The Evening Wrap: Rajkot fire death toll goes up to 33; Gujarat HC takes suo motu cognisance

The death toll in Rajkot’s fire tragedy in the TRP game zone has climbed to 33 while more than 15 persons are still missing in what the Gujarat High Court has called a “man made disaster” in a suo motu cognisance. It must be noted that the State government or the local administration had not given any figures about the casualties or number of missing people since last night. However, local media and sources have confirmed that at least 33 people have died and more than 15 are still missing. There is widespread anger against the government and the local administration for the devastating fire that claimed many lives, including five from one family, while another couple who was engaged a few days ago and was set for a marriage also figured among the victims. The Police have lodged a FIR against six and two were arrested. The FIR states that the operators of the amusement park of game zone had not applied for the fire NOC, nor did they have a proper fire safety mechanism in place in a three storey building spread in 2000 sq. m. plot area in a temporary structure with tin roofs. On May 26, the Gujarat High Court took suo motu cognizance of the fire tragedy calling it prima facie a “man-made disaster”. The court will hear the matter on May 27. The bench of justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai observed that such gaming zones and recreational facilities have come up without the necessary approvals from competent authorities. The bench directed advocates of the Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot municipal corporations to appear before it with instructions as to under what provisions of law the authorities let these units to be set up or continue to operate under their jurisdiction. Government extends tenure of Army Chief Gen Pande by one month till June 30 In an unusual move, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on May 26 granted one month extension in tenure to Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Manoj Pande beyond his retirement date, upto June 30, 2024. He was due to retire on May 31 on turning 62 years of age. Normally, for Service Chiefs the tenure is 62 years of age or three years whichever is earlier. There is only such instance in the past, when in 1975 then Army Chief Gen G.G. Bewoor was given a one year extension by Indira Gandhi-led Government so that the next in line as per seniority Lt Gen Prem Bhagat retired from service. Gen Bewoor served as Chief from January 16, 1973 to May 31, 1975 and was succeeded by Gen T. N. Raina. The current Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen Upendra Dwivedi is the next in line for the top post based on the principle of seniority. He was commissioned into 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984, a unit he later commanded. The senior most after him is Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh, currently the Southern Army Commander. He was commissioned into 7/11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1984. Both the senior most officers after Gen Pande are course mates. Seven newborns die in fire at east Delhi children’s hospital, police says owner arrested A massive fire broke out at a children’s hospital in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar, leaving seven newborns dead, officials said on May 26. The Delhi police arrested the owner of the New Born Baby Care Hospital, Dr Naveen Khichi, after absconding for close to 12 hours. Along with him, Dr. Akash, who was on duty, was also arrested. The officials of the Delhi Fire Services said the blaze broke out at the children’s hospital in Shahdara on May 25 night. Twelve newborns were rescued from the medical facility but seven of them died, DFS chief Atul Garg said. Five babies are undergoing treatment at another hospital, he added. A senior police officer said the fire broke out at the Baby Care New Born Hospital and its adjacent building at around 11.30 p.m. on May 25. The babies were rescued from the hospital with the help of other people and shifted to another hospital. While six babies were declared brought dead, one died during treatment, the officer said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the incident ‘heartbreaking’. Meanwhile, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj directed Health Secretary Deepak Kumar and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar for a speedy enquiry and provide names and designations of everyone responsible for this negligence. Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said the fire was caused due to a blast in an oxygen cylinder and spread rapidly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the fire tragedy at a hospital in east Delhi is heart-rending and his thoughts are with the bereaved families in this incredibly difficult time. President Droupadi Murmu in a post on X in Hindi said, “The news of death of many children due to fire in a hospital in Vivek Vihar, Delhi is heart-rending. May God give strength to the bereaved parents and relatives to bear this shock. I pray for the speedy recovery of other children injured in this incident.” Severe Cyclonic storm ‘Remal’ to cross Bangladesh and West Bengal by Sunday midnight Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ intensified and moved northwards and is likely to cross Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts by midnight on May 26. According to the India Meteorological Department, the system is “likely to continue to move nearly northwards and cross Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts between Sagar Island and Khepupara, close to southwest of Mongla (Bangladesh) by midnight of today, (May 26, 2024)” as a severe cyclonic storm with “maximum sustained wind speed of 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph”. “ The outer cloud band lies over coastal areas of Bangladesh & West Bengal, India. The landfall process will commence in next few hours,” the IMD said. The IMD has also issued a red warning for the Bengal coastline. The State administration has evacuated people from low lying and coastal areas of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur to storm shelters. By 3 p.m. on May 26 the government had evacuated over one lakh people from coastal and vulnerable areas. