Nightclub nightmare

The Sunday night inferno in Goa nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane, which consumed 25 lives should not surprise those who are looking for reasons for the tragedy. The factors that led to the nightmare read like the well-worn script behind all such previous accidents. The club was operating on a plot of land that stood isolated on an island in a saltpan. It had a lone exit. The basement acted as a virtual death trap with no exit at all. Only a slender pathway linked the club building with the main gate.
 
It had no construction licence from the Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat which had once issued a demolition notice. But a court stay against demolition had allowed the owners to operate the club. Interestingly, the demolition notice had been issued two years ago, December 21, 2023 to be precise. The structure was unstable, submerged in a waterbody with tragedies like the one which struck, waiting to happen. The construction was carried out without a conversion sanad (certificate) on  agricultural land.

It was being run sans even the fundamental fire safety infrastructure, as observed by the fire control authorities. Cumulatively, a totally ‘we care a damn for regulations’ attitude characterised the enterprise. The pertinent questions that need to be raised are, how did the operators allow the pyrotechnics to be fired in a building that stood as a readymade combustible stuff? How do the courts issue stay orders against the Panchayat’s decision to demolish the club against a public premises flouting all the safety norms?

How does Forbes India portray the operator as ‘a rising star’ in its rating? All that is evident is that all safety norms are merely for paper.  They can be violated by regularly greasing the palms of the myriad inspectors deputed to ensure compliance. The going is good till everything works without causing a catastrophe. Once this happens, the authorities wake up and take notice, order an audit. No one gets punished. It is back to business as usual very soon. It will be unusual if there is a divergence from the script in this case.