The light and sound show at Netaji Birthplace Museum here is waiting for audience. The museum authorities are running the show only twice a week due to thin attendance.
Only 10 turn up for the show, though arrangements for 50 people have been made.
The 25-minute programme on childhood and early life of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was introduced in the museum on January 23, 2013, at a cost of Rs 30 lakh. The authorities had hoped that the addition would increase footfall and the popularity of the museum.
The museum records revealed that only 1136 visitors, mostly locals, watched the show in the last two years. It attracts over 38,000 visitors annually.
Locals attributed the sorry state of affairs to the government's apathy. "The approach road to the museum from Dargha Bazaar is not properly lit. The street lights on the stretch hardly function, so tourists are not inclined to visit the museum in the evening hours for the light and sound show," said Rabindra Sahoo, a resident of Odia bazaar.
The light and sound show starts at 6.45 pm. Visitors have to pay Rs 15 each for the show. "The government had planned to landscape the areas adjacent to the museum. It had also announced to introduce boating facility and construct amusement parks. But the projects are gathering dust for last four years," said Dibyashankar Sen, a resident of Dargha Bazaar.
The beautification project would have helped to attract more tourists, he added.
There has been a long-standing demand for dubbing the script of the show in Hindi and English so that tourists from outside Odisha can understand and enjoy it. The show is currently being run in Odia only.
The authorities admitted to the problems and claimed measures are being taken to resolve them. "We have decided to dub the script in Bengali and Hindi. Besides an interpretation centre will be set up near the museum. After completion of these projects, things will definitely improve," said deputy director of culture department B P Ray.
TNN | Apr 23, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment