Two days before the opening of the Independence Day Flower Show, Lalbagh Botanical Garden was a hive of activity on Wednesday with the Horticulture Department giving last-minute touches to the grand floral displays. The year, the flower show will be a tribute to Jayachamaraja Wadiyar (1919-1974), the last maharaja of the erstwhile State of Mysore, to mark his birth centenary.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will inaugurate the show at 11 a.m. on Friday with Pramoda Devi Wadiyar (wife of the late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar) and Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, as the guests of honour.
Among the highlights are replicas of the Chamarajendra Wadiyar Circle in Mysuru, the Raja Durbar of the palace, and the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens.
N. Jagdish, joint director, Horticulture Department (parks and gardens), said that 12.5 lakh flowers have been used. They have been sourced from Ooty, Nandi Hills, Kemmangundi hill station, northeast India, and Thailand. “Around 92 colourful and exotic varieties of annual flowers, such as roses, carnations, poinsettias, cymbidium orchids, anthuriums, chrysanthemums, among others, have been used for the exhibits. We have also used 9.5 lakh potted plants and 6.7 lakh flowering plants,” he added.
No entry for cars
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) Rohini Katoch Sepat, 100 CCTV cameras have been set up throughout Lalbagh, and 350 police personnel, including home guards and KSRP, will be present.
Visitors can park their vehicles in the multi-storey car park at the Shantinagar Bus Stand complex and at the BBMP car park on J.C. Road. Parking facility has also been arranged in Al-Ameen college ground. Only school buses and vehicles of the differently-abled will be allowed in Lalbagh.
A fire engine and five ambulances with para-medical staff will be present at all the four entry points as a precautionary measure.