Appu Ghar employees may be relocated at Jaipur

New Delhi, Feb 17 (UNI) As the country's first amusement park, Appu Ghar closes down at sunset today, the sun will also set on the livelihoods of 250-odd people, who will be rendered jobless after being associated with it for around 20 years.

Even as International Amusement Limited (IAL), the management of Appu Ghar has offered to re-locate its employees in Jaipur, where is planning to set up another amusement park, the clouds of uncertainty loom large.

''The Rajasthan government has sanctioned to us 350 acres of land to develop a Mega Tourism City. The project will also includes an amusement park so we have offered our employees to continue with us there with no break in their service tenure,'' Chief Operating Officer, IAL, B G Krishnan told UNI.

However, the employees are far from convinced. ''I don't know where I'll be going after this park closes. I have literally grown up here and devoted 20 years of my life to this place. Now, it depends on the management what they do with us.'' Manohar Lal, a house keeping staffer in Appu Ghar said.

Some of the employees, like a 42-year-old Prayag Prasad, who operates the fun-filled swings of 'My Fair Lady', are peeved with the management and blame them for not framing any rehabilitation plan.

''When the management knew that they would have to close this park why did not they make any alternative plan for us. Who is going to give me a job at this age?'' Prasad said, adding he had no information about the amusement park to be opened in Jaipur.

''I don't know about any such offer given to us and even if what the management is saying is true it is not feasible as the project will take some years to materialise. How will I feed my family? My three kids are studying and I don't know whether they will be able to continue it, '' he added.

Om Prakash, a technician, Mahesh, a lifeguard at Oyster Water Park inside Appu Ghar, Dayal Chand, an operator, were as clueless as any of their co-workers.

The worker's union had approached the management to accommodate them at the adventure parks at Rohini and Noida. But the IAL was not ready to do this as the parks are a joint venture between IAL and Unitech.

Mr Krishnan said at the time of setting up these parks, the employees were given an option of joining them, but no one was willing at that time. He also denied that the employees were not told about the impending closure. After the Supreme Court verdict on its closure, the employees were given in writing that the park would be closed in February, he claimed.

UNI DS NK AS1238