PANAJI: After a massive fire at the Goa Romeo Lane club in Arpora that killed 25 people and injured several others, the focus is now on illegal restaurants and clubs operating in the coastal belt of Goa’s high tourist footfall zone without permissions and licenses of various departments, including fire, trade licenses, FDA, etc.
Bastian Riviera, a bar and restaurant built on the Chapora riverbank in Morjim, North Goa and owned by Bollywood actors Shilpa Shetty and Kriti Sanon is alleged to be completely illegal by two Morjim fishermen who have dragged the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), accusing the GCZMA of succumbing to powerful interests and political pressure.
A demolition order dated September 7 had directed the Bardez Deputy Collector to raze the illegal structures within 30 days, but three months later, no demolition has taken place and instead the violators have rolled out a December calendar packed with music events and VIP parties, the fishermen’s petition states. The fishermen claim that this illegal construction destroys their traditional fishing business and kills their source of livelihood.
Meanwhile Bastian Riviera, which claims to blend influences from Egypt, Mykonos and Dubai, has already drawn rave reviews from the entertainment media, with a full-fledged PR and advertising exercise underway on social and digital media targetting North Indian and international clientile.
The full-fledged bar-restaurant and concrete swimming pool functions right on the Chapora riverbank in Morjim in a CRZ zone, blocking traditional fishing access, the petitioners have alleged, wondering about sewage treatment and waste management and disposal methods adopted by the resto-bar.
According to a report in a local newspaper, The Goan, the fishermen have alleged that the GCZMA’s selective enforcement “smacks of influence,” with blatant violations repeatedly flagged since 2023 but no decisive action taken – even after fresh illegal construction was reported as recently as July 2025.
The fishermen say the official silence and inaction raise serious doubts as to whether “influential persons or powerful interests” are shielding the project.
The NGT application seeks sealing of the premises, immediate execution of the demolition order and naming of GCZMA officials who failed to act. The petition is filed before the NGT’s Western Zone Bench and alleges that the GCZMA’s enforcement of the CRZ Notification, 2011 has collapsed entirely, with the GCZMA scumbing to political and financial pressures.
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