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to review response and preparedness for cyclonic storm ‘Remal’, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged people to remain alert. The IMD has predicted storm surge of about 1 meter above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of coastal West Bengal and around the time of landfall. There were reports of breach of embankments in Gosaba area of South 24 Parganas. At Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas local panchayat made announcement urging people to join in immediate embankment repair. As the region received heavy rainfall in many areas locals joined to repair the embankments. With the funds under MGNREGA being stopped, the embankments in Sundarbans have not been repaired for the past two years.. The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ has resulted in disruptions in air, rail, and road transportation in Kolkata and other parts of South Bengal. Eastern and South Eastern Railways have cancelled several trains on Sunday and Monday. The ferry services in Kolkata and Sundarbans have been suspended. The authorities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport have suspended flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon, affecting 394 flights in both international and domestic sectors. The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata has also suspended cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours from Sunday evening. Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim expressed hope that the water logging owing to the impact of cyclone will be cleared in four to five hours. Fourteen teams of National Disaster Response Force and teams of State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in coastal areas of the State. The Indian Navy has readied two ships equipped with humanitarian assistance and disaster response and medical supplies. Several ships of Indian Coast Guard are also in standby mode and Dornier aircrafts has been making sorties to alert any vessel along the coast. Uniform Civil Code, ‘One Nation, One Election’ to be implemented in next term, says Amit Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah said a Uniform Civil Code for the entire country will be implemented within the next five years after extensive consultations with all stakeholders if the BJP returns to power. In a wide-ranging interview with PTI, Shah said the Modi government in its next term will also implement ‘One Nation, One Election’. He added simultaneous elections will bring down costs. “The guiding principles decided for us by the Constituent Assembly include the Uniform Civil Code. And even at that time, legal scholars like K M Munshi, Rajendra Babu, Ambedkar Ji had said that there should not be laws based on religion in a secular country. There should be a Uniform Civil Code,” he said. He said the BJP has done an experiment in Uttarakhand where it has a majority government as it is a subject of States and the Centre. Shah said that the BJP will get a bigger win in Opposition-ruled States due to a “positive mandate” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls, and slammed the opposition’s criticism of the Election Commission as a ploy to cover up for their impending loss. He claimed that the BJP has not resorted to any religion-based campaign but insisted that if canvassing against reservation for Muslims, and reaching out to voters on the abolition of Article 370 and implementing a Uniform Civil Code is religion-based campaign, then the BJP has done it and will continue doing so. “We will surely cross 400 seats. We will also form governments in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said. Assembly polls in the three states have been held alongside the Lok Sabha elections. Sirens sound in Tel Aviv for the first time in months as Hamas says it fired rockets from Gaza Rocket sirens sounded across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv, for the first time in months on May 26, as Hamas claimed to have fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza. The militants have continued to fire projectiles at communities around Gaza more than seven months into the war but have not fired longer-range rockets in months. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the latest barrage. Earlier in the day, aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel through a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. But was unclear if humanitarian groups would be able to access the aid because of ongoing fighting in the area. Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. But that crossing has been largely inaccessible because of fighting linked to Israel’s offensive in the nearby city of Rafah. Israel says it has allowed hundreds of trucks to enter, but United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid on the other side. The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its eighth month, has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Around 80% of the population’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and U.N. officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine. Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera TV aired footage of what it said were trucks entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom. Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent in the Sinai Peninsula, which handles the delivery of aid from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, told The Associated Press that 200 aid trucks and four fuel trucks are scheduled to be sent to Kerem Shalom on the day. Poll roundup: Union Home Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda addressed five election rallies in Bihar on May 26. Shah addressed meetings in Karakat and Sasaram Lok Sabha seats and Nadda campaigned in Ara, Jehanabad and Nalanda parliamentary constituencies. Both leaders slammed the RJD’s regime in Bihar and accused the INDIA bloc leaders of giving the reservation to the Muslims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi “openly announced” during his rallies that he would topple the Himachal Pradesh government through “corruption and use of money”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed on May 26. He was referring to Modi’s speech on May 24 in Mandi during which he claimed that the State’s Congress government would not last. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26 branded the opposition INDIA bloc as communal and casteist, and claimed they have decided to change the Constitution to give reservation to Muslims. While the SP-Congress is dedicated to vote bank, Modi is dedicated to rights of backwards and the poor, he said addressing a poll meeting in Mirzapur. In Brief: The International Organization for Migration on May 26 increased its estimate of the death toll from a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea to more than 670 as emergency responders and traumatized relatives gave up hope that any survivors will now be found. Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the U.N. migration agency’s mission in the South Pacific island nation, said the revised death toll was based on calculations by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials that more than 150 homes had been buried by a landslide on May 24. The previous estimate had been 60 homes. