COIMBATORE: The botanical garden on the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) campus is under renovation . New features would be added to the facility and it would be presented to the public soon, said vice chancellor N Kumar.The university’s botanical garden on the Maruthamalai Road has been a tourist attraction. However, in recent years, the garden has faded from its charm and has worn a dilapidated look, raising concerns from the public. Now the university has taken up the renovation work.Kumar said they started the work on January 26 this year and were looking to complete it on August 15. The whole renovation work would cost around Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore, he said and added that while the university would contribute a portion of the fund, officials were also looking for sponsors from outside. The 45acre has a 10acre research space and the rest for visitors.New features to the garden such as a butterfly garden and a bird garden would be added to the existing facility, said Kumar.“The butterfly garden would be a netted enclosure where we would keep plants which would attract butterflies. People can visit the enclosure and watch butterflies without touching them,” he said. The construction of the butterfly garden would cost around Rs 25 lakh and an NGO has come forward to sponsor it, he added.Similarly, a garden with plants which would attract nectar-eating birds is set to come up, Kumar said. The university was working with ornithologists for this particular feature, he said.In addition to this, the renovated garden would have a children’s corner with birds and animals such as pigeons and rabbits to attract children, said Kumar. The Japanese garden at the facility would be revamped and ducks would be introduced in it, he added.“We have purchased Rs 25lakh worth of plants from Rajahmundry and Kerala for the botanical garden and they would arrive soon,” said Kumar.The university was also planning to renovate and modernise the central exhibition space on the university campus where specimen of crops such as paddy and sorghum had been put up, he said.

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