New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) Lutyens' Delhi is set to receive a floral makeover as the NDMC plans to plant over 3.25 lakh tulip bulbs as part of a broader effort to enhance the city's beauty, officials said.
The initiative, costing Rs 2.19 crore, will cover iconic locations such as Shanti Path, Akbar Road, Connaught Place, Parliament House, and 52 roundabouts, with tulips in seven different colours, they added.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is procuring a total of 5.5 lakh tulip bulbs from the Netherlands, the officials said.
While 3.25 lakh bulbs will be used by the NDMC, the remaining bulbs are being allocated to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for use in their parks and public spaces. Both the DDA and MCD will bear the costs for their shares of the bulbs, they added.
The agency also expects to receive flowers from the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) in Palampur, where more than 50,000 preserved seeds from last year's plantation cycle were sent for regeneration.
Similarly, around 18,000 tulips whose seeds were also preserved are being grown locally at the NDMC's advanced propagation chamber in Lodhi Garden, the officials said.
According to officials, to accommodate the growing scale of the initiative, the NDMC is expanding its climate-controlled tulip storage and propagation facilities at Lodhi Garden, they said, adding that the upgraded facility will soon be able to hold up to 36,000 bulbs at a time, up from its current capacity of 20,000.
The plantation is set to begin in mid-December, with the tulips expected to bloom within 30–40 days, offering a spectacular display by the end of January or early February.
The officials said NDMC teams are actively surveying the city to identify new locations for the plantation, having adequate water supply and minimal traffic, ensuring the successful growth of the flowers.
This year's effort builds on the success of last year's planting of 2 lakh tulips, which adorned prominent areas such as Shanti Path.
The project aligns with the NDMC's vision of transforming Delhi into a greener and more picturesque capital.