BALLARI: The negligence displayed by the Ballari district administration towards fixing signboards that lead the way to Hampi has angered locals and troubled tourists.
Prabhu Patil, a resident said the road widening work took ample time but after completing the work from Hosapete to Hampi the authorities forgot to fix the signboards leaving tourists confused.
The footfall of tourists have risen up to 30,000 since the town opened up after the pandemic.
To overcome the language barriers tourists mostly look out for signboards.
“The tourists, who arrive from Ballari, are dependent on the villagers along the roadside. During day journey tourists can get help from the localities but during night journey tourists are facing difficulties. Stopping vehicles during the night in unfamiliar places will increase the risk for tourists. To overcome such problems the administration, tourism and archaeology departments should show interest in fixing the signboards," he added.
A tourist said that one can't completely depend on Google maps as the network or proper functioning of technology is not guaranteed. The signboards and other details like distance and such will help tourists.
A senior officer from the district administration said that the signboards were used to change once every three years.
Due to road widening the signboards were removed and they are not in place, the road works have completed and soon the signboards will be set along the roadside. The paintings of the monument will also be seen on the roadside in the coming days.