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3 years on, Eden Gardens opens doors to visitors again

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Express news service

Posted online: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:42:17


Kolkata, March 18 The Eden Gardens were once again thrown open to the public on Tuesday, three years after they were closed down in April 2005. Visitors were denied entry into the sprawling greens after Army authorities in Kolkata and the state forest department locked horns over the issue of an entry fee.

Entry to the park is “free” but visitors will have to buy a mandatory gate pass. The counterfoil of the pass will be kept with the forest authorities. “People should not misunderstand us. The system will help us check the entry of unwanted people. We can also track down culprits in case of any nuisance,” said Ananta Roy, minister in-charge of the state forest department.

The Eden Gardens are owned by the local Army authority but are maintained by the state forest department. The latter had insisted on charging an entry fee of Rs 2, which could go towards the maintenance of the park, but the Army opposed it.

“The opening of the gardens today was the culmination of the efforts of the GOC Bengal Area and Colonel Q (a designation for one who looks after land-related matters in the Ministry of Defence) over the last three years, to ensure that citizens can enjoy the benefits of the park for free,” said Group Captain R K Das, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence in Kolkata. The Army authorities were, however, conspicuous by their absence at the elaborate function organised by the urban and recreational forestry division of the forest department.

“The Army had objected to this. Unfortunately, the park had to be closed down following the controversy. We approached the chief minister and he took up the matter with the Union defence minister and even the Prime Minister. The chief minister then told us to open the gardens to the public for free — at least for the time being,” said Ananta Roy. The minister said the forest department would have to bear the entire burden of expenditure incurred towards the maintenance of Eden Gardens.

The gardens were built in 1836, during Lord Auckland’s tenure as Viceroy of India. Auckland’s sisters, Emile Eden and Fanny Eden, planned the gardens. Today, the area of the gardens has been restricted to a 15-acre plot from the earlier 50 acres, and flaunts at least 83 varieties of flora and fauna. The gardens are also the site of a beautiful Burmese pagoda, which was constructed in 1856. Even the palm trees are more than a 150 years old.

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