Appu Ghar, Nainital

History

The then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi assigned the task to create India’s first amusement park to(IAL) International Amusement Ltd headed by Narinder Malik Sweden nased NRI and Gian Vijeshwar, a Sweden-based NRI with an aim to provide free access to the underprivileged children. Inaugurated on 19 November 1984 by Rajiv Gandhi than Indian Prime Minister after his mother Indira Gandhi's assination and this was his first public appearance on the occasion of the birthday of former Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, Appu Ghar quickly became a crowd puller for the residents of the Indian capital as well as those of neighbouring towns. It was formally opened under the aegis of International Amusement Limited (IAL), with its registered office at Gate No. 4, Pragati Maidan. Narinder Malik organized all machines along with installation at Pragati Maidan with the help of Surinder Malik as engineer ,architact Sharad Dass and builder Suresh Chawla under very tight schadule due to committment of 14th Nov opening, total park was set up and implemented in 3 months which is record and was inagurated as planned on Nov 14 1984, The India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), which owns Pragati Maidan, leased the land to IAL for three years in 1984 to run and operate Appu Ghar. Subsequently, ITPO kept on extending the lease to IAL till November 1999, when it last expired. In 1999, ITPO asked IAL to vacate the land, at which point the private firm sought legal arbitration with ITPO to continue with Appu Ghar. Meanwhile, with the Supreme Court of India urgently needing land for extension and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for construction of the Delhi Metro's Pragati Maidan Metro Station, the Government allocated the land to both the parties. In 2007 the Supreme Court finally ratified the Government's decision to hand over the land, paving the way for Appu Ghar's eventual closure on 17 February 2008.