Thousands of tourists thronged the Nehru Park in Kotagiri as the summer festival in the Nilgiris kicked off with the inauguration of the vegetable show on Saturday.
This will be the ninth iteration of the vegetable show that began in 2008, and the two-day festival will continue till Sunday. The main draws of the show were a “capsicum ship,” made from more than 1,500 kg of capsicum in three different colours. The exhibit, which was 25-feet-long, 6-feet wide and 12-feet in height, attracted tourists from both within Tamil Nadu and also from other states.
Another exhibit, made using more than 500 kg of zucchini, built to resemble a 1-foot-high lighthouse was also a major draw. Stalls from Horticulture Departments in 10 districts also exhibited a variety of vegetable sculptures, including those that resembled a multitude of animals and birds, each with a very unique message.
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For instance, sculptures from the Horticulture Department in Madurai featured an exhibit in support of the bull-taming sport of jallikattu. Speaking to
Mr. Mani also said that it took around two weeks to organise the show.
The vegetable show was inaugurated by Tourism Minister Vellamandi N Natrajan, in the presence of the Nilgiris District Collector P Sankar. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Natrajan said that the government was working towards ensuring that enough infrastructure is created to support the increase in tourist footfall.
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He said that steps were being taken to address vehicular traffic by investing in roads and parking facilities. He added that Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy was expected to visit the Nilgiris and inaugurate the flower show.
The vegetables that were on show will be distributed to the public and to anyone who wants them free of cost, officials in the Horticulture Department said.
More tourists are expected to visit the Nehru Park on Sunday.
The Nilgiris District Police ensured that traffic snarls did not develop and kept vehicular traffic moving at major points.