LAHORE - The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has announced to celebrate Jashn-e-Baharan from March 1-14, excluding the event of kite flying, in the City. The festival was to be celebrated from March 1-31, but later it got changed from March 1-14 when the PHA sent a summary to the Chief Secretary for approval. The gala event of Jashn-e-Baharan will cost Rs 10 million, which has already been submitted to the PHA by the sponsor, Ad Sells. Arrangements are now being finalised while the PHA has planned to invite Press for media briefing within two days. As per the approved summary, the festival will start from March 1 and will culminate on March 14. The summary states, The festival has attained international acclamation wherein a large number of visitors from across the world participate. The spirit behind this festivity is to provide entertainment and recreation to the general public during the spring season. Funds required for this purpose are arranged through sponsorship from the private sector without burdening the public exchequer. It further says, The City of Lahore will be decorated with lights, flowers, steamers and cut-outs, canal mela and a number of school based national songs and mural paintings competitions will be organised while sport-oriented and tree plantation contests between nurseries would also be arranged. Programmes of Jashn-e-Baharan includes decoration of the City and all leading roads, opening ceremony with tree plantation campaign at Jilani Park, birds festival at Bagh-e-Jinnah, canal mela from Mall to Jail Road on the Lahore Canal, dog show at Bagh-e-Jinnah, traditional food mela at Ideal Park Township, decoration of roads with flower beds, mural paining competition at Jilani Park, Mushaira at Alhamra, plantation in collaboration with different schools, landscaping competition between nurseries, cricket matches between persons belonging to showbiz and parliamentarians or blind cricket match, cricket match between the deaf and dumb at Jilani Park, cut flowers competition at Jilani Park, national songs competition between schools at Alhamra, tableau contests between schools at Alhamra, face painting and Hena competitions at Jilani Park. The PHA has not included the kite flying activity in the festival. It may be recalled that the carnival of Jashn-e-Baharan was scheduled to be celebrated in 2008 and 2009, but was later cancelled under security concerns. Some officials of the PHA have opposed the festival, saying the mega event that has great tendency to attract heavy public crowds and gatherings in various venues, would be an open invitation to terrorists to let loose the reign of bloodshed. They say the City that bore terror brunt for more than six times in 2009 despite tight security, is still under threat. It may be mentioned that the City was rocked by terror attacks during the past two years when two theatres were targeted on Ferozpur Road, Sri Lankan cricketers had a close escape near Liberty Roundabout, police training school at Manawan was targeted, Rescue 15 building within ISI premises was attacked while two blasts were carried out by terrorists in busiest Moon Market.