VISAKHAPATNAM: The proposed digital illumination and audio system at the Borra caves to attract more footfalls is likely to be a reality by the month-end, amid oppositions by the environmentalists and geologists. The proposed makeover of the caves in the Ananthagiri mandal of Araku Valley is among the most sought-after tourist destinations in the state, which received some 5.65 lakh footfalls last fiscal year. The digital illumination and sound system was proposed at an estimated cost of `1.5 crore. The audio system will guide the tourists in the caves, explaining its historical and geological significance.
“All the technical works pertaining to the digital illumination and sound system have almost been completed. The engineers will install the main software and the facility will be launched very shortly,” T Baboji, general manager of APTDC told Express.
The proposed lighting will be an additional advantage to the existing illumination system which was set up in 1992, but have not been upgraded since then. The audio facility is an advanced technology which will narrate the story of Borra Caves to the visitors both in English and Hindi languages. The illumination equipment has been proicured from Belgium and audio equipment from the USA, T Baboji said.
The makeover plan of the government, though, has drawn a flak from the environmentalist and geologists. Dubbing the move as an unscientific promotion of the site, they allege that opening of the natural heritage site to mass tourism would damage the fragile formations.
Tourist count
5.65 lakh Tourists visited in 2015-16
4.75 lakh Tourists visited in 2014-15
A geological Marvel
Borra Caves is believed to be formed by the khondalite rocks of Archaen age some 150 million years ago. The caves, considered as a geological marvel is 2,300 feet above the mean sea levels (MSL) and has a depth of 275 feet. It was discovered by the British geologist William King in 1887 when he, along with his team was looking for a shelter during a sudden downpour. It was only after the construction of the erstwhile DBK railway line, which then had Visakhapatnam, as its headquarters, and a railway station was set up at Borra, that site became popular.