At Aqua Village Amusement Park at Pinjore on Thursday. (Express photo by Jaipal Singh)
A DAY after 28-year-old Puneet Kaur died in a freak accident at the Aqua Village Amusement Park at Yadavindra Gardens, Pinjore, the park was shut down for visitors on Thursday. Panchkula police have registered a case against Sushil Malik, manager of the Aqua Village, on charges of causing death by negligence. But no arrests have bene made yet.
Puneet, who hails from Bathinda, had been to the Aqua Village on Wednesday with husband Amardeep Singh and friends when her hair got tangled in the rear wheel of the Go-Kart and she died.
Forensic experts visited the site on Thursday and inspected the spot where the accident occurred. Sources said the forensic team found the lock of the helmet Puneet was wearing at the time of the accident, “faulty”. “When the forensic team inspected the lock of the helmet, they found it was not working. And, even when they tried to lock it forcibly, it would open up on its own,” a senior police officer told Chandigarh Newsline.
“Victim’s husband, Amardeep Singh, in his complaint, has also alleged that the helmet provided to Puneet was loose and its lock wasn’t working properly because of which it fell óff and Puneet’s hair got stuck in the rear wheel of the go-kart Amardeep was driving, leading to her death,” said Inspector Sukhbir Singh, Station House Officer, of Pinjore PS.
Read | Bathinda woman dies after hair gets entangled in go-kart wheel in Haryana
On Thursday, the tourism department of Haryana also ordered a probe into the incident. Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Tourism, Vijay Vardhan, constituted a three-member committee to look into the fact as to what all measures were not taken by the service provider at Aqua Village. “The committee comprises the Additional Managing Director, Chief Engineer and General Manager of the tourism department,” Vardhan told Chandigarh Newsline.
The facility of go-kart rides was introduced only two months ago at Aqua Village in addition to bungee jumping, bull rides, bumper cars, ghost town, merry copters and trampolines. There are five go-karts. A single seat go-kart ticket ride is for Rs 250 while a double seat, which was preferred by Amardeep and Puneet, costs Rs 320.
There were no CCTV cameras on the premises. A board at the entrance under the subject, Motor sport activities are inherently dangerous recreational activities and there is significant risk of injury, death and disability, gave an 11-line guideline which specified that drivers must adhere to instructions given by track marshals. It was also mentioned that all those who have hair longer than the shoulder length, it should be assured that it is securely tied up prior to using the go kart. It was also stated that the helmet must be worn all times while racing. But there was no marshal or expert at the spot who would guide the go-kart drivers about the precautions.
A caretaker of Aqua Village told Chandigarh Newsline, “Visitors are required to read the guidelines. We did alert the victim about her hair but she tucked them in her jacket. The speed was also on the higher side at the turn.”
When asked if there was any marshal to guide the visitors about the ride, the caretaker replied, “No, there is nobody. In fact, this facility was started just two months ago and there weren’t many takers for this ride. Mostly it is children who take other joyrides.”
A senior tourism official said, “If the helmet fell even if it was loose, the vehicle should have been stopped immediately and the helmet should be worn. When you are driving on the road and the helmet falls, you wear it and then drive.”
On Thursday, the amusement park wore a deserted look. It was just the staff sitting inside. Vinod, a visitor who was going to Shimla with his family, had made a halt at Pinjore Gardens. “As my children were pressing for these rides, I asked the officials but they said it is closed,” he told Chandigarh Newsline.
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