As flower show ends, trash raises a stink

Huge crowd on concluding day, thousands let in without entry tickets

It was only piles of a garbage emanating stench that was left of the previous day’s flower show at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden on Tuesday.

The Independence Day Flower show ended on Monday. Repeated requests from the Horticulture department and volunteers to keep the premises clean seemed to have only fallen on deaf ears. Heaps of garbage, mostly discarded plastic bottles and covers filled the walker’s path forcing many to walk elsewhere on Tuesday.

Plastic remains lined the place right next to the Glass House where several stall had been set up. This was not it. Heaps of wet waste was mounted in the corners of the sprawling park, attracting stray dogs and flies. Students from the nearby R V Public School volunteered to clear off the dry waste on Tuesday.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Prof P Sadashiv, president, Lalbagh Walkers’ Association said heaps of garbage lay unattended at the park. “We had a word with the Horticulture department who assured us that it would be cleared off soon.”

An officer bearer of the Mysore Horticulture Society, which had organised the flower show said that it would take at least four days to clear the garbage. “Except on the last day of the show, the garbage was cleared on an everyday basis. About four tractor loads of garbage has already been cleared and, almost an equal quantity is still lying there.”

He blamed the visitors and those who had put up stalls for the garbage. “People setting up stalls dump whatever is unnecessary. While on the first nine days they keep it all clean to attract customers, they are least bothered on the last day. They leave whatever is unwanted at the spot and walk off while no one is watching them,” he added.

Free entry

The footfall touched several lakhs on Monday. Unable to control the crowd the Horticulture department had no choice but to let in thousands without tickets.

The show saw a overall footfall of four lakh. On Monday afternoon, when the crowd grew beyond their expectation, officials allowed around 35,000 visitors without entry tickets in a span of two hours.

“There was so much rush that the ticket booths were damaged, three booths at the main gate and four at the Double Road entrance. We took a call to let people in freely keeping the safety aspect in mind,” an official said.

The Mysore Horticulture Society spent over Rs 1.65 crore to arrange the show. The total amount collected through entry tickets was Rs 1.78 crores and Rs 20 lakh was collected from stalls.