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As per the
story, when Kaul
returned, there was an inquiry as to why he left for America when he was
very much required back home for the planning process. Supposedly,
Rajive replied, "I'd gone to see if I could create a Disneyland here."
What at first seemed to be just an excuse to justify his absence
actually materialised to a joint venture with the West Bengal
government.
Joint Venture
After the inception of the idea, the Government of West Bengal along
with the Rajive Kaul followed through with their commitment to build an
amusement park in Kolkata. They set up the company Nicco Parks & Resorts
Ltd. (NPRL) which was a Joint Sector Company between National Insulated
Cable Corporation Ltd. (now, Nicco Corporation Ltd.) representing the
private sector and the Government of West Bengal represented by West
Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Limited (WBIDC) and West
Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited (WBTDC) on March 17,
1989.
The Certificate of Commencement of Business was obtained on March
31, 1989. The primary function of the company was to construct an
amusement part in the outskirts of Kolkata, which would be owned and
maintained by Nicco Parks and Resorts Limited (NPRL). The project had
additional input in the form of technical advice from Blackpool Leisure
& Amusement Consultancy Ltd., U.K.
Rajive Kaul sought financial help from Geoffrey Thompson, the then-owner
and managing director of the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool. Thompson,
however, only offered the assistance of Blackpool Leisure & Amusement
Consultancy Ltd provide technical expertise, including surveying the
land and suggesting design and safety matters. The idea of the River
Caves at Nicco Park was taken by Kaul from Thompson's Blackpool, and a
few years later Kaul offered to renovate the ones there recognizing the
superiority of the ones at Nicco Park, Kolkata. Thompson accepted the
offer.
Two years after the conception of NPRL, and at a total cost of about
rupees 8 crores, Nicco Park opened with 13 rides. It also took over the
toy train from the previous Jheelmeel park and improved greatly upon it,
providing for a tour of the whole park for passengers.
The Park
Educational Recreation
Nicco Park's educative recreational initiative is the concept that
families should not only have a fun-filled experience but also have
learned something during their time at the park. The grounds were
designed to provide for educational recreation, and are dotted with
displays. The entrance of every ride offers explanations of the
scientific principles behind the working of the rides. The park's Solar
Energy Village has been set up to demonstrate the functions of various
non-conventional energy sources in community life. In keeping with its
green theme, a Green House is also run by the Indo American Hybrid Seeds
Ltd. selling various types of plants.
Rides and Attractions
Nicco Park has approximately thirty-five rides that include the Toy
Train, Tilt-a-Whirl, Magic Carpet, Paddle Boat, Water Chute, Water
Coaster, Flying Saucer, Pirate Ship, River Caves, Cyclone and Moonraker.
The Giant Cyclone, added in 2003, is among Asia's largest. The ride is
750 meters in length, has seven loops and goes as high as 55 feet.
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Attractions such as the park's cable cars and Eiffel Tower provide
panoramic views of the park from above. Natural attractions include a
Rose Garden and a forty feet high waterfall.
A decommissioned MIG-21 fighter aircraft from the Bagdogra Airbase is on
display at Nicco Park, serving as an attraction with educational value.
It was a gift from the Eastern Air Command in 2008.
A large Food Park selling North Indian, Bengali, South Indian and
Chinese fast food, and kiosks run by various restaurants of Kolkata.
Sheroo Bazar and Souvenir Shop Wet-O-Wild are places where one can buy
accessories such as t-shirts, coffee mugs and keychains. |
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Nicco Park has undergone expansions throughout its existence. The park
has also constructed a water park, Wet-O-Wild, inside the amusement
park, There are also a rain dance performances. The park also has a 4-D
movie theater.
A bowling alley with restaurant and bar also exist within the park.
Venues such as Octagon host corporate and non-corporate events.
Nearby Attractions
Adjacent to the park is the Nalban Boating Complex, offering boat tours
in paddle boats, hovercraft or shikaras. Well maintained groves surround
the four hundred acre lake.
Opposite the Salt Lake Stadium is the Subhash Sarovar, one of the two
man made lakes of Kolkata. Though anthropogenic activities around the
lake such as washing of clothes and dumping of wastes has led to its
deterioration, the tourism development corporation has taken up the
responsibility for the beautification of the lake (2010).
Nicco Parks and Resorts Limited (NPRL) have also diversified the park
and as such Nicco parks (Jheel Meel) have been opened at neighbouring
states Odisha in Bhubaneswar on December, 1998 and at Jharkhand in
Jamshedpur on June 2001. A composite park has also been set-up in the
neighbouring country of Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2003. Recently there has
also been a Memorandum of Understanding signed between NPRL and Intraco
Group in order to set up a water park at a sea resort of Cox's Bazar at
Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Reception
The amusement park has received favourable response from both the public
and the government as well as various corporate bodies. ITC Limited,
TISCO, Britannia Industries, Bata, Nestle, Smith Kline Beecham, Union
Carbide, Dunlop, ANZ Grindlays, Duncans, Goodricke as well as Cadburys
are among those which have invested in the park by sponsoring rides and
other attractions.
Awards, Certifications and Recognition
Nicco Park has received various awards in the 20 years since its
inception. Among its attractions, The Giant Cyclone has been awarded the
'Best Indigenously Manufactured Ride' of 2006-07 by the Indian
Association of Amusement Parks and Industries, which also awarded Nicco
Park's River Caves as the 'Most Innovative and Popular Ride' of 2009-10.
Nicco Park is the first amusement park in India to be able to obtain the
ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001 (Environment Management
System) and the OSHAS 18000 (Safety Management System) certifications.
The park also states that it is the first amusement park in the world to
obtain ISO 9002 certification from a European Certifying Authority. It
has also received the "ICC Corporate Excellence Award". The Indian
Association of Amusement Parks & Industries have declared the River
Caves at Nicco Park as the most popular ride and innovative ride of
2010.
The SA 8000 (Social Accountability) certificate which they received from
DNV on December 14, 2008, makes Nicco Park the first amusement park in
India to receive the certification. It is also reported that they are
the first amusement park in the world to receive the honour.
Incidents
An accident occurred at Nicco Park in January 2010 when a woman and
child fell off of the park's Moon Raker ride. Authorities claim the
accident was caused by the woman's own carelessness, but she blames the
accident on company negligence, citing the derailment of two of the six
trolleys.
Getting
There
Nearest
airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (IATA: CCU, ICAO:
VECC) is an international airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal,
serving the Kolkata metropolitan area. It is located approximately 17 km
(11 mi) from the city center.
Kolkata
Railway Station (formerly known as Chitpur Station), is the newest of
the four intra-city railway stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India;
the others are Sealdah Station, in Kolkata, Shalimar Station in Howrah
and Howrah Station in Howrah.
Kolkata Station is situated in the Chitpur
locality of north central Kolkata. The station is linked to the Sealdah-Ranaghat Line and is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to
Naihati, Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni,
Kolkata Airport, Bongaon,
Hasnabad and others.
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