From junk to jewels: Srinagar’s new waste-to-wonder garden blooms on Polo View Road

Omar said the garden, in which several waste products have been used, will convey a strong message about how we can use our discarded items in a useful way

An old Ambassador car, a broken scooter, unused tyres, cycles, jeeps and even pairs of long boots and discarded bottles—all once lying forgotten—have now been reborn as planters in a beautiful new garden on Polo View Road in the heart of Srinagar.

The garden has been established by the floriculture department and more than three dozen discarded items have been used, either by refurbishing them or giving them a useful look. (Waseem Andrabi/HT)

Thrown open to the public, the garden bursts with colourful flowers and creativity. It turns waste into art, and a busy stretch into a place of beauty — adding yet another green jewel to the city’s crown.

“The rust has been turned into a beautiful place for flowers and people are loving it. This could become another tourist attraction for Srinagar city and a comfort zone for locals,” said Zainab, a student of the nearby women’s college, who spared some time to have a look at the garden that was thrown open by the chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday.

Omar said the garden, in which several waste products have been used, will convey a strong message about how we can use our discarded items in a useful way.

The garden has been established by the floriculture department and more than three dozen discarded items have been used, either by refurbishing them or giving them a useful look.

Mathoora Masoom, director of floriculture, Kashmir, said some of the items used in the garden had been discarded for decades and were lying in various offices of the department. “We collected them and gave them a very attractive look. The second-hand items have been given a new life,” she said.