What happens to lakhs of flowers which were used in the Republic Day flower show organised at Lalbagh Botanical Garden? This time, the flowers will be used to make colour extracts and incense sticks, the Horticulture Department has decided.
Along with the special Cymbidium orchids from Darjeeling, a total of 30 lakh flowers, including double zinnias, chrysanthemums, ginger lillies, gerbera, and varieties of carnations and orchids were used in the flower show.
“Usually, we invite organisations to compost the flowers. We use it as manure for our plants. But this year, we have planned to repurpose the flowers,” said Jagdeesh M., Joint Director (Parks and Gardens), Horticulture Department.
Out of the 30 lakh flowers, around 20 lakh flowers (weighing around 1 to 1.5 tonnes) are available for repurposing, the official said. Development Commissioner Shalini Rajneesh reportedly suggested to the Horticulture Department to use the flowers for a better purpose.
“Five years ago, we gave the flowers for colour extraction, but after that we have always used it as manure. This time, some organisations have come forward for colour extraction and to use them for making incense sticks. But we are currently waiting for the flowers to dry, which will take around two to three days. Once they are totally dry, we will seek an expert’s consultation and then proceed,” Mr. Jagadeesh said.
The department will shortly take a call on which organisations will be working on repurposing the flowers.
Highest footfall
This year’s January flower show, which was themed around social reformer, philosopher and poet Basavanna’s life, Vachana Sahitya and Vachana writers like Allam Prabhu, Akka Mahadevi, and Ambigara Chowdayya, had the highest ever footfall of 5.61 lakh. Over 95,000 people visited the show on Republic Day, making it the highest footfall on a single day for the January show. The revenue from the show was around ₹2.58 crore, the department officials said.
