Gurgaon: The Haryana Human Rights Commission said technical certification by a multidisciplinary committee, comprising structural engineers, electrical safety experts, and officials from disaster management, fire services and police, should be made mandatory for all major events expected to draw large public gatherings.
The commission took suo motu cognisance of the Feb 7 swing crash at the Surajkund International Crafts Mela that left 13 people injured and police inspector Jagdish Prasad dead, flagging glaring "systematic lapses" in the structural safety of amusement rides, entry gates and stalls at the venue.
Around 19 people were on the electrical swing, locally called ‘tsunami ride', when it became unhinged suddenly, tilted mid-air and crashed to the ground. Prasad (58), who was deployed on duty at the fair, lost his life while attempting to rescue those trapped in the ride. Twelve others, including police personnel and civilians, were injured in the incident.
Haryana Police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse. The district administration also set up a separate ADC-level inquiry committee to examine the technical and mechanical aspects of the accident.
On Thursday, a full bench of chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia initiated proceedings and sought detailed reports from Faridabad deputy commissioner, DGP, heritage and tourism department, chief electrical inspector and Surajkund Mela Authority.
HHRC assistant registrar Puneet Arora said the officials have been directed to submit a comprehensive report within four weeks, including the findings of the inquiry committee probing the swing collapse, the status of the FIR, and action taken against those responsible. The matter would be next heard on April 7.
Observing that the Surajkund fair was a globally renowned festival that celebrated India's heritage, crafts, and folk traditions, the bench said it was important that it upheld core human rights values, including dignity, safety, and inclusivity.
It flagged the absence of evidence that a competent technical committee had conducted thorough structural and electrical inspections before the fair was inaugurated and termed it a "serious administrative lapse".
It also noted there was inadequate deployment of emergency response teams, medical units and disaster-management mechanisms, and pointed to uneven pathways that posed risks to senior citizens, children and persons with disabilities. The panel stressed the need for level, safe and disability-friendly pathways across venues, and for clearly marked, obstruction-free evacuation routes to ensure quick and safe movement during emergencies.
It directed the deployment of adequate emergency infrastructure, including ambulances, fire tenders, first-aid centres and trained rescue personnel, while underlining the need for institutionalisation of weather-related risk assessments, with operations to be suspended during high winds or other adverse conditions.
Calling safety non-negotiable, the commission said a "fair (mela) must be fair in all respects", and directed zero tolerance for safety violations. It ordered mandatory third-party safety audits of all rides, gates, stalls and temporary structures, along with strict penal action for negligence.
Members of the commission, who were present at the venue on Feb 7 for an awareness camp, flagged additional safety lapses after a temporary gate near the venue's food court collapsed in the wind earlier that day and left two to three persons injured. They also said that a second gate, near gate 2, had tilted precariously and was removed by police personnel after the commission's intervention.
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