Delhi Eye

For those who want to visit some of the capital’s popular tourist attractions but are discouraged by heavy traffic, and hot and humid weather, here’s one way of capturing a panoramic view of the city from one spot. Built on the lines of the London Eye and Singapore Flyer, this 45-m high giant wheel—called Delhi Eye—is housed in an amusement park in Kalindi Kunj and is all set to roll from September 25. As tall as a 15-storey building, the state-of-the-art wheel promises a snapshot of monuments located as far as Qutub Minar and Red Fort to places like Akshardham Temple, Lotus Temple and Humayun’s Tomb in the vicinity apart from a bird’s-eye view of Connaught Place—all in a matter of 20 minutes. For a ride in one of the wheel’s 36 airconditioned cabins you will have to shell out about Rs 250. ‘‘The luxurious cabins of the wheel are centrally airconditioned and are fitted with LCD screens. All the city’s major landmarks can be seen from top. You can sit back and relax as the wheel virtually takes you on a Delhi tour,’’ said Imran Ali Khan, promoter of the project. The strategic location of Delhi Eye makes it attractive for residents of Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad too. Each of the 36 airconditioned capsules can hold eight people which takes the total capacity of the wheel to 288. One complete rotation of the wheel takes approximately 20 minutes. ‘‘The wheel is equipped with an operating system, which allows any passenger to press the ‘help’ button if he feels scared at any point of time,’’ said Khan. The giant wheel has been built by a European company and has been installed with all safety equipment. ‘‘We have carried out safety tests and the wheel is internationally certified. A power backup, along with a manual brake system, makes it risk-free. Two hours before each ride, we check the wheel for safety,’’ said wheel inspector Patrick Peck.