The first air-conditioned cruise of Punjab is in troubled waters as the owner of the Fun Kingdom — an amusement park in Doraha — has allegedly accused the manufacturer of supplying substandard material leading to breakdowns and eventual discontinuation of boating near Gurthali pull in Doraha.
Pawan Kumar Garg, a Chandigarh-based businessman and owner of the Fun Kingdom, shared that his dream of seeing Doraha on state tourism map has ended up in a fiasco. “I had started the park with great fanfare and the response too was immense. The families came with their children. They rode during the sunset to watch the changing colours of the Sutlej canal. Every evening was house full. For a small town like Doraha, we felt we had done something big,” the owner said.
“But the boating had hardly begun and it has already hit rough waters due to the alleged supply of cheap material by the manufacturer, in return of huge sum of money. Garg, who brought the cruise to Doraha, shared that they signed a contract with a Pune-based company by the name of Sunny Boats Private Limited with its director Sunny Sebastian in March last year. The firm was supposed to supply the boats in May, but was delayed by four months. As the boats arrived in September, we started the services instantly. However, soon the boats developed cracks and their parts began to get dismantled. There was leakage from within as well,” Garg alleged.
Garg claimed that a technical expert from Bombay allegedly told him they were “not up to the mark”. He further alleged that in December, a part of a boat broke while 15 to 20 women were on board. “We have been pushed three years back. We faced public wrath as they feared of mishaps,” he said.
“The director of the company has ruined us. Earlier, when the project was in infancy, he used to call frequently, but after receiving the payment of Rs 1.19 crore, he stopped taking the calls. Therefore, I lodged a complaint with SSP Khanna, which post investigation, has registered the case,” Garg informed.
The case has been registered under Sections 318(4), 316(3) and 125 of the BNS. Police said the matter is under investigation.
“We thought that would plan a birthday party on the cruise next month but the discontinuation of boats has really saddened us,” shared a kid.
“Who would risk their families for the sake of amusement when the situation is such. Why would we even think of boating now!” reacted a localite.