BENGALURU: The fantastic Aquatic Kingdom at KSR Bengaluru railway station with India's first Tunnel Aquarium in any railway station has quietly shut shop due to the heavy losses incurred. It had completed a year on July 1 and the contract permitted it to extend it by three years but the owners decided to call it a day.
Without any intimation given by the Bengaluru Railway Division about its closure, passengers heading to it in the concourse area were noticed returning after seeing the `Closed' board all around this spacious building.
Syed Hamid Hassan, Managing partner of HNI Enterprises, which was awarded the contract by the now wound-up Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) told The New Indian Express, "We did not get the kind of footfall we had in mind. We suffered a huge loss and decided to call it a day after a year was completed. However, there are no regrets and it was a big learning experience for me and our team."
A couple of railway stations in the country emulating it have sought his expertise in this connection, "We might think of setting it up at Sir M Visvesvaraiah Terminal station in the future as it a world-class station and spacious too. After many trains are shifted there, we might consider that option," Hassan said.
While the place attracted between 500 and 600 passengers on a daily basis and more during weekends, HNI was looking at drawing a daily crowd of 4,000. Asked if the economically priced ticket could have been increased to mobilise resources, the Managing Partner said, "The idea was to let everyone, including those with limited income, partake of the experience inside our Aquatic Kingdom. We deliberately made it a very affordable entry."
Asked about the closure, Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru Division, Shyam Singh said, "The one-year contract period is over. They do not want to extend it for another three years and have shut it."
The Aquatic Kingdom was definitely a unique and destressing experience. For a ticket price of Rs 25, it opened up a different world and won rave reviews from passengers following its launch. Black Diamond, Sting Ray and High Fin Sharks were present in the tunnel aquarium apart from exotic fish from abroad.
A 12-feet-long Paludarium, an aquarium with terrestrial plants, aquatic plants and life forms, modelled on the Amazon rainforest, was a big attraction here. There were five alligators, selfie points and kids zone too here.
The Division could definitely have done more to popularise it by drawing public attention to it at platforms, important passenger hubs inside the station, through announcements as well as advertising it inside trains reaching KSR station.