Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday directed authorities to assess precautionary measures at gaming zones in the city and check adherence to prescribed safety norms, in the wake of a fire tragedy at a facility in Gujarat.

Shivakumar, who is also in-charge of Bengaluru Development, has sent a note to Chief Commissioner of the city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in this regard. At least 27 people, including four children under the age of 12, were killed in a massive fire that swept through a gaming zone teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing in Gujarat's Rajkot city on Saturday evening.

Calling the incident a tragedy that is most worrying, Shivakumar said it is a wakeup call to everyone. Noting that permissions have been given to such gaming zones and adventure sports activities at several popular malls and other places in Bengaluru city, he said adequate precautionary measures should be taken at such facilities.

"By taking adequate measures to ensure that no fire or untoward incidents take place at game zones or recreational centres, concerned officials have been directed to inspect -- whether the precautionary measures have been taken at such places and to check whether they are complying with prescribed safety norms," he added.

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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took oath as a Lok Sabha MP on Thursday following her thumping victory from Kerala's Wayanad in a bypoll.

The 52-year-old, who joins her mother Sonia and brother Rahul as an MP in what is a rare instance of three members of a family together in Parliament, took affirmation in Hindi while holding a copy of the Constitution soon after the House met.

Ravindra Chavan (Cong), who won the Nanded bypoll also took oath in Marathi in the name of God. The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of his father Vasantrao Chavan recently.

Priyanka Gandhi took the plunge into active politics in 2019 and was later appointed Congress general secretary. Five years after that, Priyanka Gandhi begins her journey as an elected representative of the people.

With a winning margin of more than 4.1 lakh votes, she surpassed the tally of her brother Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in Kerala.

Priyanka Gandhi's entry into Parliament comes at a difficult time for the party, which has been jolted by electoral defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra. It would be interesting to see if she is able to give a much-needed fillip to the grand old party and help put it back on the electoral track.

Often drawing comparisons with her grandmother Indira Gandhi for their similarity in looks and way of speaking, Priyanka Gandhi has been the go-to campaigner for the party since her entry into active politics and even before that when she campaigned for her mother Sonia and brother Rahul.

Congress leaders from Wayanad handed over the election certificate of the Wayanad parliamentary by-election to Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday and conveyed their best wishes.

Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday won the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll with a thumping margin of over four lakh votes, defeating Sathyan Mokeri of the CPI(M)-led LDF.

 

further details are awaited.