Guwahati gets Rs 59-cr botanical garden

Also, a dedicated space of around 2.08 acre has been kept for medicinal plants inside the complex.Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Sarma said, After the Guwahati Central Jail was shifted to Lokhra, it was initially decided that a shopping mall would be constructed on the vacant land.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday inaugurated a botanical garden built, which has been built on the land where once the Guwahati Central Jail stood.

Spanning an area of 36 bigha (nearly 12 acre), including 2.58 acres of water bodies, the botanical garden has been built at a cost of Rs 59 crore.

The park has 85,000 plants belonging to more than 230 indigenous species of flora. Also, a dedicated space of around 2.08 acre has been kept for medicinal plants inside the complex.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Sarma said, ''After the Guwahati Central Jail was shifted to Lokhra, it was initially decided that a shopping mall would be constructed on the vacant land. With the BJP government coming to power in 2016, a decision was reached that a public park should be built.'' The botanical garden will provide a great amount of open space for the residents of Guwahati, he added.

''Rather than being referred to as a park, it has been deliberately decided to name it botanical garden with the aim of transforming it into a repository of indigenous and rare species of flora of the region,'' Sarma said.

Guides shall be deployed in the park so that people belonging to younger generations are introduced to the rich flora heritage of the region, he added.

The chief minister also spoke about the number of ongoing and upcoming projects meant to transform Guwahati into the ''Gateway to South-East Asia''.

''The first phase of the river-front development project along the bank of Brahmaputra near Kachari Ghat will be inaugurated very soon. Public parks will be built on the land in Chandmari currently housing the offices of flood control and irrigation,'' he said.

Sarma also said that plans are in place to build an urban forest at Borbari, and deliberations are also going on to construct embankments surrounding the Deepor Beel (lake) that will provide cycling and walking spaces for the public.

''The ongoing construction of the inland water terminal near Fancy Bazar on completion will lend a huge boost to the city's tourism potential and provide an experience similar to the ones available in South-East Asian nations such as Singapore and Malaysia,'' he added.

With the aim of securing the life and property of the residents of Guwahati, a surveillance camera project covering the entire city will be launched soon and cabinet approval to spend Rs 250 crore on it has already been granted, Sarma said.

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