Kolkata Municipal Corporation has decided not to permit Ferris wheels at parks and grounds hosting Durga Puja celebrations, following an accident at Ramlila Maidan in Entally that left a woman hospitalised. The civic body has also asked police to monitor organisers who attempt to install the rides without permission.
The decision was taken after the KMC parks department raised the issue with the civic administration before permissions were granted for pujas at city parks, according to a report by the Times of India. A KMC official said the civic body would not issue permission for Ferris wheel installations and that police had been asked to keep watch over organisers who defy the restriction.
The immediate trigger was an accident at Ramlila ground in Entally last year. Priyanka Shaw, 26, was hospitalised after falling from a Ferris wheel on July 4. Three people, including the operator of the ride, were arrested after the incident, the report said.
The latest decision revives an earlier KMC position on the use of giant wheels during public festivities. The civic body had first decided to ban Ferris wheel installations in 2009 after an accident at Deshapriya Park the previous year. The restriction was subsequently relaxed in practice, with KMC allowing organisers to install the rides if they submitted an inspection report from an expert certifying their safety.
The change now means that an expert inspection report will not, by itself, be sufficient for permission at the parks and grounds covered by the civic decision. The reported instruction places the responsibility for preventing unauthorised installations on both the municipal administration and the police, particularly during the period when Durga Puja organisers prepare public venues and temporary attractions.
Ferris wheels and other temporary amusement rides at festival grounds typically operate in spaces that are also used for crowd movement, public gatherings and event infrastructure. The KMC’s decision therefore links the approval of puja activities with the safety controls governing temporary installations. The report, however, does not specify whether the restriction applies to every Durga Puja venue in Kolkata or only to parks and grounds under the KMC’s permission process.
The report also does not provide details of a separate inspection protocol, technical standards or a list of venues affected by the decision. For organisers, the immediate requirement is to obtain permission from the civic body before installing a Ferris wheel, while police have been asked to identify and monitor violations. KMC’s parks department and the civic administration will determine how the restriction is applied as permissions for Durga Puja events are processed.
