Works on installing welcome boards using 4,500 bulbs going on briskly atop Chamundi Hill

Mysuru: Dasara illumination is one of the major tourist attractions when the Cultural Capital Mysuru resembles a fairy tale, transporting the visitors to a different world.

The boards designed as ‘Welcome’ in English and Suswagatha in Kannada, using numerous bulbs, on the road leading to Nandi Statue atop Chamundi Hill, greet the visitors to the festival. It has become an inseparable part of Dasara every year, when a look at the lofty Hill, provides a view of the two welcome boards, that turns on and off alternately.

The works on fixing about 4,500 LED bulbs along with the equal number of holders, are going on at a brisk pace. The bulbs of 9 watt capacity each, emit warm white light and every word forming the design will be installed up to 90 feet in height and 20 feet in width from the ground level. They glow alternately for 10 seconds with five seconds break.

Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) has entrusted the task to Humayun Shariff of Sunrise Electricals, who has bagged the tender.

On Thursday, workers were installing wires and bulbs, with 50 percent of the works already completed. About 50 coils of wire are required, with about 15 days needed to complete the works. The works are expected to be expedited further, with the involvement of more workers from today.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Shariff said that he has been bagging the same contract from CESC for the past 20 years. However, it is from the last four years that LED bulbs are being used. The illumination works began on Sept. 15 with a trial run before CESC officials slated to be held on Oct. 1. The illuminated boards will be functioning till Oct. 21 between 7 pm and 9 pm.