Surat News : FIRs against 14 Game Zone owners for Fire Safety Violations

SURAT, GUJARAT : About  14 owners and managers of five game zones in the Rander, Pal, Vesu, and Surat-Dumas Road areas in Surat have come under the legal net of the Surat police for the gross violation of fire safety norms and operating without the required permissions and no-objection certificates (NOCs).

Surat police have registered FIRs against the game zone owners following the catastrophic incident at a Rajkot game zone on May 25, which has prompted authorities to strengthen safety rules and enforcement.

Teams from the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL), the fire department, the Road and Building (R&B) department, and the municipal police filed FIRs after a thorough joint inspection. During the examination, 17 game zones in all were examined; five of them were found to be somewhat non-compliant. Without appropriate fire NOCs and emergency exit gates, these five game zones seriously jeopardized the patrons’ safety should a fire strike.

Under Commissioner of Police’s direction and supervision, a combined team was sent to confirm the permits and paperwork of game areas all over Surat. Reacting directly to the TRP Game Zone fire incident in Rajkot, this action sought to avert a similar catastrophe in Surat. On-site the inspection concentrated on confirming building codes, fire safety precautions, and electrical safety procedures. Of the 17 game zones under inspection, five lacked the required permits and safety precautions.

These game zones were discovered in breach of Gujarat Police Act section 131(a) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 336. Section 336 relates to acts endangering life or personal safety of others; the Gujarat Police Act section 131(a) deals with the development of safety rules and procedures.