Goa's popular Curlies beach shack sealed for Coastal Zone Management Act violations

Goa’s Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) on December 19 sealed the well-known Curlies beach shack at Anjuna over alleged regulatory violations, an official told PTI.

The action forms part of a wider

enforcement drive ordered by the state government in the aftermath of the devastating fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora on December 6, which claimed 25 lives.

Explaining the move, the official said: "The shack was sealed in the presence of its management for alleged violations of the Coastal Zone Management Act. The sealing of the shack was part of the initiative taken by the state government to check licences, safety norms, operational compliances and regularities of various tourism establishments."

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Curlies beach shack has previously drawn attention during investigations into the deaths of British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling and BJP leader Sonali Phogat.

Meanwhile, developments continued in the probe into the Arpora nightclub tragedy. Ajay Gupta, one of the four co-owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, filed a bail application on December 18 in a court in Mapusa. Gupta was arrested in New Delhi on December 10 by the Goa Police and was subsequently remanded to seven days’ police custody by a Mapusa court.

The blaze at the nightclub, which broke out around midnight on December 6 in North Goa’s Arpora area, killed 25 people, including 20 staff members and five tourists.

Gupta, who is currently in the custody of the Anjuna police, moved the bail plea before the District Judge in Mapusa. Senior advocate Rohan Desai is representing him. The court is expected to take up the matter later in the day and has issued notices to the state police seeking their response.

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So far, eight people have been arrested in connection with the case. Those taken into custody include Gupta and two other owners of the nightclub, Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh, who were deported from Thailand. Five employees of the establishment have also been arrested: Rajiv Modak, the corporate general manager; Priyanshu Thakur, gate manager; Rajveer Singhania, bar manager; Vivek Singh, general manager; and Bharat Karan Singh Kohli, an employee.

Police said a Look Out Circular has been issued against another owner, Surinder Kumar Khosla, a British national, who remains at large.