New Delhi, Nov 24, 2022: The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) officials have stated that the India Gate lawns are being temporarily blocked in some areas for the moment to give the grass a breather from the heavy pedestrian traffic.
The lawns had been opened to the public in September following 20 months of renovation. An official stated that in order to maintain the grass that was planted alive, the CPWD has now began roping off certain areas and posting “under repair” signs to prevent visitors for 15 days at a time.
On September 9, following the inauguration of the renovated section of the Kartavya Path from India Gate to Vijay Chowk by PM Narendra Modi the day before, the public were allowed to use the lawns along that section of the path.
The area, formerly known as Rajpath, has witnessed huge crowds since reopening, especially on weekends, inspite of the fact that barricades and security officers have been put to regulate people.
“It’s tricky, with grass. It takes lots of water and nutrients, and a lot of intense labour to do the weeding, etc to create a perfect lawn. Further, the particular kind of grass that they use doesn’t grow in the shade. So what to do under the canopies of the rai-jamun trees? We discussed the possibility of moving away from the idea of an English lawn. We suggested a species of grass that could grow in the shade, and some other low-growing plants, like Volvulopsis and Oxalis, that do well in drier landscapes,” Naturalist and author Pradip Krishen had observed.
