VIJAYAWADA: Despite the increase in footfall at the historic Kondapalli Fort post renovations, the lack of security and streetlights on the ghat road leading to the fort have proved to be the bane as tourists are unwilling to wait post 5 pm to watch the laser show.
“It gets dark sooner on the ghat road and fort as it is a forest area. So, the tourists don’t wait for the laser show that starts from 6.30 pm,” said V Naresh, a security guard at the fort. Adding to this, a tourist said there were no other ways for recreation at the fort, which remains open from 10 am to 5 pm.
“There is a one-and-a-half-hour gap between the closing time of the fort and the time when the show starts. The authorities have not planned for other activities that can be done during the gap. Also, it’s risky to commute on the ghat road as there are no streetlights there,” he said.
The absence of streetlights is also causing inconvenience to the fort security guards, guides and ticket collector, as they return home late in the evening. “Several times, we have encountered snakes and other reptiles while walking back home. I had even stamped on a snake’s tail and had to run for cover,” added Naresh.
When asked about the lack of facilities on the ghat road, archaeological commissioner Vani Mohan said, “We have already raised the issue of road widening and installing streetlights with the State government. A budget of `10 crore was sanctioned for this work by the former government just before the elections. Since all the works, which had not begun, were directed to be put on hold by the incumbent government, this work had also been halted. The present government is expected to accept the proposal soon as the issue was discussed in a recent review meeting by the chief minister with tourism and archaeological stakeholders. We have also approached the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, which stated that they did not have funds to take up the project.”
She also said that approval for this proposal would help sustain the efforts taken by the archaeological department to renovate the fort. “Only renovating the fort and providing state-of-the-art facilities are not sufficient. Proper basic facilities to make use of these advanced facilities are also equally important. Once the roads and streetlights problems are solved, more tourists will visit the fort and also wait for the laser show. The money collected from tickets will be sufficient for the maintenance of the fort,” said Mohan.
Meanwhile, the commissioner also said that only 30 to 40 per cent of the amount used for renovation works had been reimbursed by the government. “To develop the laser show we had to spend `3 crore, of which only `75 lakh have been reimbursed by the government,” said Mohan.
The commissioner has also proposed to set up an archaeological corporation, similar to tourism corporation and Bhavani Island Corporation, so that the problem of funds will be permanently solved. “The corporations get specific funds sanctioned during the budget sessions for the development of the respective areas. Having an archeological corporation will help renovate other historic places, which will in turn boost State’s tourism.”