The eye-catching floral decorations that have had people stopping at Biswa Bangla Gate since last weekend to click pictures have attracted the attention of thieves as well.
“Some pots got stolen. We have had to replace 15 to 20 pots which have gone missing. These are our assets. We will need to use them for other events also,” said Rabindranath Saha, conservator of forests and ex-officio general manager, West Bengal Forest Development Corporation. “Flower pots of various sizes have been used. It is the smaller pots that are being targeted.”
About 10-12 staff members of the department were deployed to guard the pots overnight, with police also pitching in to keep vigil. “But it is next to impossible to keep a watch round the clock across three traffic islands.”
Flowers were needed in such huge quantities that requisitions were made from the districts as also private nurseries.
The forest department had entrusted the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation with the responsibility of landscaping and beautification activities at four locations for the G20 meetings scheduled in Calcutta from January 9 to 11.
At New Town, the two spots chosen were in front of Biswa Bangla Gate and the Taal Kutir convention centre at Eco Park. Elsewhere in the city, Outram Ghat and Victoria Memorial were also beautified
Passersby click pictures and selfies of the beautification.
The beautification was designed to depict the message of the G-20 summit and highlight Bengal. “We worked on the theme of inclusion and coexistence which our state takes pride in, by bringing flowers of a myriad varieties together to create the designs. The other slogan we kept in mind was India’s G20 motto of ‘One Earth. One Family. One Future’,” he added.
The department got just four days to do the work. “It was a challenge to finish on time. About 25 to 30 varieties of chrysanthemum and 15 varieties of Dahlia were used as were more than 40 varieties of seasonal flowers, from Inca and Gerbera to Petunia and Gladiola. We also got a special decorative flowering plant called Malpighia,” Saha said.
The highlight of the décor was the 5ft high and 8ft wide logo of the G20 summit, created using three shades of chrysanthemums. This is the background against which scores of selfies are being clicked. The pots bordering the flower bed were bedecked with alpona in a tribute to Bengal’s folk culture.
With the G20 engagement over in the city, the floral décor will be removed from the public places. “The flowers will dry up and look bad. And it is not possible to guard the pots night after night. We will store them at the Tall Tree Nursery and at Eden Gardens,” the official said.
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