Despite demand from morning walkers, NBRI to remain closed

LUCKNOW: Morning-walkers have demanded reopening of the National Botanical Garden that has been closed since COVID-19 induced lockdown in March.

Many avid morning walkers said they found the closure odd as nearly all other parks like zoological park, Janeshwar Misra park, Lohia park as well as malls and multiplexes have been reopened while adhering to certain restrictions on the basis of government advisory. However, the NBRI director SK Barik made it clear that the garden won’t reopen till the covid cases and fatality rates come down.

“Majority of our morning walkers are senior citizens,” he said. However, morning walkers have a different take.

“We want to fill up our lungs with fresh morning air again,” said Mohd Ahsan (68), a retired officer of Indian Forest Service (IFS). He said citizens of Lucknow have never been denied entry into the Garden since its inception.

“National Botanical Garden is green lung in the heart of city where many go for morning walk. Garden has lots of educational value too as there are unique collection of indigenous and exotic trees and bushes transported from the four corners of the world like Brazil, Argentina, China etc,” he said.

The NBRI was closed on March 17. “As the trees bear their name plates with their scientific name and country of origin, a morning walker is thoroughly enlightened about many aspects of flora. Citizens of Lucknow desperately want it to reopen,” Ahsan said.

Another retired person, Krishna Mohan Srivastava, a resident of Jopling Road also expressed his unhappiness over prolonged closure of botanical garden. “Me and my wife were regular visitors there. It was safe and quiet and a walk around the park was so relaxing. I miss all of that,” Srivastava said.

The NBRI director however dismissed the demand.

“We have made our campus very clean. As soon as the number of covid cases and fatality rate come down first before we reopen. About 80% of our morning walkers are senior citizens above the age of 60. The risk factor is high as we all know how serious the virus is. I myself was in hospital for 16 days,” he said.

When asked then why NBRI shops are kept open to sell plants, he said, “It is at the gate and no people enter our premises to buy them.”

NBRI DIRECTOR SK BARIK MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE GARDEN WON’T REOPEN TILL THE COVID CASES AND FATALITY RATES COME DOWN

No flower show in Dec

The NBRI flower show for the month of December may not be held as the venue is still closed for visitors in the wake of COVID-19. Director SK Barik said, “We may not be able to hold two day flower show in December. We will see the possibility in January.”