Public irked over delay in reopening of Botanical Garden
Much to the disappointment of residents and tourists alike, the green lung of the city, the Botanical Garden, has been kept out of bounds during peak summer after agriculture department closed the facility for Puducherry Smart City Development Limited (PSCDP) to take up renovation work of the garden.
The garden was closed for public in 2024 for renovation works which included, landscaping, sprucing up of the garden, construction of an amphitheatre, jogging track, pathways, reconstruction of ticket counter, improvement of fountains and provision for battery-operated joy train at a cost of ₹9.11 crore. The works were scheduled to be completed in January this year.
While there have been claims and counter claims by the agriculture department and PSCDP over the status of the work, the public are angry over the closure of the facility for so long. PSCDP officials said they had met the Director of Agriculture around two weeks ago and explained about all the works done. A book regarding the works completed was submitted to the department, said a PSCDP officer.
However, an official in the Agriculture Department maintained that some more works were pending and it would take a few more days for reopening the garden.
'When we went to the garden during Christmas vacation last year, we were told by the security personnel that it will be opened in January this year. After the closure of school in April, we went again but the garden remained closed. We were told it will take at least a month for its opening. After Bharathi Park, the Botanical Garden is the only place for us to relax in a natural environment. The government should have planned for reopening the facility during summer vacation,' said Ravikanth, a resident of Lawspet.
The security guards posted at the entrance say a lot of tourists come on a daily basis to visit the place. ' All major works were completed weeks ago and even new battery operated vehicles have been procured and kept ready for tourists. The toy train is also ready. Only the signage board work is going on,' said a guard posted near the entrance of Marimalaiadigal Salai.
The garden was established in 1826 by the French botanist George Samuel Perrottet on an experimental basis to preserve the unique vegetation of the region. The 22-acre garden has a collection over 2, 400 trees, 213 genus types and 293 species. The garden is the venue for the annual flower show in Puducherry.
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