Neglecting public health and safety

The Discovery ride accident at Karachi’s Askari Amusement Park reiterates several issues with regard to public safety

The Discovery ride accident at Karachi’s Askari Amusement Park in the old Sabzi Mandi area near Karachi Central Jail reiterates several issues with regard to public health and safety. A rotating pendulum ride snapped 40 feet above the ground and sent one 12-year-old girl to her demise, along with 25 injured to a nearby hospital. Although good Samaritans rushed to help the victims, we have historically had little show of concern from government bodies when it comes to public safety. Following this incident, we implore the authorities to plunge into action to standardise safety regulations and ensure the safety of rides across amusement parks in the country.

Although it is an ongoing investigation, there are some recurrent themes at play. On July 9, 2017, a ride at another Karachi park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal failed injuring six people. Although the claim was refuted by the police, rescue officials reported the contrary. One year later, the necessary safety checks were not established. Askari Amusement Park had been operating for a month, prior to any reported safety checks. It is suspicious that the park began operations on Eid, a time when families seek out entertainment opportunities. Admittedly, entertainment outlets are limited, which encourages opportunists to criminally take advantage. Negligence was at play here for operating rides prior to safety checks by international and local engineers. Further, it is unacceptable that authorities were dumbfounded when asked who is responsible for enforcing laws that govern public safety.

Although some may interject to say that shutting down all rides across Sindh for three days is unjustified, there is an obvious failure of governance whereby no apparent laws regulating safety at amusement parks exist or are enforced. The duration of time is too short as there is much more work to be done than can be achieved in three days.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2018.

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