Shivakumar, who is also in-charge of Bengaluru Development, has sent a note to Chief Commissioner of the city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in this regard.
Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi said the Fire Control Room received a call at around 4:30 pm regarding the blaze at the game zone. (Screengrab)
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday, 26 May, directed authorities to assess precautionary measures at gaming zones in the city and check adherence to prescribed safety norms, in the wake of a fire tragedy at a facility in Gujarat.
Shivakumar, who is also in-charge of Bengaluru Development, has sent a note to Chief Commissioner of the city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in this regard.
At least 36 people, including nine children under the age of 16, were killed in a massive fire that swept through a gaming zone teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing in Gujarat’s Rajkot city on Saturday evening.
Calling the incident a tragedy that is most worrying, Shivakumar said it is a wakeup call to everyone.
Noting that permissions have been given to such gaming zones and adventure sports activities at several popular malls and other places in Bengaluru city, he said adequate precautionary measures should be taken at such facilities.
“By taking adequate measures to ensure that no fire or untoward incidents take place at game zones or recreational centres, concerned officials have been directed to inspect — whether the precautionary measures have been taken at such places and to check whether they are complying with prescribed safety norms,” he added.
According to the police officials, the death toll in the fire accident in Rajkot city is likely to go up. Police have detained the owner of the TRP Game Zone and the manager.
The state government assigned the probe to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional Director General of Police Subhash Trivedi.
Relief and Rescue operations have been underway at the affected game zone for more than six hours after the blaze erupted.
The fire swept through the structure built using metal and fibre sheets for gaming activities at around 4:30 pm, officials said, adding that it collapsed due to the intensity of the blaze.
The bodies were charred beyond recognition, making their identification difficult, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Radhika Bharai on Saturday. The DNA samples of the bodies and the victim’s relatives were also collected for identification of the deceased, they said.
In the wake of the fire tragedy, Director General of Police issued instructions to the Commissioners of Police and Superintendents of Police to inspect all the game zones in Gujarat and close those running without fire safety permission.
The DGP directed the police to carry out this procedure in coordination with fire officers of the municipalities.
(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj, with PTI inputs)
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