Amusement parks — Licensed, but not for safety

VADODARA, NOV 19: For the timid majority who limit their thrills to rides at amusement parks and fairgrounds, here's a disconcerting fact...

VADODARA, NOV 19: For the timid majority who limit their thrills to rides at amusement parks and fairgrounds, here’s a disconcerting fact: the authority licensing parks and fairs hardly has the expertise to decide if the rides are safe.

Business has been good at the 20-odd private amusement parks and the fairs that are put up in the state. But the accidental death of a thrill-seeker at Ajwa Fun World, near here, last week has brought the focus on the lack of safety measures at parks and fairs.

Licences for operating parks and fairs are issued by the district collectorate, which leaves the inspection of rides to the public works department (PWD), an agency which mainly employs civil rather than mechanical engineers.

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PWD secretary H.P. Jamdar, when asked about safety measures at amusement parks, said: “Safety does not come within our jurisdiction because we don’t have the personnel to carry out such a job. We only ensure that there is sufficient space in the park. Even the mechanical wing of ourdepartment is meant only for looking after our vehicles and machinery.”

S.D. Sagarwala, executive engineer (roads & buildings), Vadodara, elaborated: “We don’t have the expertise to check if the equipments installed in parks are okay from the engineering point of view. Ours is a civil engineering department. It is ironical that applications seeking permission for operation are sent to us.”

So what does his staff do when it inspects the parks? “We visit the site and if the equipments are found operational at the time of inspection, we give our nod for the licence or its renewal, directing the management to take precautions and safety measures, arrange for first aid and fire safety.”

Asked why the inspection was done by the public works department, Vadodara resident deputy collector C.R. Kharsan said: “We do so as per existing rules which say feasibility reports for licences are to be taken only from the civil section of public works department. Also, there is no other authority we can turn to forthis purpose.”

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Most parks have very little by way of safety measures Almost none of the parks have staff trained in safety measures . Sandeep Goyal, director of Goyal Water Park, said, “There aren’t any safety guidelines laid out by the authorities. We take care of the safety of the visitors.”

(With inputs from Tanushree Chatterjee in Ahmedabad)