India, Dec. 7 -- A fire that tore through Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub in Arpora village of north Goa, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday killing 25 people has drawn attention to the establishment's 'illegal' operations after Arpora panchayat head Roshan Redkar said the structure housing the club was built without a construction licence.

"There were complaints against the club and when we conducted an inquiry, we found that there was no construction licence. We had issued a demolition notice after following due process. However, the demolition notice was stayed upon appeal," Redkar said.

According to the Goa Panchayati Raj Act, a person aggrieved by a decision taken by a local government body has a right to first file a...