In 4 cities, police cracks down on game zones, owners booked

In Surat, the authorities sealed all the city’s 12 game zones for operating without valid permissions. The Surat Police booked 22 owners of seven game zones under sections 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 114(abettor present when offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The owners were operating without renewing their license issued from the police department to run the game zones.

These seven are Rebounce Game Zone, Black Bunny Game Zone and Explore Game Zone at Vesu, Short Game Zone at Dumas, Fantasia-2 Game Zone at Pal, The Great Fun Amusement Park at Rander and Fifth Allay Game Zone at Singhanpore.

The surprise checks were carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday by the police as well as officials of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited.

The FIR lodged stated that while most of the game zones did not have proper exits, sufficient sprinklers, facilities for smoke emission and emergency exits, these structures also used low grade fire extinguishers. It added that while license was not renewed by the game zones, two companies had not applied for the same at all.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch, Surat) Hetal Patel said, “Of the 12 game zones in the city, we have booked the owners and managers of seven. Arrests will follow.”

The SMC’s fire department, meanwhile, sealed 85 premises, including hotels, banquet halls, coaching classes, schools, cinema halls and hospitals, among others for flouting building use (BU) rules. It also sealed tuition classes, shops and textile markets, among others, for not having fire NOC.

In Rajkot, the police said that eight FIRs were lodged against as many gaming zones, which included one water park, under Section 336 of the IPC for their alleged acts endangering life or personal safety of others.

In a statement, the police said that the Rajkot Crime Branch has booked persons associated with five gaming zones on the posh Kalavad Road, one on 150-Ring Road and two on the National Highway 27. The ones on Kalavad Road are Play Point in Crystal Mall, Knockout Game Zone, the gaming zone in Cosmoplex cinema hall, Infinity Game Zone and Fun Blast Entertainment LLP Game Zone in Gir Gamthi restaurant.

The Crime Branch has also booked Tanmay Mukherjee of Krishna Water Park, a water park near Kuvadva village, as well as Bharat Khachar of World of Wonder Bombay Super Mall, both on NH 27. The eighth gaming zone to face action is Whooppeee World at Parsana Chowk on 150-Feet Ring Road.

Meanwhile, in a massive drive conducted by the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services on Wednesday, along with the police and officials of Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited, at least two commercial buildings were sealed and several others served notices for lacking fire safety measures.

According to Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials, the inspecting teams have issued notices to several gaming zones in the city that have been shut since May 25, while two other recreation centres, Fun Blast in Kala Bhavan and Atapi World in Ajwa, were shut down before the TRP Game Zone fire due to “shortcomings” in safety protocols.

On Wednesday, the fire department sealed commercial complex Atlantis Heights and a mall at Sama while disconnecting electricity connection in a commercial complex at Karelibaug. As many as 24 private hospitals, where inspections were carried out, have also been served notices along with Inorbit Mall in Gorwa, Seven Seas Mall in Fatehgunj and Makarpura bus depot.

In fact, the VMC itself began installing a new fire system at the the civic body’s Khanderao Market head office on war footing on Wednesday.

VMC Commissioner Dilip Rana said, “The teams are inspecting the premises of all private and public establishments and wherever, there is lacuna in fire safety, they are being served notices… We sealed Atlantis Heights as it had witnessed a fire a few months ago and it was found that they have not complied with the notice that had been served last time.”

He added that while nine prominent game zones in the city were asked to close down immediately after the TRP Game Zone fire, the VMC has identified seven additional game zones and begun issuing notices to those who lack safety protocols. “We have found a total of 16 game zones. Of these, only two had the police permissions while most of them had fire NOCs but we have begun issuing notices wherever necessary…”

In Ahmedabad, the municipal corporation has checked 42 gaming zones and sealed 11 for not having fire NOCs or valid BU certificates. Among those sealed include go-karting arenas in open plots such as Indikarting Ahmedabad and Friendly Karting in Shilaj. A play area with lawn tennis facilities too has been sealed for not having BU permission. Four FIRs have been lodged against the “administrator and owners” of gaming zones running without valid BU permissions.