Nature lovers to miss a date with annual flower show

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 14

There are no plans to organise the annual flower show this year as well. Blame it on the acute shortage of funds with the Municipal Corporation.

Last year also, no flower show was organised by the civic body leaving nature lovers disappointed as the MC officials were busy in the Vidhan Sabha elections.

Now, since the MC elections are nearing, it is not clear whether it would organise the flower show this time as well. Sources said the financial condition of the MC is not good enough, due to which the officials are least interested in organising such activities during the spring season.

According to the MCs horticulture wing, the flower show is generally organised in the first week of March at Nehru Rose Garden.

An official said: “The election code of conduct is likely to be imposed soon. When the code of conduct is imposed, it is difficult to get approval for required funds. Moreover, MCs financial condition is also not good as even employees’ salaries are getting delayed.”

Jagjeet Singh Mann of Watawaran Sambhal Society, an NGO, said: “The civic body had missed the flower show last year as well. We want the MC to organise the show this year as such activities encourage people to get close to nature.”

The MC started organising the flower show in 1999, but the activity was stopped after some years. In March 2015, the then MC Commissioner GK Singh Dhaliwal had announced to organise it with much fan fare at Nehru Rose

Garden after a gap of two years. It is said that the show received a good response in 2016 as well. However, it was not organised in 2017. Surinder Kumar, Executive Engineer of MC’s horticulture branch, said: “We generally organise the flower show in the first week of March. However, there is no such plan to organise it this year as the MC elections are also nearing.”

He said the final decision to organise the flower show lies with the higher authorities.