GST sends Adbhuta Rupavani into thin air

Tirupati: The famed sound and light show at Chandragiri Fort has fallen on bad days. It has been removed from the sightseeing package of the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).

After the advent of GST regime, the sound and light show was placed under the luxury bracket which attracts 28 per cent tax, forcing APTDC to withdraw it from the sight-seeing package as it would mean an additional burden of around Rs 600 per ticket per individual who is on package tour.

According to the APTDC sources, the GST is being levied on the entire package and since light and sound show is part of it, the tax authorities are charging 28 per cent on what one would pay for the entire tourism package.

If one wants to visit sound and light show, one would have to pay 28 per cent tax on entry ticket which is Rs 60. But, even this facility is not there for the last one month as the show was closed after lightning hit the fort on June 1, damaging the exterior portion of the tower.

Due to its effect, the sound and light show system was also burnt, and the circuits were damaged. To restore the show, APTDC has to spend about Rs 90 lakh to get the burnt-out equipment replaced for which proposals were already sent to higher authorities but the buck stopped there.

The 50-minute show was stopped for the last two years as the power control unit was completely drowned in rain water. Later, it was upgraded it with a cost of Rs 2.70 crore using completely imported lighting and sound system. With six months of re starting the show, it has to be stopped again from June due to lightning effect.

Visitors to the fort are insisting the APTDC organise the show as it attracts everyone with its royal look and colourful lighting with beautiful voice from background. After re-starting the show within six months it fetched the APTDC a revenue of Rs 10 lakh. Still, APTDC did not care to improve the ambience at the show and did not provide even good seating arrangement.

Further, the boating facility at the fort being operated by APTDC and which used to earn a revenue of Rs 6 lakh per annum has also been closed down for the last 10 months. All in all, the show including the package tour and snack bar used to contribute more than Rs 15 lakh per annum to APTDC. Yet, the authorities are not showing any interest in restoring Adbhuta Rupavani show and boating.

Already, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has been showing sheer negligence in protecting the ancient monument, which was evident from the recent lightning incident. The officials did not even fix lightning conductors.

"In the past, APTDC has sent proposals at the instance of District Collector for the overall development of the fort with an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore to ASI, New Delhi but did not get any response.

Without the nod of ASI any development works cannot be carried out there by APTDC and it may be one reason for its wait and see attitude towards the fort," one state government official said.s many which was introduced in 2000 with the special interest of CM Chandrababu Naidu with Rs 3.5 crore.