Risky carousel: How the Delhi festive fair ride industry thrives without safety measures

A spot check by HT at fairs in Punjabi Bagh and Paschim Vihar last weekend found no evacuation plans, no displayed fitness certificates

In the final week of September, a woman slipped from her chair mid-air on a Ferris wheel at a Ramlila fair in west Delhi, dangling precariously as the ride continued to spin. There were no safety belts. A few days later, a man was almost thrown off a “Columbus” swing in Rohini after it nearly flipped over. And in April, a 24-year-old woman lost her life when she fell from the “Top Spin” ride at a fair in southwest Delhi’s Kapashera.

The men who assemble and operate these rides are often teenagers or barely in their twenties. (File Photo)

These are not isolated accidents but symptoms of a deeper problem – highlighting the vacuum of regulation that governs Delhi-NCR’s festive season fairs. Every year, as Dussehra and Diwali melas light up open grounds across the city, with hundreds of makeshift amusement rides — Ferris wheels, carousels, giant ships. But behind their neon glow lies an ecosystem built on risk, improvisation, and neglect.

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The men who assemble and operate these rides are often teenagers or barely in their twenties. Most have no formal training, no safety certification, and no supervision from technical agencies. The rides themselves, which are often purchased from towns like Meerut or Rajkot for ₹25-30 lakh apiece, are dismantled, transported, and reassembled at new sites every few days.

Ground reality

On paper, the licensing process appears rigorous. Fair organisers must obtain a permit from the district magistrate’s office, which forwards applications to the Delhi Police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for clearances on law and order, site safety, and mechanical fitness. MCD’s electrical and mechanical (E&M) department is responsible for issuing “fitness certificates” after testing the rides at full load (using sandbags), checking seat belts and backup systems, and ensuring that an evacuation plan is prominently displayed.

But on the ground, these safeguards exist largely on paper.

A spot check by HT at fairs in Punjabi Bagh and Paschim Vihar last weekend found no evacuation plans, no displayed fitness certificates, and operators who admitted that “tests are a formality.”

“I’ve been doing this for 10 years. I learnt on the job,” said Sonu Gupta, 25, who had come from Banaras to work the Punjabi Bagh fair. He and his small crew set up and run multiple rides, which they store in a godown in Mundka during the off-season. “We stay where the fair is, and then move to the next one,” he said.

Another operator, Neelesh Kumar, 20, who has been in the trade for two years, confessed to the risks. “We know it’s dangerous. When we sense a snag, we stop. But after heavy rain, the ground gets waterlogged and the owner still tells us to start the rides. We refused this time,” he said. “There’s no official inspection or repair team – we do it ourselves.”

The workers who keep these fairs running live in makeshift tents beside the rides they assemble. Most earn only ₹300-400 a day. They rely on experience passed down through generations rather than any structured knowledge of safety.

“I’m a third-generation ride operator,” said 22-year-old Gautam Thakur from Ghaziabad, who has set up rides in Janakpuri. “My grandfather started this business, then my father, and now me. We don’t have formal training. It takes us four days to set up a big ride and three days to dismantle it.”

Archaic rules

Officials admit that the regulatory framework hasn’t kept pace with the changing nature of the rides. “The guidelines for issuing fitness certificates were first formulated in 2001,” said an MCD engineer. “Some minor updates were made in 2022, but the rides today are much more complex. The rules haven’t evolved to match that.”

Under current regulations, engineers are expected to test load-bearing capacity, check nuts, bolts, welding points, and the condition of ball bearings. But most inspections are limited to “visual surveys,” officials acknowledge. The prescribed full-load sandbag tests are “rarely done.”

MCD officials also admitted that while the corporation issues fitness certificates, it holds no direct liability in case of an accident. “The certificate is issued with a condition that the operator is responsible for maintenance,” said a senior official. “The liability lies with the owner.”

According to MCD records, over 500 to 600 fair permissions are granted every year – a majority in October and November for Dussehra, Ramlila, and Diwali melas. A second spike comes around Janmashtami and Eid. Each event adds more temporary amusement rides, multiplying the scope for disaster.

The MCD spokesperson did not respond to HT’s request for a comment on the situation.

Lack of accountability

Even when accidents occur, accountability rarely extends beyond the operators on the ground. Police investigations typically lead to bailable offences under sections for negligence.

“In most cases, the operator is arrested and sometimes, the owner of the ride. The sections levelled are bailable and they get bail,” said a Delhi Police officer familiar with several such cases. “But the safety checks are the MCD’s responsibility, and the police only handle law and order. So the case ends there.”

Delhi Police did not comment on the matter.

Public at risk

Residents who visit these fairs say the dangers are visible to anyone who looks closely.

At Ramlila Ground on September 30, amusement rides were seen operating in ankle-deep water, with electric wires strewn on the ground. “Who will take responsibility if this topples?” asked Ramesh Saini, a visitor from Khanpur. “There are open wires everywhere. The whole place is wet.”

The rides themselves are all exposed to dust, rain, and often set up on uneven ground.

“There is so much wear and tear in the moving parts of such rides and safety can simply not be left on self-undertaking,” said Atul Goyal, president of United RWAs Joint Action (URJA). “Even if sandbag tests are done once, that’s not enough… There should be mandatory inspections by independent experts before every major fair.”