NILGIRIS: The 126th annual flower show at the Government Botanical Garden (GBG) in Ooty will commence on May 10 instead of May 17. The Nilgiris district administration has advanced the schedule of the 10-day event. District Collector M Aruna addressing a press conference on Sunday said that instead of May 17the flower show would be held from May 10. This is the first time the popular show is being held for 10 days as earlier the event was held only for seven days.
The decision to extend the number of days and advance the flower show has been taken as we would not be able to conduct other shows as in previous years due to the ongoing Lok Sabha election process, stated the collector. However, the 64th fruit show will be held at Sims Park in Coonoor for three days starting from May 24.
Collector has appealed to tourists heading to the Nilgiris to avoid using plastics since its usage was already banned in the district. The collector also explained the preparations to handle the increasing number of tourists.
"Due to summer holidays, tourist flow to the Nilgiris is on the rise. A total of 34,000 tourists visited the GBG on Saturday alone. Steps are being taken to seize plastics from tourists at check posts. To ensure water availability to the tourists, water ATMs have been installed and a separate staff has been appointed to monitor whether they are working properly. Water ATMs are periodically checked. While the health department is checking the water quality once a month and the TWAD is checking it once in three months," the collector added.
"Despite the increasing tourist arrivals we can supply water to residents using the existing water sources within the municipality limit. If needed drinking water would be supplied through lorries," she said.