DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The City of Flowers, Chandigarh, is currently hosting the highly anticipated three-day Rose Festival, encompassing 829 varieties spread across 46 acres at Zakir Hussain Rose Garden in Sector 16. The festival commenced today and will continue until February 25, from 10 am to 9 pm daily.

The zero waste Rose Festival was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Punjab and Administrator ,UT Chandigarh, in the presence of Kirron Kher, MemberParliament, City Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, Adviser to Administrator Rajeev Verma, Secretary Local Government Nitin Kumar Yadav, Anindita Mitra, Commissioner, area councillor Saurabh Joshi, other councillors, senior officers of the civic body, and prominent residents of the beautiful city.

As part of the event, Banwarilal Purohit, along with MP Smt. Kirron Kher, City Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, Adviser to Administrator Rajeev Verma, Secretary Local Government Nitin Kumar Yadav, IAS, Anindita Mitra, and area councillor Saurabh Joshi, unveiled an artistically designed brochure and a 'Do it yourself' pamphlet providing citizens with information on how to grow roses at home.

The chief guest praised the officials of the Municipal Corporation for organizing such a splendid show, while encouraging citizens to maintain the beauty of the city's gardens and urging them to create small gardens on their terraces or balconies. He also acknowledged the gardeners (Malis) as the unsung heroes behind the enchanting beauty of the city's parks.

While addressing the gathering, the MP Kirron Kher said that the Municipal Corporation has made beautiful efforts to engage all age groups of citizens to participate and enjoy in this annual festival. She said that now in its second consecutive year, the festival has been transformed into a zero waste initiative by the civic body. Alongside the breathtaking display of roses, the festival features various stalls dedicated to three major categories: Informative, Interactive, and Empowering the community. These stalls have been set up by the MC team and the SHG's (Self-Help Groups) as a testament to the Municipal Corporation's commitment to sustainability and empowering communities.

The informative stalls aim to create awareness about C&D Waste Recycled Products, Horticulture Waste Products, Home Composting, Visar Live Demo, Arpan Live Demo (products from Floral Waste), NAYASA, Bartan Bhandar, Safai Mitra Equipment Stalls, and Fire Rescue Services.
(editor@dailyworld.in)