Ahmedabad:

The Gujarat government on Friday informed the high court that it has framed “model rules” to regulate amusement rides and gaming zones to prevent tragedies like the May 25 fire incident in Rajkot.

Besides obtaining regular licences and approvals such as fire NOCs and building use (BU) permissions from the police and civic authorities, game zone owners must get approval from Ride Safety and Inspection committees.

Advocate General Kamal Trivedi informed the court that police commissioners will appoint such a committee for cities, and collectors will constitute the same at the district level.

A division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi took the state government’s affidavit into consideration and kept the matter for hearing on August 23.

The bench had initiated a suo motu PIL after 27 persons, including four children, died in a massive fire that swept through a game zone in the Nana-Mava locality of Rajkot on May 25.

During a hearing in June, the bench had directed the state government to submit its response as to whether rules were framed under section 33 of the Gujarat Police Act, which provides for the powers and duties of the licensing authority.

In his response, Trivedi told the bench that the state home department has framed “model rules” called the Gujarat Amusement Rides and Gaming Zone Activities Safety Rules, 2024, after incorporating suggestions made by the public.

“These model rules have been sent to all police commissioners and district magistrates (collectors) to notify these rules from their end by incorporating necessary changes, if any. All provisions are very comprehensive,” he said.

He said the rules contain detailed definitions of all games and amusement rides, procedures for their installation, licensing provisions, inspection of rides, prior approval, supervision, renewal and aspects related to suspension of licences.

“For the renewal of licence, a certified person will visit the facility, review aspects listed in annexure 1 and issue a certificate, which will then be verified by city rides safety and inspection committee or district rides safety and inspection committee,” Trivedi said.

People who want to start a gaming zone or install a ride must get it inspected, and a licence will be issued after approval from the committee, he said, adding that no installation was permitted without prior permission.

The chief justice then asked the state government to ensure police commissioners and collectors notified these rules in two weeks, and committees were formed one week thereafter.

Each committee will comprise technical experts not below the rank of Class-2 officers from the state government, board or corporation, the bench was told.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ahmedabad:

The Gujarat High Court on Thursday again rapped the state government over the Rajkot game zone fire that killed 27 persons in May, wondering why a demolition order against the illegal structure was not executed for nearly a year.

The censure came in response to an affidavit submitted to the division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi that has been hearing a suo motu PIL (public interest litigation) it had taken up on May 26, a day after the tragedy.

The Gujarat government on Thursday also submitted its “fact-finding inquiry” report in a sealed cover to the HC on the TRP game zone blaze in Rajkot.

The bench last month had expressed displeasure over the investigation into the fire and ordered a “fact-finding inquiry” to uncover how the illegal game zone had come up and what roles officials played in it.

This had prompted the Gujarat government to appoint a “fact-finding committee” comprising IAS officers Manisha Chandra (Commissioner of Rural Development), P Swaroop (Commissioner of Land Reforms) and Rajkumar Beniwal (Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Gujarat Maritime Board).

While going through the state’s affidavit on Thursday, the chief justice said though the officials of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) were aware that the TRP game zone was illegal, no action was taken against it despite a demolition order being served to the management in June 2023.

“A demolition order was issued by the RMC. One year has passed since then (till the fire incident). Why was it not executed? Where is the answer? That demolition order proves that officials knew that the structure was illegal,” the CJ said.

When Advocate General Kamal Trivedi pointed out that the present Municipal Commissioner has already suspended RMC’s Town Planning Officer (TPO) and an Assistant TPO for negligence, Chief Justice Agarwal said it was not enough.

“Taking action against a few people will not help you. The working (style) has to be revisited. There are loopholes and lapses which need to be taken care of. You cannot put this state in this situation. It is very serious that such incidents are happening,” noted the chief justice.

The bench also expressed displeasure over the state government’s submission that the then Rajkot municipal commissioner was unaware of the illegal structure because TPO and his office were dealing with the matter and the demolition notice was sent by TPO, not the civic chief.

“You can’t say that this was not brought to my notice. It’s not an excuse. Even I can’t say that. I have to take responsibility for everything, good or bad. This should be the approach of the head of an institution,” the CJ said.

Since a report from the state government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) is still pending, the court has asked Mr Trivedi to submit it as well as an Action Taken Report on July 25, when the matter will be heard next.

Twenty-seven persons, including four children, were killed in the massive fire that swept through the game zone in the Nana-Mava locality of Rajkot city on May 25.

