Rides across Sindh to stay closed until clearing inspection

Sindh’s caretaker government has directed commissioners and deputy commissioners across the province to ensure that all mechanical rides at parks in their respective jurisdictions remain closed until they are inspected by a special technical committee to be formed in every district.

The circular titled ‘Constitution of district technical committees on mechanical rides/swings’ was issued on Tuesday in the wake of a 16-seater ride falling apart and killing a 14-year-old girl at the Askari Amusement Park in Karachi’s old Sabzi Mandi area on Sunday.

Referring to the Askari Park incident, which also injured over a dozen people, the notification states that the provincial government has already constituted a technical committee, and that all mechanical swings shall remain closed until their inspection by the said body, but the parks themselves will remain open.

Chief Secretary Azam Suleman Khan wants similar technical committees, with customised composition and terms of reference, to be constituted in all districts to carry out physical and technical examination of all the mechanical rides installed in their respective districts, reads the circular.  

Technical committee

CS Khan has constituted a five-member committee to investigate into the Askari Park incident. A relevant notification details the composition and terms of reference of the body.

The deputy commissioner of District East, in which the old Sabzi Mandi locality falls, will chair the technical committee, with the East SSP, the local government director, the civil engineer of the relevant local councils and a mechanical engineer from a reputed university as members.

The body will ensure that the Askari Park remains closed until the investigation and inspection processes are completed and the relevant reports compiled. The committee will also ensure that all the mechanical rides are sealed off to the public.

The members will find out if the standard operating procedure was followed during the installation of the mechanical rides at the park. They will also find out who granted permission for their installation and their running.

The technical committee may co-opt any other member to the body and will be expected to submit its recommendations within three days after completing all its required tasks.

An initial investigation report had suggested a day earlier that the 16-seater ride at the Askari Park collapsed after its bolts broke. The report said the ride fell apart after its ball bearings slipped due to broken bolts.

While the park administration’s office in PECHS was found abandoned, it was learnt that renowned industrialist Zubair Tufail owns shares in the park. He said the ride was brought from China.

He also said the Chinese engineers who had installed it have been summoned. Quoting local engineers, he said chances of 20 bolts giving away at the same time are improbable.

The East municipal commissioner denied that the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) owns the park. The KMC has also denied owning the land. It was learnt that the park was bought from the KMC in 2004, the same year the old Sabzi Mandi was shifted there from the Super Highway. The municipal body had earlier owned the park’s land.