New Delhi: New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) plans to develop a tulip garden inside Nehru Park, with parking and recreational activities, to allow visitors to spend more time enjoying the blooms without worrying about traffic congestion.This proposed garden will be in addition to the tulip displays along Shanti Path. The blooms attract a large number of visitors every year but often lead to traffic chaos because of inadequate parking. Visitors frequently park their vehicles on the roadside.“We want a tulip garden on a much larger scale. While the blooms at Shanti Path are a delight for passersby and visitors, the lack of parking means people cannot spend much time there. As a visitor, I would love to enjoy the tulips with my family, click pictures and even have a picnic, but that is not possible on Shanti Path,” NDMC chairman Manoj Dwivedi said on X.“The civic body has identified a site inside Nehru Park and started preparations for its development,” he said. Photography, music and other recreational attractions are also being planned there.NDMC plans to develop the garden into a year-round floral attraction, with different seasonal flowers blooming round the year.The tulip bloom typically lasts only 20 to 25 days, making this a shortlived attraction. “To ensure that the proposed garden remains relevant throughout the year, the civic body plans to develop it as a floral destination, turning it into a ‘valley of flowers’,” Dwivedi said Sunday.This year, 4.7 lakh tulip bulbs will be planted in Delhi, of which 3 lakh will be planted in the NDMC area. The remaining 1.67 lakh bulbs will be used by DDA in its parks and other locations across the city.According to sources, the process of procuring the bulbs from the Netherlands has begun. The bulbs are expected to cost around Rs 1.4 crore — each bulb costs approximately Rs 37.4. Planting is scheduled for Dec, with blooms expected within 20 to 25 days, depending on weather conditions.“Roundabouts and places like Shanti Path, Talkatora Garden are among the prominent locations where NDMC plans to plant tulips,” an official said.Parks maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), however, will miss the seasonal flowers for the second consecutive year. Sources cited difficulties in maintaining flowers in public spaces, particularly damage caused by miscreants.
