Tulip Garden in Kashmir Reopened to Tourists

Srinagar, MINA – Asia’s most extensive Tulip garden, located in the Indian-administered Kashmir, was reopened to tourists to boost tourism in the region, officials said.

A senior government official welcomed many domestic and foreign tourists who flocked to the spectacular garden overlooking the Kashmir region’s iconic Dal Lake, Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday.

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was first opened in 2008 by Ghulam Nabi Azad, the then-chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, to attract more tourists during the 30-day flowering season.

Due to the pandemic last year, the garden remained closed for visitors and incurred huge losses. This year, however, authorities have made it mandatory for visitors to wear face masks when entering the garden, as well as follow COVID-19 operating procedures.

The garden, formerly known as Siraj Bagh, is spread out over 30 hectares of land in the foothills of the snow-clad Zabarwan Range in the capital Srinagar.

The garden’s in-charge, Inam Rehman Sofi, told Anadolu Agency that this year the Floriculture Department had planted nearly 15 lakh (1.5 million) tulip bulbs of around 62 varieties.

“The garden has so far achieved a bloom of about 25 percent, and in the coming few days, the garden will be in full bloom,” the official said.

“You can see on the first day of its reopening, there is a huge rush of visitors. It will be a good season for tourism, hopefully,” he said in an optimistic tone.

Meanwhile, the administration announced that a new project is being undertaken in the backside to beautify the garden further.

“There will be a cherry tree and other attractive trees and flowers in the backside of the garden that will be an added attraction,” said the official. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)