Chandigarh, March 15:- The city of Panchkula, situated in the foothills of the Shivalik Mountain Range, holds special significance in many ways. The three-day Basant Utsav organized by Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) for the first time gave the city a new identity. For the first time after 37 years, this three-day Basant Utsav was organized on the lines of International Surajkund Mela. The festival attracted an Indian crowd of school children, theatre, artists, nature lovers and people interested in gardening from the tricity, which was worth seeing.
On the first day of the festival, March 13, Haryana Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini inaugurated it. On this occasion, the Cactus Garden, which was closed for maintenance for almost a year, was reopened for general public with the efforts of PMDA. The Chief Minister mentioned in his address that PMDA is continuously working towards making Panchkula city more beautiful and attractive. It is worth mentioning that since the formation of PMDA and the assumption of charge of the Chief Executive Officer of Shri K. Makrand Pandurang, the work of re-expansion of the roads and parks of the city is continuously going on.
This three-day festival organized on the occasion of spring, a symbol of joy, new life and enthusiasm, was important in many ways. For the first time, stalls of food, handicrafts and products made by self-help groups were set up here for tourists on the lines of the International Surajkund Fair. At these stalls, people not only viewed various products, but also made purchases. People enjoyed a wide range of delicacies from Gohana's famous Jalebi to South Indian dishes. PMDA Chief Executive Officer Shri K Makrand Pandurang has a vision to make the 8-acre Cactus Garden in Panchkula one of the best cactus gardens in the world. With this aim, the garden has undergone extensive renovation during the last one year, under which about 300 new species of cactus have been added. Cactus Garden Curator Major General CS Bewley (Retd) said that Shri Makrand Pandurang has made special efforts to give a new look to the Cactus Garden from the very first day. More than 50 cactus plants have also been brought here from Pune. After the reopening of the garden, a large number of visitors are coming to see its new look. This Basant Utsav of Panchkula is likely to take on an even grander form in the coming years. During this festival, about 2250 entries of cut flowers and flower pots were received in the Best Garden in City Panchkula, Best School Garden, Institutional and Private categories. The Basant Utsav provided an excellent platform to artists as well as youth and children to showcase their talents. During this, Rangoli competition, Painting competition, Face painting, Textile Cartography, Tattoo painting etc. and Folk dance competition were organized and the winners were also honored with awards.