Open House: Do authorities take appropriate safety measures to avoid mishaps in fairs?

No inspection of amusement rides

It’s unfortunate that there’s scant regard for adherence to law in our country. Earlier fairs were a sort of festivals that offered people living in small towns and villages not only a chance to have some fun and entertainment, but also a source of livelihood. Stalls of games, food and other utility items evoked much interest and the event was looked forward to by the entire area. Cut to the present day, it’s more of a commercial thing where everyone is ready to make a fast buck. Ferris wheel, rollercoasters and several other amusement rides are operational non-stop throughout the fair, with little focus on their fitness and safety measures. The administration needs to have strict guidelines about the quality of the high-rise swings and merry-go-rounds in the fairs. Until the government makes it a point to ensure everyone’s safety in fairs, the people should avoid anything that doesn’t appear safe.

Dr Manveen Mann

Fix responsibility to avoid such mishaps

A high-rise spinning joyride turned into a bitter nightmarish experience when a swing snapped due to some technical snag in Mohali on Sunday night and crashed down straight on earth from a height of 50 feet with 50 persons on board. But fortunately, none of them was seriously injured and no fatality was reported. No security precautions were taken, private bouncers arrived twenty minutes late and there was no provision for the first medical aid. This business was allegedly running in gross violation of the rules and regulations. While the fair was originally supposed to end on September 4, it was about to be extended till September 12, but was eventually called off after the tragedy. The responsibility for this horrifying accident must be fixed and the culprits, organisers and district officials should be strictly punished so that no such mishaps take place in future. Also, the owners should be asked to provide suitable financial compensation to those injured. The police have registered an FIR against the absconding owners for not following the safety norms. The district authorities must be vigilant when it comes to giving permission for such adventure rides in future.

Tajpreet S Kang

Mishaps occur for want of safeguards

While there was no loss of life, multiple persons sustained grievous injuries, when a spinning-swing recently came crashing down at a fair in Mohali. This is not the first such incident. Such mishaps have been reported earlier too. Yet we have not learnt any lesson. The recent incident has come as a reminder of the lack of proper safeguards at such temporary installations, where scientific criteria regarding gravity and other precautionary measures are not taken seriously. Generally, security lapses at such establishments lead to mishaps, which can even turn fatal. The question is- who should be held accountable in case of untoward incident? Surprisingly, the civic administration feels that its role is just limited to recovering the prescribed dues or fees while granting permission. And rest is left to the organisers. In Punjab, a number of fairs and carnivals are organised during the festive season. The event organisers booking for joyrides and fun sports have to be squarely blamed in case any fault is detected in the structures with regard to safety or disaster management. There is no solid regulatory framework to stipulate safety standards. Sans full security safeguards, no organiser should be permitted to arrange risky amusement events.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

Deploy police personnel at venues

Punjab is a state of fairs and festivals. The people of Punjab, particularly the youth and children, are always eager attend such fairs and festivals. These high-rise spinning wheels and swings are often not properly checked by the authorities. So, people attending such festivals and fairs are vulnerable to mishaps. The Sodal Mela in Jalandhar such an enticing fair that people from different cities attend this fair. The administration was quite involved this time. All the stalls installed have been checked. Some police personnel should also be deployed at such events to keep a check on anti-social elements.

Dr JS Wadhwa

Grant permission only after due deliberation

The crashing of the giant swing at Mohali is an unfortunate incident. Riders got injured. The enjoyment turned into a nightmare. Bubbling children and their mothers came to the ground in few seconds without any culpability as we see from the viral video. Now comes the question: who is liable for the untoward incident? A similar incident happened in Amritsar at a Dusshera festival a few years ago when a train mowed down 61 persons at the place of event. The authorities and the event organisers are both responsible. The event organisers are required to obtain a license from authorities regarding the fitness of the machinery, the stable state of mind and good health of the employees, the safety of the public in general, and so on. In most cases, such permission is granted on extraneous factors, like the money involved and the number of free passes. I am sure that no authority has ever reviewed the machinery installed at such events. In this case, the electrical inspector and the local authorities are squarely responsible.

Ashwani Kumar Joshi

Urgent Need for regulation of joy rides

All operations relating to the management of high-rise spinning swing rides must be regulated as per standard norms, which should be strictly enforced by the relevant authorities. Such enterprises should be licensed and empaneled and only such units need to be allowed to operate in the field. An inspection should be carried out on an annual basis to review the fitness of all the equipment. Necessary permission for operations should be given only after the clearance relating to prescribed venue and other ground preparations. All carnival-goers should be adequately covered under insurance against any injury or a threat to life.

Jagdish Chander

Steer clear of technical errors

When a mishap involving a high-rise spinning wheel occurs, it is not due to a human error. It arises from a technical error. Those who manufacture these high-rise spinning swings tend to use the finest quality of material prescribed as per the guidelines, during the manufacturing process. A few years back, when a cable car had got stuck in the air, the tourists on board had to be airlifted. The need of the hour is to keep a strict check on the functioning of the equipment. The authorities should make sure that appropriate safety measures are taken. The administration must ensure that the installations of the equipment are as per the relevant guidelines.

Rajat Kumar Mohindru

QUESTION

In July, the Centre banned the manufacture, sale and use of single-use plastic items across the country. Two months on, has the ban been implemented in letter and spirit and has it been able to bring down plastic pollution in the district?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to jalandhardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (September 22)