KARACHI: Askari Park was reopened to the public after remaining closed for more than six months following a July 2018 accident when a merry-go-round in the facility collapsed, killing a teenage girl and injuring 15 other people, an official said on Wednesday.

He said the management was allowed to resume the business after all due formalities that included inspection of all rides and swings at the facility by local and foreign experts. The park was sealed by the authorities and closed to the public after its management was booked for “unintentional murder” of the girl. The official said that the park management had been changed and the new one met all the formalities as directed by the regulatory body.

“We have brought foreign experts and invited all the local ones under the supervision of the authorities concerned,” said retired Brigadier Shahzad of the park’s new management while talking to reporters after reopening of the facility. “They all were certified which led to the issuance of an NOC [no objection certificate] from the authorities. To make sure, we have deployed a technical team which would keep monitoring all the installations round the clock. We have adopted all international measures so such an accident does not recur.”

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2019