It's only been a few days since the "Love Hyderabad" typographic structure was installed at Tank Bund in the city. But already the new selfie point has been temporarily fenced by the security team to avoid people from sitting on it and defacing it with graffiti.
The move comes after a group of young people assaulted a security guard on Saturday night.
Recounting the incident, Brahmam, the supervisor of the security guard team at the structure said, "At 11.30 pm, around 15 to 20 youngsters arrived in front of the structure in two autos. They were supposedly celebrating the birthday of one of their friends and they made a lot of noise while cutting the cake. After that, they sat on the structure for taking selfies and started throwing cake at each other."
The guard, Yesuratnam, tried to stop them from spoiling the structure with cake and writing their names on it but he was allegedly hit on the head by the youngsters.
“He started bleeding, none of the other wing workers came to help, but we have admitted him to a nearby hospital for treatment now,” Brahmam added.
After the incident, the security team has put a temporary fence as a precautionary measure.
They have asked for a permanent fence in front of the structure to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, but they're yet to get a response from them.
The monument was erected to beautify Hyderabad and to offer a recreational facility for people but the callous way in which the public is treating it doesn't bode well for the structure.
One of the security guards, Mohammad Ismail, said that every day hundreds of people come to the structure and click pictures, and that it becomes hard to manage the visitors.
“The rush increases on Saturday and Sunday, and it becomes hard for just two security guards to keep an eye on everyone,” he said
He also mentioned that some visitors scribble "love" messages on the structure and deface it. Tourists who climb on the structure leave behind their footprints on it too. Even after informing the HMDA about the shortage of staff, the security supervisor was told to manage with existing guards.
“Visitors clicking pictures climb on the structure and make it dirty, but if you tell them to move, they abuse us,” Ismail said.
It was reported that the place is poorly maintained by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. After taking note of the issue, GHMC commissioner B Janardhan Reddy told Deccan Chronicle,“Due to the rush at the Love Hyderabad structure, the general traffic is facing obstructions. We shall rectify the problem as soon as possible.”
Though lake police teams monitor the area, they cannot keep an eye on all visitors.
“Mostly youngsters come after midnight in groups and don’t listen to any of the security guards and create problems for us,” Ismail said.