HOSAPETE: The well-appreciated “Hampi By Night” show at the Unesco-recognised heritage site, Hampi has stopped for the last two months as authorities are yet to clear electricity bills of Rs 70 lakh.
Officials at a private company that operates the show told The New Indian Express that they have already cleared the payments. They also said the outdoor show has been stopped because of monsoon setting in.
This means, the payment is yet to be cleared by officials at the tourism department and Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority (HWHAMA).
The ‘Hampi By Night’ is run during weekends and on special days. As the bills are pending, the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOM) has served a notice to the district administration. Now, the district administration is planning to take over the entire project.
Krishna Kumar, CEO, Innovative Lighting System -- which operates the show, said, “We have paid our share and we clear bills every month. The heritage site has five transformers -- two of 500 kWh capacity and three of 250 kWh. We have used only the two 500 kWh transformers. On an average, 6,000 tourists enjoy the show every month. We don’t know about the show being taken over by the district administration.”
On Gescom sending a notice, a senior district administration official said, “We will write to the state government and the authorities concerned. We will solve the issue as soon as possible and resume the show. During the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visit to Vijayanagara recently, we told him about the issue. We are waiting for further instructions from the government.”