The stream of flower lovers visiting the Lalbagh Botanical Garden here to treat their eyes to rows and rows of marigolds, orchids, roses and candy tuft, dipped on Sunday, after a large turnout on Republic Day.
With a day to go, 47,000 people booked a date with nature contributing to the day’s revenue of Rs. 17.5 lakh, M. Jagadeesh, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Lalbagh, said.
This is a substantial drop compared to the numbers on Saturday. Almost one lakh people visited the show, including 78,000 who bought tickets. The revenue collected through ticket sales on Saturday was Rs. 30.52 lakh. On Friday, there were 12,500 visitors.
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“Due to the holidays (beginning on Friday), Saturday witnessed a large number of people. Also, students were given free entry,” he said.
However, Mr. Jagadeesh maintained that this year’s show has made more profits compared to the last year. With a day to go, Rs. 1.08 crore has been collected this year, compared to Rs. 1.03 crore in 2012, he said.
Despite the drop in numbers on Sunday, the eight ticket counters at Lalbagh have been making brisk business, handing out tickets priced at Rs. 40 for adults and Rs. 10 for children. A representative at the sales counter, Linge Gowda, said that ticket sales ranged between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 9 lakh on weekdays, with an increase since Friday.
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Due to the drop in the number of visitors, there were no traffic problems on Sunday. M.A. Saleem, Additional Commissioner, Traffic and Security, said that compared to Saturday, there were no problems.
The 35-foot Eiffel Tower studded with roses, the model of a woman’s dress made entirely of anthuriums, and the statue of Vivekananda continued to be the main attractions.
An exhibition of vegetables under an Agriculture Development scheme and a cacti show with various species were organised.