Chandigarh, February 23: 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, Sh. Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT Chandigarh, in the presence of Smt. Kirron Kher, MemberParliament, City Mayor Sh. Kuldeep Kumar, Adviser to Administrator Sh. Rajeev Verma, IAS, Secretary Local Government Sh. Nitin Kumar Yadav, IAS, Ms. Anindita Mitra, IAS, Commissioner, area councillor Sh. Saurabh Joshi, other councillors, senior officers of the civic body, and prominent residents of the beautiful city.
As part of the event, Sh. Banwarilal Purohit, along with MP Smt. Kirron Kher, City Mayor Sh. Kuldeep Kumar, Adviser to Administrator Sh. Rajeev Verma, IAS, Secretary Local Government Sh. Nitin Kumar Yadav, IAS, Ms. Anindita Mitra, IAS, and area councillor Sh. 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 Smt. 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.
The interactive stalls engage citizens and educate them about waste segregation through games like puzzles, tongue twisters conveying Swachhata messages, and waste-to-art collaborations with Kalasagar. Additionally, 21 stalls dedicated to SHGs showcase products ranging from floral perfumes and herbal colors to handmade products made from waste materials, such as candles, agarbattis, jewelry, cloth bags, kurtis, tops, plazos, and various handicrafts and handlooms. The event, organized by the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, promotes sustainability and environmental consciousness.
Sustainability, creativity, innovation, and inclusivity converge at the special attraction of the “Zero Waste” 52nd Rose Festival 2024, featuring the Swachh Game Zone. This zone is dedicated to Indian games and Swachhata and aims to engage citizens of all ages in activities promoting cleanliness and hygiene at the Rose Festival. Games such as Stapoo, Skipping, Sack Race, Lemon Run, Tug of War, and DIY flower-making using paper are available. Additionally, a photography skills learning zone, a magic show, karaoke, musical chairs, and a new game called “Sortify” will be introduced. In Sortify, participants sort waste (depicted on balls) into dry, wet, sanitary, and hazardous categories and aim to dispose of them correctly based on the designated color of each category.
To enhance the festival experience for visitors, MC Chandigarh has made arrangements for public amenities, including a special lost and found counter, a medical counter, water facilities, and clean and hygienic public conveniences.
In an effort to provide reasonably priced food items within the festival grounds, the MCC has organized the beautiful ‘Zero Waste Rasoi’. This eco-friendly food court strictly prohibits the use of plastic items and promotes the use of biodegradable and recyclable products.
During his address, the City Mayor commended the efforts of the gardeners and officials who made the event vibrant and colorful with the stunning display of chrysanthemum flowers. He also expressed his appreciation for organizing the three-day show as a zero waste event.
The first evening of the Zero Waste-52nd Rose Festival 2024 concluded with a performance by Sham-e-Gazal by renowned singer Sunil Singh Dogra and a Live Band Performance by Sagar Band.
