Appu Ghar

Appu Ghar was India's first and most popular amusement park. It was established in 1984 to commemorate the 1982 Asian Games, inaugurated on 19 November 1984 by the then Prime Minister of India, Shri Rajiv Gandhi. Appu Ghar was located in New Delhi India in the famous Pragati Maidan on Mathura Road, and was spread over 15.5acre of land.Mascot and nameAppu Ghar was named after its mascot, an elephant named "Appu". "Ghar" means house in Hindi. Appu was a live elephant mascot that became the star of the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi.HistoryInaugurated on 19 November 1984 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.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.