Rajkot: As 35 people have died in the Gamezone amusement park fire catastrophe in Rajkot, it has come to light that the facility's administrators took advantage of the weekend and introduced a Rs 99 deal, significantly cutting the admission price from Rs 500 to entice guests. According to sources, this poor choice driven by profit put people in a deadly situation.
According to sources, the Gamezone saw an overwhelming crowd due to the Rs 99 scheme. The entry fee was slashed from Rs 500 to Rs 99 to attract more holiday and weekend visitors. As a result, approximately 300 people had thronged the Gamezone when the fire broke out.
It has come to light that the Gamezone management did not obtain a Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC). To avoid municipal approvals, the Gamezone was set up in a shed, and a three-story facility was launched after only acquiring a ride certificate. The officials responsible for issuing these certificates are now absconding.
Rajkot Additional Collector Chetan Gandhi did not respond to the media, while Executive Engineer of the Mechanical Department C. C. Patel has disappeared and is not responding to calls.
The Road and Building Department officials are also untraceable, and the officers responsible for issuing the stability certificate are missing.
It was found that the game zone managers had expanded the facility to three stories by obtaining a ride certificate.
The fire reportedly started due to a welding spark on a ladder. With only one staircase available, people on the second and third floors were trapped, leading to a higher casualty rate. The fire spread rapidly due to the structure and materials used in the Gamezone.
The Gamezone featured rubber and resin flooring, thermocol sheet partitions, and over a thousand tyres around the car zone, creating a highly flammable environment. Additionally, 1500 litres of diesel stored on-site exacerbated the fire, causing it to become fierce and uncontrollable, the sources added.
With inputs from IANS