A probe revealed that the game zone was running without any no objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department of the RMC.

Rajkot:

The Rajkot police on Thursday arrested four government officials, including a town planning officer (TPO), in connection with the devastating fire at TRP game zone on May 25 that claimed 27 lives.

TPO MD Sagathia, assistant TPOs Mukesh Makwana and Gautam Joshi, and former station officer of Kalavad Road fire station Rohit Vigora were arrested, taking the total number of people in custody to nine, said an official.

“Four government officials have been arrested,” confirmed state Director General of Police Vikas Sahay.

Nine officials have been suspended in connection with the incident for alleged “gross negligence in allowing the game zone to operate without necessary approvals”, as per a government release.

These include Joshi, Vigora, Rajkot’s Chief Fire Officer IV Kher, his deputy BJ Theba, assistant engineer in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s town planning department Jaideep Chaudhary, Roads and Buildings Department’s Deputy Executive Engineers MR Suma and Paras Kothiya, and police inspectors VR Patel and NI Rathod.

Three IPS officers, including then police commissioner Raju Bhargava, were shunted out of the city after the fire tragedy.

On Thursday, senior IPS officer Subhash Trivedi, who is heading a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Gujarat government to probe the incident, questioned former fire chief Kher at the state police headquarters in Gandhinagar for nearly three hours, sources said.

Incidentally, Mr Kher had earlier revealed the game zone was running without the mandatory fire NOC (No Objection Certificate) as the management had never applied for it.

On Monday, the Gujarat High Court had come down heavily on the Rajkot civic body over the game zone fire, saying it did not have faith in the state machinery that gets into action only after innocent lives are lost.

The high court had asked Rajkot Municipal Corporation if it had turned a blind eye to such a big structure coming up in its vicinity after the civic body’s lawyer submitted that the TRP Game Zone, which was set up in the city’s Nana-Mava locality, had not sought requisite permissions.

The nine persons held for the tragedy include four owners and a manager of TRP Gaming Zone.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In a major action in the Rajkot gaming zone fire that killed 27 people, including nine children, the police have detained a fire officer and the town planning officer for questioning. 

Town Planning Officer MD Sagathia and Fire Officer BJ Theba, both from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, were detained by the Rajkot Crime Branch on Wednesday afternoon. The officials are being interrogated and the key questions that will be asked of them are how the TRP Gaming Zone, where the tragedy occurred on Saturday, was operating only with an entertainment licence and without a no-objection certificate, an approved layout plan, building-use certificate and the proper fire clearances. 

Four owners of the establishment – Yuvrajsinh Solanki, Rahul Rathod, Dhaval Thakkar and Kiritsinh Jadeja – are among five people who have been arrested in the case and a fifth – Prakash Hiran – perished in the fire, a DNA test had revealed on Tuesday. The manager, Nitin Jain, is also in police custody. 

The accused have been charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 304 (culpable homicide), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (causing hurt by an act that endangers the life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt to a person by doing an act that endangers their life or personal safety) and 114 (someone present when the offence is committed).

The chief of the special investigation team set up to probe the fire said that the team has been given the go-ahead to question even senior IAS and IPS officials if needed. 

Addressing the media after Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi met the team, the SIT chief, Subhash Trivedi, said, “We have been instructed to probe the roles of officers associated with Rajkot Municipal Corporation, fire department, police and power utility firm and take stern action if they are found guilty.” 

“MoS Home (Sanghavi) has clearly told us to question even senior government employees, including IAS and IPS officials, if needed. In the coming days, they will be called by the SIT for the purpose of investigation. The SIT is also probing the role of each of the seven government employees, including two police officers, who have already been suspended,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

The Rajkot Police are investigating the case separately. 

On Monday, the Gujarat High Court had come down hard on the Rajkot Municipal Corportation. 

“This has been going on for two-and-a-half years (referring to the Rajkot gaming zone). Are we to assume you turned a blind eye? What do you and your followers do… Have you gone blind? Did you fall asleep? Now we do not trust the local system and the state,” the bench had thundered. 

The Rajkot Municipal Commissioner, Anand Patel, and Police Commissioner, Raju Bhargava, have been transferred. 
 

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A CCTV footage of the fire at a gaming site at Gujarat’s Rajkot that is being widely circulated on social media, shows the blaze had started while welding. Twenty-eight people, nine of them children, were killed in the massive blaze that broke out on Saturday.

