The Mughal Gardens — often referred to as the soul of the presidential palace — will open for the public today, Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.
However, like the previous year, there will be no walk-in entry available as a precautionary measure against Covid-19. Visitors will only be allowed inside through advanced online booking. The gardens will remain open till March 16.
This year, the main attraction of ‘Udyanotsav’ will be the 11 varieties of tulips that will bloom in phases during February. Flower carpets will also be on display in the central lawns.
The dominant colour scheme of the ornamental flowers this year is yellow, white, orange, and red. A small cactus corner has also been landscaped alongside some air-purifying plants.
President Ram Nath Kovind opened Rashtrapati Bhavan’s annual ‘Udyanotsav’ on Thursday.
The Mughal Gardens will remain open for the public from February 12 to March 16 between 10 AM and 5 PM. The last entry is at 4 PM. The gardens will remain closed on Mondays, which are maintenance days, Rashtrapati Bhavan said in its statement.
There will be seven pre-booked hourly slots available between 10 AM and 5 PM, it said. Each slot can accommodate 100 people.
Visitors will be allowed to carry their mobiles phones during the visit. However, they will be not allowed to enter the gardens with handbags/ladies purses, water bottles, briefcases, radios/transistors, cameras, boxes, arms and ammunitions, umbrellas, and eatables.
The presidential palace will make arrangements for hand sanitisers, toilets, drinking water, first aid/medical facility at various points along the public route.
Visitors have to follow strict Covid-19 protocols, including wearing masks and maintaining physical distance, during the visit. They will also undergo thermal screening at the entry point and no visitor will be allowed without a mask.
Entry and exit for visitors will be from Gate No 35 of the President’s Estate, close to the meeting point of North Avenue with Rashtrapati Bhavan.