20250314 KoD, now defunct, catches fire, part of facility gutted in Gurgaon
India Mar 14 2025 “Building”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
KoD, now defunct, catches fire, part of facility gutted in Gurgaon
Updated: 2025-03-14
Gurgaon: A fire broke out at Kingdom of Dreams (KOD), a defunct entertainment and leisure centre located in Sector-29, on Thursday morning. As many as 10 fire tenders battled for over five hours to bring the fire under control, and part of the facility was gutted in the mishap.
A security guard at KOD noticed the smoke billowing out of the centre and alerted the fire department and police at 7:00am.
Assistant fire station officer Naresh Kumar said, “Our team opened the lock in the presence of police to enter the KOD premises. The fire occurred in the Culture Gully part of the facility.”
No one was hurt as the facility was closed at the time of the incident.
The complex was sealed by Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) on July 15, 2022 after cancelling the land lease agreement with the management for failure to clear Rs 108 crore dues. HSVP also imposed a Rs 100 crore penalty on the KOD management for failure to clear dues.
Culture Gully is a 4,500 sqm indoor boulevard designed to showcase Indian culture, artwork, street plays, musical performances, and cuisine from different states.
“The roof of the Culture Gully, made of fibre and metal support, collapsed in the fire. One of the side walls of the Culture Gully also crashed due to heat. The entire Culture Gully facility, including furniture, was gutted. At that time, 15 of our personnel were working nearby, but we immediately backed off, and luckily no one was injured. We started spraying water from a safe distance,” Naresh Kumar added.
Inspector Ravi Kumar said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. “There was no electricity supply to the facility. We are also not certain about the loss,” he said.
Earlier, a similar incident occurred on July 26, 2023 at the complex when the basement of the centre caught fire where paint and batteries were kept. At least six fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze, and no casualties were reported.
Then known as the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), HSVP in 2007 leased out 5.7 acres of prime commercial land in Sector 29 to the Great Indian Nautanki Company for an auditorium and entertainment complex, which was eventually developed as KOD.
The lease was for 15 years, with a monthly rent of Rs 36 lakh and a provision to raise it by 10% every year. KOD opened to the public on September 18, 2010.
Web Source The Times of India