Proposed largest Tulip garden project at Pithoragarh abandoned 

Proposed largest Tulip garden project at Pithoragarh abandoned

B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, Nov 25

The proposed Tulip garden at Soor valley of Pithoragarh district to be raised as a major tourist attraction during summer months has failed to come up due to complete disinterest of the present state government.

The reason being given by the officials is that the Genetically Modified (GM) bulbs of tulip would be needed to be imported every year since the technology to convert GM seeds into germination seed is not available in India. It would require recurring expenditure of more than Rs.15 lakh to import Genetically Modified Tulip bulbs every year for the proposed Tulip garden.

An RTI inquiry, put to Pithoragarh District Horticulture Officer, and Divisional forest and District Tourism Officer jointly by one Ashok Singh has revealed it.

According to RTI inquiry, after spending over 20 lakh spent on the initial works of bulb purchase, water connection, fencing and levelling of trial garden at Chandak, the project has been abandoned. The tourism department which had also deposited over Rs. 77 lakh with District Forest Officer (DFO) to develop the garden further has decided to take back the amount since other concerned departments have backed out of the project,” said Kirti Chand Arya, District Tourism Officer (DTO), Pithoragarh.

The Tulip garden was proposed on 50 hectares of land at Mad Kharayat village near Chandak in Pithoragarh district in the year 2018, as the biggest Tulip garden of Asia on the lines of  Tulip garden at Jabarwan hills in Kashmir.

“Even the 50 hectares of land assigned for Tulip garden in Mad Kharayat village, has not been transferred after the project was stalled in November 2022,”said DTO.

“Besides the main reason of procuring GM bulbs every year at a recurring cost, the climate of Soor valley was also not found suitable for smooth flowering of Tulip like in Kashmir,” said Kriti Chandra Arya, Pithoragarh District Tourist Officer. The tourism department was given the responsibility to develop Tulip garden in Pithoragarh.

Pithoragarh District Horticulture Officer said that the nature of GM bulbs changes every season requiring new bulbs every year.” Keeping in mind the cost of Rs 70 per bulb, we need at least Rs. 15 lakh every year separately from general heads for the proposed garden,”said the DHO.

“The District Horticultural Officer Jagdish Kandpal  who was given responsibility of importing Tulip bulbs from abroad and to plant it on a trial basis at Chandak garden, later gave report to tourist department that as the technology to convert GM seeds into germination seed is not available in India, the bulbs will have to be imported every year leading to recurring expenditure every year,” said the DTO.

“After the report submitted by DHO in the year 2022 citing essential import of tulip seeds every year costing on an average cost of Rs 15 lakh each year, no response was given by the  government ,”said DTO.

The plan to develop India’s biggest tulip garden in Pithoragarh district has died a premature death. The Uttarakhand forest department which was supposed to develop the garden has developed cold feet terming it as non-forestry work. The idea and plan of developing a Tulip garden on the lines of Kashmir was the brain child of former Uttarakhand Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Parkash Pant and died after his death in 2019. He was a legislator from Pithoragarh city.

The Tulip garden, was to come up under “13 districts, 13 destinations” programme of the state government under the Chief Minister of former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, at 50 hectares of land in Mad Kharayat village of Pithoragarh district.

“The then Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, had given nod to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), to develop it under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programe, at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore,” said Bhupesh Pant, a senior BJP leader in Pithoragarh.

After the idea was sanctioned by state government in the year 2019, an experiment to see, if the Tulip flower blooms at a height of 1950 meters at Chandak hill and at same heights in Munsiyari, gets success or not, was carried and a sum of Rs 25 lakh was spent on that experiment which was a success.

” Following the transfer of then District Forest Officer (DFO),who was interested in the project, the new officer showed his complete disinterest probably at the behest of his seniors claiming it to be non- forestry work and stating that the department cannot give its time to it,” said Bhupesh Pant.

The basic idea behind developing Tulip gardens at Mad Kharayat region and also at Munsiyari, was to attract tourists to these places.” Had the idea materialised, the district headquarter would have attracted large number of tourists in the months of February and March, as there is no tulip garden nearby except in Kashmir,” claimed  Bhupesh Pant