Tonnes of trash on last day of Lalbagh flower show

The last day of the Independence Day flower show at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden saw thousands of people and tonnes of trash.

Despite the tall promises made by the horticulture department to make the flower show plastic-free, plastic bottles and packets were strewn around all over the city's prime lung space throughout Wednesday.

The garbage piles irked regular walkers who complained to horticulture officials and demanded an immediate clearance.

Aside from the large crowd, what worsened the situation was the presence of unauthorised hawkers inside the Lalbagh. Despite restrictions on their entry, scores of hawkers milled around, selling everything from dolls to gifts items, artefacts to home decorations, cosmetics to clothes and toys to eatables, and packed them in plastic.

Y S Patil, director, horticulture department, attributed the garbage problem to the huge crowd. The department partnered with NGOs to control the crowd, and garbage carriers were stationed in the Lalbagh to clear garbage, he told DH, conceding that the problem could not be solved fully.

M Jagadeesh, joint director, horticulture department, said the department's 55 employees, along with another 35 workers, were posted to clear garbage throughout the duration of the flower show (August 4 to August 15). Anticipating huge crowds on the last day, the department roped in another 70 workers. The workers were divided into 15-member groups to clear garbage and worked until 10 pm every day.

The garbage problem apart, the horticulture department and the police struggled to manage the crowd in and around the Lalbagh on Wednesday. People heading to the Lalbagh and other places were stranded for hours. Many people entered the Lalbagh without a ticket.