Centre gives Chandigarh Rs.31 mn for Garden of Spring

Chandigarh is set to come up with a Garden of Spring to attract tourists.

Chandigarh: The union territory of Chandigarh is all set to come up with a Garden of Spring that would showcase over 150 species of plants and trees to attract tourists to the city of gardens.

According to the Chandigarh administration, the union tourism ministry has sanctioned over Rs.31 million (Rs. 311.50 lakh) for establishing this garden. Garden of Spring will be set up on around 25 to 30 acres in the southern part of Chandigarh. "We intend to broadbase the tourism infrastructure by developing new gardens in the city to enhance the green cover. The central government has sanctioned Rs.311.50 lakh for the Garden`s development," home-cum-tourism secretary Ram Niwas said here Monday. "We would include over 150 species of plants, shrubs, creepers, seasonal flowers and trees available here. They would bloom in different seasons and would attract tourists round the year," said Niwas. The Garden of Spring will also include a tourist information centre, walkways and tourist huts. "We already have many beautiful gardens here. We want to promote garden tourism as a special tourism product of Chandigarh," added Niwas. Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, attracts around one million foreign and domestic tourists every year. Designed by legendary French architect Le Corbusier, its green cover is 38.8 per cent of its geographical area - among the highest in the country. IANS