Tourists on Charminar play‘khatron ke khiladi’

Charminar: Even as number of tourists, both foreign and domestic, increased at the historic 16th Century monument, Charminar, lack of proper security and vigil by security personnel here is putting lives of people in danger. Tourists are seen sitting on the side walls of the structure on the first floor endangering their lives.

Incidents came to light that security persons deployed at Charminar were working as brokers for jewellery and cloth showrooms in the vicinity. They were seen handing out business cards of different showrooms to the tourists instead of focusing on their duties

Visitors are seen indulging in reckless behaviour in the name of selfies and are standing on the edge of the structure. Surprisingly, the security personnel are not taking care of such situations. Earlier, there used to be barricades to stop tourists from going near the parapet wall.

Although there are grills on the edge to prevent falls now, the number of security persons is less and it increasingly becoming difficult for them to handle that many tourists. According to official data, Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) levels recorded a 47 per cent rise last year and the number increased this year, too.

It is to be noted that several incidents of people falling from Charminar besides attempting suicides have taken place in the past. The historic site was closed for some time in the past following these incidents.

Incidents also came to light that security persons deployed at Charminar were working as brokers for jewellery and cloth showrooms in the vicinity. They were seen handing out business cards of different showrooms to the tourists instead of focusing on their duties.

While the State dreams of developing the heritage structure on the lines of ‘Golden Temple’ and converting its surroundings as a ‘Swachh Site’, it is paramount that Charminar, which is the symbol and pride of Hyderabad, has proper vigilance for the magnitude of people that visit it from across the world.