A game of life and death

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As merry-go-rounds swirl at breathtaking speeds, game rides scream down metal tracks, and dragon wheels hover over heads at dizzying heights, it is a proclamation of festive moods for the otherwise sober capital city.Yet, we figured there would be like-minded souls, who, suffering from a nagging suspicion of the precarious structures, would rather stay at a safe distance. A reality-check confirmed that such fears were not unfounded.Though the installation and operation of the structures need a multi-pronged clearance from various civil authorities, a random inquiry told us that there is hardly any scrutiny of the safety levels of equipment erected in public spaces during festival seasons.The contractor, who seals the deal with the government, is supposed to obtain sanctions from the City Corporation, Electrical Inspectorate, Police Department and Public Works Department.Mayor K Chandrika told City Express that this year, the contractor had obtained sanction and had duly paid entertainment tax, pegged at Rs 1,74,000.Deputy Mayor Happykumar further clarified that only the sanctioning of the installation and its operation came under the purview of the Corporation.“It is a matter of grave concern, but, I am not aware of any safety inspections being done by anybody. As far as I know, it does not fall under the responsibilities of the Corporation,” he said.However, the people’s representative, also a concerned parent that he is, confessed that he shared the fear regarding the safety of the rides.“Much as they pack people on every ride, it would shock you to see them dismantle the structures by undoing a few joints here and there.” A thoughtful Deputy Mayor winded up promising to look into the matter.City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham said that the Police Department was primarily entrusted with the tasks of crowd control and maintenance of law and order in these venues.“The sanction is a customary procedure and is cleared at the co-ordination meeting convened by the Tourism Minister before the commencement of such festivities. The sanction is technically given to the Tourism Department, which is responsible for granting ground clearance to the individual contractors,” he said. On contacting the Tourism Department, we were told that in the absence of the Tourism Secretary, the NORKA Secretary was in charge. He was not available for comments.Most of the rides being electrical equipment, the contractor pays a sizable amount to the Electrical Inspectorate by way of generator fee and duty. “They have to procure sanction for temporary connection from the Inspectorate,” said Chief Electrical Inspector Unni K K.Asked whether the sanction is given after inspection of the equipment, he clarified that the contractor is supposed to have completed such formalities at the District Electrical Inspectorate, after which an application is put to him.District Electrical Inspector Ramesh Kumar, who functions from the Corporation building, said that Vasanth Power, which had won the contract this Onam season, had paid the fees and the application was duly sanctioned. He responded in monosyllables to our query about on-site inspections.In any case, the Inspectorate is responsible solely for inspecting whether the wiring of the electrical equipment conforms to safety standards, he said.