President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, opened the annual “Udyanotsav” of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. The Mughal Gardens will remain open for the general public from February 12 to 16, except on Mondays which are maintenance days, between 10 am to 5 pm.
Visitors will be allowed to see the Gardens only through advance online booking. Booking can be made onhttps://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in or https://rb.nic.in/rbvisit/visit_plan.aspx. Like previous year, this year too walk-in entry will not be availableas precautionary measures.
Seven pre-booked hourly slots will be available between 10 am and 5 pm. Last entry will be at 4 pm. Each slot can accommodate a maximum of 100 persons. During the tour, visitors have to follow COVID protocols such as wearing of mask, maintaining social distance etc. They will have to undergo thermal screening at the entry point. No visitor will be allowed without mask.
Entry and exit for all visitors will be from Gate No. 35 of the President’s Estate, close to where North Avenue meets Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Visitors can carry mobiles phones during the visit. However, they are requested not to bring any water bottles, briefcases, handbags/ladies purses, cameras, radios/transistors, boxes, umbrellas, arms and ammunitions and eatables etc. Arrangements of hand sanitizers, drinking water, toilets, first aid / medical facility are provided at various points along the public route.
The main attraction of this year’s Udyanotsav will be 11 varieties of Tulips which are expected to bloom in phases during February. Flower Carpets in magnificent designs will also be on display in the Central Lawns. The dominant colour scheme of this year’s ornamental flowers is white, yellow, red and orange. A small cactus corner has also been landscaped along with some air purifying plants in the gardens.
