In view of the tragic incident at the TRP Mall gaming zone in Rajkot last month, the Gujarat High Court has issued a directive to the Principal Secretary (Urban Development) to conduct an inquiry into the functioning of municipal corporations across the state.
The court stressed that no guilty party should be spared, and all aspects of negligence or inaction must be thoroughly examined. The report is to be submitted to the court by July 4, 2024.
Meanwhile, two Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials were arrested for their alleged involvement in making changes in an official register as well as forging documents after the fire. Those arrested are RMC’s assistant town planning officer Rajesh Makwana and assistant engineer Jaideep Chaudhary, according to police sources.
With this, 12 persons, including six government employees, have been arrested in connection with the May 25 incident.
Series of incidents
The High Court decision follows a series of incidents, including the Morbi Bridge collapse, the Harni Lake boat tragedy, and the Rajkot fire, which have highlighted significant dereliction of duties by municipal commissioners and civic staff, according to the court.
The court stated that an inquiry should be conducted into the working of the municipal corporations in the state in view of recent incidents reflecting dereliction of duties on the part of the municipal commissioners of the respective corporations in Gujarat.
“These repeated incidents show that public places managed by the corporations, and places of amusement with significant public footfall, have been kept unsafe due to the dereliction of duties or inaction by institutional heads,” the court noted.
The directions were issued while hearing a suo motu petition regarding the Rajkot gaming zone tragedy.
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