Child help desks, safety officers mandatory in amusement parks: panel

Picture for representational purpose.

Child help desks and child safety officers should be mandatory at amusement parks, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has said.

Acting on a petition from S. Gautham, a resident of Kurichakam in Kozhikode, the commission held that parents, establishments, and the administration were responsible for preventing accidents in amusement parks and protecting the lives and health of children.

A Division Bench comprising acting chairperson Cicily Joseph and member Shajesh Bhaskar P. said those operating amusement parks should ensure inspection of the rides by technical safety experts and avail of safety certificates. Experts should conduct inspections at regular intervals.

Experienced staff should be deployed at each ride and safety centres and locking mechanisms should be made operational.

Child safety signage and safety instructions should be put up at each ride in a manner that can be understood by children. In the case of differently abled children, suitable safety features should be ensured in every ride.

Name and details of the licencee responsible for any safety lapses should be displayed at the parks. Each park should have systems to provide urgent medical treatment in the event that accidents occur.

All amusement parks in the State should follow the directions issued by the Kerala High Court and the Local Self-government department earlier.

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board Secretary, Public Works Mechanical division superintending engineer, Director of Kerala Fire and Rescue Services, and Local Self-Governments department (LSGD) Principal Director, with the support of technical inspection agencies, should form a high-power committee and bring out safety guidelines for rides and child safety protocol.

They should plan a campaign on children safety in amusement parks in coordination with the parks. The LSGD Principal Director will be responsible for implementing the campaign.

The petitioner had pointed out that rides in amusement parks were mostly frequented by small children. Despite government guidelines and court verdicts, the safety of rides was not being ensured by many parks, it said.