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 26 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Rajkot Game Zone inferno tragedy death toll goes up to 33; Gujarat HC takes suo motu cognisance The death toll in [Rajkot’s fire tragedy in the TRP game zone]( has climbed to 33 while more than 15 persons are still missing in what the Gujarat High Court has called a “man made disaster” in a suo motu cognisance. It must be noted that the State government or the local administration had not given any figures about the casualties or number of missing people since last night. However, local media and sources have confirmed that at least 33 people have died and more than 15 are still missing. There is widespread anger against the government and the local administration for the devastating fire that claimed many lives, including five from one family, while another couple who was engaged a few days ago and was set for a marriage also figured among the victims. The Police have lodged a FIR against six and two were arrested. The FIR states that the operators of the amusement park of game zone had not applied for the fire NOC, nor did they have a proper fire safety mechanism in place in a three storey building spread in 2000 sq. m. plot area in a temporary structure with tin roofs. On May 26, the Gujarat High Court took suo motu cognizance of the fire tragedy calling it prima facie a “man-made disaster”. The court will hear the matter on May 27. The bench of justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai observed that such gaming zones and recreational facilities have come up without the necessary approvals from competent authorities. The bench directed advocates of the Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot municipal corporations to appear before it with instructions as to under what provisions of law the authorities let these units to be set up or continue to operate under their jurisdiction. Government extends tenure of Army Chief Gen Pande by one month till June 30 In an unusual move, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on May 26 granted [one month extension in tenure to Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Manoj Pande]( beyond his retirement date, upto June 30, 2024. He was due to retire on May 31 on turning 62 years of age. Normally, for Service Chiefs the tenure is 62 years of age or three years whichever is earlier. There is only such instance in the past, when in 1975 then Army Chief Gen G.G. Bewoor was given a one year extension by Indira Gandhi-led Government so that the next in line as per seniority Lt Gen Prem Bhagat retired from service. Gen Bewoor served as Chief from January 16, 1973 to May 31, 1975 and was succeeded by Gen T. N. Raina. The current Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen Upendra Dwivedi is the next in line for the top post based on the principle of seniority. He was commissioned into 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984, a unit he later commanded. The senior most after him is Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh, currently the Southern Army Commander. He was commissioned into 7/11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1984. Both the senior most officers after Gen Pande are course mates. Seven newborns die in fire at east Delhi children’s hospital, police says owner arrested A massive [fire broke out at a children’s hospital in east Delhi]( Vivek Vihar, leaving seven newborns dead, officials said on May 26. The Delhi police arrested the owner of the New Born Baby Care Hospital, Dr Naveen Khichi, after absconding for close to 12 hours. Along with him, Dr. Akash, who was on duty, was also arrested. The officials of the Delhi Fire Services said the blaze broke out at the children’s hospital in Shahdara on May 25 night. Twelve newborns were rescued from the medical facility but seven of them died, DFS chief Atul Garg said. Five babies are undergoing treatment at another hospital, he added. A senior police officer said the fire broke out at the Baby Care New Born Hospital and its adjacent building at around 11.30 p.m. on May 25. The babies were rescued from the hospital with the help of other people and shifted to another hospital. While six babies were declared brought dead, one died during treatment, the officer said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the incident ‘heartbreaking’. Meanwhile, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj directed Health Secretary Deepak Kumar and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar for a speedy enquiry and provide names and designations of everyone responsible for this negligence. Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said the fire was caused due to a blast in an oxygen cylinder and spread rapidly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the fire tragedy at a hospital in east Delhi is heart-rending and his thoughts are with the bereaved families in this incredibly difficult time. President Droupadi Murmu in a post on X in Hindi said, “The news of death of many children due to fire in a hospital in Vivek Vihar, Delhi is heart-rending. May God give strength to the bereaved parents and relatives to bear this shock. I pray for the speedy recovery of other children injured in this incident.” Severe Cyclonic storm ‘Remal’ to cross Bangladesh and West Bengal by Sunday midnight Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ intensified and moved northwards and is likely to cross Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts by midnight on May 26. According to the India Meteorological Department, the system is “likely to continue to move nearly northwards and cross Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts between Sagar Island and Khepupara, close to southwest of Mongla (Bangladesh) by midnight of today, (May 26, 2024)” as a severe cyclonic storm with “maximum sustained wind speed of 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph”. “ The outer cloud band lies over coastal areas of Bangladesh & West Bengal, India. The landfall process will commence in next few hours,” the IMD said. The IMD has also issued a red warning for the Bengal coastline. The State administration has evacuated people from low lying and coastal areas of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur to storm shelters. By 3 p.m. on May 26 the government had evacuated over one lakh people from coastal and vulnerable areas. