A man, who claims to be the original owner of the land on which fire-ravaged ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ stood, has alleged that a portion of his property was converted from a salt pan to a settlement zone without his knowledge, to benefit the club.

Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar said he had signed a sale agreement with Surinder Kumar Khosla in 2004, but it was withdrawn within six months as he did not receive the payment. Kholsa set up a nightclub on the land, and it was later taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane.

A blaze swept through the nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa around midnight December 6, killing 25 persons, most of them staff and a few tourists.

Amonkar said he is fighting a court battle against Khosla over the land.

“For 21 years, I have been fi

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