HYDERABAD: The iconic Lumbini park, one of the popular weekend go-to places in the city known for offering laser show and ferry service at Hussainsagar, seems to have lost its sheen over the years now.
The figures available with the Buddha Purnima Project indicate that there has been a dip in the footfall to Lumbini park. With 22.2 lakh people visiting the park in 2015 on an annual basis, the footfall has dipped to 20.9 lakh and 20.6 lakh in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
The Buddha Purnima Project was started in 2000 to prevent encroachments around Hussain Sagar which includes Sanjeevaiah Park, Lumbini Park, NTR Gardens, Lake View Park and NTR Gardens along with Necklace Road.
Meanwhile, officials say that the fall in the number in 2017 was likely because of the sewerage works that were going on during the time.
However, the officials are not expecting a major increase in the footfall considering summer vacations are the time when people usually spend their time in parks.
The stench that emanates from certain points is also the key reason for dip in the footfall. The cleaning of Hussainsagar will always be an ongoing process, said the official. "With water entering Hussainsagar from four nalas, only some amount of the water is treated. If we clear out all of the water, people will die of the obnoxious stench. We try and clear out any hard waste and whatever it takes to clean specific parts of the lake," added the official.
Besides this, with amusement parks like Wonder La and Mount Opera coming up and providing far more exciting activities for children and adults, there could be further decrease in the coming years, said one of the officials.