The footage, which could not be independently verified by NDTV, shows the fire spreading from the sparks emitted during the welding.  Some of the sparks fell on a pile of plastic that lay nearby and it caught fire, which proved impossible to contain despite efforts by the workers.

A police case has been filed against six partners of the game zone, which was operating without a license. The police said they have arrested two persons — the owner and the manager of the site — which did not even have a fire safety certificate.

A Special Bench of the Gujarat High Court that took suo motu cognizance of the matter today, said it was prima facie a “man-made disaster”. Pointing to reports that claimed the site was operating without proper approvals, the court also noted that a stock of highly inflammable material — petrol, fibre, and fibre glass sheets — were stored at the premises.

Sources have told NDTV that the gaming zone did not have the licences to operate, and there was no record of a fire clearance from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.

The state police chief, meanwhile, has issued instructions that all the game zones in the state be inspected those running without fire safety permission be closed down.

Rajkot:

DNA samples have been collected to identify those who died yesterday in the massive fire at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot, said a top police officer. At least 28 people, including nine children, died in the fire at the gaming zone, which did not have a fire license.

“The bodies are charred beyond recognition, and we have completed the process of collecting the DNA samples of the bodies and the relatives who have claimed them so that the identity of the deceased can be established,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Patel. The samples have been airlifted to Jamnagar for analysis.

Three others injured in the fire are now stable, he added.

Read | No Fire License, One Exit: Major Safety Violations At Rajkot Game Zone

The gaming zone’s owner and manager have been arrested, officials said. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site at Nana-Mava Road this morning and the hospital where the injured were admitted.

The exact cause of the fire is not yet known. A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government has been asked to submit a report within 72 hours.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi reached Rajkot last night and held an early morning meeting with the SIT members, headed by Additional Director General of Police Subhash Trivedi.

Mr Sanghvi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought information about the incident from the Chief Minister and directed strong action against the culprits.

Read | 9 Children Among 28 Dead In Fire At Gujarat Gaming Zone, SIT Probe Ordered

Before the meeting, ADGP Trivedi said the inquiry will begin immediately to find out those responsible for it. “We will go through all the aspects of the incident and investigate them thoroughly…We will work with commitment and complete honesty and integrity to provide justice to the children who have lost their lives,” he added.

The SIT also comprises Commissioner, Technical Education, BN Pani; Director, Forensic Science Laboratory, Gandhinagar, HP Sanghvi; Chief Fire Officer, Ahmedabad, JN Khadia; and Superintending Engineer, Roads and Buildings Department, MB Desai.

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| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

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Rajkot:

Twenty people have died in the massive fire that broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday evening, said officials. A relief and rescue operation is underway.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had instructed officials to prioritize arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured.

“Instructions have been given to the Municipal Corporation and the administration for immediate rescue and relief operations in the fire incident in the game zone in Rajkot. It has also instructed to prioritize arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured,” Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said. 

રાજકોટમાં ગેમ ઝોનમાં સર્જાયેલી આગની દુર્ઘટનામાં તત્કાલ બચાવ અને રાહત કામગીરી માટે મહાનગરપાલિકા અને વહીવટી તંત્રને સૂચનાઓ આપી છે. ઇજાગ્રસ્ત લોકોને તાત્કાલિક સારવાર મળે તે માટેની વ્યવસ્થાઓને અગ્રતા આપવા પણ સૂચના આપી છે.

— Bhupendra Patel (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Bhupendrapbjp) May 25, 2024

“The rescue operations are on. The fire is under control. We are trying to retrieve as many bodies as possible. As of now, around 20 bodies have been recovered and they have been sent to the hospital for further investigation. Investigations will be carried out. The gaming zone is owned by a person called Yuvraj Singh Solanki. We will be registering an offence for negligence and the deaths which have occurred,” Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said.

A fire officer told ANI that, “The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained. The attempts to douse the fire are underway. We have not received any message of missing persons. We are facing difficulty in the firefighting operation because the temporary structure has collapsed and due to wind velocity

#WATCH | Rajkot, Gujarat: Fire officer IV Kher says, “The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained. The attempts to douse the fire are underway. We have not received any message of missing persons. We are facing difficulty in the firefighting operation because the temporary… https://t.co/Gd9N1Pd8kapic.twitter.com/v09kJcL0V3

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024

“We will then be able to find out the exact number of casualties inside the zone (after fire is controlled). We will also investigate the cause of the fire, and a message has been issued to all the gaming zones in the city to shut down,” he said.

– With Inputs from PTI