Chennai: Chief Minister Eddapadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday inaugurated the annual Kodai summer festival and the 57th flower show at Bryant's Park in Kodaikanal.
He also announced Rs 10 crore for establishing a first of kind model rose garden in Kodaikanal which will house about 1,500 varieties of rose and related flowering plants. According to state horticulture department sources more than 100 exotic plants have been brought from other states to spruce up flower show at Kodaikanal.
The sprawling 10-acre garden will be developed by planting 15,000 saplings of endemic and exotic plants, the CM said in his inaugural address. Showering heaps of praise on the serene beauty of Kodaikanal hills, he recalled the heritage connect that Kodaikanal had with the British who visited India during the colonial era.
He also urged the public to visit Kodaikanal and Ooty, where the state has made elaborate arrangements to engage tourists during summer vacation. The botanical parks in hill stations have been spruced up and a variety of flowers are now in bloom and Kodaikanal is an ideal place for summer and other seasons, Palaniswami said.
The Chief Minister also noted that the adjacent Sirumalai forest area has been a tourist destination and there is a popular demand among the residents of Dindigul and adjacent areas to develop Sirumalai into a tourist destination and this demand will be considered. Further the connective highway between Dindigul and Natham will be developed at a cost of Rs 250 crore to enable that hassle free traffic to tourists.
The roads leading to Palani will soon have dedicated walkways for the pilgrims and this will also bring down the accidents along the 38 km stretch, the CM said.
