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Aroma of flowers damps down dusty look of F-9 Park

By Atif Khan

ISLAMABAD: An artistic display of colorful flowers at an exhibition, jointly organised by Islamabad Horticulture Society and Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday, turned virtually deserted and polluted F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park into a blaze of colours and sweet fragrance.

CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan inaugurated the yearly flower show at an under-construction site of the park amid dust and noise caused by heavy machinery. Over 235 varieties of chrysanthemums (Gul-e-Dawoodi) were arrayed in the form of stalls, miniature gardens, mounts and other stylish landscapes at the exhibition.

The art of cultivating carefully shaped chrysanthemums was displayed in a mix of unique and stylish modern tradition. Horticultural techniques were displayed on a large-scale with a high level of authenticity. The visitors feasted their eyes on an alluring combination of eye-catching flowers and colours at the exhibition.

The CDA, Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL), Pakistan Public Works Department, Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan Air Force and Combined Military Hospitals were among main participants of the exhibition.

The CDA and the KRL bagged first and second prize respectively at first day of the show that will remain open to public till November 30 (Sunday). Prizes will be given away to the participants at closing ceremony of the three-day flower show.

“The show is really excellent, though number of flowers and participants this year are less compared to the last year,” Kashmala Hayat, a visitor told Daily Times. She lauded the authority for holding the show, saying that more efforts were required to sensitise people to environment-friendly activities like flower shows.

Sabooh Ahmed, a primary student, who visited the exhibition with his parents, said that he had never seen so many flowers at one place before.

He said that the exhibition had also made him known about different species of flowers and their attributes. He said that he had developed an interest in gardening after visiting the exhibition.

A less number of visitors compared to the last year thronged the exhibition, indicating that the CDA had not publicised the event at mass level. The CDA also organised stalls of food and snakes for refreshment of the visitors, but no drinking water was available for them. National Horticulture Society will hold its annual flower exhibition at the same venue in the first week of December.

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