Another disaster waiting to happen?

Even as the horrific ride collapse at the amusement park in Kankaria Lake had authorities rushing to handle the situation, another amusement park run by the same contractor in Vastrapur turned out to be a disaster in the making.

The Vastrapur Adventure Park, which is run on the lake property by Ghanshyam Patel through his firm Amrapali Funland, is visited by more than 5,000 visitors every weekend. And yet, the park has just one gate for people to exit in case of emergencies. There were only three fire extinguishers on the premises. When Mirror asked about the extinguishers, the employees pointed the correspondent to the store-room where the three bottles were kept. The thick layer of dirt on them testified to the fact that it had not been checked in a long while. Also, the pressure gauge reading was at ‘red’. According to rules, if the pressure gauge shows that the charge is in the red zone, the extinguisher needs to be replaced.

Interestingly, the amusement park remains open from 2 pm to 11 pm. However, the store-room where the extinguishers are kept is locked by 9 pm. What happens if a fire breaks out after 9 pm? When asked about this, manager Pradeep Patel said, “I agree that our fire system is outdated but we are sure that nothing will happen since this is an open space. We have proper wiring.” About the emergency gate, he added, “There is one emergency gate in this park through which we can quickly evacuate people if there is a fire.”

Asked if they have a fire NOC, the manager said the park had a document from the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) but refused to furnish it when Mirror asked for proof.

Naranpura resident Ankit Shah, who had come to the park with his family, said, “It is carelessness of highest order if extinguishers have expired. I stay away as I do not want to risk the life of my loved ones.”