SONIKA BIJAWAT/SHRUTI GOSWAMI
Ranchi, Feb 6: With the Raj Bhawan gardens open for visits by commoners, and crowds visiting in thousands, the security protocol at the entrance of the gardens does not seem to be followed properly. The large crowds of visitors mostly have youth and school-college students looking to visit after classes, while entry is allowed from Gate No 2 which is open from 10 am to 3 pm.
On one such visit, it was noted by some personnel that checking has not been done properly and no one was following protocols. At the entrance, the guards who were supposed to register people with their identity cards were registering only a handful few and were letting the rest go. With a huge crowd gathered to enter the Raj Bhawan, it seemed that rules were not followed properly.
No proper checking and frisking is conducted and there is no mandatory entry in registers for the visitors at the gate.
On asking about the security situation at the gate, a police officer said, “Individuals, who want to record their name with their Aadhaar number can, however, there is no rule against it. People in groups are advised to register with one ID to save time.”
Notably, the Raj Bhawan Garden opened its gates for the general public to view its sprawling gardens on January 31. Every year Raj Bhawan opens the garden gates for at least a fortnight, during which lakhs of people visit with friends and families. The garden spread over 52 acres has more than 250 varieties of 15,000 rose plants. In addition, seasonal flowers in Ashoka Garden, Buddha Garden and Akbar Garden are also worth visiting. There is also Mahatma Gandhi Medicinal Garden, Phulo-Jhano Garden and Lily Pond which has several visitors.
The gardens have lush green lawns, pathways, and flower beds of a variety of seasonal flowers and fountains.The Raj Bhawan Garden has 9 fountains and several fruit-bearing trees including Rudraksha and Kalpataru, yellow bamboo, cardamom, orange, Thai guava, apple plum, and several types of lemons.
Moreover, there is an arrangement for children to play and swing in the children’s park. There is an art gallery too, which includes beautiful paintings, depicting the culture of Jharkhand, Sohrai paintings, artificial octopuses, mountains, waterfalls, and so on.
Reportedly, the scheduled last date to visit the garden was set on February 7. However, considering the massive crowds of the public at the entry gates on a daily basis, it has been extended to Feb 10.
