Commissioner Secretary Floriculture, Parks and Gardens, Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad along with Director Parks & Gardens Farooq Ahmad Rather today inaugurated Public Park at Sallar Pahalgam here.The public park has been developed by the department of Parks & Gardens with an expenditure of Rs.16.50 lakh.The Commissioner Secretary also visited Akad park and directed district officer to submit plan for its beautification and construction of protection bund from the Nallah side to save the park from the flood.He asked the concerned to take the land demarcation issue with ACR Anantnag as an execution amount of Rs.72 lakh stand already transferred by the department.Later, Commissioner Secretary chaired a joint meeting of officers and commercial floriculture growers at Dak Bungalow.The meeting was attended by DDC Anantnag, K.K.Sidha; Director Parks & Gardens Farooq Ahmad Rather and other officers of Parks & Gardens Department and progressive commercial floriculture growers.Addressing the meeting, Sheikh Fayaz said that aim of the government was to focus on commercial flower growers and to provide them all required facilities including subsidy component.He also took a detail review of maintenance and development of existing parks & gardens of the district.
He also asked for conducting of awareness & training camps for the commercial floriculture growers and to involve more and more people in this sector to raise their income.Addressing the farmers he said that government is keen to provide marketing and other facilities and he has already taken up the matter of high tech poly houses for cut flower growers.Speaking on the occasion, the DDC informed the meeting that the department is stressing the progressive floriculture growers for registration of FPoS for which NABARD will provide financial assistance and other required equipment for three years.He called upon the farmer community to participate in Kisan Pakhwada Camps so that farmers are linked with KCC to provide them hassle free loans on low interest rates for setting up of their income generating units.The DDC also said that a web portal will be designed for the growers so that they can sell their cut flowers in various parts of the country at genuine rates.The Deputy Director of the department through a power point presentation gave detailed information about the maintenance & status of the parks & gardens in the district.On the occasion, the progressive commercial floriculture growers raised some issues regarding supply of high tech poly houses to maintain temperature, marketing facilities, incentives and release of subsidy component.The Commissioner Secretary assured the commercial floriculture growers to provide every possible help from the department and appreciated DDC, Anantnag’s valuable views to boost the sector.