Goa crackdown on illegal nightclubs: ‘The Cape Goa’ restaurant sealed over violation of norms

Following the devastating blaze tragedy at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub on 06 December, the government has tightened the noose on several other nightclubs for transgression of safety norms. In the most recent move, the authorities sealed a prominent restaurant named ‘The Cape Goa’ in Kuddi village of the South Goa district on Tuesday, citing lapses in mandatory safety rules.

According to the sealing order issued yesterday, the establishment had obtained a permit from the Tourism Department for a single temporary private shack. However, it came to the notice of the authorities that the restaurant was operating far beyond the permissible limit.

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Key details of the sealing order

The order to seal the premises of ‘The Cape Goa’ was issued by the Chairperson of the joint enforcement and monitoring committee, Canacona taluka, Maya Pednekar. He had discovered numerous norm violations at the restaurant during the inspection conducted by the committee on 12 December.

As per the order, the restaurant was operating without mandatory safety clearances, posing “an imminent threat to human life and property”. The order highlighted that “the danger is real, proximate and imminent; the premises is being used in a manner endangering public safety.”

“However, it was observed that the establishment is operating a full-fledged restaurant beyond the sanctioned plinth area, with a bar counter, attached kitchen, bakery, pantry, staff mess (with approximately 120 staff members), staff rooms in the basement, around 40 tables with an average seating capacity of 120 persons, housekeeping room, electrical room, feeding room, additional storage room, spa room, etc., which is far in excess of the capacity and area approved by the Tourism Department,” the order said.

During the inspection, the committee found the restaurant to be overcrowded, with more than the allowed capacity of 24 people. The property did not have an approved structural plan or structural stability certificate. There were over 25 commercial LPG cylinders stored in the open near the exhaust duct, posing a serious safety hazard.

Notably, the gross violation of mandatory statutory safety requirements led to an immediate intervention by the authorities to seal the establishment.

Also read: After nightclub inferno kills 25, Goa CM warns: ‘Establishments violating safety norms will lose licences’