Oooty getting ready for Floral Carnival
Udhagamandalam: A spectacular display of a wide variety of flowers in beds of different shapes and sizes and pots of assorted colours is in the offing during the two-day Annual Floral Carnival (AFC) at the Government Botanical Garden here on May 19 and 20. The organisers are spending sleepless nights in preparing for the event, which is the highlight of the summer tourist season in the Nilgiris.However the insensitivity of certain classes of tourists to the considerable efforts involved in organising a show of such magnitude and the practical difficulties in maintaining the sprawling venue extending over 55 acres, is not only proving to be irksome to the organisers but also diverting their attention, which needs to be directed undividely towards various aspects of the floral carnival.Showing scant regard to aesthetics, groups of tourists are using the verdant lawns of the gardens for organising picnics and in the process littering the place with used disposable plates, cups and leftovers. Some of them are also throwing such items inside the flowerbeds.
The Manager of the Garden, N. Mani, told The Hindu here on Monday that the main lawn will remain cordoned off till the AFC since it had turned brown at some places owing to thousands of people trampling it. Pointing out that the number of tourists being fined for indulging in vandalism is on the rise, he said that a number of workers have been deployed to remove the litter.Though smoking is banned inside the garden and there are several boards cautioning visitors not to smoke, many of them seem to be deriving pleasure in lighting up, right under such boards. Though the watch and ward staff are requesting them not to violate the ban, some are reportedly defiant.
Thanks to the presence of uniformed personnel, especially women police, `prospective eveteasers' are behaving themselves. Regular local visitors to the garden hoped that the tourists who tend to go berserk, would restrain themselves. Even at the annual dogs show, which concluded on Sunday, the organisers regretted that the tourists had littered the venue despite dustbins being kept at many places.Some of the environmentalists said that scenic spots like Film Shooting hill, Dodabetta peak and Pykara are heavily littered with plastic bottles and bags.
Thanks to the presence of uniformed personnel, especially women police, `prospective eveteasers' are behaving themselves. Regular local visitors to the garden hoped that the tourists who tend to go berserk, would restrain themselves. Even at the annual dogs show, which concluded on Sunday, the organisers regretted that the tourists had littered the venue despite dustbins being kept at many places.Some of the environmentalists said that scenic spots like Film Shooting hill, Dodabetta peak and Pykara are heavily littered with plastic bottles and bags.
