Amidst the aftermath of the tragic fire incident at a gaming enclave in Rajkot, which claimed the lives of no less than 28 individuals, the administration of Gujarat took decisive action by ordering the suspension of seven officials, a group comprising two police inspectors and municipal personnel from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, on grounds of negligence.
The government, in a released statement, unequivocally attributed the mishap to the egregious oversight of the aforementioned officials, citing their failure to ensure compliance with requisite regulations prior to the operation of the gaming establishment. Noteworthy is the revelation that the venue, engulfed in flames on Saturday, operated sans the essential fire NOC (no objection certificate).
Raju Bhargava, Rajkot’s Police Commissioner, disclosed to the press on Sunday that while the gaming zone had garnered approvals from the roads and buildings department, the acquisition of the fire NOC was still pending, albeit substantiated by documentation affirming the presence of fire safety apparatus.
The gubernatorial decree to suspend the implicated individuals transpired a day subsequent to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s on-site inspection, wherein he admonished the pertinent departments to pursue stringent punitive measures against those accountable for the grave mishap.
Amongst those relieved from duty are police inspectors V R Patel and N I Rathod, along with executive engineers M R Suma and Paras Khothiya from the Roads and Buildings Department. Furthermore, two Rajkot Municipal Corporation employees, assistant engineer Jaydip Chaudhary and assistant town planner Gautam Joshi, and Rohit Vigora, overseeing the fire station on Kalavad Road, complete the list of suspended officials.
The conflagration at the TRP gaming enclave in the Nana-Mava locale of Rajkot on Saturday evening resulted in the loss of 27 lives, including children. Law enforcement has apprehended two individuals and filed an FIR against six partners of the gaming zone and an additional suspect, on charges ranging from culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The Gujarat High Court, in a proactive move, assumed cognisance of the calamitous incident, characterising it as a prima facie “man-made disaster.” Noting the stockpile of highly inflammable materials such as petrol, fibres, and fibreglass sheets within the premises, the court called for prompt action. The state government has initiated a Special Investigation Team and announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each deceased. Additionally, the central government has pledged Rs 2 lakh as ex gratia to the next of kin of the deceased.
