Visitors dissatisfied with high toilet charge ; Flower stall steals the show at Sangai Fest
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 29 2017: As the saying goes, flowers have universal appeal and this has been quite evident at the flower show at Hapta Kangjeibung in the ongoing Manipur Sangai Festival, thanks to an initiative of the Eco-Tourism Me Purul .

Elsewhere, visitors have been expressing their disapproval at the high price charged for food items and toilet facility, yet this flower show, with no extra fee, has stolen the limelight by attracting a packed audience comprising people of all ages during its opening hours .

Originally from Senapati, the Eco-Tourism Me Purul has created a benchmark for perfection with its flower show at one of the major venues of the festival at Hapta Kangjeibung .

Visitors dissatisfied with high toilet charge ; Flower stall steals the show at Sangai Fest

The beauty of the show, which features around 25 different flowers in full bloom and several others, is further accentuated by its cave waterfall and garden view points constructed with fine aesthetical touches .

While speaking to The Sangai Express, Y Daiho, secretary of the Eco-Tourism Me, informed that the Manipur Tourism Department had sponsored the flower show, which is exhibited in a greenhouse covering 50�100 sq ft .

Inside the cave, he said there is a model of prehistoric time, with artificial tiger, snake and human, which shows how they used to coexist together .

Y Daiho added that in the flower show, the items include, among others, five different orchids, bougainvillea, rose, petoria, marigold, geranium, alstroemeria, chrysanthemum and anthurium.

Seeds and plants are also up for sale for these 25-odd flowers at the show, he said .

The secretary further informed that this is the first time that his group is participating in the Sangai Festival.

The opportunity had allowed him to showcase the models of natural parks of the hills to the valley people and added he had been able to demonstrate how gardening can be such a delightful pursuit .

He continued that picnic spots and parks had been set up in Purul, Senapati and these places are open to public and more importantly, the festival will not only help in promotion but also in gathering funds for further improvement of the picnic spots and parks .

He also thanked the Government of Manipur, particularly the Department of Tourism, and Chief Minister N Biren for giving such a chance at the Sangai Festival .

This reporter saw many visitors taking photographs and selfies inside the cave and garden view points of Eco-Tourism Me and it was also observed that the visitors had to stand in long queues as numerous visitors continue to visit the flower show .

However, the scene was slightly different at other places inside the festival venue with one of the major factors being the high price of food items and toilet facility .

A few visitors expressed their disapproval as not only they had to shell out Rs 10 just for using the urinal facility but also there was a different washroom for VVIPs.

Complaints are pouring in that Rs 10 is too much .

On the other hand, it is learnt that a stall selling bora and other food items was earning around Rs 20,000 a day.

A glass of milk tea was Rs 30 and a plate of bora Rs 100.On inquiring about the high price, a unanimous reply was that a stall owner had deposited Rs 12,000 and that the Government-allotted stall needed a lot of refurbishment and thus the inevitable high price of the food items .

A few stall owners expressed apprehension that they might lose money if they did not sell items at a high price.