The catastrophic game zone fire claimed 28 lives in Rajkot prompting authorities of Ahmedabad to check game zones of the city.

In a major lapse from the estate and fire department of Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC), six out of 34 gaming zones were operational in the city without valid permissions.

After the Gujarat High Court’s strict order on scrutinising of gaming zones in major cities, AMC Commissioner M Thennarasan held a meeting at the Riverfront House with officials from various departments, including estate and fire.

Ahmedabad’s game zones were under scrutiny after the AMC’s meeting.

The city is home to 28 indoor and 6 outdoor gaming zones, which are under scrutiny. It was revealed that the Gota-based Fungrito and JoyBox game zones in South Bopal lacked Building Usage (BU) permission while the Fun Campus near Nikol lacked a fire department non-objection certificate (NOC).

Similarly, in Ahmedabad’s Jodhpur, a gaming zone has been operating without BU permissions. Moreover, the Joy and Joy gaming zone in Chandlodia also lacked fire NOC for building usage.

FunZone near Aarohi Crest Road in Bopal lacked fire NOC for building usage.

According to reports many other game zones on Sindhu Bhavan Road in the north-west zone of the city, SG Highway, are operational without any valid permissions, highlighting negligence of the estate and fire department of AMC.

AhmedabadOne Mall sham!

The city’s heart, well-known AhmedabadOne Mall had four unauthorised game zones which lacked a fire department and AMC’s approval. Despite an inspection, three more zones were started with the permission of one game zone. Managers attempted to evade authorities, but on questioning sternly, they accepted that three-game zones were operational in the mall without police permission.

Gota game zone

Fun Blast game zone in Gota is said to be owned by former Amraiwadi BJP corporator Mahendra Patel. It was reportedly operational on a leave and licence agreement. During the investigation by the fire department, it was found that there was a lack of a proper smoke ventilator system and internal smoke detectors in the game zone.

AMC closet full of skeletons? 

Officials in the AMC fire department face allegations of securing jobs through bogus sponsorships. Following a week-long surveillance, notices have been issued to the implicated officers.

Among those involved are, divisional fire officer Om Jadeja, Faizad Dastoor, and Inayat Sheikh. 

The list also includes station fire officer Anirudh Gadhvi, regional fire officer Abhijeet Gadhvi, fire officer Mehul Gadhvi, station fire officer Shubham Khadia, and fire officer Sudhir Gadhavi. After receiving the defence statements of these officers, the AMC will take final necessary actions against them.

Which game zones in Ahmedabad were found with irregularities?

The sealed game zones of Anandnagar, Chandlodiya, Ghuma, and Aarohi Road were booked by the city police. Over 10 game zones were shut down overnight. All the assets of the game zones were removed immediately. This action also prompted the deactivation of social media accounts by game zone operators.

Following the Rajkot game zone fire, AMC Commissioner M Thennarasan  mandated monthly fire inspections in gaming zones, with quarterly mock drills. The estate department will also monitor unauthorised construction and building usage monthly.

Also read:

Rajkot game zone fire: Fourth accused nabbed at Abu Road

Heat from game zone fire: State acts against three IPS, Brajesh Jha new Rajkot CP