3 years on,butterfly park yet to open

It is one of those environmental initiatives designed to reach out to the masses which has failed in its purpose. Postponed a number of times since its completion,the butterfly garden at Aranyeshwar is still awaiting inauguration,the latest reason being the assembly polls and the moral code of conduct restrictions.

The Pune municipal corporation completed the butterfly garden at Aranyeshwar in Sahakar Nagar in 2006. And while the butterflies made it their home instinctively,the garden has yet not been thrown open to the public for the past three years. “After my husband retired as a forest officer,we approached the PMC with an idea of creating a garden for butterflies where we could create favourable conditions for butterflies to come and breed,and where people could come and gain knowledge about these beautiful creatures. The then PMC commissioner allotted the space opposite Aranyeshwar temple in 2004. We completed the project in 2006 but since then,there have been no developments,” said Sumitra Thomas,caretaker,The Butterfly Garden. The garden was landscaped keeping in mind the ideal breeding conditions for butterflies found in and around the city. The nectar-yielding plants,host plants planted to facilitate feeding of the caterpillars and the food plants grown to allow easy feeding and growth resulted in countless butterflies making the garden their home. Today,with over 50 species of butterflies some of which include the Blue Mormon- a rare butterfly found in forest areas,Nawab,Spotted Sword Tail along with some of the migratory butterflies such as Painted Lady are found in the garden. “The set up is ready to cater to the masses. Not only is the garden well-maintained,it also has special enclosures for breeding. An exhibition hall that can give detailed information about butterflies is also a part of the plan,” added Thomas whose husband passed away two years ago without getting to see the garden functional.

Spread over 1.5 acres,the PMC had spent over Rs 20 lakh in landscaping the butterfly garden. Along with with Thomas,two gardeners and a watchman have been appointed for its maintenance. The PMC is spending over Rs 27,000 per month on their salaries alone. “This has been going on since 2006,” said Thomas which means that over Rs 1 crore have till date been spent by the PMC on maintenance alone. With its inauguration last postponed on August 15,Bhanudas Mane,chief garden superintendent,PMC said,”We had to postpone the inauguration due to the code of conduct and forthcoming assembly polls. But we are planning to open it to the public by November with a Rs 2 entry fee.”

“August- October is considered the butterfly season. And if the officials inaugurate it by November,it will be too late because by then,most of the butterflies will vanish until they come back the next season,” added Thomas.