A big birthday bash for famed Lalbagh

A big birthday bash for famed Lalbagh

Staff Reporter

The 150-year-old garden is set to get a facelift



VISUAL TREAT: A file picture of the Annual Independence Day Horticultural Show at the Glass House in Lalbagh.

BANGALORE: One of the lung spaces of the city and a jogger's paradise, the Lalbagh Botanical Garden, is all set to get a major facelift in its sesquicentennial with plans to introduce facility for angling, eco-cycles, planting of new tree species, renovation of its aquarium and Japanese garden. A must-go destination, Lalbagh is one of the popular attractions for tourists in Bangalore.

To mark the 150 years of Lalbagh, the Horticulture Department would plant 150 species of trees, which would be decided by a committee comprising botanists and horticulturists. Besides, insectivorous plants would be introduced in the famed botanical gardens.

"A list of around 700 species would be drawn and the committee would decide on 150 species, which could be both endemic and exotic. Some of the species that Lalbagh has lost over the years would also be replaced," said Horticulture Director G.K. Vasanthkumar.

He said the department had requested the Postal Department to release a stamp on Lalbagh to mark the occasion.

On an average, he said, Lalbagh received 8,000 tourists on weekdays while the number would reach around 30,000 on weekends and holidays, he added.

Among others planned to celebrate 150 years of the gardens include introduction of angling, eco-cycles, anthurium park, renovation of aquarium and the Japanese style of gardens.

He said, "Nearly Rs. 30 lakh is required to renovate the aquarium and Rs. 35 lakh for Japanese garden, while Rs. 14 lakh would be spent on insectivorous plants. We will shortly seek approval for all the programmes."

The decision to introduce eco-cycles, he said, had been taken following the success of eco-cars, which had been well accepted by the visitors. With the introduction of eco-cycles, visitors could go around the 240-acre botanical garden on the cycles.

"Though divergent views had emerged on introduction of angling in the Lalbagh Lake, we would go ahead with it," he said.