Shaken out of stupor by the devastating fire in a coaching centre in a four-storey building here that claimed 23 lives, all of Gujarat's eight municipal corporations and scores of municipalities on Saturday ordered shutdown of all coaching centres running in commercial complexes.
Officials said that the coaching centres had been ordered to put all fire safety norms in place, without which they would not be allowed to function.
The authorities started investigating fire safety norms in coaching classes, private hospitals and other buildings in various towns and cities of the state. Many of these buildings, including a reading library in capital Gandhinagar, were sealed, along with 40 coaching centres in Bharuch and as many others at several places.
Simultaneously, police have arrested Bhargav Butani, who ran the art and drawing classes in Takshashila Arcade building in Surat's Sarthana area, Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.
Two others, including the builder of the commercial complex Harsukh Vekaria, were also booked. Search was on for the builder, he added.
Sharma told reporters that: "We have ordered investigation into the fire incident by the ACP, Crime Branch. A case under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code for culpable homicide has been lodged against the accused."
Official sources revealed there were no proper fire safety norms being followed in the building. Two shops and around a dozen two-wheelers parked below were also gutted in another fire sparked off by the blaze because of the electric wires and pole situated nearby.
The death toll in the devastating blaze rose to 23 by Saturday, even as seven students battled for survival in hospitals, officials said. Two of the injured students were on ventilator and five admitted to intensive care units (ICU). The condition of four others was reported to be stable.
Most of the students who were killed in the fire were between the age of 14 and 17. Some were expecting their Class 12 results on Saturday.
The fire broke out late afternoon around 4 pm in the Smart Design Studio, which ran illegally on the covered terrace of the Takshashila building that effectively became fourth storey.
Officials informed that the fire started at the ground floor and reached the top floor. Some students of another class, rushed to the terrace to escape the fire and found themselves stuck there. The only way to the top floor was a three-foot wooden staircase, which had been reduced to ashes.
According to witnesses, there must have been around 50 students in the Takshashila Arcade building when it caught fire. Graphic videos on the social media showed more than 10 panic-stricken students from the third and fourth storey jumping off to escape the blaze and the billowing smoke. What was more tragic, hundreds of people watched and many shot videos and pictures while student after student fell off the building like ninepins. Half of the dozen students who jumped in panic were killed.
Eyewitnesses alleged the fire brigade staff, which got delayed by half an hour, did not have any nets to hold the students jumping from the building and even their hydraulic staircase could not go beyond a little over the second floor of the building.
The cause of the devastating fire was yet not clear, though it was believed by officials that it was sparked off by short circuit in a sweet shop in the same building.
LS polls: First phase sees 60.03 per cent voting against 69.43 per cent in 2019
Voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections was held on Friday for 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories (UTs) amid reports of violence from some parts of West Bengal and Manipur.
6 Eastern Nagaland districts abstain from voting amid shutdown call over ‘frontier territory’ demand
Despite the indefinite shutdown call given by the Naga bodies from Thursday evening, the Election Commission made all efforts to conduct polling in the six districts covering 20 of the state's 60 Assembly segments.
Tripura LS Poll: 80.40% voting turnout recorded till 5 PM
Addressing a press conference here in his chamber on Friday evening, RO Dr Vishal Kumar said, “The voting turnout rested at 80.40% till 5 pm today and the figure is expected to cross the record of the previous Lok Sabha election which recorded 82.4%.”
Congress, INDIA bloc against development & farmers: PM Modi says in Maharashtra
Criticising the Congress and the INDIA bloc, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the unwavering faith of the people in 'Modi's Guarantee' is giving sleepless nights to the Opposition alliance leaders.
BJP rules out oppositions’ allegation of proxy voting; thanks EC, police of ensuring peaceful voting
At a time when the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc had alleged of proxy voting and targeted the ruling BJP of turning the election into a farce, the ruling BJP on Friday thanked the election commission for ensuring peaceful voting.
Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad shows 'lack of confidence': BJP President Nadda
Accusing Rahul Gandhi of "promoting corruption, nepotism, and appeasement", BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Friday that the Congress leader's decision to contest from Wayanad shows a "lack of confidence" in winning his long-standing Lok Sabha seat of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
INDI alliance loses ground, resorts to false allegations: CM
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha said on Friday that the INDI alliance has lost its ground, leading them to resort to making false and misleading allegations. Dr. Saha said this while traveling by train to participate in election programs in North District and Unakoti District.
Tripura records highest 79.83 pc voter turnout in Northeast
Tripura witnessed around 79.83 per cent voter turnout registered till 5 p.m. in the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat on Friday in the first of the seven-phased general polls, as per the data provided by the Election Commission of India (ECI).