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to review response and preparedness for cyclonic storm ‘Remal’, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged people to remain alert. The IMD has predicted storm surge of about 1 meter above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of coastal West Bengal and around the time of landfall. There were reports of breach of embankments in Gosaba area of South 24 Parganas. At Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas local panchayat made announcement urging people to join in immediate embankment repair. As the region received heavy rainfall in many areas locals joined to repair the embankments. With the funds under MGNREGA being stopped, the embankments in Sundarbans have not been repaired for the past two years. . The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Remal’ has resulted in disruptions in air, rail, and road transportation in Kolkata and other parts of South Bengal. Eastern and South Eastern Railways have cancelled several trains on Sunday and Monday. The ferry services in Kolkata and Sundarbans have been suspended. The authorities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport have suspended flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon, affecting 394 flights in both international and domestic sectors. The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata has also suspended cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours from Sunday evening. Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim expressed hope that the water logging owing to the impact of cyclone will be cleared in four to five hours. Fourteen teams of National Disaster Response Force and teams of State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in coastal areas of the State. The Indian Navy has readied two ships equipped with humanitarian assistance and disaster response and medical supplies. Several ships of Indian Coast Guard are also in standby mode and Dornier aircrafts has been making sorties to alert any vessel along the coast. Uniform Civil Code, ‘One Nation, One Election’ to be implemented in next term, says Amit Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah said a [Uniform Civil Code for the entire country will be implemented]( within the next five years after extensive consultations with all stakeholders if the BJP returns to power. In a wide-ranging interview with PTI, Shah said the Modi government in its next term will also implement ‘One Nation, One Election’. He added simultaneous elections will bring down costs. “The guiding principles decided for us by the Constituent Assembly include the Uniform Civil Code. And even at that time, legal scholars like K M Munshi, Rajendra Babu, Ambedkar Ji had said that there should not be laws based on religion in a secular country. There should be a Uniform Civil Code,” he said. He said the BJP has done an experiment in Uttarakhand where it has a majority government as it is a subject of States and the Centre. Shah said that the BJP will get a bigger win in Opposition-ruled States due to a “positive mandate” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls, and slammed the opposition’s criticism of the Election Commission as a ploy to cover up for their impending loss. He claimed that the BJP has not resorted to any religion-based campaign but insisted that if canvassing against reservation for Muslims, and reaching out to voters on the abolition of Article 370 and implementing a Uniform Civil Code is religion-based campaign, then the BJP has done it and will continue doing so. “We will surely cross 400 seats. We will also form governments in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said. Assembly polls in the three states have been held alongside the Lok Sabha elections. Sirens sound in Tel Aviv for the first time in months as Hamas says it fired rockets from Gaza [Rocket sirens sounded across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv]( for the first time in months on May 26, as Hamas claimed to have fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza. The militants have continued to fire projectiles at communities around Gaza more than seven months into the war but have not fired longer-range rockets in months. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the latest barrage. Earlier in the day, aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel through a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. But was unclear if humanitarian groups would be able to access the aid because of ongoing fighting in the area. Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. But that crossing has been largely inaccessible because of fighting linked to Israel’s offensive in the nearby city of Rafah. Israel says it has allowed hundreds of trucks to enter, but United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid on the other side. The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its eighth month, has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Around 80% of the population’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and U.N. officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine. Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera TV aired footage of what it said were trucks entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom. Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent in the Sinai Peninsula, which handles the delivery of aid from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, told The Associated Press that 200 aid trucks and four fuel trucks are scheduled to be sent to Kerem Shalom on the day. Poll roundup: - Union Home [Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda addressed five election rallies in Bihar]( on May 26. Shah addressed meetings in Karakat and Sasaram Lok Sabha seats and Nadda campaigned in Ara, Jehanabad and Nalanda parliamentary constituencies. Both leaders slammed the RJD’s regime in Bihar and accused the INDIA bloc leaders of giving the reservation to the Muslims. - Prime Minister [Narendra Modi “openly announced”]( during his rallies that he would topple the Himachal Pradesh government through “corruption and use of money”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed on May 26. He was referring to Modi’s speech on May 24 in Mandi during which he claimed that the State’s Congress government would not last. - [Prime Minister Narendra Modi]( on May 26 branded the opposition INDIA bloc as communal and casteist, and claimed they have decided to change the Constitution to give reservation to Muslims. While the SP-Congress is dedicated to vote bank, Modi is dedicated to rights of backwards and the poor, he said addressing a poll meeting in Mirzapur. In Brief: The International Organization for Migration on May 26 increased its estimate of the [death toll from a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea]( to more than 670 as emergency responders and traumatized relatives gave up hope that any survivors will now be found. Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the U.N. migration agency’s mission in the South Pacific island nation, said the revised death toll was based on calculations by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials that more than 150 homes had been buried by a landslide on May 24. The previous estimate had been 60 homes. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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