Nine lakh tulips to be planted across Delhi ahead of flowering season

New Delhi: Delhi will be adorned with over nine lakh tulips during the flowering season, Raj Niwas officials said on Wednesday.

Nine lakh tulips will be planted this year, almost double the number of tulips planted in Delhi in the winters of 2023 (five lakh) and almost six times the number planted in 2022 (1.5 lakh tulips), they added.

"The increase in plantation of Tulips and other flowers across the city is in line with Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena’s aim and the emphasis given on turning the National Capital into a 'City of Flowers'.

"In a meeting chaired by Saxena yesterday, a blueprint was prepared for sourcing and plantation of Tulips in the upcoming flowering season. The meeting was attended by the horticulture departments of various civic and government agencies," the official said.

In the meeting, LG was informed that the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) would procure 3.25 lakh Tulips while the DDA (Delhi Development Authority) will procure four lakh tulips this year, he said.

Other civic and greening agencies will purchase Tulips from NDMC and DDA, as per their requirements. Nearly 2.5 lakh Tulip bulbs would also be received from the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology in Palampur and other Centres where NDMC had sent the harvested tulip bulbs from Delhi for further regeneration, he added.

In the meeting, the LG also directed the DDA and NDMC to sell potted tulips at reasonable prices, through its nurseries in different parts of the city like New Delhi, East, North and Outer Delhi areas.

This year, the entire NDMC area including its 52 roundabouts, prominent places like the diplomatic area of Shanti Path, Talkatora Garden, Windsor Place, Central Park (Connaught Place), Mandi House, Akbar Road, Chanakyapuri, Lodhi Garden and Nehru Park, RML round about etc. would be adorned with multi-hued Tulips. Tulips will also be planted at the Parliament House well in advance so that they are in full bloom during the sessions.

DDA will plant the tulips in various parks, and recreational spaces on the Yamuna riverbed like Asita, Baansera and Yamuna Vatiika, and other city forests that are frequented by people.

Last year, tulips in the shades of yellow, white, orange, purple, blue, pink and red, were planted in 65 locations. However, the target this year is to cover nearly 200 prominent locations across Delhi, with tulips, he said.