KOCHI: The outer wall of the Idukki Arch Dam, one of the highest in Asia, will provide the setting for an ambitious laser show project proposed by the Kerala Hydel Tourism Centre.The centre, a KSEB entity promoting tourism in the hydel dams, aims to beam Kerala's history as well as that of the Board on the gigantic setting, one of the largest-ever for a laser show in the entire world.
Kerala Hydel Tourism Director K J Jose said the laser show will be conducted on the outer wall of the Idukki dam which is 600 ft wide and 500 ft high. It will be one of largest screens in the world for conducting a laser show. We have appointed a consultant for the Rs 26-crore project. The department has around 15 acres of land on the dam premises for arranging the facilities for the show. However, a small portion of land will have to be acquired for the purpose, he said.
The one-hour laser show will be held from 6 pm daily. Arrangements will be made for seating around 1,000 people near the dam for watching the show in the backdrop of high-effect sound system. The entry will be based on tickets. We hope the project will be completed within a year, he said.Apart from the laser show, the Hydel Tourism Centre is also planning to introduce amusement parks at seven places, including Banasura Sagar Dam in Wayanad; Kundala Dam in Idukki; Anairangal Dam in Idukki; Chengulam Dam in Idukki; Kakkayam Dam in Kozhikode and Ponmudi Dam in Idukki. Apart from this, a tulip park is also proposed near the Kundala Dam.
The department also plans to start a boat trip from Anjuruli to Kulamavu Dam. Currently, Kerala Hydel Tourism Centre has 21 tourist centres across the state. The KSEB now plans to register it as a separate company, for which the procedures have already been started. The company is likely to be registered within six months in the name Kerala Hydel Tourism Infrastructure Ltd.In 2017-2018, Kerala Hydel Tourism Centre generated a revenue of Rs 15 crore. We'll be introducing new facilities so that more revenue can be generated in the coming year. Similar to the revenue generated from electricity, we promote non-tariff revenue. We have been in the tourism sector for the past 19 years, Jose said.