built on tenanted agricultural land. The owners and management of the nightclub were given a chance to explain their stand before the Bardez mamlatdar issued the order.There were doubts about the structural stability of the club too, said a govt officer who was part of the joint enforcement committee that inspected the nightclub.