Lovers free to enter Botanical Gardens

Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation Minister Jayaratne Herath said yesterday there was no restriction on lovers entering botanical gardens and parks but that they were expected to behave in a decent manner when visiting such places.

Lovers can enter Botanical gardens but should not misbehave

The minister said in a media statement it was the fundamental right of lovers to enter these areas but they should be mindful of the presence of other visitors and should not be found misbehaving there.

“We do not want to interfere with a person’s right to enter such places. Botanical gardens are places where people can move around freely and enjoy themselves. But misbehaving will be strictly forbidden,” the statement said.

He said botanical gardens were not for visitors to pick flowers or engrave their names on trees, but they were special areas where people could enjoy and appreciate the gifts of nature and be educated about our flora and fauna and conservation projects.

“Several large scale botanical garden projects are in the pipeline for this year. Botanical Gardens at Avisawella and Sithawaka and the Safari Garden at Reedigama will be

We do not want to interfere with a person’s right to enter such places. Botanical gardens are places where people can move around freely and enjoy themselves. But misbehaving will be strictly forbidden

opened for the public this year. This will be followed by setting up botanical gardens in every district of the country,” the minister said.