Delhi festive fairs: Are regulations governing joyrides keeping pace with risks?

A 30-year-old woman and her friend suffered injuries after they fell from a ride at Dussehra ground in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri area on Monday night. The ride has been sealed by the police and the injured have been admitted to RML hospital. Over the last years, Delhi has seen multiple such accidents.

Last year, a 24-year-old woman died after falling off a ride at an amusement park in Delhi’s Kapashera area.

Every year, as Dussehra and Diwali fairs light up the national Capital, hundreds of giant swings and thrill rides, from Ferris wheels and carousels to “Columbus” ships, begin whirling across open grounds. But behind the festive dazzle lies a safety concern, many of these rides are operated by people with no formal training, while questions persist over the adequacy of safety checks, technical oversight and regulatory safeguards.

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Delhi-NCR has witnessed multiple instances of technical snags and accidents involving such joyrides over the past decade, raising concerns about the regulatory framework governing these temporary attractions and the need for stricter safety norms.

Who issues what

How rides are licensed and inspected

Licences and fitness certificates for these rides are issued by the district magistrate’s (DM) office after obtaining no-objection certificates (NOCs) from various agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The MCD’s little known Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) department issues fitness certificates for the rides. However, MCD officials said the corporation places the responsibility for maintenance and any accident or malfunction on the ride owners.

“These licences are issued with clear conditions that the rides must be maintained and checked by the operators and management. In the event of an accident, the liability lies with the owners,” an MCD official said.

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MCD officials said more than 500-600 permissions for fairs are granted annually, with larger events typically featuring joyrides. Applications peak in October and November, when Dussehra, Ramlila celebrations and Diwali fairs are held. Another spike is seen around Janmashtami and Eid.

Concerns over complex rides and safety checks

An MCD engineering department official said the rides had become increasingly elaborate and mechanically complex to offer visitors greater thrills, but the regulatory framework had struggled to keep pace. The guidelines governing the issuance of fitness certificates were originally formulated in September 2001 and were subsequently revised in 2022.

Under the existing regulations, joyrides must undergo load testing using sandbags before a fitness certificate is issued.

“Engineers inspect the rides on site to assess their load-bearing capacity, ball bearings, base attachments, nuts and bolts, welding points, and age and usage cycle,” an official said. However, questions remain over the extent of these checks, with inspections often limited to visual assessments, according to officials.

As rides become more complex, a framework that relies heavily on basic structural inspections may not adequately address the risks posed by mechanical failures.

A second municipal official admitted that the regulations are not updating and keeping pace with increasingly complex rides.

“Such joyrides like the mixer were not present a decade back. The regulations have been designed for old traditional rides like ferris wheel,” official added.

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The frequency with which prescribed sandbag load tests are conducted has also emerged as a concern. Delhi-NCR has witnessed several mechanical failures and glitches involving fairground rides in recent years, resulting in deaths, injuries and rescue operations.

Such incidents have often led Delhi Police to register cases over alleged negligence in the handling of machinery and acts endangering public safety.

However, questions remain about whether these cases lead to wider accountability for officials responsible for inspections and fair organisers.