An evening stroll in a park is a routine for many in the twin cities. Sanjeevaiah Park, NTR Gardens and the Lumbini Park are some of the favourite haunts for the sociable, health conscious men and women and of course, love birds too.Not to forget tourists who consider a visit to the Lumbini Park and NTR Gardens as part of the “Hyderabad package.” For the past fortnight, though, their numbers have come down drastically, due in large measure to the ongoing RTC strike.“The numbers have come down by more than 50 per cent,” officials of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority told City Express.This in turn has burnt a hole in the HMDA pocket. The Buddha Purnima Project officials too confirmed the dip in business.According to HMDA officials, on any given day, the average number of visitors to the NTR Gardens is around 4,500-5,000 and on holidays, it nearly doubles.Ever since the Telangana stir began and the RTC buses went off roads on September 13, only about 2,000- 2,5000 are paying a visit to the gardens.Similarly, 5,000-6,000 visit the Lumbini Park every day and on holidays, the number crosses the 10,000 mark.In the last 10 days, the average has come down to 3,000 per day. For the famous Lumbini Laserium show, as against the 1100-1300 daily attendance, now only about 800 are queuing up. Vendors and canteen owners in these parks are a worried lot as they fear that they may not be able to pay rent to the authorities if the visitors stop coming.Sanjeevaiah park, however, is still going strong registering just about 15% drop, primarily due to its reputation as a lovers’ heaven. T stir or no stir, nothing it seems matters for these couples.
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