The plug has been pulled off the laser show - one of the major attractions of the historic Mangles Pond (popularly known as Mangal Talab) in Patna City - thanks to non-payment of electricity bills.
The electricity department snapped the connection on Wednesday, halting the laser show inaugurated during Prakash Utsav last year. The venue is famous for holding public meetings of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jayaprakash Narayan among others.
"The electricity department owes Rs 6.95 lakh in dues to Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) for the laser show. The corporation has not paid the electricity bill since the laser show was started in December last year," said a Mangles Pond official wishing anonymity.
BSTDC chief engineer Om Prakash Amberrkar, however, claimed that the electricity department had failed to send bills to the corporation owing to which the payment could not be made. "Since inception of the laser show, we have not received any bill from the electricity department. We are now going to check why they failed on this and we will try to restart the laser show as soon as possible, he said.
The multimedia laser show, integrated with dancing fountains, was themed The life of Guru Gobind Singh (20 minutes), Brief history of Sikh Gurus and Religion (15 minutes), Teachings of Sikh religion (10 minutes) and History of Patna Sahib (10 minutes).
Fog and haze machines were used to create smoke, while special software was being used to create 3D animation during the shows. LED lights and aqua screens were also used to amuse the audience. Script for the laser show had been developed with detailed research and it was kept artistic in nature as well as entertaining.
"Around 500 people could sit on the steps of Mangles Pond and watch the show on water screen used as projection wall for video and laser content accompanied by Surround sound and special effects (bubbles/mist/smoke and dancing fountain). The music and voiceover boomed across the optically pumped high efficiency laser system. The HD video projection system and theatrical and intelligent lighting promised to enhance the overall experience," said the Mangal Talab official.
Sources said a group of local Sikhs along with Sikh tourists from other states met the Mangles Pond administration on Wednesday soon after the power connection was snapped. According to sources, the Sikh tourists were surprised to know that BSTDC's failure to pay the power bills brought the laser show to a halt.
The laser show was free of cost for residents. Visitors were charged neither for the laser show nor for entry into the Mangles Pond premises. Entry to Mangles Pond is still free to visitors.
Sources said the laser show at Mangles Pond gave stiff competition to laser shows at Golghar and Buddha Smriti Park. "Sikh tourists were visiting Mangles Pond for the laser show after visiting many gurdwaras - Bal Leela, Kangan Ghat, Guru ke Bagh, Takht Shri Harmandir Sahib, Danapur-based Handi Sahib and Gai Ghat," added the pond official.
