Visitors at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru for the Annual Flower Show were faced with an unusual request from organizers: Resist the urge to take selfies!
As the 205th edition of the Lalbagh Flower Show entered its fourth day on Monday, countless visitors continue to throng the Botanical Garden to immerse themselves in a riot of Nature’s colours and myriad scents.
With the masses ever ready to click selfies at the drop of a hat, they were specifically asked by authorities not to do so in previously demarcated areas. This comes in the wake of the death of a six-year old boy in December, after a granite structure that he was leaning on for a photograph, fell on him.
PC Ray -Commissioner of the state Horticulture Department- told The Times of India that certain areas have now been made no-selfie zones post the said incident.
Organizers of the event have left no stone unturned in ensuring that the annual show is not marred by any such untoward incidents.
Speaking to The News Minute, Chandrasekhar -Lalbagh Deputy Director- dismissed media reports of a blanket ban on selfies:
"We cannot prohibit people from clicking photographs per se. It is just not practical. We have identified 12 sensitive spots and restricted photography at these spots alone. These include areas near ponds, lakes and rocks that are likely to pose a danger to visitors who get carried away while posing for photographs or selfies.”
Banners have been put up the at all 12 demarcated areas, asking the public to desist from photography. Chandrashekhar says that with adequate banners and warning signs in place, visitors have by and large welcomed the move.
According to reports, nearly 100 home guards as well as 500-odd police personnel are deputed at the premises to ensure the smooth conduct of the nine-day flower show.
Thorny plans and beehives too were cleared from the garden to ensure the safety of the visitors. Additional security cameras have also been installed to monitor the event, with around five lakh people expected to drop in at the garden for the show.