NDMC to plant 2.6 lakh tulips for beautification of city

Over 2.60 lakh tulip bulbs will be planted across Lutyens’ Delhi starting December 27, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) said on Thursday.

Sharing details, NDMC vice-chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal said 5.17 lakh imported Dutch tulip bulbs have arrived this season, with the NDMC receiving 3.25 lakh and the Delhi Development Authority the rest.

“The NDMC will plant 15,000 bulbs preserved at the special conservation centre at in Lodhi Garden,” he said.

This year’s programme will prominently feature major religious sites in the NDMC area, Mr. Chahal said, adding that the council will decorate places such as Birla Mandir, Hanuman Mandir and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, with the flowers that are expected to bloom in February.

Several other locations, including Shantipath and Central Park in Connaught Place, will also be decorated with tulips, Mr. Chahal said.

He added that the council will make available nearly one lakh potted tulips for sale to the public.

Tulip bulbs require a minimum temperature of around 5 degrees Celsius for nearly two months for proper germination. “Keeping Indian climatic conditions in mind, NDMC has selected pre-treated and programmed tulip bulbs, which can develop well despite temperature fluctuations,” he said.

NDMC has been undertaking tulip plantation since 2017–18, beginning with a pilot project of 17,000 bulbs, Mr. Chahal said, “making NDMC the first urban local body in the country to plant tulips in open public spaces for citizens—earlier limited only to the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan.”