Golconda: Love birds mock at 'tourist police'
HYDERABAD: The much-talked about Tourist Facility and Security Organisation (TFSO) or simply called, tourist police, which was supposed to be set up at the Golconda Fort to ensure safety of visitors, has turned out to be a damp squip. The only visible tourist police are four additional personnel posted at the monument by the tourism department.
Instead of more number of cops, one can find more number of love birds at the fort. Not content with spending time together, the couples were found to be engraving their names on the walls to make it 'memorable.'
'If we catch couples here and there, we try to persuade them to leave. But, after we leave, they return, or just simply find another place. In fact, even if we catch any of them writing their names on the walls, at most, there will be a fine,' explained a security guard on condition on anonymity.
The worst part is some angry boys even return with a vengeance if they are fined or caught and scribble their names and that of others too on the walls.
The security personnel at the fort are of the opinion that the current force level of 32 and the minimal tourist police are not enough. 'We are 32, but we work in shifts. Only 10 of us are there from 9 am to 6 pm, while there is a rotation of shifts for the others,' explained another security guard.
When contacted, Shiv Kumar from the Archaeological Survey of India, who looks after the Golconda Fort, admitted shortage of security guards, and the fact that the law under which offenders are booked is not harsh.
The entire fort is also not covered by CCTV cameras. At present, there are just five cameras, which cover 60 percent of all the exclusive areas, said Kumar. He cited budget constraints for not covering the entire fort.
News Posted: 5 April, 2013
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