Noting that Rajkot gaming zone fire incident was a "man-made disaster", a special bench of Gujarat High Court on Sunday took suo motu cognisance of the case and issued notices to state government and municipal corporations seeking information on the provisions under which these gaming zones are functioning.
At least 27 people including children were killed in the massive fire on Saturday at a gaming zone in TRP Mall in Rajkot. The death toll is likely to rise.
"Prima facie, a man made disaster has occurred where innocent lives of children have been lost and families are grieving the loss of lives in their respective families," the special bench led by justice Biren Vaishnav noted citing newspapers reports.
He said that, "Newspaper reports indicate that gaming zone in Rajkot appears to have taken advantage of loopholes in the Gujarat Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (GDCR). GDCR paves the way for creating illegal creational activities...without necessary approvals from competent authorities."
The bench also said, citing reports, that in order to overcome hurdles in getting permission such as no objection certificate (NOC) for fire safety, construction, among others, the owners use temporary structure to run these recreational activities.
Published 26 May 2024, 06:57 IST