Care of kids no child's play, say officials

Flower show: Horticulture Department well-equipped for crowd control

At least nine children, including a two-year-old, were reunited with their parents at the Lalbagh Police Cell near the Glass House on Sunday between 3 pm and 5 pm, during the Republic Day flower show.

Such instances of children getting separated from their parents are common wherever crowds gather. Officials of the Horticulture Department say people bringing young children with them to public places should take utmost care. They have asked parents to write their mobile numbers on the hands of their children.

While the Horticulture department has taken all necessary steps to enhance the experience of visitors, it remains the responsibility of people to ensure that their visit does not end in an unpleasant way.

Due to security restrictions in the gardens around Glass House, where the flower show is on, people are advised to enter Lalbagh through North or South gate as this leads directly to the queue outside Glass House. One can reach Glass House, entering through the other gates as well. But, it takes extra effort to walk the longer distance to the queue.

There are three 12-seater eco-friendly vehicles taking visitors on a tour of Lalbagh, at Rs 100 per head. One of them is exclusively for the elderly and disabled, for whom the ticket cost is Rs 50.

Authorities also have to tackle the peak hour problem of visitors crowding near the exit points of the Glass House. Manohar, Assistant Deputy Director, Horticultural department said: “There are only two entrance points to the Glass House and two exit routes. But people block the exit points, trying to click pictures. This creates difficulty in clearing the crowd.”

Guarding efforts

The authorities have enlisted the services of 40 Home Guards this time against 15 during previous flower shows. An additional ambulance and a fire brigade have been stationed very close to the Glass House. Security cameras have been installed at different locations and the footage is monitored on computers near the entrance gates. People carrying metallic or harmful substances are not allowed to enter.

More than one lakh visitors are expected to throng the flower show on January 26 (Republic Day) and on January 29 (Sunday). The Republic Day, falling on a weekday, is expected to bring more crowd compared to weekends, said M Jagadeesh, Secretary of Mysore Horticulture Society.

To counter littering of Lalbagh, 90 additional cleaning staff have been employed on Sunday and Republic Day. Eatables and plastic bags are strictly not allowed inside the Glass House, but people are allowed to bring food from outside into the park.

Close to 45,000 people visited Lalbagh during the first two days. Sunday saw footfalls of at least 80,000. The Horticulture department, which has spent close to Rs 55 lakh for the event, hopes it will remain etched in the memory of the visitors. There are frequent bus services to Lalbagh from Shantinagar, Shivajinagar and Kempegowda bus stations.