Rajkot gaming zone fire: Stock of petrol, one exit point and no fire NOC - What we know so far

The gaming zone in Gujrat's Rajkot, in which at least 27 people, including children died after a massive fire broke out on Saturday afternoon, had just one exit point and it also lacked no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire clearance.

The gaming zone is owned by a person named Yuvraj Singh Solanki. Reports said that the owner and manager of the game zone have been arrested and charged with negligence that led to deaths.

Also Read: Gujarat HC takes suo motu cognizance of gaming zone fire accident

Here are the key developments

1) The fire broke out at the gaming zone in TRP amusement and theme park in Rajkot at around 4.30 pm on Saturday. The fire brigade officials also faced difficulties in rescue operation as a temporary structure also collapsed.

2) According to report, the amusement centre was also lacking a no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire clearance.

3) Though the exact cause of the fire is not yet know, officials suspect that a short circuit might caused a fire.

4) A large number of people visited the amusement park on Weekend due to discounted tickets at ₹99.

5) The gaming zone had only one entry-exit point and it was only six-to-seven feet high.

6) Nearly 2,000 litres of diesel was stored at the TRP Game Zone for generators, while 1,000 to 1,500 litres of petrol was stored for go-kart racing, reported India Today.

7) Several bodies were charred beyond recognition. The authorities have completed the process of collecting the DNA samples.

8) Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel has announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and ₹50,000 to each injured.

9) Takin suo motu cognizance of the fire incident the special bench of Justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai of the Gujarat High Court observed that such gaming zones and recreational facilities have come up without the necessary approvals from competent authorities.

10) "Prima facie, a man-made disaster has occurred where innocent lives of children have been lost" and families have grieved their loss," the bench observed.

Also read | Gujarat fire: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi express grief

11) Gujarat government has ordered an SIT under the leadership of Additional Director General of Police Subhash Trivedi to investigate the incident. The SIT has been asked to submit a report within 72 hours.

12) DGP Gujarat has issued instructions to the commissioners of police to inspect all the game zones in in the state and close those running without fire safety permission.

13) CM Bhupendra Patel along with Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi also inspected the Rajkot TRP gaming zone on Sunday.