Jammu, Oct 18: To make road travel more charming for the visitors to J&K, the Floriculture Department is mulling decking of the side paths with flowers along the Jammu-Pathankot highway.
 The innovative plan, if approved, would be carried out by the Department in collaboration with Beascope, a Ludhania-based company.
 Under the project the sidetracks along the Jammu-Pathankot highway would be cultivated with flower plants. The Department will also encourage the farmers to contribute their bit by cultivating flowers on the ridges of their land running along the Highway.
 This way the Department will create an earning source for the farmers besides beautifying the pathways along the Highway.
 According to the officials, the Department has already submitted a plan to the District Administration Kathua and is awaiting its nod.
 “The Beascope will give technical assistance and seeds, and will also take the end product,” they said, adding that this way the Department would beautify the Highway and also earn money from the project at later stages.
 The officials said that the road beautification project will also make the Highway a tourist attraction and boost the local economy.
 The farmers in Jammu usually cultivate Maize, Wheat, Paddy, Vegetables, and Fodder, but in recent years under its crop diversification programme, government is encouraging the cultivation of flowers.
 According to the officials, under the National Horticulture Technology Mission Programme, the concept for cultivation of the flowers on commercial lines is being given priority in the crop diversification process.
 At present about 300 hectares of land in J&K is under the cultivation of different varieties of flowers, particularly marigold, jasmine, aster, rose, chrysanthemum and tuberose.
 Interestingly, the flower export has reached to worth Rs 2 crore giving employment to more than 200 people.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 IST