BHUBANESWAR: The Tourism Department plans to complete work on laser show at the 12th century Narendra Pokhari in Puri before the Nabakalebara festival.
Odisha Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), which has been entrusted with the work, has roped in a Kolkata-based agency to implement the project.
Currently, the agency is installing multi-coloured lights and other equipment around the heritage water tank where Madanmohan - representative of Lord Jagannath - along with fellow deities is taken for their 21-day water sport festival, popularly known as Chandan Yatra, on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. Chandan Yatra attracts thousands of devotees to the tank every year.
Tourism Minister Ashok Panda said the laser show will be modelled on the lines of the shows at Hussain Sagar and Gandhi Nagar’s Akshardham temple. “As per the original plan, a musical fountain and multimedia laser show will be started at Narendra Pokhari. We are trying our best to complete the work by June-July, prior to the Nabakalebara fete,” Panda said, adding that the multi-coloured laser show will give a stunning look to the water tank.
The lights will be merged with sights and sounds during the laser presentation. Sources said the show will also comprise projected beams that will flash on white screens and its reflection would fall on the water body.
On the other hand, the drainage division of Water Resources Department is currently working on sinking two mega borewells in Narendra Pokhari to recharge the groundwater level of the tank. This is a part of the overall cleaning and renovation work of the water body. In 2013, the State Government had allotted over Rs 3 crore for restoration of the heritage water tank, but the project has been moving at a sluggish pace.
Although some renovation work was done last year, many portions of the tank are replete with sludge deposits and garbage. Last year, the drainage division workers had pumped out water from the tank to clean sludge from the bed. Sources said the mega borewells will help recharge the water level that would keep water clean in the long run.