The historic Kondapalli Fort which got a facelift recently has been witnessing a slight increase in the visitor footfall in the past couple of weeks.
After more than a couple of years of delay, the work of restoration of the fallen walls and the durbar hall were completed recently and the Fort was formally inaugurated on February 4.
The durbar hall transformed into a gallery displaying the Fort’s idols and sculptures dating back to the 14th century, augmented reality enabled portraits of the past rulers, replica of the entire fort and the Laser 3D Projection Mapping and Lighting Show at the courtyard have been the major attractions which the Archaeology and Museums Department is promoting to draw tourists.
“The footfall was high during the last two weekends and visitors are more interested in the durbar hall and the laser show,” an official said. Earlier more than 400 persons used to visit on weekends and now it was 50% more, he said.
However, visitors are disappointed at the steep hike in the price of the entry tickets. A couple of days after the inauguration, the Department introduced a new rate chart.
The entry ticket for adults has been increased from ₹5 to ₹30 and for children ₹10. Foreigners have to shed more at ₹300 per adult and ₹200 per child. For the laser show, one has to pay an additional ₹50.
“The ticket fare might not be a burden for individuals but families have to bear the brunt as reaching the Fort from Vijayawada or even Kondapalli and Ibrahimpatnam itself is burdensome compared to reaching local destinations. If the government wants to encourage local visitors the prices should be brought down,” said B. Vijay Babu who visited the Fort recently with family.
In fact, the visitors are surprised as the fare hike was unexpected and conveyed only through a hand written note on display at the makeshift ticket counter.
Facilities still on way
The government has already spent ₹10.90 crore in developing the Fort but permanent drinking water facility and proper wash room facility are still not available.
“We are providing purified drinking water to visitors in water cans and soon an RO plant will be established,” an official said. The toilet complex beside the courtyard is under construction.
The patronage for the laser show in which the history of the Fort is explained is not as expected as it is available only in the evening which is considered not safe in the forest area.
While there is only one 30-minute show available from Monday to Friday at 6.30 pm, on weekends another show at 7.15 pm is offered.
Visitors have to descend the 6-km ghat road in dark after the shows.
On the other hand, shops outside the Fort are selling water and soft drinks at prices higher than the MRP. The Fort witnessed a footfall of 8,300 in January against 23,700 last year in the corresponding month, according to the Tourism Department's footfall dashboard. The visitor count of the current month is not available.
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