Delhi Development Authority Grants Permission for Phool Walon Ki Sair
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has granted permission for the annual Phool Walon Ki Sair (procession of the florists) festival in Mehrauli, following the intervention of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, Raj Niwas officials said on Sunday (November 9), as per reports.
The approval came days after the festival’s organising committee, Anjuman Sair-e-Gul Faroshan, announced the cancellation of the centuries-old event, citing the DDA’s failure to issue the required permission for using Mehrauli’s Aam Bagh.
As per a report published in The Times of India, Saxena had ordered an inquiry after reports suggested that the festival has been cancelled this year. The probe found that the delay in permission was due to a directive issued by the forest and environment department on November 28, 2023, which prohibits the organisation of such a festival in the area, an official told TOI.
As per the TOI report, the DDA has issued a written permission after the LG's intervention. The permission has been granted on the condition that the festival must proceed without causing any damage to the environment. Saxena has reportedly warned that any officer found acting against public interest will be punished.
The organisers, however, claimed that they have not yet received any formal communication. "We have not yet received any written or verbal communication from DDA regarding the required permission," Usha Kumar, general secretary of the organising committee was quoted as saying by TOI.
The organisers said the festival will be held in February-March next year.
The week-long event, Phool Walon Ki Sair, sees members of both the Hindu and Muslim communities offering floral chaadars (sheets) and pankhas (fans) at the dargah of Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki and pankhas and chhatras (canopy) at the nearby Yogmaya Temple in Mehrauli. Besides that the annual celebration also features swings, cultural performances, and food stalls in Aam Bagh.
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