NOIDA: Nature seems to have taken a backseat as the rapidly progressing urbanisation drive had almost killed the already crippled Botanic Garden of Indian Republic (BGIR) in Noida.
A promising project, as declared by the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1997, the garden was designed for the conservation, research and awareness about rare plant species in India. However, in 2008 due to expansion of metro 31 acres out of the 200 acres allotted garden land was lost to urbanisation drive. Since then the garden, a landmark on the Dwarka-Noida line as a station is named after it, appears to be stuck between the Noida Authority and the Ministry of Environment.
According to sources, both Noida and the ministry may sign a MoU to further develop the park—but only as a recreational unit rather than the garden promoting conservation and researched as promised in its inception. The new move may attract people to the garden but it will not fulfil its original purpose to accommodate new species and serve as green lung.
“A 10-member autonomous body is going to be formed to look after the functioning and development of the park .The state government has proposed to develop the park as fifty percent for research and the other half for recreation. Public interest also plays an important role as people go there for both research and recreation,” said a senior official at the Noida Authority Horticulture department.
However, the botanists are not convinced. “This was not the purpose of the park, it is not that we are against the public interest but it should not be at the cost of plants,” Sheo Kumar, chief scientist in charge BGIR said.
The park is already struggling for space after 31 acre of this land went to metro expansion in 2008.Now the park has only 163.79 acres of land for research, conservation and recreational space.
According to experts, India has identified 47,000 types of plant species till now and out of these 12,000 are threatened due to human habitation in agricultural land.
There are 300 botanical gardens in India but only one botanic garden. The difference is that a botanical garden is for recreational purposes and conservation, but a botanic garden is strictly for research and conservation of plants. “People do not understand the difference between the two and often confuse them,” explained Kumar.