SRINAGAR: In the upcoming season, Asia’s one of the largest Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, nestled between Dal Lake and the Zabarwan hills, is set to showcase the blooming of 1.7 million tulip bulbs for the first time, including five new varieties.
Officials said that compared to the previous year’s 68 varieties, they have decided to increase the number to 73 in the upcoming season.
Javaid Masood, in charge of Tulip Garden, mentioned that nearly one lakh more bulbs than the previous year will bloom in the upcoming season, for which groundwork has already been completed.
“This year, the work period got extended till mid-December, unlike previous years, as a consignment from Holland got delayed,” he said, adding that in the upcoming season, the Tulip Garden, recently included in the World Book of Records, will be in full bloom with 1.7 million tulip bulbs.
Masood stated that around 100 employees, including staff and gardeners, were employed for the garden’s beautification, and the work has been completed.
“As the influx of tourists recorded last year at the garden increased, we anticipate a further rise in numbers in the upcoming season,” he said, emphasizing that the opening of the Tulip Garden marks the commencement of the new tourist season in Jammu & Kashmir. “The number of tourists visiting J&K in the spring season was low in the past, but since the Tulip garden has come up in Srinagar, the flow has been increasing with every passing year, and this year too, we expect the footfall to increase further,” he added.
The garden, inaugurated in 2007, aims to boost floriculture and tourism in the Kashmir Valley. Built on sloping ground in a terraced fashion, it consists of seven terraces, spreading across 30 hectares. (KNO)
