Hyderabad: The laser show at Lumbini Park has been caught in a legal wrangle for over a year now. Although bids for the show were finalised in favour of a private agency a year ago, the agency has neither been conducting the show nor has it walked out of the project.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has been waiting for the bidder to take the final call. In financial terms, the year’s delay has resulted in a revenue loss of Rs 2 crore for the municipal authority.
Laserium located adjacent to Lumbini Park was developed in 2005 over 2.5 acres at a cost of Rs 12 crore. The major tourist attractions include multimedia laser show, state-of-the-art ultra-fast action musical dancing fountain with 116 water effects, two 13 watt lasers, two 5 watt lasers, 6 intelligent lights, aqua screen of size 40 ft X 80 ft and four fog machines and gallery with a 2000 seating capacity. Against a single show at 7.15 pm on weekdays, weekends and holidays have two shows-7.15 pm and 8.30 pm. The entry fee is Rs 35 per head as against the earlier Rs 30. The projected annual income stands at Rs 2 crore.
According to highly placed sources, the project was handed over to the agency to maintain and operate the laser show for a period of five years. Immediately after the tenders were finalised, the laser show was closed due to lockdown in March last year. After that the agency never came forward to run the show, even though the lockdown has been lifted. Despite HMDA reminders, it has never responded. Sources said that it has walked out of the project citing low footfall and less revenue if operations are resumed during the pandemic.
A senior HMDA official, requesting anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that the municipal authority has not heard from the agency since last year. He said that the municipal authority was not aware of the court case. The official said that they had recently asked the agency for one last time to respond, failing which the contract would stand terminated and they would be initiating legal action against the defaulting agency.
