RS 50 IS WHAT NOW ONE NEEDS TO HAVE A LOOK OF TULIP AND BOTANICAL GARDENS BECAUSE A WALL HAS BEEN RAISED TO KEEP THE INSIDE DEVELOPMENTS A ‘PRIVATE AFFAIR’ AWAY FROM PUBLIC GAZE

The picturesque view along the Cheshma Shahi Road, which had been mesmerising millions since the Mughal era has been blocked. Reasons: The government wants to keep the locales of Tulip and Botanical gardens away from the sight of those who can’t pay the entry fee.
 Some 10-feet tall wall of jute matting has been raised along the fencing of the twin gardens in the heels of Zaberwan hills. The wall has been painted green.
 For now, the landscaped gardens, spanning over some 1600 kanals, near the Dal lake banks, aren’t visible from outside.
 This as per the Floriculture Department has been done to generate more revenue.
 But there’s another theory for the beauty hiding. Many say some couples visiting the Botanical garden indulge into physical intimacy in the rare towards the Cheshma Shahi uphill.
 “As such intimate sessions would be open to public gaze for the ones moving down the Cheshmashahi Road, raising the wall served dual purpose,” said a insider working at Botanical Garden adding that in the past also there had been complaints of “immoral activities” there. 
 The Floriculture department officials, however, refute this pleading that the view was blocked with the sole aim of increasing revenue.
 “Basically, we want the people to go inside the gardens,” said Director Floriculture, Sarwar Naqash.
 Nasaqh said the visitors including locals had gone “clever enough” as they would have a look of garden from outside but didn’t walk-in to save money.
 “It mostly happened with Tourist buses driving down Cheshma Shahi. The tourists would have an exterior look of the gardens and avoided walk-in to save the entry fee,” the Director added.
 He said the wall had started reaping benefits. “We have made a revenue generation of over Rs 24 lakhs in less than a month,” he said while referring Tulip Garden where the entry fee is Rs 50 per head.
 His colleague said keeping the scenic view unblocked was like “exposing beauty to losses”.
 “Beauty has a value in concealment. Exposing it makes it loose the value,” he explained.
 But visitors moving on the Cheshma Shahi Road uphill the gardens are annoyed.
 “I wanted to take a panoramic picture of the locale but all I could see was the green jute wall,” complained Vijay Kumar, a visibly upset Tourist walking the road. 
 Observers, on the other hand, are all fire against the walling.
 “This is very sad and un-aesthetic,” said expert on heritage and former Director General Tourism, Muhammad Salim Baig.
 “The wall,” Baig said, “was a barrier for those who can’t afford going inside the gardens.”
 “Should we deny anybody the privilege to see the scenic beauty particularly to those who can’t afford going inside?” Baig asked.
 In fact, the former bureaucrat said, keeping the view open would tempt more and more people to go inside.
 “The government should encourage people to see it from outside so that they get tempted to walk in,” Baig said.
 Interestingly, even though the government hosts most of the visiting VIPs and the VVIPs in this area in the heels of Zabverwan hills, now they too have to bear between the beauty and the barrier!

Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST