People taking a ride on the tethered hot air balloon at Padmapuram Gardens in Araku Valley, 150 kilometres from Visakhapatnam, recently.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK
The decades-old Padmapuram Gardens, one of the most sought after hotspots for the tourists in Araku Valley, is undergoing massive renovation works as part of its facelift by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Alluri Sitharama Raju district.
With a budget of ₹1.5 crore, the entire gardens is being renovated to give a new look. Three types of works, horticulture, civil and electrification, have been going on simultaneously at the park. The park with one of the finest flower collection is also being refurbished along with the landscaping works.
As of now, the park does not have good illumination and visitors are forced to leave by the evening. The authorities are arranging proper illumination so that visitors can stay till the night. Around 3km length of new roads are being laid inside the park which also includes walking track. This apart, new archs and selfie points are also being arranged.
In last year, the ITDA had provided cottage facility, also called as tree houses, in the park. They have been evoking good response from the tourists. Two months ago, tethered hot air balloon rides were also started in the park by an agency.
“It is one of the finest and biggest gardens in North Andhra. If properly developed, it can match Botanical Gardens in Ooty. So we have planning to give it a facelift and the works have been going on very well,” said Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer V. Abhishek. He has also said that they are planning to complete the works by coming Sankranti.
Manager of Padmapuram Gardens Bonjubabu said that during winters, which is the tourist season in Araku Valley, the gardens receive around 10,000 footfall on weekends. On regular days, the number of tourists will be around 1,000 to 2,000, he said.
Published – December 23, 2024 08:29 am IST