Man-made disaster: Gujarat High Court takes suo motu note of Rajkot gaming zone fire

Ahmedabad, May 26

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A Special Bench of the Gujarat High Court on Sunday took suo motu cognisance of the fire incident at a game zone in Rajkot which left 35 persons dead and said it was prima facie a “man-made disaster”.

Such gaming zones and recreational facilities have come up without the necessary approvals from competent authorities, the Bench of Justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai observed.

The Bench directed advocates of the Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot municipal corporations to appear before it on Monday with instructions as to under what provisions of law the authorities led these units to be set up or continue to operate under their jurisdiction.

Children were among the 35 persons killed and three others injured in the massive fire that swept through the game zone in Rajkot teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing on Saturday evening, as per the officials.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site at Nana-Mava road on Sunday morning and a hospital where the injured persons were admitted.

“We are shocked to read newspaper reports which indicate that the gaming zone at Rajkot appears to have taken advantage of the loopholes in the Gujarat Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (GDCR). These entertainment zones, as newspapers suggest, have come up without the necessary approvals from the competent authorities,” the court observed. The HC also wanted to know from the state government and the municipal corporations “whether such licences, including the licences to its use and compliance of fire safety regulations” were given to these respective (entertainment) zones that are in territorial jurisdiction of these corporations. /Agencies