Rose garden to bloom with 500 varieties in Aurangabad

AURANGABAD: Rose garden, which is coming up in the city as part of the mega tourism circuit plan, will have 500 varieties of the flower. Rose plants are being brought from all parts of the country.
The proposed garden near Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Research Centre is coming up on a 4-acre plot located on a hill slope. The project, which is estimated to cost Rs 3.55 crore is likely to be completed in the next few months.Once completed, the garden will be one-of-its-kind gardens in the region.
The authorities have designed the garden in such a way that from a bird’s eye view, it will look like one large rose. Civic body officials said the garden has been successfully given elevation so that the commuters passing by would be able to see its rose shape.
Earlier, Sikandar Ali, executive engineer in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), had said, “There are around 2,200 varieties of roses available in India. We intend to plant 500 varieties in the garden. This is a first-of-its-kind experiment in the city and we have managed to achieve the desired angle of elevation.”
The authorities have now started constructing the pathway in the garden. The work of planting different varieties of roses would start soon. A special red stone is being brought from Agra in Uttar Pradesh and will be used build the pathway.
Architect Pradeep Deshpande said, “A Bengaluru-based garden designer has offered us a wide range of roses to choose from. The authorities have decided to have a maximum number of rose varieties in the garden. However, we have decided to select varieties that will survive in local climatic conditions. We have prepared a list of 120 such varieties.”
As per the plan, the garden will have a cafeteria, an open air theatre and a nursery. It is expected to be completed by year-end.
Last year, the AMC received Rs 8 crore for the garden, besides development of other facilities in the periphery under the Aurangabad mega tourist circuit development plan. The municipal body is also building road dividers on the road near Panchakki and installing streetlights.
In March 2012, the ministry of tourism identified 53 mega destinations/circuits across the country for development, including Maharashtra and Goa, in consultation with the state governments and Union Territories.