Chandigarh, Feb. 21 -- The much-awaited 53rd Rose Festival kicked off at Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, Sector 16, amid pomp and show on Friday after formally inauguration by UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria.

City mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, principal secretary VP Singh, municipal commissioner Amit Kumar, senior deputy mayor Jasbir Singh Bunty, deputy mayor Taruna Mehta and area councillor Saurabh Joshi were present during the inaugural ceremony.

While addressing the gathering, Kataria said, "What makes Chandigarh Rose Festival unique and special is the high level of local public participation. The Rose Garden holds historic significance-it is Asia's largest, spread across 40 acres. Chandigarh became a Union Territory in 1966, and the ve...