JOIN USA footfall of more than 42,000 at the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens on Sunday during the ongoing Independence Day flower show has left Bengaluru’s historic park clogged with garbage.
Plastic covers, waste paper, water bottles and leftover food were found strewn all around Lalbagh, depicting an eyesore against the lush green grass and colourful flowers. Spots around small stalls where there were no dustbins had piles of plastic covers and leftover food. Even though the lawn around the park has been maintained with great care, visitors didn’t bother the least throwing plastic bottles at the place.
There was also the menace of stray dogs at Lalbagh. Those wishing to relax on the rock after taking a stroll around the garden had stray dogs as unwelcome visitors. Shivani, a woman who took her children to Lalbagh on Monday afternoon, had to take extra caution after buying snacks. “These dogs are all around the place. A few puppies keep following us,” she said.
People, who wished to sit back after standing in the queue for the flower show, struggled to find a tidy place on the rock.
The Lalbagh authorities have sought the support of various groups to help clear the garbage during the flower show. Gunavantha J, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, said: “We have teams from the NSS (National Service Scheme) and the NGO named Sahas which are helping us collect and segregate the garbage. Our workers clean the premises at regular intervals.”
As for the stray dog menace, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) authorities have claimed they can’t do much, according to an official in the Horticulture Department who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “They come and vaccinate these dogs, sterilising them. But they claim they can’t take these dogs away as law does not permit it,” the official said. “It is important that visitors stop feeding the dogs.”
The Horticulture Department generated a revenue of Rs 5,61,670 on Monday and a total of Rs 51,54,910 over the last three days. As many as 1,05,705 people have visited the show since it began on August 7.
The flower show will go on till August 16.