Defunct musical fountain with laser show awaits makeover in Mangaluru

The musical fountain with laser show set up at the Old Deer Park in Kadri Park in Mangaluru five years ago, no longer functions and has become defunct, allegedly due to lack of maintenance.

The laser show was set up at the Kadri Park Musical Fountain, spread over 4.01 acres, at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore and was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on January 7, 2018. Unfortunately, with the defunct musical fountain and laser show, the equipment is getting rusted.

The Horticulture department, entrusted with the maintenance of the park, said that it requires huge investment to introduce new themes.

Technical snag

Horticulture department deputy director H R Naik said that the musical fountain has developed technical snags and has remained defunct for a long time. There are maintenance issues also.

The Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has shown interest to repair it at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore. Few more themes of laser shows will be added to attract the visitors, he said.

The monthly electricity bill was coming up to Rs 35,000. For changing the theme, it requires an additional investment of around Rs 16 lakh. There are plans to develop at least four to five themes, he said.

Recently, during a press meet, former MLC Ivan D’Souza had accused the authorities of failing to maintain the musical fountain and the laser show. “It was set up to attract the visitors and generate income for the maintenance of the park. However, owing to poor maintenance, it has become defunct.”

Closed during pandemic

After the inauguration, the fountain was attracting good crowd. Later, it remained closed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, there was a huge crowd with people thronging to enjoy the musical fountain and laser show. The main features of the laser show were created with themes, including Yakshagana, Kambala, Bhootharadhane and other cultural heritages of Tulunadu.

Though the show was free in the beginning, after three months, the department fixed an entry fee of Rs 50 for adults and Rs 25 for children. Later, the entry fee was reduced to Rs 30 and Rs 15 for adults and children, respectively.

Decline in numbers

In fact, during February-March 2020, on majority of the weekdays, the musical fountain and the laser show was cancelled as the crowd turnout was less than 15. The show for a crowd of 15 people becomes unviable, said sources in the department.

Since its inception, the musical fountain and laser show have been playing the same theme, and as a result, the visitors too declined over a period of time. Further, during rainy season, the musical fountain remained closed.