Delhi: Nearly 2.25 lakh tulip bulbs to be planted under NDMC's annual beautification drive

New Delhi, Dec 27 (PTI) To beautify the winter landscape of Lutyens' Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Saturday launched its annual tulip plantation drive at Children's Park, an official statement said.

A total of 5,17,500 tulip bulbs have been purchased this year, with 3,25,000 allocated to the NDMC and 1,92,500 to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

NDMC Vice-Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal planted the first tulip bulb at the venue, formally kicking off the campaign aimed at making the capital's civic heart "more beautiful, clean and green".

Recalling the origins of the initiative, Chahal said "The NDMC began the exercise in 2017 with a pilot project of 17,000 tulip bulbs at the same venue." The official said this year, the NDMC plans to decorate major religious and public spaces across the national capital with tulips. "Where land is available, bulbs are being planted directly in the ground, while pots are being used in space-constrained locations," he said.

The plantation drive also aligns with national initiatives such as "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" and the "Viksit Bharat" mission, he added.

From February, when the flowers begin to bloom, large parts of New Delhi will be adorned in colours, Chahal said.

Tulips usually form buds about a week before flowering and remain in bloom for around 25 days, depending on weather conditions.

Growing them poses challenges, as the bulbs require temperatures of around five degrees Celsius for at least 15 days to germinate, the senior official said, adding, to address this, the NDMC has procured pre-treated bulbs that can adapt to changing weather.

Accoirding to officials, around 2.25 lakh tulip bulbs will be planted at locations including Shanti Path, Central Park in Connaught Place, Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden, Sardar Patel Marg, Mandi House, Windsor Place, Sher Shah Suri Marg and roundabouts near the Vice President's House.

Around one lakh bulbs will be planted in pots and sold to the public, while the NDMC will also plant 15,000 bulbs preserved from last year at the Tulip House in Lodhi Garden, along with 20,700 bulbs sourced from the CSIR-IHBT Research Centre in Palampur.

Praising the horticulture department, Chahal said NDMC currently maintains about 1,450 acres of green space, which includes seven major parks such as Central Park, Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden, Nehru Park and Sanjay Lake, two rose gardens on Shanti Path, 122 colony parks, six nurseries, 981 CPWD parks, 51 roundabouts, 14 market gardens and approximately 15,000 roadside trees. PTI VBH SHB ARB ARB