Flower Garden; Victim of Govt’s apathy

Flower Garden; Victim of Govt’s apathy 

Five years on but beauty yet to bloom 

Yash Khajuria

JAMMU, Oct 27: Thousands of flower bloomed and got withered, but remained hapless to smell fragrance to the stuffy noses of the authorities as the flower garden at Bhour camp, dedicated by government almost five years ago for the promotion of tourism and to welcome tourists, is on verge due to the unwelcoming and discriminatory approach of the Government.

Spread across 563 kanals of land, this panoramic garden was conceived by then Chief Minister
Gulam Nabi Azad himself five years ago with a view to attract visitors to the state, but currently the garden wears deserted look facing worse which could happen.

What could lead to dishearten the people enthusiastic about the Garden as the Floriculture department which has survived  the existing garden with the hefty investment of Rs 8.5 crore has disclosed the information that the Said Garden at Bhour camp is not even been Sanctioned yet by the government.

In this context when contacted to the Director Floriculture K K Sharma has said that the way things have gone I strongly felt that the inauguration of the said garden by the then Chief minister was just a leveling act to the Tulip garden at Srinagar, Because except the inauguration of the Land the government has never offered a look to that piece of land.

“In fact I was the officer at the helm of the affairs at that time and I have delivered my duties with much endeavor though, I was anxious to prove my abilities and to create history by erecting a panoramic garden in the Jammu, but with the casual approach of the government all my attempt were gone to deaf ears” he said.

“First of all the topographically the land was not suitable to a gardening practice as the area was a flood prone area which offers 6 feet flow of flood when its rainy season. But with the assistance of ERA dept which has constructed the protection wall to the garden this problem was sorted. Then the apathetic approach of the MLA concerning and the minister for
floriculture has resulted the present piece of land. 

“The flouricultre department is paralyzed badly short of the Staff. In Gandhi Nagar alone, there are more than 80 parks and the department have only 9 base level officials and casual laborers are also very few so it is impossible to maintain the so Called Biggest Garden of the state with this much numbers of officials” he quipped. 

He said that even the said garden was not anywhere in the project as the land was allocated for the plantation of Botanical Garden which was choked only in the files then we tracked again for a recreation garden out there but this seems that the land has nothing to get a facelift ahead of this reluctant government. He concluded that we have re-tabled the estimated project of Rs. 28.50 crore for the development of recreation Garden at Bhour camp ahead the government but now it is the government who lacks to initiate.