For the first time, the city would see tulips blooming in such a large number not just in Lutyens' Delhi but other parts of central, west and north Delhi. While New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will plant two lakh bulbs in its area compared to 1.23 lakh bulbs in 2022 and 65,000 bulbs imported in 2021 from the Netherlands, DDA will plant one lakh bulbs in its parks.
The increase in plantation of Tulips and other flowers across the city is in line with the emphasis given by Lieutenant Governor’s goal of turning the Capital into a 'City of Flowers'. At least500 Tulip bulbs have also been planted in the Raj Niwas Campus for the first time. While Tulips will be planted in 65 locations, other winter flowers would adorn the Capital at 91 locations.
These bulbs and other flowering plants will sprout in places such as Central Park, NDMC headquarters, Akbar Road, Windsor Place roundabout, Shanti Path, Talkatora Garden, Ashoka Road, India Gate, Race Course Road, Mandi House, Parliament roundabout and the vicinity of the Vice-President's bungalow (Akbar Road and Maulana Azad Road), and 11 Murti. This year, tulip bulbs will grow into flowers of six colours — white, yellow, red, pink and two in shades of yellow-red and white-red and other varieties of seasonal flowers like Petunia, Salvia, Cineraria, Antirrhinum, Poppy, Verbena, Dianthus, Hollyhock, Nasturtium, Coreopsis, Pansy, Lianum, etc will be planted soon at prominent locations for full public view. Each of these bulbs cost Rs 26.
According to Raj Niwas official, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena over the year chaired meetings and discussions with Horticulture Divisions of various Departments and Agencies and their future preparedness with regards to flower plantation and other activities.
“The LG had issued instructions for double the number of Tulips to be sourced and planted this season. In this regard, the LG had taken up the matter of sourcing Tulips with the Lt. Governors of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and the Government of Himachal Pradesh. He had asked NDMC to source it from these UTs or Himachal Pradesh, rather than sourcing them from abroad. This, he had said will, apart from encouraging and boosting indigenous suppliers, also ensure cost cutting in procurement,” official said.
“Saxena had also asked agencies like MCD, DDA and NDMC who own and operate nurseries of their own to try and achieve temperatures between 10-12 degree centigrade, in their nurseries, so that Tulip saplings and bulbs could be nurtured in Delhi itself. He had also asked for the possibility of sourcing and planting Daffodils in the forthcoming season. On the instructions of the LG, the NDMC, has taken an initiative to establish a unit of the foreign flowers at Lodhi Garden in New Delhi,” official added.
According to NDMC, almost 54,000 imported Tulip bulbs were harvested this year, out of which 52,000 has been sent to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology in Palampur for further research. 2,000 bulbs are currently in the two chambers at the unit in Lodhi Gardens.
