Lalbagh's 'sunken garden' opens soon

A dumpsite earlier, this two-acre patch has been given a makeover with ornamental plants

The long-awaited Sunken Garden coming up near the West Gate of Lalbagh Botanical Garden will open to the public in November or early next year depending on the pandemic situation.

In 2016, the department of horticulture, and the public works department had started a project to convert the low-lying area near the West Gate of Lalbagh into a garden of ornamental plants. That’s why the name, Sunken Garden.

The garden was supposed to be inaugurated during the Lalbagh Flower Show, which is held around Independence Day every year. But the launch had to be cancelled because of the pandemic, an official told Metrolife.

Both the departments have spent Rs75 lakh to beautify this patch of two acres, which was earlier used for dumping garbage and dry leaves. “We have planted more than 100 varieties of water plants such as orchids, water bamboos, alocasias, ferns, and lotuses. These are sourced from different nurseries in Karnataka and other states,” says M Jagadeesh, joint director of horticulture, Lalbagh.

The garden also has a six-feet deep pond covered with the Nymphaea lotus and a pathway for walkers to go around it.

“We have retained the existing trees in the garden and worked our way around them,” says G Kusuma, deputy director of horticulture, Lalbagh.

“Through this garden, we want to educate the public about how to take care of submerged areas. We want to show that many plants can be grown in such areas. They not only purify the water but also help in reducing air pollution,” says Kusuma while informing Metrolife that they could not add more features to the garden because of the lack of funds.

While regular walkers to the Lalbagh have welcomed the initiative, heritage enthusiasts are upset with the authorities for taking up new projects instead of fulfilling their long-pending demand for restoring the crumbling structures inside the park.