By Suhail Khan
Srinagar: Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Asia’s largest tulip garden, located at the foothills of Zabarwan Hills in Srinagar, has been opened to welcome tourists and locals with the bloom of 17 lakh flowers of different varieties this year.
Also known as ‘Siraj Bagh,’ the garden was inaugurated by former CM Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2008. It is home to rare tulip varieties and is expected to become the second-largest tulip garden in the world.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Haji Abdul, the head of the gardeners, said, people from all over the world are excited to visit and witness the beauty of the colorful tulips, but for them (the employees), it means so much more. “Whenever we (the employees) see these flowers, we not only see their beauty but also our blood, sweat, and tears. These flowers represent our hard work and the immense effort required to create and maintain this stunning garden,” he said.
“However, many daily-wage employees earn only Rs 311,” he said, “Others should also recognize and appreciate their hard work.”
The garden’s opening is the outcome of nearly a year of continuous work and care to ensure its grand success when opened to the public, Abdul said.
Floriculture Commissioner Secretary Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad had announced earlier that the Tulip Garden will be open to the public on March 23.
Mentioning that the garden now boasts 73 tulip varieties, with five new varieties added this year, he said the garden area has been expanded to accommodate all the tulips.
Another floriculture officer told Siasat.com that vibrant colour schemes with new varieties have been introduced this year. “The management has also added daffodils and Hawkins to the garden,” he said.
The officer mentioned that work has been underway for the past six months to open the garden, and this year, we are expecting a record number of tourists.
Haji Abdul, an gardener, said that taking care of the Tulip garden is similar to taking care of a newborn baby. Various tasks, including fertilizing, spraying, and watering, have been done for the last six months.
There are around 100 workers here who put in extra hours to meet the target, an employee said. The department’s constant efforts aim at making the garden more attractive each year to attract more tourists.
Pertinently, due to the unpredictable temperature fluctuations in the valley, the blooming season of tulips is exceptionally short, lasting only 15-20 days. Therefore, the renowned tulip garden in Srinagar has had to adapt by extending its opening period to nearly a month each year.
The Divisional Commissioner (Kashmir) had earlier reviewed arrangements for Asia’s largest Tulip Garden’s opening in Srinagar.
The meeting attended by officers of the tourism, traffic, floriculture, and municipal corporations held a threadbare discussion regarding the opening of the garden for visitors, traffic management, parking space, sanitation, cleanliness drive, fixing of potholes, online ticketing, and other arrangements.
He directed the concerned floriculture officers to facilitate online ticketing and put QR code scanning facilities at different locations for the convenience of tourists.
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