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Ferris wheel malfunctions at Narela Ramlila in Delhi, 20 rescued

Oct 20, 2023 07:06 AM IST

Even as all the people stuck on the wheel in Narela were saved safely, the mess underlined the potential hazards of such rides

At least 20 people were trapped on a Ferris wheel at the Ramlila Maidan for over two hours in Narela late on Wednesday, before being rescued by firefighters, in an incident that has thrown the spotlight on a spectrum of unregulated, unsupervised and often illegal amusement rides set up across the country during the festive season.

Workers fix the Ferris wheel at Ramlila Maidan in Narela in New Delhi on Thursday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)
Workers fix the Ferris wheel at Ramlila Maidan in Narela in New Delhi on Thursday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Even as all the people stuck on the wheel in Narela were saved safely, the mess underlined the potential hazards of such rides, which fly under the radar even as pop-up fairs mushroom across parks and grounds in the national capital during Navratri and ahead of Diwali.

Last year, for instance, amusement rides collapsed at fairs in Paschim Vihar and Karkardooma, leaving several people injured.

Sample this: Of 600 carnivals held during Navratri in Delhi, 450 operate illegally, without licences, and consequently, without inspections or relevant checks.

In the Capital, the Delhi Police issues licences for these rides after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) checks and hands out fitness certificates for their operations, following site inspections.

After they are handed licences and fitness papers, organisers are also required to ensure the rides are routinely inspected, an especially important task given that most of them are decades old and poorly maintained.

Municipal guidelines, revised in September last year, also mandate that organisers need to test their rides at full capacity and ensure engineers check the nuts-and-bolts of the machines.

Another municipal official said the agency also takes an undertaking from the owner that the ride is free from risk, and maintained as per manufacturers’ directions.

The certification states that the owner is responsible for the maintenance and if any incidents occur.

However, in Narela — as indeed in many such rides that are peppered across the city, with little regulation — key norms were flouted.

For instance, while the civic body did conduct site inspections and hand the organisers a fitness certificate, MCD officials said the operators did not bother to inspect the equipment after it was used.

“Various nuts and bolts appear to have come loose during use,” said one civic official.

Another municipal officer said that while civic engineers inspect the machinery before issuing fitness papers, these checks are not thorough enough and insufficient to gauge whether the rides will be able to handle large crowds.

“Civic engineers need to carry out on-site inspections of load-bearing capacity, functioning of ball bearing, base attachments, nut bolts, welding points and age/use cycle of the ride,” the official said.

The guidelines, revised in September last year, mandate joyrides be tested on full load, using sandbags.

“However, these inspections are usually restricted to visual surveys. These rides keep getting changed every year and our expertise is limited to only the basic structure. Sandbag load tests are rare,” the official added.

Further, Delhi municipaliyu rules maintain that organisers make provisions for fire-safety equipment, evacuation plans and first-aid kits, none of which are usually in sight.

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