IT is nothing less than the stuff of nightmares: families out for an evening of joyrides suddenly hit by tragedy that could easily have been averted. This is what occurred on Sunday night at Karachi’s Askari Amusement Park when a carousel ride collapsed, pinning dozens of people under its weight. The frisbee pendulum ride, called Discovery, was reportedly about 40 feet off the ground and loaded with passengers when its shaft collapsed, killing teenager Kashaf Samad and injuring at least 24 others. The machinery, apparently imported from China, is said to have failed due to either substandard constituent material or a design fault, which could have resulted in a weight imbalance. Shockingly, the park had been inaugurated just weeks ago, on Eid-ul-Fitr.

Exemplifying the aphorism of too little, too late, on Monday the PIB police registered on behalf of the state a case of unintentional murder against the park administration. Karachi DIG East Amir Farooqi also alleged that the park administration did not have any proper rescue efforts in place. However, the provincial government cannot be absolved of responsibility either: two days before the facility’s opening, its managing director told the press that no official had visited the park as yet vis-à-vis safety checks, but an International Organisation for Standardisation team would visit “in a few days” — a shockingly lax attitude to such an important consideration. Neither has any clarity emerged as to which government body is responsible for inspecting and issuing NOCs to such amusement areas. This appears to be a glaring, deadly gap in the system for a country where mechanised amusement parks are good business given the rapidly burgeoning population. Aside from pursuing the question of negligence on the part of this particular park’s authorities, it is necessary for the province — indeed, the country as a whole — to urgently get its house in order. For now, amusement parks across Sindh have been temporarily closed and inspections ordered; but the greater danger lies in the lack of regulation and enforcement of standards.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2018