Lalbagh flower show registers 1.2 lakh visitors in a week

Back in the city’s calendar of events, the Lalbagh flower show has been drawing big crowds. The show has registered 1,20,000 people since its inauguration on August 5.

The flower show, which pays tribute to Sandalwood actors Dr Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar, will be on until August 15.

Vowing to keep the event litter-free, authorities said they kept the solid waste considerably down.

“There is a drastic reduction in a waste generation this year. In order to avoid the use of plastic, we have got steel cutlery from Adamya Chetana. We are also selling reusable water bottles to avoid plastic waste,” said Kusuma G, Deputy Director of Horticulture (Lalbagh).

Close to 100 cleaning staff have been deployed across the botanical garden to ensure cleanliness. Additionally, 50 volunteers and five marshals are working on the ground to create awareness and ensure visitors do not violate the no-litter rules.

“We have been working towards ensuring zero-waste generation in the flower shows since 2014. This year, we have seen that there is a drastic improvement and increased awareness among people. Vendors who set up their stalls have also signed an agreement and are refraining from using plastic,” said N S Ramakanth, a member of the Solid Waste Management Round Table.

On a positive note, officials from the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) said there were no major congestions despite a spike in the footfall. Their appeal to visitors to use public transport has seemingly worked.

“Except for slow-moving traffic during the peak hours, there have been no major incidents of congestion. We have observed that more people are opting for public transport and hence no issues related to haphazard parking have been reported,” a senior BTP official said.