The question about who is responsible to conduct safety audits of carnival rides remains a mystery, as the ball continues to roll between the deputy commissioner’s (DC) office and the Public Works Department (PWD). The administration said that the PWD's mechanical wing is responsible for the safety audit. The wing, however, was disbanded in 2019 and merged elsewhere. A senior officer of the district administration told The Indian Express that the PWD’s mechanical wing is responsible for the audit. He said that permission was granted to the organiser after permit from all concerned departments including the Municipal Corporation (MC), GMADA, Taxation Department, Fire Department, district police and PWD was procured. Speaking to The Indian Express, PWD’s Executive Engineer (XEN) of the civil branch, SS Bhullar, said that the mechanical wing was disbanded in 2019 and merged with other wings of the department. He added that the PWD used to have heavy machinery and the mechanical wing was responsible for the maintenance of that machinery as well. When asked whether any permission was granted from his office, XEN Bhullar said that he deals with the civil wing of the department and no permission was granted from his wing. However, he said he was not sure whether the department’s other wing had issued permission or carried out the safety check. Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) of PWD's electric wing, Kunal Kumar, told The Indian Express that his wing had also not granted any permission. Deputy Commissioner Amit Talwar, said that safety check was the responsibility of the PWD and all the things will become clear after the probe is over. The four member committee formed by the DC to probe the incident on Tuesday visited the spot and inspected te ride. Sources said that the team found many violations including the absence of an ambulance, first aid arrangements and no proper exit.
