The plush surroundings of Lalbagh saw an unprecedented rush on Thursday, as more than two lakh visitors decided to converge at the park.

Schoolchildren who made good use of free entry available to them on the occasion of Republic Day, numbered more than 30,000. One of the most popular spots in Lalbagh, the Glass House was overwhelmed with surging crowds throughout the day, with the cops finding it difficult to ensure a smooth flow of people. A constable at the Glass House remarked that it was a wonder they were managing everything smoothly.

The only disturbance came around Thursday noon, when a task force consisting police, home guards and staff of Lalbagh tried to evict about 200 vendors from the Lalbagh entrance on the Double Road side and inside the park.

An official from the Horticulture Department said they wanted to keep the entrances and important areas clear from the vendors so that visitors would not be harried or disturbed.

“But they all came back in half an hour. Moreover, the visitors scolded us when we tried to evict them saying that street food and other entertainment was also required and told us not to disturb them. Even the vendors requested us not to disturb them on these few days, so we relented,” the official said.

One of the persistent problems that the vendors present is the causal throwing of paper and generating litter and the park authorities have managed to exercise little control over that.

However, despite the presence of food courts, it is the presence of large number of vendors which have managed to keep the visitors happy.

Cleaning

The litter left behind by the enthusiastic crowds has become a challenge for the park officials. Litter has been generously strewn on the lawns of the park, despite the presence of trash cans.
According to officials of the Department, eight supervisors with 20 men each under them have been clearing as much trash as possible.

All the trash cans are being cleared once every one and half hours and the park is being cleaned during the night after it is clear of the crowd.