Bhour Camp (Jammu), Mar 31: The Kashmir Valley is known for its colourful gardens. Now Jammu too has a flower garden at the Bhour Camp.

There are over twenty varieties of flowers in this garden like Nasturtium (Tropaeolum), Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), Icicle plant (Mesembryanthemum) and Calendula (Ca-lén-du-la, pot marigold).

All this, however did not happen overnight as this piece of land was lying fallow till about a year back.

Last year in the month of September when Chief Minister Gulam Nabi Azad flew into the place in an aeroplane, he saw a chunk of land that was barren. After landing he came straight to this place and conceived a garden to be developed. The floriculture department was entrusted with the task and the blueprint for the project was drawn up, said Pran Dullu, Deputy Director, Floriculture Department, Jammu.

It will be a major floriculture centre and will make the state self-sufficient as far seeds of these varieties of flowers are concerned. The seeds from these flowers will be stocked in the outlets of the floriculture department across the state from where the residents can procure these seeds. This in turn will also benefit the department financially.

“We are feeling good after visiting this place because the place abounds in a mass of flowers as we used to read in our books," said Anuj, a student from Alexander Memorial School, Jammu.

Authorities here are upbeat since the garden is gaining popularity among tourists and residents.

Green expanses such as these will go a long way towards drawing tourists who have simply dwindled in the years of insurgency. Undoubtedly, such efforts will place Kashmir on the global tourism map and this is crucial, since it will be the mainstay of the state's economy. (ANI)