After Rajkot tragedy, over 100 gaming zones in Gujarat shut

Rajkot tragedy has forced the Gujarat government to close all gaming zones in the state till further orders. TheGujarat government has ordered the closure of all 101 registered gaming zones across eight major cities in the wake of the tragic fire at TRP Game Zone in Rajkot that claimed 28 lives Saturday. The crackdown follows inspections that revealed multiple safety violations.According to information, of all the 101 gaming zones in all major Gujarat cities, 20 have been permanently sealed  while 81 have been temporarily closed until security measures are implemented.As many as eight out of 20 gaming zones were sealed in Rajkot, followed by five in Ahmedabad, four in Junagadh and three in Bhavnagar. 
A media report quoting Deputy municipal commissioner (urban development) of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation IK Patel said that shutting down all gaming zones does not mean that they were all unsafe but “ we are ensuring that all major and minor concerns of experts are addressed for maximum safety of citizens.” According to offcials,a new policy for entertainment zones,that will cover all aspects of safety is under perusal,and all gaming zones will be governed by a new set of guidelines.The new entertainment zone policy is expected to be announced shortly and all gaming zones will become operational once the new set of guidelines are announced, officials said. Sources added that the home department will soon notify rules for entertainment zones that include gaming zones, amusement parks and the like.
The Gujarat Congress party has assured that Congress would extend all possible help to the families of the victims of the Rajkot gaming zone fire, and launched a helpline number 9979900100 for the families of victims who are looking for missing loved ones.
Meanwhile, The Gujarat police have arrested one more partner of the Rajkot based TRP game zone, where a fire last week claimed loss of 28 precious lives ,officials reportedly said on Wednesday.The total number of arrests in connection with the incident has now gone up to five , according to police officials.Kiritsinh Jadeja,a partner in Raceway Enterprises, which operated the game zone,was arrested from Rajkot-Kalavad road on Tuesday night, Rajkot Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Parthrajsinh Gohil told PTI, agency.
Jadeja is among six partners of the TRP game zone named as accused in the fire incident and booked under various Indian Penal Code provisions, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. "We arrested accused Kiritsinh Jadeja near Rajkot  last night, taking the total number of arrests made in the case so far to five," Gohil said.Out of six persons named in the FIR, one Prakash Hiran has died in the fire. During examination, the DNA sample of one of the deceased matched with that of Hiran's kin, confirming his death," the official said. The police had earlier arrested Yuvrajsinh Solanki, Rahul Rathod, Dhaval Thakkar, all game zone partners, and its manager Nitin Jain, as per officials.

(State Correspondent)