Metamorphosis: 'Nala' turns butterfly haven

Citizens will soon enjoy a kilometre-long walk at the city’s only butterfly garden in Sahakarnagar, opposite Omkareshwar temple. The park is set to be inaugurated by Bollywood actor, Dimple Kapadia, on Tuesday.

On Sunday mediapersons accompanied Congress corporator Aba Bagul to the park, which has been set up by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Bagul took the initiative for acquiring the land, which was a dirty nala a decade ago. He said he fought a legal battle on behalf of the PMC for eight years to get the piece of land. It took three years to convert the nala into a garden.

The walking track in the garden is lined with trees on both sides. It crosses the nala twice through bridges. There are two net houses, which protect the cocoons from birds. The butterflies, after taking wing, come out into the open garden after 10 days.

The entry fee is Rs1 per head on weekdays and Rs5 on weekends. The garden has a display room with pictures of butterfly species. There are informative posters placed along the walking track.  The garden will be open from 6 am to 6 pm on weekdays, while a sound-and-light system will supply information about butterflies on weekends from 7 pm to 10 pm.

The area has been transformed into a peaceful and beautiful nala garden with lots of butterflies, giving visitors a feeling of peace in the middle of the chaos of the bustling city.