Rain robs spring fest of festivity

Hina Rohtaki

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, March 1

Rain dampened the festivities at the much-awaited Spring Festival held at the Yavanika Gardens in Sector 5 here today.

Nobody turned up at the venue of the event organised by the Horticulture Department of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Panchkula. HUDA spends nearly Rs 15 lakh on the fest as artists from different areas are invited to perform and entertain the visitors.

No performance could take place due to rain. Various varieties of flowers were put on display but people did not show up. A special yoga park having statues of Gautama Buddha was also created to attract visitors, but all efforts went in vain. However, the competitions for children were held at the Indradhanush Auditorium in Sector 5.

Earlier, the fest was a two-day event to be inaugurated yesterday. However, following the death of former Haryana Chief Minister Hukum Singh, the fest could not be opened yesterday making it a one-day event.

People who had put up stalls at the venue remained idle throughout the day.

“Rain has played a spoilsport. Our business has got affected. Nobody turned up at our stall,” said a stall owner.

The Executive Engineer of the Horticulture Department, Har Lal said, “Rain has spoiled all our plans. We did not want to disappoint the children who had come to participate in the competitions. So we organised the events at the Indradhanush Auditorium.”