No fire clearance: Rajkot game zone kept flying under radar for 3 years

“Technically, a shed falls in the category of temporary structure and such structures, as per existing rules, don’t require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department. Therefore, our fire department couldn’t take any action proactively. On the other hand, the proprietors of the gaming zone didn’t apply for a fire NOC; and therefore, officers of the fire department did not have an occasion to visit the facility for inspection,” a senior functionary of the BJP-ruled RMC told The Indian Express.

The functionary said that the facility would have found it tough to obtain a fire NOC. “Fire officer who responded to the call of fire on Saturday said that the proprietors had used lots of plastic foam sheets as shadow walls covering the tin sheets. This material is highly inflammable. The entry and exit were narrow,” said the functionary on the condition of anonymity. The narrow exit and entry also posed a challenge for evacuation when the massive blaze broke out on Saturday evening.

To attract customers, the gaming zone gave special offers, offering tickets at a price of Rs 99. Some survivors said there was heavy rush on Saturday due to such an offer. Billboards outside the venue marketed TRP Game Zone as “Gujarat’s Saurashtra region’s biggest gaming zone” with 10 bowling alleys under one roof. The gaming zone also had facilities for other indoor games like trampoline, paintball, laser maze, and mirror maze, among others.

The Rajkot top cop pointed out that the partners added a new attraction last year. “In November, 2023, ownership of the gaming zone changed and Raceway Enterprise became a partner in the enterprise. They added a go-karting facility after that,” said Bhargava, adding, “They obtained the approval of the mechanical branch of R&B (Road and Building department). They also furnished bills issued against purchase of fire-safety equipment as evidence with the application. Their fire NOC (no-objection certificate) was under process.”

“They did have firefighting equipment but that was not adequate when the fire broke out on Saturday,” the Rajkot top cop added.

Meanwhile, Bhargava said that the proprietors of the gaming zone applied for booking licenses under the Gujarat Entertainment Tax Act, 1977 for ticketed entry to their facility twice. In police commissionerates like Rajkot, a police commissioner is authorised to issue such licenses. So, two of the six partners – Dhaval Thakkar and Yuvrajsinh Solanki – submitted separate applications to Rajkot Police for seeking booking licenses.

“One licence was sought by Thakkar for part of the game zone in 2021 and the second part, it was sought by Solanki in November 2023 which was essentially for go-karts. Both of them were in partnership along with other partners,” Bhargava told The Indian Express, adding the booking license issued for go-karting was renewed on January 1, and that the renewed licence was valid till end of this calendar year.

Thakkar and Solanki are among six partners booked by police for allegedly not keeping enough firefighting equipment in their gaming zones and not ensuring proper emergency exit. All six have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed).

Besides Thakkar and Solanki, others who have been booked include Ashoksinh Jadeja, Kiritsinh Jadeja, Prakashchand Hiran and Rahul Rathod. “Ashoksinh and Kiritsinh are brothers and owners of the party plot on which the gaming zone had been set up,” the Commissioner said, adding the two brothers are also partners in another firm – Raceway Enterprise. Thakkar is proprietor of Dhaval Corporation.

The gaming zone had been set up on JPS Party Lawns and two other adjacent party plots on posh Nana Mava Road of Rajkot. The indoor gaming facilities had been developed in a shed tin-shed supported by steel frames. According to police, the shed had ground floor and first floor but the structure was as tall as a three-storey building, 50 metres wide and 60 metres long.