Goa nightclub fire aftermath: Authorities seal popular cliffside restaurant The Cape Goa over safety violations

Authorities have sealed The Cape Goa, a popular cliffside restaurant in South Goa district, for violations of fire and other safety norms, officials stated on Tuesday, as enforcement action intensified following the deadly nightclub fire in North Goa earlier this month.

The sealing order, issued on Monday, stated that while the Tourism Department had granted permission for one temporary private shack at the site, the establishment was found to be operating a full-fledged restaurant beyond the sanctioned plinth area, as per the order accessed by PTI.

The authorities stated that the continued operation of the premises without mandatory safety clearances posed an imminent, grave and real threat to human life and property, particularly in the event of fire, electrical short-circuit, structural failure, or any emergency requiring evacuation.

The action follows the massive fire at a nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, on December 6, which claimed 25 lives. According to a PTI report, the sealing order was issued by Maya Pednekar, chairperson of the joint enforcement and monitoring committee, Canacona taluka, for The Cape Goa, which is located on a cliff at Cabo de Rama Fort in Kuddi village of South Goa district.

A team led by Pednekar conducted an inspection of the premises on December 12 and found multiple violations, officials informed PTI. The sealing notice explicitly recorded the presence of an imminent threat to human life and property.

The order stated that, after careful consideration of the inspection report and the material placed on record, the authority was satisfied that the danger was real, proximate and imminent, that the premises were being used in a manner endangering public safety, and that immediate intervention was necessary in the interest of protecting human life and property.

During the inspection, the committee observed that the restaurant was being operated in gross violation of mandatory statutory safety requirements. The premises were found to be overcrowded, accommodating more than 24 persons, far exceeding permissible limits, while no approved structural plan or structural stability certificate was produced.

The kitchen was found to be unsafe, with no proper exit and a high risk of fire hazard. The order further stated that the pantry section had no exit, posing a serious safety hazard, and that 29 commercial LPG cylinders were stored in the open near the exhaust blower and duct, which was described as extremely unsafe.

The absence of a designated LPG bank and the non-installation of LPG gas leak detectors were cited as posing a serious and immediate fire and explosion hazard. Authorities also found that there was no separate exit from the restaurant area and that fire extinguishers and fire-fighting equipment were absent in the seating area, kitchen, staff pantry, storeroom, bakery and additional storeroom located below the restaurant, Pednekar stated.

The order further noted that the kitchen area and movement and entry routes were obstructed, cooking ranges were placed within movement areas, and there was no clear signage indicating entry, exit, escape routes or an assembly point.

It was also observed that the exit point was obstructed by the commercial LPG cylinders, while the MCB distribution board was found open and unsafe, with loose electrical connections and joints, rendering the entire wiring dangerous.

The committee reiterated that while the Tourism Department had permitted one temporary private shack, the establishment was operating far beyond the approved capacity and area, with a bar counter, attached kitchen, bakery, pantry, staff mess accommodating 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 and other facilities, all of which were in excess of what had been sanctioned, as recorded in the order.