Hollywood style hoarding by lake pleases few in Bhopal

BHOPAL: Objections raised by the chief secretary notwithstanding, new hoardings are coming up with "Welcome to the City of Lakes" written in big bold letters on the huge iron scaffoldings at the bank of the Upper Lake.The construction to complete the project is on.
Being written on the pattern of the Hollywood sign Mount Lee in the Hollywood hill area of the Santa Monica Mountains, these hoardings had attracted the ire of chief secretary R Parashuram who had objected saying that it would not only obstruct the lake view but lack of maintenance of the hoardings would present an ugly picture later on.The hoardings will be so constructed that it could be visible from the opposite bank of the lake on the VIP Road side.
The chief secretary had asked the officials to stop the construction work with immediate effect in a meeting on February 11 earlier this month in the presence of the minister for urban administration and development, Babulal Gaur.
The visitors at the boat club have also objected over the obstruction being created by the hoardings, spoiling the beauty of the lake. Ishika Jain a regular morning walker said, "These giant iron structures ruin the beauty of the lake. It hampers the visual aesthetics of the sight."
Rakshit Sharma a tourist said, "The administration should think twice before going ahead with the project. The old locomotive and a replica of a ship have already ruined the view of the majestic water body."
Rahul Haseeja a resident of Indore visiting the lake said, "Imitating Hollywood is not a good idea. The tourism department should work on developing better infrastructure."
The project is being carried out by the MP Tourism Corporation. The managing director of the corporation Raghavendra Singh, said, "The issue of the construction of scaffoldings is on hold. Discussions are on as its construction was opposed by some sections."
When contacted chief secretary R Parashuram, known for his pro -environment stand on various issues, said, "I can't take decision a alone. The issue is being looked at. It has to be visualised first as to how it would look after the construction."
However, the BMC which was never in favour of the hoardings seems to be happy. Its commissioner Vishesh Garhpale said, "The chief secretary had raised objections over the construction of these scaffoldings, so officially the objection has been raised and the matter does not need further pursuance."
Last year the BMC had issued orders that no new hoardings should be erected in the city. The mayor, Krishna Gaur, had also said last month that she was unaware of the hoardings being erected at the lake side.